How does Uber and Lyft work on Brax3 for driving and riding?
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Well ideally you wouldn’t - privacy and those apps are incompatible…
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Fully understood, but one might need the transportation or work at a certain point.
Have you or has anyone reading this tried either as a rider or drive on the Brax3? If so, what was your experience? Can they even work on the phone? Thank you.
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This may help:
Also neither are listed here on the official community list. But using the web browser version of Uber is:
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Thank you for your extensive reply. So I take it you are a happy customer with the Brax3? Have you tried other independent or de-Googled phones before?
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Yes, so far. I’ve had mine about 5 weeks and been actively using it daily for the last week. This is my first privacy / degoogled phone; I was originally planning to do a Pixel with GrapheneOS end of this year to replace my iPhone - but I saw the BraX3 start of this year (and it coincided with some concerns I developed around Graphene) so it was an easy decision to back it on Indiegogo.
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Got it. I had a de-Googled Pixel from Rob a couple of years ago and was okay but not entirely happy with it. Do you feel comfortable from a privacy perspective using apps of institutions that use (and need) your true identity: banking, commerce, etc.? Also, regular Android (Google) Apps even thought you use them as de-Googled? Finally, does Brax3 require much work on your end for updates? I understand they are automatic like an iPhone based on Rob’s videos. Thanks again!
Within reason. Only for essential banking and a couple of others (actually Amazon & EBay)…
Updating is easy.
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Thanks again.
Can you scan a QR code with a Brax3 or do those need Google Play or iOS identities to work?
I also have relied on several apps on my phone in the past such as My Fitness Pal, WhatsApp (for work), and Zoom & Teams. Do you know if those work by chance?
Most of these things you will find answers in existing threads if you search this forum and the iodé Community forum.
I’ve used the OpenEUICC app to successfully scan in my eSIM from QR Code. But have not tried scanning QR Code with the camera. It will likely depend on the app you are using - I have Open Camera, not the default one, on my BraX3. Some QR codes may not scan if your app doesn’t inherently recognise them.
But also keep in consideration the risks of QR Codes, as touched on here:
Rule of thumb is don’t scan them unless you absolutely 100% are certain they are clean and safe. For me that’s nominally my eSIM from my work telco and possibly that’s it - nothing else.
Also this below is a year old, but might be useful if standard camera app isn’t workable or doesn’t support it:
Again, you will find search useful as there will nearly always be an existing discussion of what you are asking - And in summary generally anything will work its just a question of whether it has any built in reliance on G apps that may reduce it’s functionality when they aren’t present - this has been discussed elsewhere. One obvious example is Android Auto - currently seems impossible to get this fully functional even with all G apps installed on the BraX3 (or possibly any other degoogled phones).
Fitness Apps
I’m going though this myself. Previously have used Apple Health and Garmin Connect (for my watch), and in the past Map My Walk/Map My Run. I’m migrating to a new privacy friendly app that will keep data on my device (for me to download to my Linux PC) and not use cloud storage, and a generic replacement for Garmin Connect (GadgetBridge?). See these threads:
If you decide to try My Fitness Pal and see if it works okay on the phone you should, if you haven’t already, recheck it’s privacy and security - both the policies/statements and any feedback or articles on it. Many of these apps sell all the data or are otherwise notorious for poor security so your location can be easily tracked via it, etc…
WhatsApp
Well - I see you say it’s for work - personally I wouldn’t go near WhatsApp with a barge pole, and won’t have anything meta on my device (as it’s contrary to privacy and security). But that’s an individual choice and plenty of people do put it on - I just can’t understand why (even if its supposedly needed for work)… But that’s just my personal preference. FWIW I use Signal (actually Molly), Session is probably the best overall currently but more complex to use, and Signal is almost as good and has more chance of adoption by large numbers of people (and contrary to popular belief doesn’t require exposure of phone number for people to connect to you, etc). There are other options but they are a bit more obscure - see links below for more info.
If you do need to have it, the best advice I have is to put it into Work Profile with Shelter and freeze it as much as possible and don’t allow notifications - just have a routine of checking occasionally (at a frequency you need to) and refreeze every time. Work Profile and Shelter may not be perfect but it’s the best way I can think of currently to put it on the device and not totally compromise the device to zuckerberg…
Zoom & Teams
I can’t comment on Zoom - another one I won’t personally use. If you check the list I previously shared above (and have repeated below) you will see it’s not on there - so no one has reported it as usable. So you will just have to try it and see I guess. Note that Signal and similar can provide all the functions Zoom does in a more secure environment - but i’m guessing you need this for work again…?
Microsoft Teams I can report works and again it’s on the list I previously shared and reported as fully functional (see the links in my original reply to you and below). You need to put this in Work Profile under Shelter, or in my case it’s in Private Space with Microsoft Outlook as these are the 2 apps I need to have for work, and both are Microsoft, so I just keep Private Space locked (so these apps are frozen) and unlock it as needed for work, or to quickly check messages when out of the office. And obviously lock them down further with permissions (e.g. location) and in the iodé app.
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