• u/lukmly013 💾 (lemmy.sdf.org)@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    I have installed custom ROM (PixelExperience) on my Moto G5s Plus. This way I extended its life by 2 years. The stock ROM only went up to Android 8.1 and was very slow and buggy, unlike with Android 7. This way I got Android 11 which was newest at the time. It was also much faster than the flawed 8.1 update.
    Additionally, PixelExperience allowed some nice things. It looks like Google Pixel phone, even to Google, so I got free unlimited photo/video backups. This may be against ToS, but it’s not like I said I have a Pixel 5, they decided that I do ¯⁠\_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)_⁠/⁠¯.
    Another really great thing is routing Wi-Fi hotspot over VPN. I definitely don’t want someone using my internet connection raw.

    Next, root. I have only done that with Samsung Galaxy Ace from 2011. No locked bootloader BS, just flash, Tada! Rooted.
    This allowed me to do full backups, including apps on that device.

    But there’s countless other uses, most of which I forgot. Some that I can think of that would be useful to me are:

    • Proper firewall
    • Access to Android folder (without using desktop) (removed since Android 11)
    • Full app backups
    • Routing hotspot over VPN
    • Band locking on Qualcomm SoC (possible without root on Exynos and MediaTek)
    • WPS push and WPS pin Wi-Fi connection (insecure) (removed since Android 9)
    • Opening ports <1024
    • Changing screen resolution and aspect ratio (useful for screen mirroring)
    • Removing bloatware
    • Changing Wi-Fi MAC address manually
    • Battery charge limiting (e.g. to 80%)
    • Precise management of app permissions
          • u/lukmly013 💾 (lemmy.sdf.org)@lemmy.sdf.org
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            9 months ago

            Yep, you absolutely misunderstood.

            I don’t trust “cloud”…

            By that I meant that I don’t trust it for keeping the data. My account may get terminated at any time or the company may have a larger data loss and just say “Sorry, we lost your data, hehe. Here’s 3 month trial of our premium plan as an apology.”

            Sure, I do.

            By that I meant I do have a secondary (or in this case primary) backup. I rsync my phone to a HDD. For things that may need long-term storage I use DVDs. They have a longer shelf life.
            The cloud is just additional backup. It doesn’t hurt to have more backups.

            • BolexForSoup@kbin.social
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              9 months ago

              Ahhhh ok it sounded like you meant “trust” as in “I don’t trust the company” not “I don’t trust that it won’t get lost” (both of which are certainly valid it was just surprising in this context).

              I follow 3-2-1 protocol, I’d never solely rely on the cloud.

      • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        9 months ago

        It’s not necessarily about listening.

        Many/most apps try to connect to Facebook, for example. Part of the ghost profile issue.

        Or a handful of other data gathering services.

        Blocking those are useful for both privacy reasons and battery life.

        Those apps like to run in the background at al times, registering for every single receiver the phone has (apps like Solitaire, for example). If I didn’t block receivers many apps would run all the time, even apps I use once a month.

        It’s MY phone… End