this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
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privacy

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A bit of a rant, but what to do about new smartphones? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 5 days ago by Showroom7561@lemmy.ca to c/privacy@lemmy.ca
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Samsung has gone hard promoting AI in their phones, and now OnePlus has also announced some heavy AI-based features in their new Android OS. Pretty much every other brand is now doing the same, so you can't escape it.

I've been in the market to upgrade my nearly 6-year-old phone, but seeing all these AI features, especially when they rely on Google's Gemini (or other cloud AI), and it feels deflating.

Will privacy ultimately have to be sacrificed "from now on"?

By not using these AI features, you pay a lot for features you won't be using. And the usefulness of the device becomes limited as nearly all functions now have AI-based components to them.

I'm totally fine with on-device AI, but many features I'm seeing don't seem to be on-device, and I've spent years trying to stop sending my data to companies like Google. I don't want to go backwards for the sake of market trends.

What are your future plans when it comes to smartphones?

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[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 8 points 5 days ago

I flashed GrapheneOS on a Pixel 8, and I'm hoping my next phone will run straight Linux (so something like PinePhone Pro).

If you don't want GrapheneOS (I get it, the lead dev is a bit of a douche), there are other alternative Android ROMs you could check out, such as CalyxOS, DivestOS, and LineageOS. They all have different focuses, benefits, and drawbacks, though each of them is probably better for privacy vs whatever comes stock on your device.

I'm unwilling to use a phone that shares data with the manufacturer, hence why I use alternative Android ROMs.