[Q] Privacy Protection - Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

There are some good privacy options out there for Android it seems, may I have some recommendations please?
For example how Facebook harvests data and I assume also Google itself - for good purposes I'm sure such as advertising support for apps - so I'm no conspiracy theorist, but I'd like to 1) know more about what's going out and 2) manage it better. Location data for example, or Facebook trying to access my contacts or location.
Ideally I'd just have Facebook contact sync without needing anything else at all (sync one way).
Anyway, what works for you? The latest LBE Privacy Protector is getting caned for causing crashes? And as I can't back up an encrypted rooted Nexus 4, I'd like to know what's currently recommended for the Nexus 4.
And just any advice about privacy protection in general too..
Thanks...

Enjoying Privacy Guard on CyanogenMod, first thing I locked down was Facebook..

Related

[Q] Nexus for my daughter (almost 7) separate Google acct?

Hi all. I'm looking for some advice. After 3 months with my C60 N7 16gb and constantly having to close notifications from my daughter's games, I decided to get her one of her own (she wanted a leap pad)... actually I am got 32gb C90K N7 and am giving her the 16gb.
Should I set up her own gmail/Google account or is it easier to just have another device on my account? Safer / more secure? What are the pros and con's?
I figure I will install SmartApp protector so she can't get to internet without asking, and Pin on the Play store for purchases (if she figures out how to clear cache and data to bypass/erase the Pon, she earned the game!).
She likes zoodles and has a handful of other games etc.
What else should I be looking into regarding management of content, etc? Are there any apps that I can monitor her activity from my N7? Other safety or utility things I should consider? In the event if loss, should I install some sort of remote wipe App?
From a case standpoint, I think I will get her one like mine (CrazyOnDigital rotating leatherr folio). She likes it, it is inexpensive and functional. I looked at the Naabi Bumper... Definitely more study but so bulky. I might try to find something like the portable DVD player case for it so she can Carey charger and stilts to between home and her mom's house.
Thoughts and advice are welcome.
Time to go root and unlock my N7 and play...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
1.) you can always block notifications for specific apps in 'app info' (long click on notification, it'll take you there)
2.) I honestly don't see a reason why you wouldn't make her her own account. Your account probably has credit card stored it, which she could use accidentally (you know, to feed Talking Tom ).
In play store, you can set content filtering, if you're rooted, do go ahead and install adfree (if you haven't already), so it blocks annoying adds (most of them with adult content).
There's soooo many parental apps on play store, that you should just go trough them and see which does what.
http://www.wikihow.com/Block-Porn-on-Android
here's an useful link
I don't know much about users, but can you make the second user account have less privileges? Like on Windows (admin, user) or linux (root, user)
About pros/cons of using the same account:
- she can access your data (gmail, contacts, talk...) you'd need to disable or password protect all those apps, even if you disable notifications
+ you can access her data (but it will merge with yours)
using her own account:
+ she'll use gmail eventually, might as well have it already
+ you can easily follow her location with latitude (but I wouldn't let her take tablet to school anyway, so doesn't really make a difference)
+ you can send her pretty pictures by gmail and google talk to her, if you so choose (when you're away for few days on a trip for example) - I don't think you can google talk to yourself
+ no worries with using your credit card
+ if she google talks to someone, you won't get all the notifications on your tablet as well
I think there's enough monitoring apps on play store that you can easily let her use her own account, if you trust her of course.
And an honest conversation about responsibility isn't out of place. I'm sure she will understand and also appreciate you trusting her, and she'll have something completely hers.
Of course, you can always go on play.google.com to check what apps she's installing, log in into chrome with her account to see history and bookmarks, see her gmail... You know, to check that someones not harassing here, no other reason
I asked a similar question as both daughters getting them for Xmas ,don't mind them having there own account just want any downloads from play store to request a password first and with set age restricted content in play store.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

[Q] Using a Nexus 4 without sending every private piece of info to Google

I got my N4 a couple of days ago. It's my first foray in the Android world.
The requirements that I am hoping to meet are pretty simple:
1) I want to be able to call contacts and send text messages
2) I don't want Google tracking my contact list
3) I don't want Google tracking my location
4) I don't want Google tracking my browsing history
5) I want to be able to use the Play store to download 3rd party apps. I didn't buy an N4 to use it it like a dumbphone. Logically, the Play store shouldn't require constant access to my contacts, location or browsing history.
I am making this post to get help meeting the above requirements. Despite seeming really basic, I'm running into trouble, and I think I will need frequent help. This thread can act as a journal that hopefully other people can follow.
What I did so far is immediately flashed the N4 to AOKP, and applied the OpenPDroid patches (though I've yet to use OPD). From a blank slate start, I declined to create an account, disabled location access, etc, during the startup wizard.
Adding a contact round 1
I was able to create a local, unsynced contact.
Using the Play store
I was forced to sign up for a gmail account, which is normal. I declined to "keep this phone backed up with my Google Account". I then went in Settings > Account and disabled sync for everything, including Contacts. I also disabled background sync in the power controls.
Adding a contact round 2
I am now unable to add a contact without being forced to sync it with my BS gmail account. When I click "Add Contact" in the phone app, a dialog says "Your contact will be synced with [email protected]" and my choices are either "OK", "Add other account", or to cancel out by clicking Back.
So I'm already stuck. Once a Play account is created, I am now unable to do something as basic as adding a contact without sending it to Google. Can someone tell me how to get past this obstacle?
That's how Google makes their money! Your only options are to either start using the amazon app store only or side loading apps if you don't want Google involvement. Good luck.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Why? Like they don't have all your information already? You freely give your information to everyone when you use the internet. Congratulations. You are not that special.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Eurotrash: always in this sort of discussions there's people like you who essentially advocate shutting up and taking it. "That's how things are" is not an acceptable solution to my problem, or I would not have made this post. There IS a way around the creeping, and someone knows it. My last resort is blocking every Google service from accessing the Internet except Play. I'm asking here because I'm hoping there's a less extreme solution that other people can use.
Gotzadroid: I will hold out for a better solution. Amazon appstore will likely be limited. Sideloading is not possible because many devs don't provide APKs
I know you can get an app to block individual permissions of other apps: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stericson.permissions
It requires root. Not sure about the contacts and other stuff you wanted to block, im assuming you've disabled location services.
Why not try flashing like cm10 and not flashing gapps so no Google apps? Then just manually downloading the apps apks and sideload the ones you need?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Didn't think my post lacked clarity, so hopefully this will be clearer:
My ONLY problem right now (we'll leave the rest for later) is that the Phone app, an essential app if I want to use my phone for making calls, an app that isn't even part of Gapps, doesn't let me add a local contact without sharing it with Google. That's it. Forget everything else in my post.
So my simple question is, how do I add my friend Bob to my contact list, locally in phone memory or on the SIM card or whatever, without telling Google I'm friends with Bob and giving them his phone number?
MachinTrucChose said:
Didn't think my post lacked clarity, so hopefully this will be clearer:
My ONLY problem right now (we'll leave the rest for later) is that the Phone app, an essential app if I want to use my phone for making calls, an app that isn't even part of Gapps, doesn't let me add a local contact without sharing it with Google. That's it. Forget everything else in my post.
So my simple question is, how do I add my friend Bob to my contact list, locally in phone memory or on the SIM card or whatever, without telling Google I'm friends with Bob and giving them his phone number?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As previously mentioned, try flashing a rom without gapps
OK, try this. Make a dummy gmail account for the play store only. Get all the apps you want and then sign out of gmail. Only sign back in when you want another app. That should keep Google from syncing all your info.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Michealtbh said:
As previously mentioned, try flashing a rom without gapps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Phone app is not a part of gapps. It came on the stock ROM before I flashed gapps on it. I didn't try it before adding gapps, are you saying it will change behavior and no longer prompt me to sync when I try to add a contact?
I gotta go to sleep, I'll do more tests tomorrow evening to test this (and wait for your reply to the above question in case you misread my posts).
If the answer to the above question is yes, this would immediately beg another question: how do I install 3rd party apps from Play without flashing gapps?
gotzaDroid said:
OK, try this. Make a dummy gmail account for the play store only. Get all the apps you want and then sign out of gmail. Only sign back in when you want another app. That should keep Google from syncing all your info.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I did in the OP (2nd bolded step). I created a dummy account cause Play requires it. That became my main Google account on this phone (since I declined to set up an account prior to that). That's the account Google tries to sync my contacts to when I try to add a contact.
I looked in the Gmail app, there's no way for me to sign out. All I can do is add more accounts.
A similar thread from the galaxy nexus forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1589367
However, I'd also be interested in a deeper insight on why you're trying to do this. Fear of the big brother? Or just proving a point?
We know before buying an android phone that everything is tied to that Gmail address; now you want to cut that tie but maintain full functionality. Well, that probably doesn't work. And if it at the end does, why going through all that trouble? If a different platform offers all that then..
Why you bought an android phone in the first place? Just curious
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
You can try downloading or side loading the app "contacts+" then sign out of your dummy gmail account. You can get a sim to USB hub online and plug your sim into the hub and into PC to add contacts directly to sim. I don't know if there's a way to export contacts to sim anymore unless I'm guessing developers somehow add that feature. So look into CM or another well built ROM and ask some questions.
Good luck
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
MachinTrucChose said:
The Phone app is not a part of gapps. It came on the stock ROM before I flashed gapps on it. I didn't try it before adding gapps, are you saying it will change behavior and no longer prompt me to sync when I try to add a contact?
I gotta go to sleep, I'll do more tests tomorrow evening to test this (and wait for your reply to the above question in case you misread my posts).
If the answer to the above question is yes, this would immediately beg another question: how do I install 3rd party apps from Play without flashing gapps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock rom comes with gapps already loaded.
Most custom roms come without them and they must be flashed separately. If you choose not to flash them you aren't even given an option to sign into your Google account at first boot, so there will obviously be no option to sync your contacts.
Your phone will be crippled and you'll have to find workarounds for many things. I don't think you'll be able to use Maps for example. To install apps you'll have to download and install the apks or use an alternative app market like SlideMe or Amazon
What's there to hide? They're just contacts
Sent from my Nexus 4
Google doesn't care what your Aunt Bertie's phone number is. All they use the data for is to customize ads for you, and if you're going to be seeing ads anyways they might as well be relevant to you.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
It's disappointing that the thread is taking the direction of Google advocacy rather than finding a technical solution to my problem, hopefully this post answers your questions and we can stop arguing about this.
Drakkula4 said:
You can try downloading or side loading the app "contacts+" then sign out of your dummy gmail account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I sign out of my dummy gmail account?
Vangelis13 said:
A similar thread from the galaxy nexus forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1589367
However, I'd also be interested in a deeper insight on why you're trying to do this. Fear of the big brother? Or just proving a point?
We know before buying an android phone that everything is tied to that Gmail address; now you want to cut that tie but maintain full functionality. Well, that probably doesn't work. And if it at the end does, why going through all that trouble? If a different platform offers all that then..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, not full functionality. I can avoid using all gapps. The only required Google service is the Play store, which is the primary gateway to non-Google apps. I would use Email over Gmail, Navfree over Maps, etc.
The next paragraph is meant as a reply to the 5 posts essentially saying "tinfoil hat, trust Google!".
This is supposed to be an open phone, allowing the user to do what they want, compared to the big bad iOS. That's why I bought it. Now I find out Google is insisting on taking something extremely private (my social graph) even when I don't want to give it to them. I respect my friends' privacy, and I don't want an intersection of my online and offline lives being made by some 3rd party with intentions I don't trust. The insistence is starting to creep me out. You can provide convenience and still respect basic privacy, look at Mozilla with Firefox Sync: even they don't see the data you sync. I'm not even asking for that much, just respect my wish to draw the line at real-life stuff. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, this is the company banning people using pseudonyms on Google+.
The most disappointing thing in all this, is that you have 5000 custom ROMs being developed, which mainly differ in pointless GUI BS like scroll animation speed. Not a single one of those projects thought to provide a way to make the phone usable without giving up extremely private data. AFAIK only 3 guys are working on privacy stuff, and even those guys' patches and apps don't protect you from the Eye of Google.
chrisrozon said:
Google doesn't care what your Aunt Bertie's phone number is. All they use the data for is to customize ads for you, and if you're going to be seeing ads anyways they might as well be relevant to you.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What if I don't want tailored ads? Or what if I only want tailored ads by tracking the online activity I'm willing to submit to them, and I feel it should be my my right to draw a line? Many people are not comfortable seeing an intersection of online and real life activity. I am one of those people.
MachinTrucChose said:
Didn't think my post lacked clarity, so hopefully this will be clearer:
My ONLY problem right now (we'll leave the rest for later) is that the Phone app, an essential app if I want to use my phone for making calls, an app that isn't even part of Gapps, doesn't let me add a local contact without sharing it with Google. That's it. Forget everything else in my post.
So my simple question is, how do I add my friend Bob to my contact list, locally in phone memory or on the SIM card or whatever, without telling Google I'm friends with Bob and giving them his phone number?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple question deserves simple answer, only thing I can think of, go to settings > accounts > google > tap your account email address > and uncheck the things you don't want synced with google.
Hopefully it works and you will just have a local copy of everything then.
Again just flash like cyanogen mod since you have to flash gapps separate. Then don't flash gapps and your phone will have nothing to do with google.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Disabling Google+ from my phone without messing with Gmail

I'm getting pretty tired of Google+. Simply put, I was having fun with my girlfriend and we started taking pictures of one another with my phone (that's as far as I'll go talking about them details...) Then I realized my Nexus 4 is pretty much plugged into Gmail and Google+ from the moment I unboxed it. I don't know how automated these sharing services are. I thought there would be a simple setting that you could click to say "Don't share personal stuff" but it seems that Google+ has grown in complexity these past few years, there are dozens of settings that look like they share something (most of them automatically).
Is there a way to just nuke my Google+ account, but still be able to use all other Google services on my phone like Gmail? I'm afraid to do anything the least bit improper with this thing in the event it ends up all over someone's "Wall".
I think you can freeze the Google+ app in app settings menu.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

How to transfer device ownership without reseting?

My mother's Nexus 7 has 2 accounts, the main/owner one which is my own and a secondary one for her. That's how I initially configured that device but I don't use it anymore, I want to remove my account from that device. How can I do that and transfer the device ownership to her account without resetting and re-configuring everything?
Anyone?
Nazgulled said:
My mother's Nexus 7 has 2 accounts, the main/owner one which is my own and a secondary one for her. That's how I initially configured that device but I don't use it anymore, I want to remove my account from that device. How can I do that and transfer the device ownership to her account without resetting and re-configuring everything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Nazgulled...
I really don't think there is an easy way of transferring ownership, other than with a factory reset, and then setting it up as a new device, with a new owner.
A factory reset provides a complete and clean break from the previous owner to the new owner.
It also depends on how many accounts you have, and with which organisations.
For example, I have my standard Google account, my Guardian (UK newspaper) account, BBC account, and Facebook account (not that I use it much).
Further, using Chrome browser, I use it to login to multiple blogs, websites and forums (such as XDA), and it remembers my login and password details.
------------------
Removing Google accounts is reasonably straightforward though...
On your Nexus 7
Go to SETTINGS>>ACCOUNTS>>GOOGLE...
Select your Google account, and then tap on the '3 dot' overflow menu at the top right hand corner of the screen, and select the Remove Account option.
(See attached screenshot.)
And then do the same for your mother's Google account, as it's a secondary account.
------------------
Once both accounts are removed, tap BACK twice (to just SETTINGS>>ACCOUNTS) and select +Add Account, select Google and enter your mothers Google login details, username and password...
Or alternatively, just back out of everything to the home screen and then fire up the PlayStore or Gmail app, where you'll be prompted to enter your mother's Google account details.
You're now setting up the Nexus 7 with your mother as the primary Google account holder.
------------------
One possible problem here that I can forsee, is if you've bought any paid-for apps from Google PlayStore using your (Nazgulled) Google account, and that you currently share with your mother, they will still be installed on the Nexus 7, but they will likely, at some point, fail the Google licence check... as you will cease to be the legitimate paid-for and licenced user of those apps on this device, the Nexus 7 (because your Google account will have been removed from the device).
This may possibly result in complete cessation of those apps, or experience some degree of limited/restricted functionality. This may not happen immediately. It could be days or weeks before this happens. It depends on how the apps (in question), and their developers deal with unpaid for, and thus unlicensed software.
Your mother may need to buy the apps (a licence) to continue to use them at some point, or alternatively, uninstall them.
------------------
You should also clear the data of certain apps you currently use, as the primary user of the device...
Any email apps you happen to use, such as...
**Gmail
**Inbox
**MailDroid
Any browsers...
**Chrome and it's derivatives (Beta and Developer)
**Opera
**Boat Browser
**Maxthon Browser
Any banking or financial apps you also might have installed. This will clear username and password login details stored by these apps.
This is accomplished as follows.
I'll use Chrome as an example.
Go to SETTINGS>>APPS>>Scroll horizontally to the ALL tab...
Scroll DOWN to Chrome, tap to enter and tap the CLEAR DATA button.
The same method should be used for apps installed whose login details you wish to clear.
------------------
Please don't misunderstand me... I'm not trying to impugn your relationship with your mother or the level of trust you have with her. But privacy is a consideration when transferring a device that has not been properly wiped. And I'm just pointing out the complexity of removing your personal data from a device... without factory resetting it... and which is the only surefire and guaranteed way of cleanly transferring ownership.
------------------
If all the above sounds a bit messy, that's because it is!!!
I know from experience in the past, with Android devices, Windows PC's, and quite recently, an Apple Mac, that the most straightforward way of transferring ownership, is for the new user to begin with a completely blank slate.
And apart from anything else, a factory reset device generally tends to perform better, is smoother and is more responsive, once the accumulated detritus of months or years of use has been swept away.
------------------
Hope this is useful to you... and good luck.
Rgrds,
Ged.
Wow, such detailed post. Much appreciated...
Now that I think about it, a factory reset would probably work because my mother doesn't have that many apps and the ones that she uses are probably backed up on Google's servers which will be automatically restored when setting up the device a second time. There are no purchased apps that I share with the second account, so that's not a problem. About privacy, no worries mate, that's a non-issue, unless someone unknown gets access to the device and starts poking around, that's not a problem.
I'll probably do a factory reset than, it will probably be easier.
Thanks

Nexus Player privacy concerns...

Liking the NP so far, but is anyone else concerned about privacy? I feel like I'm leaving my phone out unlocked for anyone to do whatever with my account. I like the YouTube app, but don't want my subscriptions and all that there for the household to see. Goes along with Google Music and everything else. Why is syncing contacts even an option? Where does it use contact info for?
Looking for any input as far as other people solutions if they had these same concerns or if I'm just paranoid. Just seems silly to have that kind of info on a "household" device. Do I need to create a new "dummy" account?

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