Google’s Gemini team is apparently sending out emails about an upcoming change to how Gemini interacts with apps on Android devices. The email informs users that, come July 7, 2025, Gemini will be able to “help you use Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities on your phone, whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” Naturally, this has raised some privacy concerns among those who’ve received the email and those using the AI assistant on their Android devices.
Dear tech bros,
We, the people, don’t want to use your AI shit. Please stop shoving it down our throats. Thank you.
Sincerely, -The people
neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Linux has become good enough to replace desktop operating systems.
Now, we are back at square one. I’ll be the first to inaccurately declare, “This will be the year of the Linux phone.”
Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 1 month ago
All I need is a good enough emulation of android apps to fool them (eg for banking).
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 1 month ago
Sailfish OS has it.
Unfortunately the project has some closed source bits which, imho, aren’t an issue when you look closer. Maybe I’m naive but I trust this EU company.
I use it as my daily driver. It certainly is frugal compared to recent Android versions, but fully functional.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Can you get by with web access? That’s what I do and it’s fine.
rakeshmondal@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
Unfortunately banking apps are only going to get harder to run on software uncertified by Google.
zqps@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
“Hello there.” - Play Integrity API
Squizzy@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Looking at postmarketOS for my phone too, so sick of this shit
xiwi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
PostmarketOS is cool, but as an actual phone replacement it is tough.
pfr@lemmy.sdf.org 1 month ago
Behold, the Linux phone:
liberux.net
cenzorrll@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
That looks far too polished with locked in specs for them to not have any prototype. I’d trust companies that have actually made a product that has a janky Linux implementation that’s improving, than one that doesn’t exist yet relying on crowdfunding.
kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Isn’t Android using a Linux kernel already?
loutr@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Yes, but everything above it (including drivers) is custom-made and tightly controlled by Google.
balder1991@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Yeah, but the kernel is a low-level module that handles hardware, memory, and processes—it’s not what users interact with directly, so sharing the same kernel doesn’t make it all that similar as you’d think.
What makes Linux feel like ‘Linux’ to users is the stuff on top: the userland—bash, coreutils, package managers, X11/Wayland, etc. Android replaces almost all of that, so even though it uses the Linux kernel, it doesn’t feel like Linux.
GreenMartian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Yes. IIRC it’s based on latest LTS kernel with Google patches. So it’s been “year of the Linux phone” for a while now.
It’s unfortunate that the slop they put on top of it is such a privacy nightmare. PostmarketOS is trying to change that and supports Plasma, Gnome, etc. But it’s early days yet and still rough around the edges from what I’ve been reading.
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 1 month ago
This is my fourth comment shilling SFOS here, but it just might be what you’re looking for. It is my daily driver.
neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
That’s pretty cool, I’m working now, but I’m checking out its Android app compatibility.
If it can run my work stuff, I’ll be so happy.
pfr@lemmy.sdf.org 5 weeks ago
Wish it was supported in more countries.
umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Android is Linux… sure.
But it’s not what anyone means when they say they want a Linux phone.
Tja@programming.dev 1 month ago
I use Linux since debian 3.0 and I don’t think Linux is ready to replace desktop os yet. The universe has come up with bigger and more powerful idiots.
JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Linux had reached idiot parity with windows at least. Idiot proof OS is a fable that cannot be reached.
BotsRuinedEverything@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Android… is a Linux phone…?
neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Not really.