Android "Backup to Google Drive" - thoughts on privacy and security implications? - Google Pixel 3 XL Questions & Answers

Android "Backup to Google Drive" - thoughts on privacy and security implications?
Setting up a new Pixel 3 XL, Android offers to "Backup to Google Drive". It says "your data will be uploaded to Google and encrypted with your Google account password".
Does using this service introduce any privacy or security concerns (above and beyond those intrinsic to using Android in general)?
Does it give Google any additional access to data from my phone?

I don't think it gives them anything they couldn't already get. The backup process is great when you factory reset your phone or get a new one. Data like call logs, text messages, wifi networks and passwords, etc are all saved in the cloud and applied automatically when setting up the new device.

Related

[How to solve] "Cannot establish a reliable data connection to google server"

[How to solve] "Cannot establish a reliable data connection to google server"
I was not able to add my google account in order to access market, gmail an so on, each time i tried i got the message "Can not establish a reliable data connection to google server".
I googled a lot just to find the only (horrible) solution that is the hard reset.
If you are experiencing the same trouble, don't get crazy, actually it is an awful bug in the android OS.
After several days and lot of search i found two much better solutions here:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3477
First of all try this:
- Root your phone
- Delete this folder: /data/data/com.android.providers.settings
- Restart, then add your google account using the Account app
This worked for me!
Otherwise, you can also try this way:
- From Youtube App log into your google account
- Go to settings -> accounts and enable sync on the google account
Hope this can help

[Q] AT&T Messages backup & sync

Anyone know how to stop the pop up when you open messages app after reboot? Every time I open messages app I get a pop up saying "your text and picture messages can be backed up and synced to our cloud for 90 days... I don't want this can I get rid of it? I'm rooted, backed up with TWRP and I've got rid of most of the bloat ware from AT&T using Titanium backup anyone know what I have to remove to completely disable this "feature"? Apart from flashing a custom ROM that is... Incidentally, is there a stock (or as to to stock as poss) lollipop ROM for the D850 yet?
the only way i know of to get rid of these messages (because my mom was getting the same thing buy something about how it couldnt sync with the cloud) is to remove the at&t messages, backup & sync feature from your plan.
To remove the Messages Backup & Sync feature from your account online:
Select myAT&T at the top of the page. If prompted, log in. Don't have a myAT&T login? Register today!
Hover over Wireless at the top of the page, and then select View My Plans & Features.
Your current wireless plan, devices, and additional features will be displayed. To manage your additional features, select the Manage link for the device you want to manage.
Current features for the selected device will be listed under Manage My Current Features. Select Messages Backup & Sync and select the option Remove This Feature.
Click the Select & Review button. A pop-up window displays notifying your messages stored on the AT&T cloud will be deleted. Select Continue and then review your changes. To change the effective date for your feature change, select the Edit link. Then, select a date from the available options, and then click the Select button.
Select Remove.
When the changes are complete, you'll receive a confirmation message. Repeat steps to add or remove AT&T Messages Backup & Sync for another device.
To remove the Messages Backup & Sync feature from your account via Phone:
Log in to your account using the myAT&T app1 or from our mobile site (m.att.com/myatt). Find out how to get the myAT&T app.
If you have an AT&T Access ID with multiple linked accounts, select your Wireless account.
Select the menu Image of menu button button, and then tap My service & plans.
Your current wireless plan, devices, and additional features will be displayed. Under Manage my devices & features, select the device you want to manage.
Current features for the selected device will be listed under Manage my current features. Tap Messages Backup & Sync and select the option Remove this feature.
Tap the Select & Review button. A notification displays notifying your messages stored on the AT&T cloud will be deleted. Select OK and then review your changes. To change the effective date for your feature change, tap the change link. Then, select a date from the available options, and then tap Select.
Tap Remove this feature.
When the changes are complete, you'll receive a confirmation message. Repeat steps to add or remove additional features for another device.

[Q] How to maximize privacy on the Z1

Hi,
This might seem strange but I would like to configure my Z1 in such a way that Google knows at least as possible about my life. If possible, I would like to use only Gmail and nothing else from Google.
Recently, I activated sync for the first time because I wanted the state of mails to be the same on my phone as my computer which came with a number of unwanted side-effects:
- I got an error message that the number of contacts to be deleted was too large. I immediately said cancel as I did not want to delete contacts. Moreover, I do not want that my phone contacts were copied into my Google contacts. I see no reason why I would store phone numbers in my Google contacts, I only want to use Google for email. Clearly, it was too late: all the phone numbers are now also stored in Google contacts -- information I did not want to share with google.
- my complete calendar was copied in Google Calendar. When I started using the Z1, I deliberately choose the standard Calendar from the Z1 as I do not want that Google stores information about my calendar and find it very, very uncomfartable that my personal Calendar is now data stored on a Google server.
Is it possible to get rid of Google Calendar without losing Gmail?
Is it possible to limit sync only to mail itself?
I would appreciate any advice on how I can maximize my privacy while keeping my phone "smart".
Try to ask Munjeni in his thread about his privacy guard rom his is a master of privacy
Wysłane z mojego D5503 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Just open your Google account in the settings menu, under the sync options uncheck everything but Gmail. That should stop sync of your contacts, people, calendar, chrome etc...
dvandyck said:
I would appreciate any advice on how I can maximize my privacy while keeping my phone "smart".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Leave sync off, it only eats battery.
Just remember to press 'refresh' when you open the Gmail app. You won't get status bar messages about your Gmail, but if you check manually couple of times a day, then you've saved yourself all the syncronisation agro.
I had the same problem with contacts and I didn't want all my email contacts ending up listed as contacts in my phone, as it makes sending group texts impossible, it kept defaulting to sending MMS instaed, because some contacts were email addresses. Grr.
So I made up another gmail account, that's blank, has no contacts. Then I log into the phone with that and let the phone set up with that account. Once it's done all the syncronising I added my real gmail account, but set to not syncornise. I just manaully sync when I open the Gmail app, saves all the problems.
There are a couple of apps that can help.
Afwall+, which is a good firewall. You can set which apps use your wifi and which apps use mobile data, or just stop apps dialing out altogether.
There's a mention above of Privacy Gaurd, but it's very basic and I'm not sure it works with 'system' apps like google. I would recomend DonkeyGuard, it's by far the easiest and most comprehensive way of regulating what apps see what information on your phone. To make it work you will need to have a rooted phone, as well as having Xposed installed. But if you are serious about your privacy, then you know that it's worth the effort.
To have Google unaware about your phone contacts and calendar you need create contacts/events as device contact/event, not bound to Google account. There is setting for that, make it default.
First time I wanted separate google from my personal data I deleted google account on my phone as no other method worked, I lost all my contacts as by default they were assigned to google.
I was better than that. I had backup, restored contacts as device ones.
From this moment I have my info private (hope so, possibly information leaks in background but it is over anyone's head, some things are deeply hardcoded in OS then you can do nothing).
Sometimes you HAVE to give Google some information.
There is Xposed module which provides FALSE info in such cases. Sufficient solution for me.
Unfortunately it doesn't work for native applications (not sure about it).
spudata said:
Just open your Google account in the settings menu, under the sync options uncheck everything but Gmail. That should stop sync of your contacts, people, calendar, chrome etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I unchecked everything except Weather and news, GMail and Google Drive (I backup some important but not very private docs there).
F308 said:
To have Google unaware about your phone contacts and calendar you need create contacts/events as device contact/event, not bound to Google account. There is setting for that, make it default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I see indeed that when I create an event, I can choose the account to which the event is assigned. Google is standard for the moment.
Where can I set device account as the standard for contacts/events? I do not see such an option in the settings of Calendar or Contacts...
Also, it appears that I cannot change the account to which an already created event is assigned to.
Is it possible to move all created events in the Calendar from Google account to device account?
My phone runs on the 14.4.A.157 official build -- it is not rooted and I prefer to stay on the official Sony release channel.
dvandyck said:
Where can I set device account as the standard for contacts/events? I do not see such an option in the settings of Calendar or Contacts...
[...]
Also, it appears that I cannot change the account to which an already created event is assigned to.
Is it possible to move all created events in the Calendar from Google account to device account?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.
Not sure. It was long ago. Cannot find now.
Maybe it will help you if I tell that I froze GoogleBackupTransport.apk, GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk, GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk.
2.
I did it in such way:
a) made backup.
b) deleted google account from my phone.
c) defined acount again.
d) configured it as don't-synchronize (somewhere in synchronization settings).
e) restored contacts from backup. At this point I was asked if i want restore them to my google account or to device. I chose the latter.
F308 said:
1.
I did it in such way:
a) made backup.
b) deleted google account from my phone.
c) defined acount again.
d) configured it as don't-synchronize (somewhere in synchronization settings).
e) restored contacts from backup. At this point I was asked if i want restore them to my google account or to device. I chose the latter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that seems a very attractive approach as it does not involve re-entering things manually.
Did you perform the backup and restore with Sony PC Companion or did you use some other tool for this?
Does this mean that you also have the option to restore all events in Calendar and change the account to which they are assigned to as well?
dvandyck said:
Did you perform the backup and restore with Sony PC Companion or did you use some other tool for this?
Does this mean that you also have the option to restore all events in Calendar and change the account to which they are assigned to as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. In fact I do more than one type of backup.
You never know what will really work unless you try.
I used native Easy Backup app and exported contacts to file directly, there is such option when listing contacts.
Don't remember what else but you can find tons of applications of this sort.
I could restore calendar, too.
I think if you freeze apk's which I mentioned earlier - even Google will not be able to pull your info because will have no tool to do it.
If you want to delete your contacts from Google Contacts, you can go to https://www.google.com/contacts/, you can also export contacts to pc/phone
Well. Myself I am convinced that once they got information - they will keep it forever, you only will not see it.
F308 said:
Well. Myself I am convinced that once they got information - they will keep it forever, you only will not see it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the same too.
In fact it is lost case.
Security agency can compile information, add together Google info|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn|Microsoft (Skype) | phone number which I had to give Google | biometric passport photo | fingerprints required for passport and hell knows what else, DNA maybe.
Conclusion:
They know when to send you toilet paper because it has ended and you didn't notice.

[Q] Exchange Mail Policy

Hey all
Having some issues with a new M9 ( Sprint)
Company uses google apps and this end user INSISTS on using the exchange method to sync his account. We do have the device policy setup for users for remote wipe etc.
I am able to add the account on my personal N5 with 5.1
also able to add the account on a S5 running 4.4.4 and 5.0
What happens is the account creates, and when it tries to sync it throws up a notification to "update the password" when tapped it takes you to the screen lock settings. We have tried both a 5 digit and a password and it still pops up the notification to update. I thought at first it was the policy settings in Google Apps and 5.0 issues but it works on both the N5 and S5 on 5.0.
Has anyone ran across this possibly? I searched around and saw some of the mods to install/flash that might remedy this, however his phone is not rooted/unlocked.

Honor 7x won't sync automatically

So at first I thought it was restricted to my photos but then I realized that the phone isn't syncing across all apps unless I open the app itself (while on wifi). So for example, I have the phone set to backup my snaps only on wifi, it won't actually do the backup when I do connect to wifi unless I open up the photos app.
The same applies to google keep, contacts, firefox sync... etc... Any idea why this is happening and how to make it more automated (like seriously? I have to go into each app I want to back up for it to actually sync??)
Phone rarely goes into battery saving mode. I also went in Accounts to make sure all the apps are switched to syn and they are (firefox, which hadn't synced for days, synced just as I checked that setting- a clear example of what's is wrong).
On the other hand, google photos doesn't even show up in the sync settings of my main gmail account but does in my secondary. I wonder if that's why this is happening...
BND-L21 running EMUI 8
On settings -> accounts ->google in menu option having " Sync Data is on" just check it.

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