Thanks to specialised Pixel hardware
wtf?
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91 sats \ 9 replies \ @teemupleb 9 Apr
Not if you run Graphene or Calyx, am I right?
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100 sats \ 4 replies \ @anon 9 Apr
If it's based on hardware, would changing the OS make a difference?
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0 sats \ 3 replies \ @ek 9 Apr
Maybe @final can tell us more.
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110 sats \ 2 replies \ @final 10 Apr
Made a reply of this on Nostr already but this is a Google Play feature that won't work on GrapheneOS. It's just a Android equivalent of Apple's Find My. It uses Bluetooth and it needs to be configured to work like this and also enabled by the OS.
It would make a difference. The Pixels supporting this were released before the feature. It needs to be enabled by the OS. You use software to interact with your hardware all the time and this is no different, if you don't allow it, then it can't do it. A device finder is something a lot of GrapheneOS users seem to request but if that's going to happen it must be an opt-in.
(For some reason I didn't get the @ for this in my notifications... would have replied to this thread faster if I saw this earlier)
cc: @teemupleb
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @48f396bf65 OP 10 Apr
Was this your nostr reply? https://satellite.earth/thread/note1kdzp5f24dw008rynk3e0je6qhm2qasdny7jwf2wazt2v3uh6gjashstjm6
Thanks for the update and clarifications! Personally, I would not want a device that leaks my physical location.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @final 10 Apr
Yes that's me. My npub is in my bio as well.
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1 sat \ 3 replies \ @siggy47 9 Apr
I hope you're right. I'm glad I have a 7.
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80 sats \ 2 replies \ @SUPERMAX 9 Apr
Yes please run GrapheneOS or Calyx; many of us prefer Graphene. Easier to install than originally thought. Can do more technical install but web-install is fine for getting started
https://grapheneos.org/install/
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108 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 9 Apr
Yes. I'm already a believer. I posted my switch to graphene here:
#200175
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75 sats \ 0 replies \ @SUPERMAX 9 Apr
Let's go great post!
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75 sats \ 1 reply \ @Satosora 9 Apr
lol
you are joking, right?
You really think it ever stops tracking you?
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1 sat \ 0 replies \ @falsefaucet 9 Apr
Well considering it probably uses the gapps of some sort, yes a degoogled phone may lack whatever is required for the offline tracking to work.
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100 sats \ 1 reply \ @jeff 9 Apr
Surely it's the last place it phoned-home before the battery died.
A phone can't die, move, then phone-home. At least not independently. That would be a breakthrough in physics.
Perhaps, you need some other device (or even the smart-charger), nearby and plugged in, that some how pings an antenna on the phone.
Like, imagine the phone is dead in the middle of the Saraha dessert, no other devices around. That's very different than if it's surrounded by a bunch of other surveillance tech that could "detect" the pixel-8, and rat on it's location.
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52 sats \ 0 replies \ @48f396bf65 OP 9 Apr
I think, like you say, the issue is that there are millions of google flavoured android devices that can "rat" on the Pixel 8's location
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42 sats \ 3 replies \ @_vnprc 9 Apr
I asked graphene on nostr to confirm or deny whether this is functional on graphene devices. Will report back if/when they answer.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @_vnprc 10 Apr
This is a Google Play feature that won't work on GrapheneOS. It's an Apple find-my alternative. Bluetooth also needs to be configured and enabled by the OS to make it work that way.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @48f396bf65 OP 9 Apr
Thanks! Was it a public note? Can you share the link?
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @_vnprc 9 Apr
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100 sats \ 5 replies \ @kepford 9 Apr
Two words.
Faraday bag.
I'm not sure how this tracking works without power but if you have a phone on you and you don't want anyone to know your location you need to block the radio signals.
I wonder if they are using NFC or other devices if it actually works with the power off.
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33 sats \ 0 replies \ @final 10 Apr
The device finding would be done via Bluetooth, would work similar to Find My where you need to be in reasonable, but not very close proximity of the device.
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33 sats \ 3 replies \ @48f396bf65 OP 9 Apr
Nice. Is it possible to buy trousers with Faraday pockets? :-)
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0 sats \ 2 replies \ @kepford 9 Apr
Possible? Sure. Practical? Seems silly.
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33 sats \ 1 reply \ @48f396bf65 OP 9 Apr
https://media.tenor.com/WDPXdA8oAxYAAAAM/uncanny-club.gif
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 9 Apr
Privacy pants!
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DEADBEEF 10 Apr
Pretty sure iPhones have been able to do this for awhile as well.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nichro 9 Apr
Is this actually new tech, or are they just marketing it up with the fact that phones that are turned off can still not be truly off and instead operate in very low power?
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Remember 9 Apr
Sound about right. It's interesting that a lot of people use pixels with custom software for privacy. I don't trust them
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter 9 Apr
Wow, tracked!
We have had no issues while we were offline, or we think so. This Google companion of trackers has even reached to such heights where we aren't spared while we are offline.
I only wonder, why do they track everyone? Is everyone a criminal or terrorist?
If we can track the phone, beware, they can track everything from the offline hardware. What technology! Now nobody's spared.
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0 sats \ 4 replies \ @Muuny 9 Apr
This is also true from your cell phone provider. This was gone when they stopped letting you take the batteries out of the phone to ensure it's off.
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0 sats \ 3 replies \ @48f396bf65 OP 9 Apr
With graphene, in airplane mode, there are no pings to cell towers
In general, I would advise against putting a sim card in your phone
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0 sats \ 2 replies \ @JesseJames 9 Apr
when you do that (airplane mode) then no one can call you either. So at the end you will have nice and expensive wi-fi device :-) Just keep that in mind.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @final 10 Apr
You can do WiFi calling/texting but you're still trusting the mobile network when doing this. If you lack public WiFi then there isn't a lot you can do about this though. You're better off hoping to move people away from these insecure services over time.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @48f396bf65 OP 9 Apr
That's a feature, not a bug! Using the GSM (phone) network is a big fat GPS co-ordinate on your location. If you don't want your location shared, don't (ever) use GSM.
Plus phone numbers are insecure (sim swaps, interceptions) and are used to easily identify you across numerous services. It's really time we stopped using phone numbers.
Pixel with graphene works great over wifi, generates a unique mac address for every connection.
The only annoying thing is that airplane mode is not on by default (eg after flashing).
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @quark 9 Apr
what did you expect from a google phone? :D
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0 sats \ 4 replies \ @BlokchainB 9 Apr
Sheesh I was thinking of making the jump from iPhone to this now I might wait
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50 sats \ 3 replies \ @48f396bf65 OP 9 Apr
Graphene on Pixel is still way better, privacy (and freedom) wise, than Apple products
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0 sats \ 2 replies \ @BlokchainB 9 Apr
Is better to get the 7 or the 8?
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75 sats \ 0 replies \ @final 10 Apr
Pixel 8 is far above the 7 because it has Hardware Memory Tagging exclusive to it. GrapheneOS is the only OS using it in production right now, but it's an extremely large hardware-based security feature that provides memory safety for memory-unsafe code.
While it sounds boring to things the user sees like the Vanadium browser or what not, it's our biggest security feature of the OS. Almost all major vulnerabilities on the Android platform are to do with memory corruption.
Outside of GrapheneOS, the Pixel 8 also has 7 years of update support. If you aren't the type to buy a phone every couple of years then it's a good choice.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @JesseJames 10 Apr
Get 8, always go for better hardware, plus is supported for longer.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nym 9 Apr
That doesn’t sound privacy friendly.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @co574 9 Apr
Surveillance capitalism.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Scoresby 9 Apr
Wow, that's fun.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @clr 9 Apr
Not surprising. I think this is also the case with the iPhone and Find My.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @windblowz 9 Apr freebie
quite possible it uses BLE, and does not turn off battery completely, just uses that to track you.