this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2025
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How EU digital identity rules and Google's restrictive policies threaten the future of privacy-focused Android operating systems like GrapheneOS.

Archived version: https://archive.is/20250810234024/https://www.forbes.com/sites/federicoguerrini/2025/08/10/whos-afraid-of-privacy-focused-smartphones/

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[–] rhythmisaprancer@piefed.social 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I wonder what future there is for non google phones like fairphone, or even apple. Do apple phones use google things?

[–] scintilla@crust.piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Yes. I'm unsure of where I heard it so take with a grain of salt but I've heard they make about the same number of calls to Google servers as a stock android phone.

[–] BrikoX@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

As far as I know it's only the case with Safari using Google Safe Browsing service and Google being the default search.

[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 0 points 1 day ago

Although I would prefer to roll-my own but Ubuntu Touch, postmarketOS and SailfishOS all run on the FairPhone.

YMMV for software support, but the non-Android Linux-based phone OSs will suit most people’s needs, as long as Angry Birds isn’t a killer feature of their phone.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

nope, the google chrome is just reskinned apples own browser.

[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is like saying that Safari is just a reskinned version of KDE Konqueror. It is patently wrong and oversimplifies the development processes.

While Apple did use Konqueror as a base for WebKit, and some of that code was pumped back into Konqueror, they are not the same. Chromium was also based on WebKit but has had so much code replaced that it is also essentially different code.

I recommend Ken Kocienda’s book “Creative Selection” about the development of the iPhone and WebKit.

[–] jqubed@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think in this case they’re referring to Chrome on iOS. Apple doesn’t allow any browser engine except WebKit on iOS so to many people that means Chrome and any other browser on iOS is really just Safari with a different interface. Pretty sure I saw something recently about the EU considering forcing Apple to allow other engines on iOS.

[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 1 points 15 hours ago

Once again, the EU ^^ is overstepping their mandate. There is no benefit to endusers if Google, Opera and Firefox are forced to use WebKit for rendering on iOS only. There are disadvantages for Opera, (who are Nowegian), but no other European companies.

There are huge benefits to endusers if their phones batteries last more than 15 minutes because Google and Opera are trying to backdoor their privacy.

^^ the EU’s regulatory bodies.