Re: What are the common settings to change on an Android 7.0 Nougat phone for privacy?

From	Arlen Holder <a%rlenh.older@no.spam.net>
Newsgroups	comp.mobile.android
Subject	Re: What are the common settings to change on an Android 7.0 Nougat phone for privacy?
Date	2018-10-09 00:18 +0000
Organization	Mixmin
Message-ID	<ppgs43$8ak$1@news.mixmin.net> (permalink)
References	(2 earlier) <pp5e1g$1sha$3@gioia.aioe.org> <ppfth8$l6g$1@news.mixmin.net> <ppg46d$10h$1@dont-email.me> <ppgjho$ovq$1@news.mixmin.net> <ppgoav$lh7$1@gioia.aioe.org>

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On Mon, 8 Oct 2018 16:13:37 -0700, 123456789 wrote:

> What's to be gained FOR ME by the separation of my real and bogus Gmail
> accounts? 

That's not only a GOOD QUESTION, but it's EXACTLY the question to be
answered over here:
 How does the default "Google Account" on an Android phone benefit you? 
 <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/L16oLRH-jVc>

> I'm not trying to hide my true ID from Google. 

The main advantage, as I see it, is that there is no concept of an
"Advertising ID" on a phone that has no Google Android account.

Nor is there Google tracking of your apps (AFAIK), if you've set up the
device correctly.

But again, that specific question is tangential to this thread, so it's
best to ask over there in the thread specific to that question.

> And anyway
> since Google currently charges my credit card for its services (Drive,
> eBooks, apps, etc.) I think they already have a pretty good idea of who
> and where I am.

You brought up an EXCELLENT point, which is that the instant a credit card
is stored on an Android phone, all hope of privacy & anonymity is lost.

It's to be assumed that I would never recommend paying for any online
service, whether from the cell phone or from the desktop/laptop computer.

I can't even think of a single online service that I need that I would pay
for that I can't already get, for free, sans paying for it if I use a
modicum of judicious intelligence.

Can you?

HINT: I get all the storage I want, plus all the apps I need, plus all the
books I feel like reading, etc., for free. 

> How about just dedicating an old unused tablet to have a bogus Google
> account, use the Play Store to get the wanted apps, and then siphon the
> apks off to whatever pure non-polluted device you want them on?]

Yup. The fact you mentioned that idea proves you comprehended what I had
suggested, which is, essentially, that you can get the APKs from anywhere
for most free apps (which isn't possible with iOS IPAs, for example).

For the most part, it doesn't matter _how_ you get the APKs, whether you
get them yourself, or if a friend lends you his sdcard, or if you store
them on a common drive on your network, or even if you email them to
yourself (since they're just zip files).

That's one of the beauties of Android - which is that once you have your
population of apps, you almost never need the Google Play store ever again.

NOTE: I never update and app unless there's something in the update that I
want, where there almost never is, and, worse, there is almost always
something in the newer updates that I don't want. 

> Because I don't see any advantage FOR ME.

This thread is about "privacy".
Having no "Advertiser ID" is related to that concept.
Plus, I think, having less or no Google app spying is also related.

What you're saying is simply that type of privacy isn't important to you.
And that's OK - except - this is a thread on privacy. :)

>> Looking up what "Google Drive" does for you, I don't see why it
>> won't work
> 
> I have multiple toys including a w10 laptop, W10 tablet, Chromebook,
> Amazon Fire tablets, Android tablets of various sizes and an Android
> phone. All have Google drive capability. Any change I make to one is
> reflected to all. Changing all that to another Google account...really?? 8-O

I think you misunderstood me.
The point was to wipe out the Advertiser ID since this is a privacy thread.

I don't use Google Drive, but, it seems to be like any other Google
Service, such as Google Calendar, Google Gmail, Google Hangouts, etc.

Why can't you have two accounts on Android?
1. Bogus (e.g., bogus@gmail.com)
2. Real (e.g., real@gmail.com)

The Google Drive is tied to the real account, while the Advertiser ID is
tied to the bogus account which, we've already proved, can be deleted at
will such that there is no bogus account if you don't want it (hence, no
Advertiser ID either).
> 
>> I keep my "real" Google account separate from my "Android Google
>> Account". There are advantages (e.g., no Advertiser ID, for
>> example).
> 
> Why should I care about an advertiser ID?

Because you're posting to a thread about "privacy".

If you want to discuss just the concept of a bogus Google Account, this
isn't the thread for that since this thread is about privacy. The thread
for discussing the bogus gmail account (and wiping it out) is here:
 How does the default "Google Account" on an Android phone benefit you? 
 <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/L16oLRH-jVc>

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