Google Gemini is about to control your messages and calls, even if you say no

https://www.laptopmag.com/ai/gemini-phone-access-update

57•robin_reala•4h ago

Comments

lpcvoid•4h ago

This is why you don't have Google services on your phone, kids.

Brought to you by a GrapheneOS fanboy.

Iolaum•4h ago

As a GraphenOS user as well - I think you can say No even with Google Apps installed in GrapheneOS.

Stiffly6471•4h ago

If my banking/payment app and my id app worked on grapheneOS i would also be using it.

That the biggest issue right now. Dependency of apps on gsf

sebtron•4h ago

That is IMO a huge problem with these "apps". Every service that claims to be a bank should be accessible without forcing you into the Apple / Google duopoly.

aprilnya•3h ago

If they have some way to leave feedback, I would link them to this page - maybe they’ll listen: https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-gu...

https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-gu...

malka1986•3h ago

They do not care.

aprilnya•3h ago

Stop being so negative. I have seen instances of bank apps adding Graphene support after getting told about this…

malka1986•3h ago

I know because i tried.

aprilnya•3h ago

so does that mean no one else should with their bank? I don’t see why you trying it with your bank has anything to do with me telling someone else to try it with theirs

attendant3446•12m ago

On Graphene, create another user and install sandboxed Google Play Services there. Don't login into Google account, use something like Aurora Store to get the apps. Most of the apps I have to use (mostly banks) work this way (I have a separate user with 5-6 apps that don't work without Google Play Services).

I would prefer these apps had a standalone web version, but sometimes it's not up to you what apps you have to use :(

the_third_wave•3h ago

You don't need GrapheneOS or any other specific AOSP derivative for that, any of them will do. Just don't install any Google-specific bits on the device - use microG if you need to have something resembling Google services - and you're there. Even on stock devices with Google services you can get partly there by disabling anything you don't need, only enabling it when you happen upon some app which absolutely won't run without them but first check if you can replace that app with another or - better still - a web app which can replace it. How to disable Google services you asked? Why, using a script of course, launched from a Termux widget. Here's one way to do this, using a disable/enable script (one script, two hardlinked names) on a rooted device running some stock distribution. If you try this and your phone breaks you get to keep both pieces without extra cost - in other words this works for me but might not work for you:

   ~ $ cat .shortcuts/Google_Services\:enable
   #!/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/bash

   PACKAGE="com.google.android.gms com.google.android.gms.policy_sidecar_aps com.google.android.gsf com.android.vending"
   PATH="/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin:$PATH"

   command=$(echo "$0"|cut -d: -f2)

   pman () {
           action=$1
           shift
           for package in $@; do
                   sudo pm $action $package
           done
   }

   case $command in
   disable|enable)
           pman $command $PACKAGE
           ;;
   *)
           echo "command '$command' not supported"
           ;;
   esac
   exit 0

tjpnz•3h ago

Especially if you have kids.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/22/google-cs...

ttctciyf•4h ago

Can we say "enshAItification"?

mdhb•4h ago

How the fuck is this going to fly in Europe with the data privacy laws?

nolok•4h ago

Some sort of "stay on device" thing, the way Samsung already does with the (terrible) bixby and (sorta better) galaxy ai ?

They're fine with the few opt out and degraded service to them, their goal is the vast majority who will say yes.

BiteCode_dev•4h ago

You can't use gemini if you are not logged in into a google account.

This is one more good reason to never sign in on your android phone.

It's not as good as using graphene, but it's easier, less work, and you can't brick your phone.

The drawback, of course, is that you can't use your map, youtube or gmail account since signing in in any of those logs in the entire device.

But with microg, fdroid and aurora, it's very practical.

frabcus•4h ago

Presumably you can use them all in a browser?

askl•4h ago

How about just not having the Gemini app installed?

That seems even easier to do and also lets you continue using the actually useful google products.

surgical_fire•3h ago

That's how I solved it so far.

That will only work until Google makes it impossible to uninstall.

sebtron•4h ago

Weird that you can even say "no". Usually the options are "yes" and "keep asking this until I click yes by accident".

rzzzt•3h ago

They might change the "no" to "maybe later" later.

kotaKat•3h ago

It’s assault by Google, as usual.

Some engineer probably finally got a little too much mace on a date and had to accept a “no” for once.

underdeserver•4h ago

Sounds sus. Did anyone here get this notification?

seydor•4h ago

why WhatsApp?

askl•4h ago

Maybe because it's the app most of the world uses to communicate?

TheDong•3h ago

Because apple hasn't released the android app for iMessage yet.

p1anecrazy•4h ago

Clickbait.

> Gemini now has a second set of toggles buried in its settings menu. You can go to Profile → Apps inside the Gemini app and manually disable access to Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, or Utilities. But these are turned on by default, even if you’ve disabled tracking in the past.

genman•3h ago

Perhaps exaggerated, but the point remains - saying No has been made considerably harder for a regular user.

ffsm8•2h ago

i strongly disagree with p1anecrazy original claim that this was clickbait.

I wouldn't even call that exaggerated whatsoever given these circumstances. If you say no, it still has access to them. the headline in no way claims that there is no way to disable access (likely temporarily) - it just says that if you disabled access before, gemini will still get access now.

> But these are turned on by default, even if you’ve disabled tracking in the past.

account-5•3h ago

Isn't this inevitable across all companies now? Apple will be doing this on their phones and devices. Facebook want to do this in your camera roll for media you've not shared with them. Microsoft are doing this in their OSs. This is the future.

99% of the user's won't care and will actually find benefit in this sort of thing.

Personally I hate it, the struggle for any sort of privacy just got a lot harder on phones for me. PC/laptop is easy, I use Linux. But for phone I need to either pay for expensive hardware and risk bricking it to install something like grapheneOS or buy cheap and disable all the Google stuff I can.

malka1986•3h ago

Thanks to my banks, i cannot use stuff like grapheneOS. Their app wont work on it.

Changing bank ? Well all other banks have the exact same issue in my country.

account-5•3h ago

My solution is to not do banking on my phone at all. My banking is done via a desktop browser.

But how long will this last? They're constantly pushing for me to download their app.

malka1986•3h ago

Some operations, most notably confirming cc purchases online, can only be done using a mobile terminal for 'safety' reasons.

thaumasiotes•3h ago

That is not true for my bank.

Also, "terminal"?

malka1986•3h ago

Ah sorry im old and french. 'terminal' used to mean 'user device' here.

In France, banking without a 'trusted' mobile phone is kinda hell.

Even accessing some stuff for the state (they call it 'france connect+) will require a 'real' android.

sebtron•3h ago

It can be a special purpose device, it does not have to be a smartphone.

account-5•3h ago

That's definitely not the case for any bank I've ever used.

progval•3h ago

Mine turned off SMS 2FA last month and forced me to install their mobile app. Which also required me to enable Google Cloud Messaging on my phone.

account-5•2h ago

So no one without an android or iPhone can use your bank?

ttctciyf•3h ago

Genuine question: does your bank not have a website you can use for that? (Wondering how your bank enables online for desktop/laptop users and/or folks without their app.)

(ETA:) My banks probably have apps, but I only use them via their websites, even on my phone (in a desperate pinch).

sebtron•3h ago

The problem is they usually allow 2FA through their app. I am not sure if this is the case for OP, but it is for most online banks. Luckily my bank still provides a physical authentication device.

hpdigidrifter•3h ago

I'm always amazed how all the banks I've used in Australia require either their own proprietary app or some bizarre closed source unvetted 3rd party TOTP implementation instead of just allowing TOTP.

cft•3h ago

Banks and NFC have been a major obstacle for me to degoogle. Even when I rooted my phone, i could not pay with NFC. Apparently it's a common problem:

https://www.reddit.com/r/foss/s/5myzcPg2rw

cma•3h ago

I think typically you can only cash check with a phone app.

attendant3446•5m ago

I know some apps don't work on Graphene even with sandboxed Google Play Services, but I have most of the banking and payment apps work in a separate user. So far I had a good success rate on (mostly) de-Googled phone.

genman•3h ago

It looks like people need a new legislation to protect against such abuses.

JimDabell•3h ago

This is a ridiculous article. There is a setting that lets Gemini learn from your data. This is not a setting to control whether Gemini can access your messages at all. Switching that setting off is not saying no to letting it control your messages and calls. It’s saying no to letting it learn from them. There is another setting you can use to disable access entirely.

justoreply•3h ago

I have "App activity" off, so everything is already off by default

greatgib•2h ago

I got the notification from Google about that and that made me think that they really are now a bunch of assholes with a top big joint monopoly with Apple.

The notification indeed says that even if you turned everything off, they will allow themselves in your messages, especially WhatsApp messages that are not normally part of Google or Android. And even if it looks like that the option to disable that exist, they don't tell you about that in the notification. It looks like that you have no choice.

To be clear, what I mean by that is that they only say: If you don’t want to use these features, you can turn them off in the Apps settings page.

But what it means "in the Apps" settings page? Does it means a settings in each individual app that my prostitute itself to Gemini?and if yes, which exact apps should I go to, to do this manual process that I don't asked for?

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Google Gemini is about to control your messages and calls, even if you say no

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