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PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order

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  PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 10:46 -0600
    Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 10:51 -0600
      Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 11:16 -0600
        Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 11:47 -0600
          Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 11:52 -0600
            Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-01 16:26 -0600
      Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2026-05-31 20:29 +0100
        Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 14:19 -0600
          Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 18:36 -0600
            Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 20:25 -0600
              Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-31 21:28 -0600
                Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Skeptic <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-01 20:45 +0100
                  Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Ch1ffr3punk <ch1ffr3punk@gmail.com> - 2026-06-01 20:12 +0000
                    Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-01 22:39 +0100
                      Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-06-01 23:45 +0200
                      Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-01 15:55 -0600
                        Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-02 12:49 +0100
                          Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-06-02 17:50 +0200
                            Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-02 18:45 -0600
                              Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-06-03 11:21 +0200
                                Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-03 06:59 -0600
                          Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-06-02 16:55 +0000
                            Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-02 20:37 -0600
                              Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-06-03 14:56 +0000
                                Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-03 18:08 -0600
                                  Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-06-04 08:31 +0200
                                  Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-04 08:58 +0100
                      Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Ch1ffr3punk <ch1ffr3punk@gmail.com> - 2026-06-02 09:33 +0000
                        Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-02 12:55 +0100
                          Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Ch1ffr3punk <ch1ffr3punk@gmail.com> - 2026-06-02 11:58 +0000
                            Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-02 06:41 -0600
                              Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Ch1ffr3punk <ch1ffr3punk@gmail.com> - 2026-06-02 19:28 +0000
                                Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-02 20:53 -0600
                                  Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-02 20:55 -0600
                  Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-01 15:56 -0600
                Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-01 21:17 +0100
                  Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-01 16:07 -0600
            Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-06-01 12:05 +0200
              Re: PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-06-01 10:14 -0600

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#154046

Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2026-06-03 02:45, Maria Sophia wrote:
>> Bear in mind when I transfer a phone's apps, I transfer the exact
>> homescreen (icon names and locations exactly) which people will never get
>> with the Google transfer.
> 
> But this depends on you using a different home screen app.

Yes. You understood. You're in the top 0.001% as a result of understanding.

You bring up a good point because you understood.
I build the solutions from the moment a computing device is in my control.

My strategy is to use tactics to preserve the homescreen between phones.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/3r0yNRcT/network02.jpg> network tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/BZwR6gXc/buy02.jpg> shopping tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/CMmSsgtN/maps01.jpg> map tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/CxTxzsfC/sys01.jpg> system tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/FFYqg9Dv/maps05.jpg> map tools apk archive
 <https://i.postimg.cc/fRNg5hn0/audio01.jpg> audio tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/fTFcQ5d4/dock.jpg> dock tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/pLFpXfMP/maps07.jpg> maps offline/online sections
 <https://i.postimg.cc/rmvDBN8Q/files01.jpg> file management tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/vTQ13DcK/apk01.jpg> installation tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/vZmTvPZx/maps02.jpg> map folder traffic section
 <https://i.postimg.cc/WpM4FM5t/web01.jpg> web tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/XvN1Scvj/video01.jpg> video tools folder
 <https://i.postimg.cc/Zn73yqm1/network03.jpg> network tools server section
 etc.

Given your understanding, you also made me think about a solution... 
The home screen app (aka, launcher) is easily changed on demand.

So, while I use the last known good version of the free Nova launcher,
 <https://tinyurl.com/nova-launcher>
any launcher that backs up the homescreen can be used to do it.

In addition, anyone could install a suitable backup launcher moments before
backing up their home screen. I haven't tested what happens when you switch
home screens, but it could be that the home screen is also then preserved.

So this is what could be tested by someone who cares to test for the team.

1. Set up your folders & icons on your current launcher as you wish
2. Temporarily, switch to the Nova (or similar) backup-capable launcher
3. Save the homescreen to a backup file
4. Switch back to your current launcher

This "should" save the position of the folders and apps.
But I haven't tested if folder contents, position & names are preserved.

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#154034

On 6/2/26 4:49 AM, Jeff Layman wrote:

>Android works better without the Google account than it does with it.

YMMV. I find having Google accounts(3) to be very useful. And if I ever
 change my mind they are quite easily cancelled.

>If we only talk about Android phones, at least at the start, with 
>probably little knowledge, they buy them on recommendation by the sales 
>assistant in the phone shop based on price and (perhaps) what they want 
>to use the phone for. Maybe the customer has specific interests such as 
>wanting a good camera and screen for viewing.

>I'm pretty sure that if they don't have a Google account when they walk 
>in, by the time they leave the shop they'll have one with the help of 
>the sales assistant! They'll then be shown how to use Google's cloud 
>storage and how to backup to it. Location, wifi, and Bluetooth will be 
>switched on.

Yup. All very handy capabilities and needed for my various Android apps.
 Again YMMV.

>I really doubt that privacy will be mentioned 

Privacy?? Unless you live in a cave your life is already online. Go to the
 doctor? Have a credit card? Have a drivers license? Pay taxes to various
 governments (I do to 3)? Pension and/or SS deposits (I have both)? Etc,
 etc, ect. I think that logically you are in much more privacy danger there
 than being picked out of Google's billions of accounts for surveillance.

>(and the way some people 
>talk on their phone with the volume on full so you have no problem 
>hearing what they and the other party are saying, means they have no 
>interest in spoken privacy either!).

Now I agree but not for privacy reasons. They're just  PITA to have to
 listen to...

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#154039

AJL wrote:
>>Android works better without the Google account than it does with it.
> 
> YMMV. I find having Google accounts(3) to be very useful. And if I ever
>  change my mind they are quite easily cancelled.

Let's be clear and use Occam's Razor when making assessments, since I have,
oh, I don't know, dozens of Google Accounts, but none set up on a device.

The instant we put any account, let alone a mothership account, on any
computing device, our privacy has disappeared from that computing device.

Luckily, all common consumer platforms (other than iOS) actually work
*better* without the Mothership Account on that device, which is a bonus.

> 
>>If we only talk about Android phones, at least at the start, with 
>>probably little knowledge, they buy them on recommendation by the sales 
>>assistant in the phone shop based on price and (perhaps) what they want 
>>to use the phone for. Maybe the customer has specific interests such as 
>>wanting a good camera and screen for viewing.
> 
>>I'm pretty sure that if they don't have a Google account when they walk 
>>in, by the time they leave the shop they'll have one with the help of 
>>the sales assistant! They'll then be shown how to use Google's cloud 
>>storage and how to backup to it. Location, wifi, and Bluetooth will be 
>>switched on.
> 
> Yup. All very handy capabilities and needed for my various Android apps.
>  Again YMMV.

I get it that only 0.001% of the people on earth will be able to comprehend
what I'm about to say, but I responded prior that when you set up a new
computing device (on all but iOS), you get EXACTLY your menu system back.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/brHnQj4Y/pic-menu.jpg>

That means, when you set up a new Windows PC, your menus are the same menus
(literally exactly) as those you had when you set up Windows XP (they're
literally the same files, although over time you've tweaked the menus).
 <https://i.postimg.cc/jSNb7bkF/pspdf.jpg> 

Note there are inevitable minor tweaks over the decades, but essentially
you do the same thing now you did two decades ago, so menus just repeat.

>>I really doubt that privacy will be mentioned 
> 
> Privacy?? Unless you live in a cave your life is already online.

That's simply not true. 
Only people who don't understand privacy would say what you said.

It's like saying gravity is a force. 

Only people who don't understand gravity would call it a force.
Only people who don't understand privacy would say it's gone.

It's like saying you're "weightless" in space.
You're not weightless.
But people who don't understand gravity say you're weightless.

It's like people saying recreational divers breathe oxygen.
They're breathing air. Compressed air. But air nonetheless.

My point is the only people who say you can't have privacy are people who
don't understand what privacy is. 

You can have privacy.
The very first step is to not put the mothership account on the device.

> Go to the
>  doctor? Have a credit card? Have a drivers license? Pay taxes to various
>  governments (I do to 3)? Pension and/or SS deposits (I have both)? Etc,
>  etc, ect. I think that logically you are in much more privacy danger there
>  than being picked out of Google's billions of accounts for surveillance.

These are not related to the phone.

>>(and the way some people 
>>talk on their phone with the volume on full so you have no problem 
>>hearing what they and the other party are saying, means they have no 
>>interest in spoken privacy either!).
> 
> Now I agree but not for privacy reasons. They're just  PITA to have to
>  listen to...

I don't have a beef about people talking on the phone, but I will mention
that when I first encountered hidden ear buds, a decade or so ago, I
started wondering why people were just talking "to themselves".

I was ignorant, at that time, many years ago, about ear buds.
Now I talk on the phone using my hearing aids, so it's me too now.

:)
-- 
Nobody who complains about privacy has a case if they set up an account.

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#154049

On 6/2/26 7:37 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:
AJL wrote:

>The instant we put any account, let alone a mothership account, on any
>computing device, our privacy has disappeared from that computing device.

Perhaps from the device but not from the modern world. So why worry just
 about the device?

My Google AI says: "Information Privacy: The right to control how personal
 data (like medical records, financial details, and browsing habits) is
 collected, stored, and shared by organizations or governments."

Do you control your online medical records? Or online tax records? Where
 they are stored? Who gets to see them? And even if you owned no computing
 devices you likely will still have little online privacy according to that
 definition.

>Luckily, all common consumer platforms (other than iOS) actually work
>*better* without the Mothership Account on that device, which is a bonus.

Not all. This Chromebook I'm posting with doesn't work without an account.

>> Privacy?? Unless you live in a cave your life is already online.

>That's simply not true. 
>Only people who don't understand privacy would say what you said.

Only people who misuse the definition of privacy would say what you said.
 The last time you called in for a doctors appointment, the secretary while
 looking at your (stored online) account may have been chuckling at your
 ongoing constipation problem...  8-O

>My point is the only people who say you can't have privacy are people who
>don't understand what privacy is.

Agreed. People who live in a cave can have privacy. People in the modern
 online world don't. 

>>  Go to the
>>  doctor? Have a credit card? Have a drivers license? Pay taxes to various
>>  governments? Pension and/or SS deposits? Etc, ect, ect.
>>  I think that logically you are in much more privacy danger there
>>  than being picked out of Google's billions of accounts for surveillance.

>These are not related to the phone.

Phone?? I thought our OT subject was online privacy. And even if you have no
 phone, by definition you still have no online privacy, Google or no Google.
 So Google it to see if I'm not right...  ;)

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#154056

AJL wrote:
>>The instant we put any account, let alone a mothership account, on any
>>computing device, our privacy has disappeared from that computing device.
> 
> Perhaps from the device but not from the modern world. So why worry just
>  about the device?

I have to agree with you that if I were hiding from a TLA, they'd have me
whether or not I have my phone set up to be private, but, as you noted, it
wouldn't be the phone that threw me under the bus, but other things.

> My Google AI says: "Information Privacy: The right to control how personal
>  data (like medical records, financial details, and browsing habits) is
>  collected, stored, and shared by organizations or governments."
> 
> Do you control your online medical records? Or online tax records? Where
>  they are stored? Who gets to see them? And even if you owned no computing
>  devices you likely will still have little online privacy according to that
>  definition.

I'm not sure I have any "online tax records" but certainly the fact I pay
property taxes is online and readily available to anyone who looks it up.

I don't have online medical records, that I am aware of, although I'm sure
that the medicare folks have on-line information about me somewhere.

Basically, I never create an account online unless someone holds a gun to
my head.

>>Luckily, all common consumer platforms (other than iOS) actually work
>>*better* without the Mothership Account on that device, which is a bonus.
> 
> Not all. This Chromebook I'm posting with doesn't work without an account.

We have to distinguish between a mothership account and a local account. 
I just looked it up, and you're right. The Chromebook is similar to iOS.

You can use it without a mothership account, but it's not useful w/o it.

Alas, only iOS and the Chrome operating systems are that bad.

> 
>>> Privacy?? Unless you live in a cave your life is already online.
> 
>>That's simply not true. 
>>Only people who don't understand privacy would say what you said.
> 
> Only people who misuse the definition of privacy would say what you said.
>  The last time you called in for a doctors appointment, the secretary while
>  looking at your (stored online) account may have been chuckling at your
>  ongoing constipation problem...  8-O

She was probably feeling sorry for me after reading my medical records.

>>My point is the only people who say you can't have privacy are people who
>>don't understand what privacy is.
> 
> Agreed. People who live in a cave can have privacy. People in the modern
>  online world don't. 

What gets me is people committing crimes with their phones in their
pockets. Who is that dumb. Red iPhones are magnets for criminals.
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/a-soldiers-tragic-end-how-a-car-sale-gone-bad-took-hayden-harris-life/4559247/
https://www.njherald.com/story/news/courts/2023/08/04/hayden-harris-case-life-sentences-fort-drum-soldier-killers/70523170007/
https://www.wwnytv.com/2023/08/05/two-will-spend-life-behind-bars-killing-cpl-hayden-harris/

> 
>>>  Go to the
>>>  doctor? Have a credit card? Have a drivers license? Pay taxes to various
>>>  governments? Pension and/or SS deposits? Etc, ect, ect.
>>>  I think that logically you are in much more privacy danger there
>>>  than being picked out of Google's billions of accounts for surveillance.
> 
>>These are not related to the phone.
> 
> Phone?? I thought our OT subject was online privacy. And even if you have no
>  phone, by definition you still have no online privacy, Google or no Google.
>  So Google it to see if I'm not right...  ;)

It's all about not creating that mothership account.

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#154058

On 2026-06-04 02:08, Maria Sophia wrote:
> AJL wrote:
>>> The instant we put any account, let alone a mothership account, on any
>>> computing device, our privacy has disappeared from that computing device.
>>
>> Perhaps from the device but not from the modern world. So why worry just
>>   about the device?
> 
> I have to agree with you that if I were hiding from a TLA, they'd have me
> whether or not I have my phone set up to be private, but, as you noted, it
> wouldn't be the phone that threw me under the bus, but other things.
> 
>> My Google AI says: "Information Privacy: The right to control how personal
>>   data (like medical records, financial details, and browsing habits) is
>>   collected, stored, and shared by organizations or governments."
>>
>> Do you control your online medical records? Or online tax records? Where
>>   they are stored? Who gets to see them? And even if you owned no computing
>>   devices you likely will still have little online privacy according to that
>>   definition.
> 
> I'm not sure I have any "online tax records" but certainly the fact I pay
> property taxes is online and readily available to anyone who looks it up.
> 
> I don't have online medical records, that I am aware of, although I'm sure
> that the medicare folks have on-line information about me somewhere.
> 
> Basically, I never create an account online unless someone holds a gun to
> my head.

In Spain, you don't have a choice. The national health service keeps all 
medical records on computers, which might be hacked. I can access most 
from my computer. I do not know about graphical scans, I had none since 
using them.

The prescriptions from the system are passed to the pharmacies 
electronically, too.

The main private medical clinic in my city is fully computerized. I had 
some X-Ray taken, and the doctor got them instantly on his computer. I 
don't have access to them, AFAIK. But private clinics computer systems 
are isolated from other clinics, if they belong to a different company.

You can stick to paper if you go to private doctors that are not in the 
clinic. But they can use their own separate computers.


The income tax can only be filled online. I assume the same happens with 
most other taxes.

Most administration procedures, national, regional, or local, can be 
accessed online, fully or partially.


...

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#154059

On 04/06/2026 01:08, Maria Sophia wrote:
> AJL wrote:
>>> The instant we put any account, let alone a mothership account, on any
>>> computing device, our privacy has disappeared from that computing device.
>>
>> Perhaps from the device but not from the modern world. So why worry just
>>   about the device?
> 
> I have to agree with you that if I were hiding from a TLA

What's "TLA"? Perhaps the almost-recursive "Three Letter Abbreviation"! :-)

>> My Google AI says: "Information Privacy: The right to control how personal
>>   data (like medical records, financial details, and browsing habits) is
>>   collected, stored, and shared by organizations or governments."
>>
>> Do you control your online medical records? Or online tax records? Where
>>   they are stored? Who gets to see them? And even if you owned no computing
>>   devices you likely will still have little online privacy according to that
>>   definition.
> 
> I don't have online medical records, that I am aware of, although I'm sure
> that the medicare folks have on-line information about me somewhere.

You'll have online medical records in any medical or pharmacy facility 
whose service you've needed.  Over here in the UK it's getting worse. 
Because much time is lost as the various systems used in different parts 
of the NHS can't talk to each other (some are still running Windows XP), 
there's a move to getting an "integrated" records system up and running. 
That's already drawn criticism on the security and privacy front when 
looking at who our government has been dealing with to set it all up:
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/11/palantir-access-nhs-england-patient-data>

If you haven't heard of Palantir, you might want to look them up.

-- 
Jeff

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#154023

Jeff Layman wrote:
 
> Recent reviews:
> 
> <https://uk.pcmag.com/security/165179/i-was-sick-of-android-apps-spying-on-me-so-i-tried-grapheneos-and-plugos>

Well, the author does not mention that it works also on Linux,
Windows and macOS... Does Graphene supports this? And my new
smartphone had cost me only 135 € compared to a Pixels...

Regards
Ch1ffr3punk

-- 
https://oc2mx.net

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#154025

On 02/06/2026 10:33, Ch1ffr3punk wrote:
> Jeff Layman wrote:
>   
>> Recent reviews:
>>
>> <https://uk.pcmag.com/security/165179/i-was-sick-of-android-apps-spying-on-me-so-i-tried-grapheneos-and-plugos>
> 
> Well, the author does not mention that it works also on Linux,
> Windows and macOS... Does Graphene supports this? And my new
> smartphone had cost me only 135 € compared to a Pixels...

To be fair to the author the title only refers to him being concerned 
about /Android/ apps spying.

Also, just over halfway down he states "At first glance, the advertising 
suggests you can simply plug the PlugMate into a Windows or macOS 
desktop device, but that isn't the case...".So Windows and macOS are 
mentioned (but not Linux).

-- 
Jeff

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#154026

Jeff Layman wrote:

> To be fair to the author the title only refers to him being concerned
> about /Android/ apps spying.
> 
> Also, just over halfway down he states "At first glance, the advertising
> suggests you can simply plug the PlugMate into a Windows or macOS
> desktop device, but that isn't the case...".So Windows and macOS are
> mentioned (but not Linux).

I use it with Windows 11 too, so that it can be used in an Internet Café,
public libraries and a screenshot, for security reasons, can't be done.

Regards
Ch1ffr3punk

-- 
https://oc2mx.net

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#154028

Ch1ffr3punk wrote:
>> To be fair to the author the title only refers to him being concerned
>> about /Android/ apps spying.
>> 
>> Also, just over halfway down he states "At first glance, the advertising
>> suggests you can simply plug the PlugMate into a Windows or macOS
>> desktop device, but that isn't the case...".So Windows and macOS are
>> mentioned (but not Linux).
> 
> I use it with Windows 11 too, so that it can be used in an Internet Café,
> public libraries and a screenshot, for security reasons, can't be done.

I like the concept of PlusOS, even as I never heard of it until now.

I never installed Tails, but if I were to consider spending a couple
hundred bucks on a USB stick to run PlugOS, I might try Tails first.

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#154036

Maria Sophia wrote:
> Ch1ffr3punk wrote:
> > > To be fair to the author the title only refers to him being concerned
> > > about /Android/ apps spying.
> > > 
> > > Also, just over halfway down he states "At first glance, the advertising
> > > suggests you can simply plug the PlugMate into a Windows or macOS
> > > desktop device, but that isn't the case...".So Windows and macOS are
> > > mentioned (but not Linux).
> > 
> > I use it with Windows 11 too, so that it can be used in an Internet Caf?,
> > public libraries and a screenshot, for security reasons, can't be done.
> 
> I like the concept of PlusOS, even as I never heard of it until now.
> 
> I never installed Tails, but if I were to consider spending a couple
> hundred bucks on a USB stick to run PlugOS, I might try Tails first.

Problem with Tails is that you can't use it in an Internet Café etc.
with Android, hence the reason why I purchased PlugOS where I can use
the Nym Mixnet or Tor Network.

Regards
Ch1ffr3punk

-- 
https://oc2mx.net

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#154040

Ch1ffr3punk wrote:
>> I like the concept of PlusOS, even as I never heard of it until now.
>> 
>> I never installed Tails, but if I were to consider spending a couple
>> hundred bucks on a USB stick to run PlugOS, I might try Tails first.
> 
> Problem with Tails is that you can't use it in an Internet Café etc.
> with Android, hence the reason why I purchased PlugOS where I can use
> the Nym Mixnet or Tor Network.

Good point. 
I just checked and PlugOS doesn't work with Android, as you noted.

Given Andronix puts Linux on Android for free <https://andronix.app/>,
I checked if Tails would work with Linux on Android, but it won't.

Drat.

For a non-rooted Android, about the best you can do that PlugOS does
is Tor browsing and Orbot routing (unlike LineageOS which requires root).

For Pixels, there's also GrapheneOS/CalyxOS which works without rooting.
But USA-spec Samsung bootloaders are locked (as far as anyone knows).

The only downside, I see, of PlugOS is the cost as those above are free.

I don't know if it requires an account, but once you pay for anything,
using an account, then your privacy using that thing, is usually toast.

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#154041

Maria Sophia wrote:
> I just checked and PlugOS doesn't work with Android, as you noted.

correction
  I just checked and *TAILS* doesn't work with Android/Andronix, 
  as you noted.

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#154015

Skeptic wrote:
> On 01/06/2026 04:28, Maria Sophia wrote:
>> Since I operate the phone 100% from the PC, on the PC I downloaded the
>> Canta APK which comes from F-Droid so I could debloat without the PC.
> 
> Deboating a phone is new to me, and perhaps alien to many her

I think everyone has removed the crapware that comes with a new device.

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#154010

On 01/06/2026 04:28, Maria Sophia wrote:
> Maria Sophia wrote:
>> I guess I'll try running Canta (with Shizuku) on the phone next.
> 
> Since I operate the phone 100% from the PC, on the PC I downloaded the
> Canta APK which comes from F-Droid so I could debloat without the PC.
>   <https://f-droid.org/en/packages/io.github.samolego.canta/>
>   <https://f-droid.org/repo/io.github.samolego.canta_225.apk>
>   Name: io.github.samolego.canta_225.apk
>   Size: 4698310 bytes (4588 KiB)
>   SHA256: 5A646D366905C0BE2033AA270B008B3EF79FDA99FBC95988445B0F430283A1ED
> 
> I already had Shizuku, but for others, you can pick it up over here.
>   <https://github.com/rikkaapps/shizuku>
>   <https://github.com/RikkaApps/Shizuku/releases/tag/v13.6.0>
>   <https://github.com/RikkaApps/Shizuku/releases/download/v13.6.0/shizuku-v13.6.0.r1086.2650830c-release.apk>
>   Name: shizuku-v13.6.0.r1086.2650830c-release.apk
>   Size: 2571773 bytes (2511 KiB)
>   SHA256: 6E273AB0E991C4E79BC8B1BBB9B9DD739CCAC1A8712A541A214078886B7B790F
> 
> Or, you can pick it up on the Google Play store if you like.
>   <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?hl=en_US&id=moe.shizuku.privileged.api>
> Here is the Shizuku User Guide (which I've never read myself).
>   <https://shizuku.rikka.app/guide/setup.html>
> 
> Since you control the phone completely from the PC, run this
>   adb shell pm trim-caches 999G
>   adb install "C:\canta\io.github.samolego.canta_225.apk"
>   adb install "C:\canta\shizuku-v13.6.0.r1086.2650830c-release.apk"
> 
> Now you can run Canta on the phone from the mirrored image on the PC:
>   C:\> scrcpy-noconsole.vbs
> Then operate Canta & Shizuku from the mirror image on your PC monitor.
> 
> The funny thing, surprisingly, is a *lot* more stuff was highlighted
> in the Canta running on Android than in the Canta running on Windows.
> 
> I arbitrarily clicked on BBCAgent <com.samsung.android.bbc.bcagent>
> and up popped "Shizuku Required" saying
>   "Canta uses Shizuku to uninstall apps without requiring root access.
>    Shizuku provides a secure way to access system=-level SDKs."
>    a. Start Shizuku service
>    b. Grant permission to Canta in Shizuku
> 
> When I pressed "Start Shizuku service" it gave me this command.
> Which I ran in Windows, which started the Android Shizuku service.
>   C:\> adb shell sh /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/moe.shizuku.privileged.api/start.sh
> 
> Then I pressed "Grant permission to Canta in Shizuku" and it
> removed the selected BBCAgent package from the Android device.
> 
> Unfortunately each time you delete an app, it asks you to
> Donate, which is kind of a pain, but other than that, the
> Android version of Canta seems to be just as easy to use
> as the PC version of Canta, the only difference, apparently,
> being that the Android version of Canta has a different GUI.
> 
> I'm pretty surprised that the Android Canta found more stuff
> to debloat than did the Windows Canta, but other than that,
> they're both easy to use to debloat your Android safely.
> 
> Both seem to work well, so I thank Jeff for his great ideas.
>   a. Canta on Android + Shizuku on Android
>   b. Canta on the PC + adb on the PC

Well you did all the work! I meant to ask about Canta a month or two ago 
when I saw it in the F-Droid "Latest" list. It looked interesting and I 
thought it had said that adb wasn't required. Unfortunately when I 
checked after seeing your OP in this thread, it had already disappeared 
from the latest list, and the current entry for Canta doesn't mention 
adb, only Shizuku.

-- 
Jeff

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#154016

Jeff Layman wrote:
>> Both seem to work well, so I thank Jeff for his great ideas.
>>   a. Canta on Android + Shizuku on Android
>>   b. Canta on the PC + adb on the PC
> 
> Well you did all the work! I meant to ask about Canta a month or two ago 
> when I saw it in the F-Droid "Latest" list. It looked interesting and I 
> thought it had said that adb wasn't required. Unfortunately when I 
> checked after seeing your OP in this thread, it had already disappeared 
> from the latest list, and the current entry for Canta doesn't mention 
> adb, only Shizuku.

Well, I had heard about Canta for years, but I was so heavily invested in
adb that it didn't occur to me to test it out for the team until now.

The good news is both the desktop and Android versions worked just fine.

And both the PC & phone Canta were easy enough to use, but I was surprised
that different apps showed up given they both come from a similar source.

If I had to recommend one, I'd recommend the Android version for that
reason as it seemed to find more stuff to debloat than the PC version did.

But there's one caveat... 

Even though Canta "supposedly" doesn't need adb on the PC (since it uses
Shizuku on the phone), I had to use adb to invoke Shizuku on the phone.
 C:\> adb shell sh /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/moe.shizuku.privileged.api/start.sh 

To me, that's no big deal, but for someone who is trying to avoid running
adb on the PC, that would be a problem, but I assume Shizuku could have
been invoked on the phone without needing to invoke it using ADB on the PC.

While I'm probably more experienced than the average person in terms of
running specialized software, I'd say Canta/Shizuku were both well written.

You shouldn't have problems running them, and to help out, I actually
installed the Shizuku version I listed so that I was testing what I wrote.
-- 
On Usenet, we're all old friends on the same kind & helpful team.

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#154001

On 2026-06-01 02:36, Maria Sophia wrote:
> Maria Sophia wrote:
>> Sometimes I use Muntashirakon App Manager, which I know you have, which
>> tells me what to debloat, but Canta would do it more gracefully for sure.
>>
>> For someone starting fresh, I'd agree with you that they should use Canta
> 
> So how does one run Canta debloating on the PC (Linux, Windows or macOS)?
I just realized that my new tablet doesn't have, on first boot, any user 
facing apps. Well, there is google play, obviously, the camera, I don't 
know what else. Nothing like tik-tok, facebook. I had to select what 
browser I wanted. I believe everything can be uninstalled. Everything 
got installed during the first boot.

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#154007

Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> So how does one run Canta debloating on the PC (Linux, Windows or macOS)?

> I just realized that my new tablet doesn't have, on first boot, any user 
> facing apps. Well, there is google play, obviously, the camera, I don't 
> know what else. Nothing like tik-tok, facebook. I had to select what 
> browser I wanted. I believe everything can be uninstalled. Everything 
> got installed during the first boot.

Hi Carlos,

That may be true, but then again, never once have I seen the Android GUI
tell the truth about anything, so you'll have to test your assessment.

An example is many people "think" there are only a dozen (or so) packages
which can read their contacts, because that's what the GUI tells them.

And yet, when we look using adb, we find that the GUI lied to us about it.
For sure, the number of packages on our devices is NOT what the GUI shows.
 adb shell pm list packages

The only way to tell, for sure, is to run adb but Muntashirakon will help.
 <https://muntashirakon.github.io/AppManager/en/> English
 <https://muntashir.dev/AppManager/es/> Spanish

The Android GUI lies.
But you won't know the Android GUI lies until you test it as above.

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