I'm new to the freetard community and am having a hard time pinning down what means what. I want to make my phone free of proprietary crap and make it as secure as possible. To do that, I'm doing all the "babbie's first x/y/z and familiarizing myself with the community. >to make it simple, I'll spell out what I'm trying to understand and any corrections or advice would be appreciated
I own a Samsung Galaxy S4. On it is the android operating system. Because Android is developed by google, inherently the software may have backdoors or possible botnetting.
So I am now going to root the device, and replace it with a custom OS so that all the software is FOSS. Options from the wiki include Cyanogenmod, Paranoid Anroid, and Replicant.
Questions: 1. Apparently cyanogenmod has become corporate? Has anything been done to infringe on the privacy of the user?
2. Replicant has few supported devices, all of which are older, as well as the OS itself not having had a new release in a year. Doesn't this inherently leave it vulnerable to new threats or other problems?
3. As far as possibly choosing a new phone, for all the phone generals and info on the wiki, a lot of opinions seem to be given as to which is best for privacy/security without much of a consensus. Is there somewhere where all of the merits can be compared?
4. Do things like secdroid work with replicant?
Also, just any advice on security and tips for someone making the switch would be appreciated. I feel like what I'm asking is common and if there is a nice infograph or page on the wiki I'm ignoring please let me know.
Realistically, if you need to ask these questions, then the privacy factor does not actually matter for you.
Gabriel Mitchell
If I must ask about increasing privacy, then it does not matter for me?
I do not understand.
David Taylor
1. Cyanogen OS is corporate, not Cyanogenmod. There IS a difference. Cyanogenmod is still being developed by people all over the world, while Cyanogen OS is being shipped as the stock OS on phones like the YU Yureka and the Wileyfox Swift. Cyanogen OS includes some proprietary apps, while Cyanogenmod ships with FOSS software (except a couple of proprietary drivers necessary to make the phone usable. Replicant doesn't have these drivers, but the price is that you won't have things like wi-fi and bluetooth on certain phones)
2. Don't even bother with Replicant. It's a buggy and an outated fucking mess. It's shit.
3. No fucking idea.
4. Never used it.
Dude, it's a fucking phone, no matter what you do, if it has a sim card in it, and it transmits info, it's still a "botnet" (in Sup Forums terms).
Paranoid Android is said to be stabler than CM, but it doesn't get much updates for now (the project was revived last month), which can leave you vulnerable. Just go with CM for now, and pick up PA when it gets nice.
Oh, and also, I suggest looking up something called microG, you might be interested.
Liam Harris
What I am failing to understand is how I'm getting no responses. A person new to the community is asking for help on an introduction to a few topics. I've explained that I have looked in the wiki, and that the subjects of my interest are not wholly addressed. I am not entitled to a response, but damn if I thought Sup Forums could take at least a second to shitpost and tell me why I either am coming at asking the questions poorly and am retarded, or that what I have asked is addressed elsewhere and give me a link. Googling has not given me much, and for whatever reason, some of you are bound and determined to argue over memeshit which has been discussed ad nauseum.
Robert Gray
Thanks m8, didn't see this while typing out rant
Jeremiah Baker
>Dude, it's a fucking phone, no matter what you do, if it has a sim card in it, and it transmits info, it's still a "botnet" (in Sup Forums terms). Steps to protect against government surveillance vs steps to protect against corporate datamining. Just because protecting against one is outside of what most people can handle doesn't mean that they shouldn't take steps against the other.
Juan Sullivan
I didn't really explain the Cyanogen matter properly, but hopefully somebody else can correct me on it.
Jordan Adams
Yeah this was more my concern
>captcha doesn't consider popcorn kernels to be popcorn
Nolan Anderson
Things you should know:
>ROMs They're basically a custom firmware. Or in simpler words a version of Android that's unofficial. Think of flashing a ROM as installing a new OS. You need to clear out the old one first.
>Bootloaders To flash a custom recovery and ROM you need an unlocked bootloader. Some phones have unlockable bootloaders, some do not. All depends on your device and carrier. Verizon and AT&T phones can be a bitch to bootloader unlock. Check XDA. I don't know anything about your phone or what model it is but since it's old you'll probably have an unlock method regardless of the stuff mentioned above. Qualcomm processor means there will be more ROMs available.
>Recovery This is used to flash things, wipe things, restore things, etc. A custom recovery will give you more options and control than a stock one. The best recovery are TWRP and clockwork mod. I'm using both on several devices and they both work fine. TWRP is better for beginners in my opinion. A custom recovery can only be installed after a bootloader unlock. You need a custom recovery to flash custom ROMs.
>My experience After downloading everything it took me about 30 minutes to unlock my bootloader and flash a custom recovery and ROM. I followed a guide on XDA. So all together I had CyanogenMod up and running in about an hour. Don't worry so much about root access. If you need it then use a pre. rooted ROM.
SIMPLIFIED IN CASE YOU'RE REALLY STUPID:
1) Download all required files and have the XDA instructions open in your browser to look at.
2) Unlock the bootloader.
3) Delete the stock recovery and flash the custom one that you've downloaded.
4) Wipe /System and whatever else the guide tells you to.
5) Use a tool or the new recovery to flash the custom ROM. The easiest way to do it is to copy the zip file containing your new OS to a micro SD card. Put it in your phone and once in the recovery navigate to the zip file and flash it.
Just reboot to the bootloader and enjoy your phone.
Alexander Scott
>>>/xda/
Grayson Nelson
>Delete the stock recovery and flash the custom one that you've downloaded.
Not OP, but doesn't installing a recovery replace the stock one? Pretty accurate guide, otherwise.
Nathan Fisher
Yes, it does. However in my experiences with technology things just go smoother when you're extra cautious. I'd rather remove the old recovery first. Better safe than sorry.
Christopher Thompson
Goat reply, thanks a lot
Henry Cook
So..what have you decided to do, OP?
Noah Miller
Hey OP show me this page in your settings. I'll find you an XDA guide.
Logan Baker
Well the thread was mainly about what extra info there was from people who did it before, and then I'd install a new ROM. I had my questions answered and will now proceed to do it when I get off work.
Also, microG does look interesting
William Allen
...
Brandon Hall
.2
Ayden Cook
You left out the model number and baseband version which are the most important parts.
Aaron Ross
Never mind this
Jason Morris
Also, any reason to not root the phone if I don't care about warranty? The wiki makes it sound like bricking doesn't happen anymore
Dylan Reyes
Security issues. Be careful what you give root access to. It's kind of like having a gun. If you don't know what you're doing there's a good chance you'll shoot yourself in your own foot.
Here's what I found on XDA so far. It's reading time.
