An interesting little technical analisys of #airplane mode effectiveness on some major #android #phones:

https://www.scss.tcd.ie/Doug.Leith/pubs/airplane_mode_report.pdf

Keep #Android Open

https://keepandroidopen.org

https://f-droid.org/2026/02/20/twif.html

During out talks with F-Droid users at FOSDEM26 we were baffled to learn most were relieved that #Google has canceled their plans to lock-down Android.

Why baffled? Because no such thing actually happened, the plans announced last August are still scheduled to take place. We see a battle of PR campaigns and whomever has the last post out remains in the media memory as the truth, and having journalists just copy/paste Google posts serves no one.

But Google said… Said what? That there’s a magical “advanced flow”? Did you see it? Did anyone experience it? When is it scheduled to be released? Was it part of Android 16 QPR2 in December? Of 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1 last week? Of Android 17 Beta 1? No? That’s the issue… As time marches on people were left with the impression that everything was done, fixed, Google “wasn’t evil” after all, this time, yay!

While we all have bad memories of “banners” as the dreaded ad delivery medium of the Internet, after FOSDEM we decided that we have to raise the issue back and have everyone, who cares about Android as an open platform, informed that we are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices.

Hence, the website and starting today our clients, with the updates of F-Droid and F-Droid Basic, feature a banner that reminds everyone how little time we have and how to voice their concerns to whatever local authority is able to understand the dangers of this path Android is led to.

We are not alone in our fight, IzzyOnDroid added a banner too, more F-Droid clients will add the warning banner soon and other app downloaders, like Obtainium, already have an in-app warning dialogue.

#why

https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/

Re: Mandatory Developer Registration for #Android App Distribution

Date: February 24, 2026
To: Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer, #Google
To: Sergey Brin, Founder and Board Member, Google
To: Larry Page, Founder and Board Member, Google
To: Vijaya Kaza, General Manager for App & Ecosystem Trust, Google
CC: Regulatory authorities, policymakers, and the Android developer community

We, the undersigned organizations representing civil society, nonprofit institutions, and technology companies, write to express our strong opposition to Google’s announced policy requiring all Android app developers to register centrally with Google themselves in order to distribute applications outside of the Google Play Store, set to take effect worldwide in the coming months.

While we do recognize the importance of platform security and user safety, the Android platform already includes multiple security mechanisms that do not require central registration. Forcibly injecting an alien security model that runs counter to Android’s historic open nature threatens innovation, competition, privacy, and user freedom. We urge Google to withdraw this policy and work with the open-source and security communities on less restrictive alternatives.

Our Concerns
1. Gatekeeping Beyond Google’s Own Store

Android has historically been characterized as an open platform where users and developers can operate independently of Google’s services. The proposed developer registration policy fundamentally alters that relationship by requiring developers who wish to distribute apps through alternative channels — their own websites, third-party app stores, enterprise distribution systems, or direct transfers — to first seek permission from Google through a mandatory verification process, which involves the agreement to Google’s terms and conditions, the payment of a fee, and the uploading of government-issued identification.

This extends Google’s gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role. Developers who choose not to use Google’s services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google. Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide also gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants to, for any reason, for the entire Android ecosystem.

2. Barriers to Entry and Innovation

Mandatory registration creates friction and barriers to entry, particularly for:

Individual developers and small teams with limited resources
Open-source projects that rely on volunteer contributors
Developers in regions with limited access to Google’s registration infrastructure
Privacy-focused developers who avoid surveillance ecosystems
Emergency response and humanitarian organizations requiring rapid deployment
Activists working on internet freedom in countries that unjustly criminalize that work
Developers in countries or regions where Google cannot allow them to sign up due to sanctions
Researchers and academics developing experimental applications
Internal enterprise and government applications never intended for broad public distribution
Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in the hands of large established players who can more easily absorb such compliance costs.

3. Privacy and Surveillance Concerns

Requiring registration with Google creates a comprehensive database of all Android developers, regardless of whether or not they use Google’s services. This raises serious questions about:

What personal information developers must provide
How this information will be stored, secured, and used
Whether this data could be subject to government requests or legal processes

📰 I replaced Android with a full Linux desktop on my old phone, and it's shockingly usable

Pocketblue, based on Fedora Atomic, is great on the OnePlus 6.

🔗 Source: https://www.xda-developers.com/replaced-android-full-linux-desktop-old-phone/

#linux #fedora #android

Major #MediaTek security flaw could expose data on millions of #Android phones

https://www.androidauthority.com/mediatek-chip-vulnerability-3648555/

AWAKE: A Guide to Android Attacks and Exploitation

I found a really awesome resource - AWAKE: Android Wiki of Attacks, Knowledge & Exploits - essentially a one-stop shop for those involved in malware analysis, reverse engineering, and vulnerability hunting on Android.

It includes descriptions of attack techniques, exploits, and methods for analyzing APKs and the platform itself. It's aimed at analysts, reverse engineers, penetration testers, and threat intelligence researchers.

In other words, it's not just abstract theory, but a very practical reference with specific details. What I particularly liked is the "offense-first" approach. Everything is presented from the attacker's perspective, not the defender's. For those of us involved in mobile security analysis, this is exactly what we need: understanding how attacks work so we can know how to defend against them. And as a reference for our own research - it's perfect!


#Android #Malware #Research #Security #Exploitation
@mobile_appsec_world

#waydroid in Linux is the best way to run Android apps on your PC, and it's not close

Running Android apps on my PC used to feel wrong, but Linux makes them feel right at home, and it's better than any Windows solution.

🔗 Source: https://www.xda-developers.com/linux-best-way-run-android-apps-on-pc-until-gaming/

#linux #android

#iphone #ios #apple #Android #propaganda #women

MicroGPlus

Easy #MicroG #installer

https://bitgapps.io/extra.html

https://t.me/MicroGPlusChat

microG is a free and open-source implementation of Google Play Services. It aims to provide a functional replacement for proprietary Google services on #Android devices. It allows users to run applications that depend on Google Play Services.

Morpheus: A new Spyware linked to IPS Intelligence |Osservatorio Nessuno

We have analyzed a sample of a previously unknown Android spyware, likely developed in Italy. It is named “Morpheus”, version 2025.3.0, and we describe its capabilities, including abusing accessibility features, automatically enabling ADB and issuing commands, disabling microphone and camera indicators, pairing additional WhatsApp devices, taking screenshots, recording audio and video, and more. We link part of the infrastructure to IPS Intelligence, and discover some potentially related companies, Rever Servicenet and Iris Telecomunicazioni.

see also :
Italian spyware maker SIO still developing and distributing Spyrtacus | Osservatorio Nessuno

#Italy #Android #Spyware #Morpheus #SIO #Spyrtacus

A 0-click exploit chain for the Pixel 10: When a Door Closes, a Window Opens | Project Zero

"We recently published an exploit chain for the Google Pixel 9 that demonstrated it was possible to go from a zero-click context to root on Android in just two exploits.

The Dolby 0-click vulnerability existed across all of Android, until it was patched in January 2026. While we had an exploit chain for the Pixel 9, we wanted to see if it was possible to write a similar exploit chain for Pixel 10."


#Android

🔥 European Union (EU) has ordered Google to open #Android features to rival AI assistants, including the camera, microphone, screen contents, locked-screen hotwords, and background app control.

Consent still applies. For six features, Google cannot require certification.

Here's what changes, and when - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/eu-orders-google-to-open-android-mic.html

Revealed: French Cyber spies used malware from GitHub to hack EncroChat cryptophone network | Computer Weekly

Computer Weekly reveals for the first time how French cyber spies hacked EncroChat phones, used by organised crime groups, in 2020. In the first of two major articles, we describe how a Czech spyware company rehacked the French hack and found that French malware – described as a national security secret – had been copied from popular code-sharing platform GitHub.

The secret French state hacking group that broke into tens of thousands of encrypted secure phones in Europe used an Android exploit first spotted in 2017, CW can reveal. For two years, a fatal security vulnerability, known as the Bad Binder bug, was left unpatched inside 2.5 billion phones, leaving users at maximum risk. The exploit allowed cyber spies to take complete control of infected phones and copy or change users’ data, programs and files at will.

via @androidMalware
#France #Android #EnroChat #GitHub #BudBinderBug

And in this thread they explain how goolag are violating the GPL and making it harder and slower to get the source code for android in pixels.

They say this won't happen with their Motorola graphene OS devices starting in 2027

https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/117078064184215730

#google #Android #GPL #pixel #sources #why

"Google is throwing away tens of millions of dollars of hardware revenue over a couple of years and hundreds of millions over the longer term. They simply have a lot of very incompetent people in management shooting themselves in the foot. They're also doing many anti-competitive things which are clearly illegal. Android gained the market share it did because it's an open platform and open source. Google is not actually legally allowed to pull the rug."

https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/117140280321362204

pixel11 harder to port...
don't hold your breath waiting for GOS on it..

#why #google #Motorola #android #aosp #gos #grapheneos

🍿 Google Secretly Installed a New App on Your Phone Again — Check It Now!

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhDWMrAYw2g

#debloat #Android #Google #how #why

How to block it from installing

Same way as the safetycore blocker.

https://github.com/daboynb/developer-verifier-placeholder

And if you didn't have it for safetycore, it can be found here:
https://github.com/daboynb/Safetycore-placeholder

If you have any issues theres a issue tracker with some that had issues on some brands

https://github.com/daboynb/developer-verifier-placeholder/issues/1

@NoGoolag @LibreWare
#debloat #Android #Google #how #why

If you're having trouble on android 17, try this

🍿 Can't Remove Bloatware in Android 17 with ADB? Try This Instead

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaJs9vuSnqc

#debloat #Android #Google #how #why #adb