Google’s Android Lockdown—Why You Need A New Phone In 12 Weeks

Forbes ^ | 1/31/2025 | Zak Doffman

[cuz1961]

.. . The real story is what’s being done to lock down Android, and why you’ll need a newer model phone in 12-weeks time...

The other highlight further narrows the gap to iPhone, removing some of the looser restrictions that enabled threats to more easily fester on its ecosystem than Apple’s. “The Play Integrity API," Google says, “allows developers to check if their apps have been tampered with or are running in potentially compromised environments, helping them to prevent abuse like fraud, bots, cheating, and data theft.” The company also notes that “apps using Play integrity features are seeing 80% lower usage from unverified and untrusted sources on average,” and that “over 91% of app installs on the Google Play Store now use the latest protections of Android 13 or newer.”

Those last two stats are critical. Because Google’s Play Integrity API is changing, and for the 750-million-plus users on Android 12 or older, you may need to go buy a new phone if you can’t run a newer OS to keep your apps functioning as now. . ..

[Dr. Franklin]

Get a Linux phone and keep Google from spying on you. The amount of tracking these phones do is quite extraordinary.

[SkyDancer]

I have a flip-phone ... that’s it. Just talking when needed. No pictures, no texting, just use it to talk. When necessary.

[Celtic Conservative]

Two words: “Faraday bag”.

CC

[butterdezillion]

Where does one find a Linux phone? My son’s been wanting one forever.

[bankwalker]

Where do I get a Linux phone?

[convoter2016]

My state’s Department of Motor Vehicles like to send conformation of an appointment at the DMV with a text message. At the very least one should have both talking and texting on a phone.

[V_TWIN]

Funny you should mention that.

Lately I’ve been watching videos of this guy that demonstrates how to turn off settings on android and Apple phones that spy on us.

By camera, microphone and even text and email......so far I think I’m up to around 8 settings I’ve turned off so far and he has more videos I haven’t gotten to yet.

The invasion of privacy embedded into cell phones really is criminal.

[Openurmind]

Google wants to cut out the competition. They think only they should be able to spy on you. All this is not going to prevent Google from spying and selling it to others.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

I planned to take a good long look at Elon Musk’s phone but what do I know, I liked my Windows Phone and Zune.

[SkyDancer]

Oh I can text but I have to punch each letter in using the number pad. I can respond by typing in a YES or NO or STOP but not to carry on a conversation.

[Dr. Sivana]

Get a Linux phone and keep Google from spying on you.

I got a Linux Pine phone a couple of years ago. I wanted it to work, I really did. It is slow, the removable battery life was poor (I would have sprung for new batteries, and swapped as necessary), and the screen was not at all scratch resistant. I would have put up with all of that, but I couldn't get a SIM that would work with it. The Linux phone user groups were of little help. It has been sitting in my closet for almost two years after I gave up. Seriously, I will sell it for $50 in lightly used condition (no promises on the battery!) to anyone who wants a slow Linux computer in his pocket. FreepMail me!

[PIF]

Because Google’s Play Integrity API is changing, and for the 750-million-plus users on Android 12 or older, you may need to go buy a new phone if you can’t run a newer OS to keep your apps functioning as now

—
Other great features are new and improved user tracking, data harvesting, and ad deliver.

[Dr. Franklin]

Two words: “Faraday bag”.
CC

It's more than just the government being able to track physical location. Google phones spy on everything users do online with them. Using a Linux Graphene phone and Duck, Duck Go, it's amazing how much tracking is being done by the apps.

[Gideon7]

I don’t trust anything from Forbes. More likely this is an attempt to ban jailbreaking your phone.

[Pythion.net]

Planned obsolescence. FU Google.

[Dr. Franklin]

I got a Linux Pine phone a couple of years ago. ...

Ditch Pine and get the Graphene OS. I still don't know how to use it for everything, but it works. I also have another Google I use for other things I can't or haven't learned to do with Graphene. It's a work around until I figure everything out.

[Dr. Franklin]

I got a Linux Pine phone a couple of years ago. ...

Ditch Pine and get the Graphene OS. I still don't know how to use it for everything, but it works. I also have another Google I use for other things I can't or haven't learned to do with Graphene. It's a work around until I figure everything out.

[Openurmind]

“By camera, microphone and even text and email......so far I think I’m up to around 8 settings I’ve turned off so far and he has more videos I haven’t gotten to yet.

The invasion of privacy embedded into cell phones really is criminal.”

I absolutely agree. it should be criminal. It is not because of the agreement they make you agree to in order to even use the phone or app. If you want it to work at all you have to agree to let them spy on you. It is outright extortion. And I have saying it for years now. Turning off all those settings just makes you “think” you are safe from it. Google and Apple are STILL doing it no matter what your settings are.

[ridesthemiles]

ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY I HAVE NEVER HAD A CELL PHONE

FORCED TO SPEND $$$ OVER & OVER AGAIN.

MY $20 land line phones work just fine