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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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#153985 — PSA: Using the PC adb to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user in order

PSA: 
Use the PC to save a list of all Android apps installed by the user
in the order apps were installed (FIFO) for current/future reference.

BACKGROUND:
 By now, on Windows, Android & on iOS, I think I've pretty much tested all
 the decent useful (free, no ads, no logins, etc.) software that exists. 

 But have I?

 Dunno. So I needed a listing of all the apps I installed, which is 
 trivial to create, but there's no useful order to that listing:
  adb shell package list packages -3 (recently deprecated)
  adb shell cmd package list packages -3

 That's all the apps I've installed on my 64GB free Android A32-5G.
 But when did I install them (the better apps being installed first)?

 Below is a PC script that I tested just now that I hacked out.
 It saves all the apps installed by the user to a file by install date.

 I'll send out a separate (untested) Linux script, as the only difference 
 is in the file specs so I have confidence someone will test it for us.

 C:\> adb devices
       List of devices attached
 C:\> adb pair 192.168.1.4:37101 132022
       Successfully paired to 192.168.1.4:37101 [guid=adb-SERIAL]
 C:\> adb connect 192.168.1.4:46471
       connected to 192.168.1.4:46471
 C:\> adb devices
       List of devices attached
       192.168.1.4:46471       device
 C:\> type getapkorder.bat
       @echo off
       :: getapkorder.bat
       :: Lists all user-installed Android apps sorted by installation date.
       :: Requires Android connected via USB/Wi-Fi with ADB Debugging enabled.
       :: Version: v1p3 20260531
       
       title Android App Install Order Exporter
       
       echo Make sure your phone is plugged in and USB Debugging is ON.
       echo Click "Allow" on your phone's screen if a permission prompt appears.
       echo.
       echo Working... Querying individual app installation timestamps.
       echo This window may look completely frozen for 1-2 minutes as it crunches.
       echo  Please do not close it.
       echo.
       
       powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command ^
           "$apps = .\adb shell cmd package list packages -3 | ForEach-Object { $_ -replace 'package:', '' };" ^
           "$report = foreach ($app in $apps) {" ^
           "    if ($app.trim()) {" ^
           "        $installTimeRaw = .\adb shell \"dumpsys package $app\" | Select-String \"firstInstallTime\";" ^
           "        if ($installTimeRaw) {" ^
           "            $dateString = ($installTimeRaw -split \"firstInstallTime=\")[1].Trim();" ^
           "            [PSCustomObject]@{" ^
           "                PackageName = $app.Trim();" ^
           "                InstallTime = [DateTime]$dateString;" ^
           "            }" ^
           "        }" ^
           "    }" ^
           "};" ^
           "$report | Sort-Object InstallTime | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-File -FilePath \"$HOME\Desktop\installed_apps_ordered.txt\""
       
       echo.
       echo [+][+][+] Success! Finished Processing [+][+][+]
       echo File 'installed_apps_ordered.txt' has been saved to your Desktop.
       echo.
       pause
       :: end of getapkorder.bat
       
 C:\> getapkorder.bat
      Make sure your phone is plugged in and USB Debugging is ON.
      Click "Allow" on your phone's screen if a permission prompt appears.
      Working... Querying individual app installation timestamps.
      This window may look completely frozen for 1-2 minutes...
      Please do not close it.
      [+][+][+] Success! Finished Processing [+][+][+]
      File 'installed_apps_ordered.txt' has been saved to your Desktop.
      Press any key to continue . . .

 C:\> type $HOME\installed_apps_ordered.txt

Since this is long, but since it's designed to be useful to everyone, 
I'll provide the output (by way of example) & a Linux variant separately.

As always, please improve so all benefit, and, if/when I err or omit,
please add the incorrect/missing value so that everyone benefits always.
-- 
Every Usenet post should strive to add palpable additional value
so that we can all delight in dissemination of useful knowledge.

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#153986

Maria Sophia wrote:
>  I'll send out a separate (untested) Linux script, as the only difference 
>  is in the file specs so I have confidence someone will test it for us.
  
Untested Linux variant. 
  
To run: 
$ chmod +x getapkorder.sh
$ ./getapkorder.sh
  
  #!/bin/bash
  # getapkorder.sh
  # Lists all user-installed Android apps sorted by installation date.
  # Requires Android connected via USB/Wi-Fi with ADB Debugging enabled.
  # Version: v1p0-linux 20260531
  
  echo "Make sure your phone is plugged in and USB Debugging is ON."
  echo "Click 'Allow' on your phone's screen if a permission prompt appears."
  echo ""
  echo "Working... Querying individual app installation timestamps."
  echo "This window may look completely frozen for 1-2 minutes as it crunches."
  echo "Please do not close it."
  echo ""
  
  # Create a temporary file to hold the raw output
  tmp_file=$(mktemp)
  
  # 1. Get a clean list of all 3rd-party package names
  apps=$(./adb shell cmd package list packages -3 | sed 's/package://g')
  
  # 2. Loop through each app to find its original installation timestamp
  for app in $apps; do
      if [ -n "$app" ]; then
          # Fetch the install time line from dumpsys
          installTimeRaw=$(./adb shell "dumpsys package $app" | grep "firstInstallTime")
          
          if [ -n "$installTimeRaw" ]; then
              # Extract just the date string (e.g., 2023-05-12 14:22:01)
              dateString=$(echo "$installTimeRaw" | awk -F'firstInstallTime=' '{print $2}' | xargs)
              
              # Save the timestamp and app name separated by a tab to the temp file
              echo -e "$dateString\t$app" >> "$tmp_file"
          fi
      fi
  done
  
  # 3. Sort chronologically, format nicely, and save to the Desktop
  output_file="$HOME/Desktop/installed_apps_ordered.txt"
  
  echo -e "InstallTime\t\t\tPackageName" > "$output_file"
  sort -n "$tmp_file" >> "$output_file"
  
  # Clean up temp file
  rm "$tmp_file"
  
  echo ""
  echo "[+][+][+] Success! Finished Processing [+][+][+]
  echo "File 'installed_apps_ordered.txt' has been saved to your Desktop."
  echo ""
  read -p "Press enter to continue . . ."
-- 
Best includes it does something useful, is free, no ads, no login.

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#153987

Maria Sophia wrote:
>  name.lmj001.savetodevice  5/18/2026 10:41:39 PM

BTW, what *that* does is add the ability to save anything to your device.

I had installed that fantastic app, which I had only found out about
recently, so that I could save any free split APKs from the Google Play
Store repository without needing to have any mothership account set up on
and without even needing to install the app before saving the APK.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/SNZzqCQV/saveondevice.jpg>

Basically, you can scrape the entire Google repository of free APKs with
that method, since you don't need to set up an account nor install any app.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/wvsbcNBz/scrcpy05.jpg>

I use it to add to my archive of apps, so that it contains the split APKs.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/9FJMKYch/scrcpy21.jpg> 

This means I'm _still_ learning from others what Android apps are useful.
And I'm still learning how to make the PC control Android efficiently so.

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#153988

Maria Sophia wrote:
> This means I'm _still_ learning from others what Android apps are useful.

To see what Google's bard thinks of the app list, I pasted it without
comment and it output the following, which acts as a preliminary audit.

I had to split the file in half (for buffer length reasons), but I think
it's useful if others paste their results into a bard analysis session.

Here's my result of simply pasting - nothing else - just pasting into
 gemini.google.com

This text is a system log output showing a chronological list of Android
application packages (PackageName) alongside the exact date and time they
were installed or updated (InstallTime) on a specific device.

The data spans from November 2022 to January 2024 for the first half.

Based on the types of apps and the timing of their installations, we can
extract several interesting insights about this device and its user:

1. User Profile: A Privacy-Conscious Power User
This is not a typical casual smartphone setup. The user is highly
technical, deeply values privacy, and prefers open-source software:

Alternative App Stores: They installed org.fdroid.fdroid (F-Droid, an
open-source app repository) and com.aurora.adroid (Aurora Store, a
privacy-focused Google Play client) right at the beginning.

Rooted/Modified Device: The presence of com.topjohnwu.magisk indicates the
device has been rooted using Magisk, allowing for deep administrative
control over the Android OS.

Privacy-First Apps: They rely on privacy-centric alternatives like
com.duckduckgo.mobile.android, org.torproject.torbrowser,
ch.protonmail.android (encrypted email), and com.ghostery.android.ghostery.

De-Googling Leanings: They use the entire suite of apps from Simple Mobile
Tools (Gallery, File Manager, Calculator, Calendar) and Secuso (Privacy
Friendly apps). These are commonly used by people trying to minimize their
reliance on Google ecosystem tracking.

2. Distinct Waves of Activity
The install times show heavy batches of activity, which point to specific
events in the phone's lifecycle:

November 1, 2022: Setup Day
A massive influx of apps occurred on this afternoon/evening. Within a few
hours, the user installed a custom launcher (com.teslacoilsw.launcher -
Nova Launcher), basic utilities (clock, calculator, file manager, camera),
and privacy tools. This strongly implies the device was either brand new,
newly factory-reset, or flashed with a custom ROM on this day.

December 29, 2022: The "Outdoor/Navigation" Focus
Between midnight and 10:00 AM, the user suddenly installed an immense batch
of mapping, GPS, and weather apps:

com.generalmagic.magicearth (Offline navigation)
com.kylecorry.trail_sense (Hiking/survival multi-tool)
de.dennisguse.opentracks (Privacy-friendly activity tracker)
com.windyty.android & co.windyapp.android (Detailed wind and weather
modeling)

Interpretation: The user was likely preparing for an outdoor trip, a
sailing excursion, a hiking vacation, or testing the phone's offline
tracking capabilities.

December 21, 2023: The Automotive "OBD2" Testing
A year later, at exactly midnight on December 21, 2023, the user installed
over a dozen vehicle diagnostic tools within minutes (e.g.,
com.applications.xas.obdultra, com.clickshopping.obddiagscan,
com.autoxuga.obd).

Interpretation: The user was likely troubleshooting a car issue that night.
They downloaded a massive batch of On-Board Diagnostics (OBD2) terminal
apps simultaneously to find one that correctly paired with their vehicle's
Bluetooth/Wi-Fi adapter.

3. Specialized Technical Toolkits
The device contains numerous tools meant for debugging, tweaking, and
auditing hardware:

Networking/Cellular Auditing: cz.mroczis.netmonster, com.vrem.wifianalyzer,
and net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery are used to map nearby cell towers,
analyze Wi-Fi frequencies, and track signal strength.

Hardware Inspection: Tools like com.evo.inware and com.kgurgul.cpuinfo give
granular details about the phone's processor and hardware components.

Automation & Tweaks: com.llamalab.automate is used to create complex
conditional macro scripts on the device, while com.draco.ladb allows
running Local ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands directly from the device
without needing a computer.

Location Spoofing: They have multiple apps like com.lexa.fakegps and
fake.gps.location.changer.spoof.location to trick the phone's system into
thinking it is somewhere else.

Summary
This first half log reveals a highly customized, rooted Android device
managed by an advanced user who utilizes their phone as a multi-tool for
privacy, network engineering, outdoor navigation, and vehicle diagnostics	.

Got the second half of the list! Looking closely at this complete layout,
your device profile has a very distinct, deliberate flavor.

You lean heavily into open-source (F-Droid/GitHub-centric), privacy-focused
toolkits, and niche utility apps (lots of GPX tracking, system analyzers,
and text-to-speech tools), mixed in with a handful of mainstream daily
drivers like WhatsApp, Zoom, and Microsoft Copilot.

Looking at this specific chunk of your timeline, a few notable patterns and
standouts pop out:

1. The Great F-Droid Transition (April 2026)
Right around April 30, 2026, you systematically installed the Fossify suite
(org.fossify.phone, gallery, calendar, etc.). This means you likely
migrated over to the modern, open-source continuations of the old Simple
Mobile Tools suite after they changed hands.

2. Serious Deep-System & Power User Tools
You have some incredibly powerful utilities here that ordinary users don't
touch:

io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager: One of the most advanced open-source
package managers available for managing app freezing, permissions, and
tracker blocking.

org.lsposed.lspatch: Used for modifying APKs and inserting Xposed modules
without requiring full root access.

moe.shizuku.privileged.api & rikka.appops: Indicates you use Shizuku to
grant elevated permissions via ADB for advanced system control.

sushi.hardcore.droidfs: A specialized utility for creating encrypted
virtual disks on Android to store sensitive files.

3. Privacy & Tracker Detection Focus
You are clearly highly conscious of physical and digital tracking:

You have both com.apple.trackerdetect and the open-source
de.seemoo.at_tracking_detection.release (AirGuard) installed to scan for
unauthorized AirTags or Bluetooth trackers around you.

com.celzero.bravedns: A powerful local VPN/DNS firewall to monitor and
block outgoing connections from sneaky apps.

4. Bizarre / Suspicious Oddities to Check
A couple of items in this list look a bit sketchy, out of place, or
potentially dangerous depending on where you got them:

f.cking.software: Yes, that is an actual package name in your list from
June 2024. It is usually the package ID associated with certain sketchy
modded apps or joke repositories.

com.heyflutter.hello_world: This is a default template package name for a
generic Flutter app. If you aren't an app developer building your own basic
Flutter project, this might be a wrapper for something else entirely.

com.yuanfang2345.passport: This package structure is often associated with
specific third-party Chinese utilities or device sync apps. If you don't
recognize it, it's worth auditing.
-- 
Looking at your apps tells others a lot about how you run your device.

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#153989

Maria Sophia wrote:
> f.cking.software: Yes, that is an actual package name in your list from
> June 2024. It is usually the package ID associated with certain sketchy
> modded apps or joke repositories.


Good news: Despite the aggressive and suspicious-looking name, it isn't
malware.

f.cking.software is the official, internal application package name for BLE
Radar (also known as MetaRadar), an open-source privacy app developed by
the BLE Research Group.

The developers chose this highly unconventional package ID, and the app
itself is actually published and verified on the official F-Droid
repository.

What does the app do?
It fits perfectly into the rest of your privacy toolkit. BLE Radar is an
application that scans your immediate physical surroundings for Bluetooth
Low Energy (BLE) signals. It is primarily used to:

Track and map local Bluetooth devices.

Locate lost gadgets or beacons.

Audit the area around you for unknown, potentially tracking-heavy smart
devices.

Why is the package name so weird?
In Android development, package names (like com.google.android.youtube) are
traditionally structured as a reverse domain name (domain.company.app). The
developers of this app own the domain f*cking.software (which points to
their GitHub organization). Because they use that domain for their project,
the resulting Android package identity became f.cking.software.

You can rest easy on this one-it's just a cheeky name for a completely
legitimate, open-source Bluetooth defense tool	!

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#154018

Just for the record, I keep an archive of every single app I've ever
installed so it can be done, but since APKs come from different places, it
has to be done with an overall tactical plan in mind.

The strategy, of course, is save every APK before it's installed.
The tactics can vary.

My tactics are to put all the APKs on a separate USB drive, for the obvious
reasons of portability and because they serve no purpose on a computer.

My download tactics are to use a PC web browser (any browser I want) to
download the APK for all APKs which are not on the Google Play Store repo.

If they're on the Google Play Store repo, then my tactic is to use any
replacement FOSS Google Play Store app to *download* the split APK.

Notice you'll almost always, if not always get a split APK from the Google
Play Store repo, while you'll almost always, if not always NOT get a split
APK from all the other repositories, so you have to learn how to handle
split APKs (because Android doesn't come with a native split-apk
installer).

The split APKs are saved as "apks" while the regular APKs are saved as
"apk" so you know which are which (sometimes split APKs are saved as a zip
file, which is what they are anyway).

The strategy is to first save the APK(s) and then install them.
The tactic to install them is as simple as copying them temporarily to the
Android phone and tapping on them in Android to install them, or, since
they serve no purpose on the Android phone, just installing them from the
PC on the Android phone, over Wi-Fi (or USB) using adb on the desktop.

I jsut did that, for example, when I downloaded Canta & Shizuku.

1. Download the Canta/Shizuku APK onto the desktop using a PC browser
  <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

 <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

2. Install the Canta/Shizuku APK onto the phone using the PC adb
   adb install "C:\temp\io.github.samolego.canta_225.apk"
   adb install "C:\temp\shizuku-v13.6.0.r1086.2650830c-release.apk"

It's that easy to implement the strategy of saving every APK before you
install it on the phone. The tactics vary depending on how much you know.
-- 
Sharing what I learn so others do not have to dig as hard.

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#153990

On 31/05/2026 17:58, Maria Sophia wrote:
> Maria Sophia wrote:
>> Best includes it does something useful, is free, no ads, no login.
> 
> Here's my file of 617 apps I personally installed on my free 64GB A325G.
> 
> If you know of other useful (free, private, no account, no ads) apps not on this list, please let us all know as that's the original goal.
> 
> Have we tested every free useful app on Android by now?
> Dunno.
> 
> I probably tested 5 to 10 times the number of apps that are on my 64GB storage, but here is the current set of 617 apps that I didn't delete.

Out of interest, have you tried Canta debloater? It requires Shizuku, 
but, I understand, not adb to use it.

-- 
Jeff

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#153992

Jeff Layman wrote:
>> I probably tested 5 to 10 times the number of apps that are on my 
>> 64GB storage, but here is the current set of 617 apps that I didn't delete.
> 
> Out of interest, have you tried Canta debloater? It requires Shizuku, 
> but, I understand, not adb to use it.

Hi Jeff,

Good question. 
 <https://kevinboone.me/canta.htm>
 <https://maketecheasier.com/canta-debloat-android-phone-without-adb/>
 <https://www.reddit.com/r/androidroot/comments/1tkf7bi/how_to_remove_bloatware_on_android_with_no_root/>
 etc.

Because USA-spec Samsung bootloaders aren't unlockable, both Canta and adb
utilize the pm uninstall -k --user 0 command. This doesn't delete the app
from the system partition (which requires root), but it completely
uninstalls it for your user profile, stopping it from running, eating RAM,
consuming battery, or showing up in your app drawer.

Both Canta & adb can use Shizuku either over USB or Wi-Fi and while adb
offers zero guidance, Canta pulls from the crowdsourced Universal Android
Debloater (UAD) database which automatically filters the apps and
color-codes them with safety warnings:

If I were to start again, I might use Canta but since I started with adb
years ago, I've debloated over 400 system packages using just adb alone.

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.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#153993

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 don't know. I never did it. I just use adb & Muntashirakon myself.

So I looked it up.
Using my own links. 

Typo on a prior link (it was missing the last character of "html"):
 <https://kevinboone.me/canta.html>
 <https://maketecheasier.com/canta-debloat-android-phone-without-adb/>
 <https://www.reddit.com/r/androidroot/comments/1tkf7bi/how_to_remove_bloatware_on_android_with_no_root/>

Canta uses a list of bloatware from the Universal Debloater Alliance.
<https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation/>
which is a file that contains 
 a. the package name (e.g., com.samsung.android.bixby.agent)
 b. a description of what the app does
 c. safety level (Recommended / Advanced / Expert / Unsafe)
 d. whether it's safe to disable or uninstall
 e. descriptive tags (e.g., "bloatware", "analytics", "carrier", etc.)	

Canta (cantar, to sing) is the Rust-based compiler that takes raw package
definitions & turns them into the final uad_lists.json that UAD-NG uses.
 a. You never install anything called "Canta"
 b. You never run it either.
 c. It's just part of the build system.

On Android:
 a. Enable USB debugging in the Developer options
 b. Connect the phone (via Wi-Fi or USB) to the PC adb
 c. Run the PC Canta command listed below to open the GUI

It's a good idea to dump all the currently installed packages:
 adb shell pm list packages > installed_packages_backup.txt
Because you can re-install them if/when you make a mistake:
 adb shell cmd package install-existing com.samsung.android.bixby.agent

For Linux (instructions are similar for macOS)
Download & extract the uad-ng-linux.tar.gz tarball.
 <https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation/releases/download/v1.2.0/uad-ng-linux.tar.gz>
Or download the uad-ng-linux binary binary:
 <https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation/releases/download/v1.2.0/uad-ng-linux>
Install adb on Linux: 
 $ sudo apt install android-tools-adb (Debian/Ubuntu/Mint)
 $ sudo dnf install android-tools (Fedora/Centos/Redhat)
 $ sudo pacman -S android-tools (Arch/Manjaro/EndeavorOS)
Run the Canta debloater:
 $ chmod +x uad-ng-linux
 $ ./uad-ng-linux
   a. Pick a category (Recommended is safest)
   b. Click a package (example: Facebook App Manager)
   c. Click Uninstall

For Windows:
Download the uad-ng-windows.exe for Windows.
 <https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation/releases/download/v1.2.0/uad-ng-windows.exe>
 C:\> uad-ng-windows.exe
      a. Wait for UAD-NG to detect your phone
      b. Choose the "Recommended" category
      c. Pick a package (e.g., Facebook App Manager)
      d. Click Uninstall

After a while, you'll want to export your debloated list.
 a. Open UAD-NG
 b. Go to File -> Export selection
 c. Save the file (usually a .json or .txt list)
    This file contains:
    A. Every package you uninstalled
    B. Their package names
    C. Their categories

You can restore using Canta
 a. Open UAD-NG
 b. File -> Import selection
 c. Click Restore (sometimes called "Install")

Note that almost always, you can't harm the system, if you
go slowly, because almost always you can re-install the pkg.

Out of ~400 system packages I manually removed, only 1 bit me back.
-- 
My conversations are deep because they cover more detail than most do.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#153995

Maria Sophia wrote:
> Download the uad-ng-windows.exe for Windows.
>  <https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation/releases/download/v1.2.0/uad-ng-windows.exe>
>  C:\> uad-ng-windows.exe
>       a. Wait for UAD-NG to detect your phone
>       b. Choose the "Recommended" category
>       c. Pick a package (e.g., Facebook App Manager)
>       d. Click Uninstall

Having always debloated the hard way, I downloaded the Windows binary.
<https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation/releases/download/v1.2.0/uad-ng-windows.exe>
 Name: uad-ng-windows.exe
 Size: 19742208 bytes (18 MiB)
 SHA256: F58666D5F54FAD19DDB317978019437A6F7B2E67FB869157DF9BD40965296600

Since the phone is on the LAN, I connected the PC to the phone over adb.
I copied uad-ng-windows.exe into the adb folder & doubleclicked it.

Lo and behold, there wwere *plenty* of packages I missed uninstalling!
I could list them by 
 all lists
 aosp
 carrier
 google
 misc
 oem
 pending
 unlisted

So, I clicked "carrier" and these showed up to uninstall on T-Mo:
 com.sprint.ce.updater
 com.sprint.ms.cdm 
 com.sprint.ms.smf.services
 com.sprint.w.installer
 com.tmobile.pr.adapt

Setting it to "google", there were only two to uninstall
 com.google.android.apps.maps (which I decided to keep)
 com.google.android.apps.restore 
Not knowing about that last app, I clicked on it and it said:
 The backup restore wizard used for pulling Android system 
 backups from your Google account. Runs on boot.
 You only need this if you factory restore, in which case
 it's automatically re-enabled for you.

Since I've never had a Google Account on the phone, I blew
it away, and then I selected the "aosp" list which showed
 com.android.egg
 com.android.providers.partnerbookmarks
 com.android.theme.font.notoserifsource
 com.android.traceur
 com.google.android.nearby.halfsheet
 com.google.android.onedevicepersonalization.services
 com.google.mainline.adservices
After clicking on each to see what they do, I wiped them.

For "oem", the listing was about the same number of packages.
 com.amazon.appmanager
 com.diotek.sec.lookup.dictionary
 com.mediatek.entitlement.fcm (my CPU is mediatek)
 com.mediatek.gbaseervice
 com.mediatek.mdmlsample
 com.microsoft.appmanager
 com.monotype.android.font.foundation
 com.tmobile.echolocate

Interesting was the help for the Microsoft package:
 Link to Windows   
 (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.appmanager)
 Microsoft app for synchronising your phone with a Windows PC	.

The only one that failed to uninstall was the echolocate pkg.
 [Recommended] pm uninstall --user 0 com.tmobile.echolocate
  -> Failed to uninstall a package: com.tmobile.echolocate

The "oem" section was huge, so I exported the selection.
  android.autoinstalls.config.samsung
  com.hiya.star
  com.knox.vpn.proxyhandler
  com.mediatek.apmonitor
  com.monotype.android.font.samsungone
  com.samsung.aasaservice
  com.samsung.adaptivebrightnessgo
  com.samsung.android.allshare.service.mediashare
  com.samsung.android.app.telephonyui.esimclient
  com.samsung.android.app.updatecenter
  com.samsung.android.app.watchmanagerstub
  com.samsung.android.ardrawing
  com.samsung.android.bbc.bbcagent
  com.samsung.android.da.daagent
  com.samsung.android.dck.timesync
  com.samsung.android.dsms
  com.samsung.android.easysetup
  com.samsung.android.fast
  com.samsung.android.fmm
  com.samsung.android.game.gos
  com.samsung.android.hdmapp
  com.samsung.android.inputshare
  com.samsung.android.keycustomizationinfobackupservice
  com.samsung.android.knox.analytics.uploader
  com.samsung.android.knox.attestation
  com.samsung.android.knox.containercore
  com.samsung.android.knox.kpecore
  com.samsung.android.knox.pushmanager
  com.samsung.android.mcfds
  com.samsung.android.mdecservice
  com.samsung.android.mdm
  com.samsung.android.networkdiagnostic
  com.samsung.android.privateshare
  com.samsung.android.samsungpositioning
  com.samsung.android.sdk.handwriting
  com.samsung.android.sdm.config
  com.samsung.android.server.wifi.mobilewips
  com.samsung.android.service.stplatform
  com.samsung.android.shortcutbackupservice
  com.samsung.android.smartcallprovider
  com.samsung.android.smartsuggestions
  com.samsung.android.smartswitchassistant
  com.samsung.android.stickercenter
  com.samsung.android.svcagent
  com.samsung.android.vtcamerasettings
  com.samsung.faceservice
  com.samsung.InputEventApp
  com.samsung.ipservice
  com.samsung.knox.securefolder
  com.samsung.oda.service
  com.samsung.safetyinformation
  com.samsung.sec.android.teegris.tui_service
  com.sec.android.app.bluetoothagent
  com.sec.android.app.chromecustomizations
  com.sec.android.app.DataCreate
  com.sec.android.app.factorykeystring
  com.sec.android.app.hwmoduletest
  com.sec.android.app.magnifier
  com.sec.android.app.parser
  com.sec.android.app.quicktool
  com.sec.android.app.servicemodeapp
  com.sec.android.app.setupwizard
  com.sec.android.app.setupwizardlegalprovider
  com.sec.android.app.soundalive
  com.sec.android.app.ve.vebgm
  com.sec.android.app.wlantest
  com.sec.android.autodoodle.service
  com.sec.android.CcInfo
  com.sec.android.daemonapp
  com.sec.android.easyMover.Agent
  com.sec.android.easyonehand
  com.sec.android.iaft
  com.sec.android.RilServiceModeApp
  com.sec.android.smartfpsadjuster
  com.sec.android.widgetapp.easymodecontactswidget
  com.sec.app.RilErrorNotifier
  com.sec.bcservice
  com.sec.enterprise.knox.cloudmdm.smdms
  com.sec.enterprise.mdm.services.simpin
  com.sec.epdgtestapp
  com.sec.facatfunction
  com.sec.factory.camera
  com.sec.factory.cameralyzer
  com.sec.hearingadjust
  com.sec.hiddenmenu
  com.sec.imslogger
  com.sec.location.nfwlocationprivacy
  com.sec.location.nsflp2
  com.sec.providers.assisteddialing
  com.sec.vsim.ericssonnsds.webapp
  com.skms.android.agent
  com.snap.camerakit.plugin.v1
  com.test.LTEfunctionality
  com.tmobile.echolocate

What's interesting, is I already had debloated, or so I thought.
Even as I removed over 400 packages, there are a few hundred more.

My assessment, so far, is that Canta is pretty good.
It makes debloating even easier than I had thought.

Funny thing though, I never needed to touch Shizuku.
Looking up why, Shizuku is only needed when you're debloating from the
phone alone (without the PC) and you need adb-level permission sans a PC.

I guess I'll try running Canta (with Shizuku) on the phone next.
-- 
On Usenet, shared experience saves someone else a long night of guessing.
	.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#153997

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
-- 
On Usenet, some of us share what we have learned so others do not struggle.

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#154008

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 here, so tell 
me: does it slow down the service of sending your voice over the phone? 
I was just wondering!

Is messing around with Android phones one of your hobbies? Android OS is 
owned by Google but used mostly by people who care about privacy! The 
meaning of privacy must have changed recently.

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#154009

Skeptic wrote:

> Is messing around with Android phones one of your hobbies? Android OS is 
> owned by Google but used mostly by people who care about privacy! The 
> meaning of privacy must have changed recently.

Android, when used with PlugOS [1], is a super awesome privacy device,
when additionally used with AEC [2] = Air Gapped Encrypted Communications
and a little air gapped GPD MicroPC [3] *with Windows 11*, which beats any
online Linux box with outdated GnuPG or OpenPGP, when it comes to first
class secure and anonymous email communications, via the Nym Mixnet [4].

[1] https://plugos.net/plugmate
[2] coming soon
[3] https://www.gpd.hk/gpdmicropc2345345345
[4] https://nym.com/mixnet

Best regards
Ch1ffr3punk

-- 
https://oc2mx.net

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#154012

On 01/06/2026 21:12, Ch1ffr3punk wrote:
> Skeptic wrote:
> 
>> Is messing around with Android phones one of your hobbies? Android OS is
>> owned by Google but used mostly by people who care about privacy! The
>> meaning of privacy must have changed recently.

I would guess that most people who use a cellphone have no interest in 
privacy.

> Android, when used with PlugOS [1], is a super awesome privacy device,
> when additionally used with AEC [2] = Air Gapped Encrypted Communications
> and a little air gapped GPD MicroPC [3] *with Windows 11*, which beats any
> online Linux box with outdated GnuPG or OpenPGP, when it comes to first
> class secure and anonymous email communications, via the Nym Mixnet [4].
> 
> [1] https://plugos.net/plugmate

Recent reviews:

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

<https://www.clubic.com/actualite-598732-plugos-un-pc-android-dans-une-cle-usb-c-securisee-ne-tombez-pas-dans-le-piege.html>
(In French, but translatable with Firefox, or using DeepL or Google 
Translate)

-- 
Jeff

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#154013

On 2026-06-01 23:39, Jeff Layman wrote:
> On 01/06/2026 21:12, Ch1ffr3punk wrote:
>> Skeptic wrote:
>>
>>> Is messing around with Android phones one of your hobbies? Android OS is
>>> owned by Google but used mostly by people who care about privacy! The
>>> meaning of privacy must have changed recently.
> 
> I would guess that most people who use a cellphone have no interest in 
> privacy.

I would certainly use a phone with neither Android nor Iphone.



-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#154014

Jeff Layman wrote:
>>> Is messing around with Android phones one of your hobbies? Android OS is
>>> owned by Google but used mostly by people who care about privacy! The
>>> meaning of privacy must have changed recently.
> 
> I would guess that most people who use a cellphone have no interest in 
> privacy.


Hi Jeff,

I would disagree but I would half agree that 99 out of 100 people don't
know the first thing about privacy, so, half of those 99 buy Apple devices
because Apple told them it's more private, even as iOS is not private.

My point is they care, but they don't know how to obtain any privacy.

By far, the most important act anyone could do on any computing device, is
NOT put a mothership account on that device, which is easy for Android.

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

>> Android, when used with PlugOS [1], is a super awesome privacy device,
>> when additionally used with AEC [2] = Air Gapped Encrypted Communications
>> and a little air gapped GPD MicroPC [3] *with Windows 11*, which beats any
>> online Linux box with outdated GnuPG or OpenPGP, when it comes to first
>> class secure and anonymous email communications, via the Nym Mixnet [4].
>> 
>> [1] https://plugos.net/plugmate
> 
> Recent reviews:
> 
> <https://uk.pcmag.com/security/165179/i-was-sick-of-android-apps-spying-on-me-so-i-tried-grapheneos-and-plugos>
> 
> <https://www.clubic.com/actualite-598732-plugos-un-pc-android-dans-une-cle-usb-c-securisee-ne-tombez-pas-dans-le-piege.html>
> (In French, but translatable with Firefox, or using DeepL or Google 
> Translate)

Since most USA-spec Samsung devices can't be rooted, GrapheneOS isn't
available, but I didn't know about PlugOS until it was mentioned above.
 a. You plug the PlugOS USB-C stick into your phone.
 b. The phone treats it like an external display + input device.
 c. PlugOS runs on the stick, not on the phone.
 d. The phone is basically just a screen + power source	.
So it doesn't matter that USA Samsung's can't unlock the bootloader.

PlusOS won't work for my Samsung because the phone must support DisplayPort
Alt Mode, which mine doesn't support. But PlugOS even works on iOS so it's
a nice idea for those whose USB port supports it.

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#154024

On 01/06/2026 22:55, Maria Sophia wrote:
> Jeff Layman wrote:
>>>> Is messing around with Android phones one of your hobbies? Android OS is
>>>> owned by Google but used mostly by people who care about privacy! The
>>>> meaning of privacy must have changed recently.
>>
>> I would guess that most people who use a cellphone have no interest in
>> privacy.
> 
> 
> Hi Jeff,
> 
> I would disagree but I would half agree that 99 out of 100 people don't
> know the first thing about privacy, so, half of those 99 buy Apple devices
> because Apple told them it's more private, even as iOS is not private.
> 
> My point is they care, but they don't know how to obtain any privacy.
> 
> By far, the most important act anyone could do on any computing device, is
> NOT put a mothership account on that device, which is easy for Android.
> 
> Android works better without the Google account than it does with it.

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.

I really doubt that privacy will be mentioned (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!).

> 
>>> Android, when used with PlugOS [1], is a super awesome privacy device,
>>> when additionally used with AEC [2] = Air Gapped Encrypted Communications
>>> and a little air gapped GPD MicroPC [3] *with Windows 11*, which beats any
>>> online Linux box with outdated GnuPG or OpenPGP, when it comes to first
>>> class secure and anonymous email communications, via the Nym Mixnet [4].
>>>
>>> [1] https://plugos.net/plugmate
>>
>> Recent reviews:
>>
>> <https://uk.pcmag.com/security/165179/i-was-sick-of-android-apps-spying-on-me-so-i-tried-grapheneos-and-plugos>
>>
>> <https://www.clubic.com/actualite-598732-plugos-un-pc-android-dans-une-cle-usb-c-securisee-ne-tombez-pas-dans-le-piege.html>
>> (In French, but translatable with Firefox, or using DeepL or Google
>> Translate)
> 
> Since most USA-spec Samsung devices can't be rooted, GrapheneOS isn't
> available, but I didn't know about PlugOS until it was mentioned above.
>   a. You plug the PlugOS USB-C stick into your phone.
>   b. The phone treats it like an external display + input device.
>   c. PlugOS runs on the stick, not on the phone.
>   d. The phone is basically just a screen + power source	.
> So it doesn't matter that USA Samsung's can't unlock the bootloader.
> 
> PlusOS won't work for my Samsung because the phone must support DisplayPort
> Alt Mode, which mine doesn't support. But PlugOS even works on iOS so it's
> a nice idea for those whose USB port supports it.

If you read those reviews of PlugOS, particularly the second one, you'll 
soon have doubts as to just how private PlugOS is:

"A proprietary system without transparency

The main problem is that PlugOS is completely closed. TrustKernel does 
not communicate the exact model of the processor or the source code of 
the system. The OS would be based on Android, but impossible to check 
what actually runs inside. The security white paper mentions "regular 
audits by independent third-party companies", but does not cite any 
auditor, publishes any reports and does not specify any date."

Note also the sections "Your data quietly stored in China" and "A kick 
to the GDPR".

If it is possible to run GrapheneOS that seems to be a better choice.

-- 
Jeff

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#154032

On 2026-06-02 13:49, Jeff Layman wrote:
> On 01/06/2026 22:55, Maria Sophia wrote:
>> Jeff Layman wrote:
>>>>> Is messing around with Android phones one of your hobbies? Android 
>>>>> OS is
>>>>> owned by Google but used mostly by people who care about privacy! The
>>>>> meaning of privacy must have changed recently.
>>>
>>> I would guess that most people who use a cellphone have no interest in
>>> privacy.
>>
>>
>> Hi Jeff,
>>
>> I would disagree but I would half agree that 99 out of 100 people don't
>> know the first thing about privacy, so, half of those 99 buy Apple 
>> devices
>> because Apple told them it's more private, even as iOS is not private.
>>
>> My point is they care, but they don't know how to obtain any privacy.
>>
>> By far, the most important act anyone could do on any computing 
>> device, is
>> NOT put a mothership account on that device, which is easy for Android.
>>
>> Android works better without the Google account than it does with it.
> 
> 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.

Some people, when they buy their second phone, have forgotten that they 
have a google account, and the shop assistant will create a second one 
and tell them, again, not to forget it.

I have seen it.


> 
> I really doubt that privacy will be mentioned (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!).

:-D

...

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#154038

Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> 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.
> 
> Some people, when they buy their second phone, have forgotten that they 
> have a google account, and the shop assistant will create a second one 
> and tell them, again, not to forget it.

I'm gonna discuss something that likely .001% of people on earth know.

I would agree with everyone that the common experience is the shop
personnel (who migrate phones all day, every day) will be using their
Google account to migrate the apps over. 

They even tried that with me when I had my free phone replaced (twice!)
under warranty due to me screwing it up by sleeping on it & bricking it.

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. 
  <https://i.postimg.cc/Gmbyp807/windows-android.jpg>

I also transfer the exact sub versions (if I want to), which, again, people
don't get with the Google transfer. 
 <https://i.postimg.cc/FFYqg9Dv/maps05.jpg> map tools apk archive

Since the app isn't installed at first, when that homescreen is copied
over, most of the app icons are grayed out, but I only have to tap them.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/Kv8RmGT3/telecom.jpg> homescreen gray icons

Likely 0.001% of the people on earth can even understand what I just said.
If they use the Google method, they lose out on all this simplicity.

I'll wager no clerk in any phone store has any clue of what I just said.
-- 
On Usenet, old men with vast experience voluntarily share that knowledge.

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#154043

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.

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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