HUGE FUCKING DILEMMA FOR ME.

I will probably get the chance of choosing a company phone soon (as in, next few days).

Option 1: Android - not allowed to root or anything crazy so I'll have a partly open system but with google tracking fully enabled at all times (most probably).

Option 2: iOS - Also not allowed to jailbreak or anything 'weird' but it's entirely closed source. Although no Google tracking shit.

I honestly have no clue what to choose.

Halp.

Windows phone is out of the fucking question by the way.

Android.

@olback I prefer android but the google tracking at all times.... :/

@linuxxx Turn off GPS? Probably doesn't help though :/

@DevMode They both fit in the budget tbh and I FUCKING hate google's tracking shit but I can't rationalize iOS's closed sourceness either :/

I say Android...Tracking can be inhibited to some level and partial oppeness is worth it.
Another opinion: Google tracking is not thaaaaaat.

@olback That's not enough to disable googles tracking shit too badly :/. Thanks for trying to help out though!

@StefanGliga What do you mean with Google tracking is not thaaaaaaaat?

(I see you're fairly new on here, I'm about the most privacy freakish/conscious person on here next to @runfrodorun)

@linuxxx Maybe use "opt out of personalized advertisment ID"

@ThatDude Oh the talking part is out of the question I think :P. I mean he is really chill but just doesn't understand the privacy stuff :/

@StefanGliga But how will I be sure that I'd actually be opted out and that they don't just keep collecting without showing it on the frontend?

@linuxxx Actually I'm not new here...I was just inactive for nearly a year

@StefanGliga Sorry, my bad! I just haven't seen you around here much :)

@linuxxx There's no feedback so you just have to take their word for it... Still better than not even having an option to control the unknown amount of gathering under iOS

@StefanGliga Yeah that's the thing with me, I am definitely not going to take their word for it!

But it's the exact same with iOS :/

@linuxxx I just changed my name so there is that. If it helps, I was that one guy who ++ flooded everyone and had a rant written about. I think even you chimed in on that

On the other hand, I'm 52 upvotes away from 40K :D

@StefanGliga My memory is crap so I probably don't remember it but sounds good though!

Who helps me to the 40K?! Nahh just kdding haha, I want to earn it :)

@Jilano Possibly the Galaxy S8!

@linuxxx I just checked back, that was in January(the ++ flood rant)

P.S. Does name Stefan7650606 sound familiar

@ThatDude @PaddiM8 (not sure about the uppercase though....) (AND PLEASE SCREENSHOT AT 40K 😍 )

@StefanGliga Stefan with the numbers behind it rings a bell actually!

@ThatDude That's alright! I screenshotted at 40006 :). Thanks anywyas! Got a little surprise for you as well in whenever I finish this fucking shit :P

@KizuTheMaid Oh don't worry, I noticed! Thanks :D

@Jilano Da read MVP

@Jilano 😍😍😍 THANK YOU

Just don't take the phone.
Honestly company phone is not as appealing as it was 15 years ago. It's just a small bonus you get. Useless sometimes.
Better stay with your custom ROM Android.

To be honest since you are a system admin if iOS has no terminal apps for ssh then it is useless for you.
I recently installed connect bot on my no root just for sshing to my server.
iOS is stable and nice but you use it as an average end user without jailbreak.

If your current phone is good get an iPhone and open hotspot for ur current phone which u have full freedom on what to do with it

@Noob Well I am getting one whether I like it or not really. I'll need it for availability when I'm on call, for communicating in the whatsapp group (I am NOT installing whatsapp on my personal phone.), for receiving monitoring alerts and so on :)

@linuxxx l am like 63 percent sure you can turn of Google tracking.

@projektaquarius How sure can you be when their android libraries are closed source? That's kind my whole dilemma :)

@ThatDude that's nice, I've always been an Android user when it comes to phones. I have an iPod touch but it's a slow device good enough for music and browsing.

As for tunneling I don't think it has without jailbreak, I'm sure Apple doesn't allow those in the store.

Have u checked Cydia back in 2009 it had tones of great stuff

@ThatDude Oh I know they exist as we've got one iOS guy who actually can do that shit haha!

@linuxxx that's why I said 63%. We are not playing with great advantageous percents here. This is one of those risk matrix-risk mitigation plan type dealios.

Changing your name and email wouldn't deter tracking: correlating a new "person" with identical travel habits to one that immediately stopped those same travel habits is bloody trivial.

The galaxy S8 is nice. But the iPhone is okay too.
Closed source is still better than Google Tracking(tm).

So, I'd lean towards the iPhone. It isn't as nice, though, and they'll still track you, but at least the data isn't immediately on Google's servers. A fitting quote from Ender's Game: "If they're going to listen to our conversation anyeay, let's at least make it hard for them."

So. My vote is for the iPhone.

(I'd still root it, though!)

I would suggest Android with some always enabled VPN. And you can disable some of the tracking, maby in the developer mode settings? Have to look around thow...

@balaianu That doesn't stop the voice recognition, though...

@Ashkin Well, yeah... But then again, I trust Apple even less... At least with Android you can do SOME things to mask yourself online

At least Google doesn't have full control of your device by default. Even without rooting, you can still get around a fair bit of spying. An always-on VPN that blocks known trackers is a good way. You can also disable most of the Google apps, which gets rid of their background services.
And for when you're feeling extra paranoid, run terminal programs in a PRoot. I bet Play Services can't spy on those.

Let me point out that our hero Richard Stallman doesn't have a smartphone at all!

@dontPanic Tbh I love smartphones :P

@linuxxx yea me too lol! It just still cracks me up that people like Stallman manage to be so successful without using such basic technology

EDIT: congrats on 40k 8)

@dontPanic Oh I admire him for that actually! And thanks!

I know they're outdated, but you could consider fairphone.

@MadMcCrow Keep in mind that I'll have to choose a business plan :). They usually only include the newest flagship phones!

Get google pixel 😃 good stuff

@karma A phone literally made by google is an absolute no-go for me! No offense :)

@linuxxx then I'd advice the new nokia, so you can feel extra awkward

How do you like Apple tracking?

@karma How would that be extra awkward......? 😅

@billgates I find both equally terrifying.

Nobody can track you when phone turned off

@karma Too badly I'll have to use it throughout the day then :P

@linuxxx just go with the flow 😂 doesn't matter which path you take, both have pitfalls in them

@karma Yeah true. The thing is though, which pitfalls are worse for privacy.....

@linuxxx hard choices, just flip a coin

And hope it lands on its side

@linuxxx Look up Librem 5 phone. If it was available it would be perfect for you

@karma but is it really off?

It's a work phone, just get whatever has the best battery life and use your own phone for everything else?

@linuxxx

Apple and Google are no different in the data they collect from users of their respective OSes.

I myself never used an iPhone, so I don't know what you can/cannot suppress.
Starting with Android 7 however, you can remove access to your calendar, contacts, camera, microphone, files, location and call data from *any* app - including those from Google (view the screenshot - it's in German, but I hope you can still understand it mostly).

You can also disable the constant tracking of your location in your Google profile.

I guess I don't need to speak about the advantages of Android in regards to access to (open) software - you have way more options, Google doesn't kick its competitors out of the play store (like Apple does), you have F-Droid (appstore for FOSS), and so on.

@theCalcaholic Damnit, I forgot the promised screenshot and devrant won't let me add it afterwards. So here it is :

PS: 'Berechtigungen' means permissions, by the way.

I don't know about the EU, but here in the States everything is tracked regardless of what phone or service you use. All voice, SMS, and data is recorded and stored by the government. So I just use my pixel.

@MissDirection I use signal. Everything I send is strongly encrypted.

However, everything I type is very likely recorded, so it's kind of moot. 🙁

@billgates shh bro

@MissDirection true they can listen to audio even when you are not on a call

@MissDirection
Same in Australia now 😢

I chose the Apple side of the fence with OpenVpn always on to try an limit that.

Apple also does a lot of tracking on their side anyway but you can disable some of it.
Down side too turning some of these tracking features off can hinder a lot of features useless on the iPhone or even apps plus you still have the per app tracking on top of apple.

@linuxxx why not testbench it with a mitm. Setup that google tracking trough a mitm and see what it collects. Then turn it to anonymous and see the difference.

Factual part: As others stated, both Google and Apple are collecting shitload of stuff. The difference is that Google's business model is based on selling that data to others, and Apple's isn't.

Subjective part 1: I'm a huge rms fan and FOSS supporter and I would rather pick Windows than use Android again. What enrages me the most is that they're selling phones with that FOSS bullshit which is just misleading. Also when i used it last time (~2012) it was pure garbage (I had a HTC flagship at the time). The OS was such a piece of shit that I decided never to buy another Android again (HTC sense, CM, AOSP, all of them). I don't know about the new ones, but it seems like the old shit to me. Octa-core bullshit, 16TB of RAM, 10 MAh battery and still no real multitasking, what the fuck.

Subjective part 2: I had phones with Symbian, Android, BBOS, BB10, iOS, FirefoxOS, MeeGo, Windows (old one, not this new shit) and I would rank Android as a second worst (after FirefoxOS). Apple is the same shit but at least that stuff that they decided to offer you works as they (not you) intended. So my vote goes to iPhone. I found it horrid as a phone as it lacks some basic features and it has some other flaws that no sane person would think of but for downloading apps and playing games while taking a shit, it's great. I bought mine because just because it's pretty. It's pink.

Go with Android, you can easily monitor what is being tracked and not, well, opposed to iOS that is. Plus, if it's the S8, it's a really solid phone, you're going to love it.

Cant you just ask for the simcard and buy a phone yourself. One you can root and disable tracking?

@linuxxx I vote android, since its not 100% closed source and for any accounts you want on there (music apps, etc) create dummy accounts. Otherwise keep gps off so it doesn't remember location, but a vpn on it (duh), and only use it for work. Might be the least of all evils

Buy your own phone and keep office phone in the bag

@linuxxx Go for Android with a new Google account and that you use only on that phone and no where else.
Or don't even link a Google account with that and just side load apps from Amazon underground or other third party app store.

@runfrodorun 😅

Apple tracks you to they just hide it, you can see you most visited places somewhere in the settings

@linuxxx if I were you I'd still pick android, turn off all the tracking stuff in the settings, and if you really don't trust it, use your laptop as a wireless AP, connect your new phone, and boot up Wireshark. Inspect the traffic and just see what's being transmitted.

I'm pretty sure you can also edit your host file without root but don't quote me on that.

Otherwise, just use your personal phone as a wap at all times and edit your network configuration there to stop all the stuff you don't want to happen.

@linuxxx to be fair, for job purposes you can use an extra phone. A less private one.

Poor @linuxxx got some reading to do... XD

@Ashkin that's exactly it. One way or another, they get the data.

@runfrodorun it just put a little tin foil hat on my phone. Problem solved

@itsnameless most companies don't like it for warranty reasons, and the ones I know of at least, have their own security policies setup either through email account (I'd have to log into my work email again on my phone to explain better) or by saying you can only get email/calendar through proprietary app. Neither seem to enjoy rooted phones

@itsnameless Because it's technically not my own phone!

@wolt The build in Google shit is closed as hell though 😞

@linuxxx But you can deny them all access to your data (as I've shown above) and just not use them.

@theCalcaholic How can I be sure that they're not data gathering anyways when their own apps/libraries are closed source?

@linuxxx It's a feature of Android (which is open source) not of the Google Apps.

You can do that with any app.

@theCalcaholic Well yeah but a week or so ago I was NOT using Wire, I had location options DISABLED for that app and suddenly XPrivacy popped up saying that Wire was trying to access my location. It shouldn't even be able to do that as I've already set the option to off.

@wolt I can't. But neither with Android with all google shit enabled. I'll most probably be going for the Android option though :)

@linuxxx It can only ask you to turn it on again. Nothing more.

@theCalcaholic That's the thing, it was turned off, no notification from android itself about the location access but at least XPrivacy caught it!

@linuxxx What about Android One? Isn't that without all the Google installed apps?

@linuxxx That's strange. Sounds like a bug. If you can reproduce it, you should file a big report...

EDIT: Or maybe XPrivacy works on the wrong layer (before the app requests access from the OS)? That way, the OS wouldn't have a chance to deny anything, because XPrivacy strikes first.

@Ederbit at android.com/one/ it says: "Built with the best of Google"

So, probably not. :D

@enen Well I'm not getting two uh.

@linuxxx if you really want to check, do as I said, use your laptop as a hot-spot for your phone and inspect all the traffic using Wireshark or something similar.

@enen It's a company phone... I need to be available through WhatsApp sometimes and in no way I'm ever going to install that on a personal phone!

buy an android phone that one of the mobile linux os' can run on

@DavidINC I doubt that he can install a custom ROM if he isn't even allowed to root the phone. ;)

@theCalcaholic crap i didn't see that

Take blackphone...
It might be what u need

@superadmin I know it :). Just find it too expensive!

@linuxxx the company is spending right 😝😝

@superadmin I don't get it 😅

@linuxxx i said that your company is spending for the phone right..so dont worry about the expenses 😜😜