What Android Apps Should be on Brax3 and which should communicate out?

BraX3 iodéOS
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I have an IODE Brax3 phone that I received last summer. I need help on the below questions:

  1. What are the Android Apps that should be running on my Brax3 phone (I need a complete list; otherwise, I can’t identify the potential spywares!). I also need to know which Android apps should be allowed to connect to Internet & WiFi (to configure in the firewall)? There should be a complete list for Brax3; otherwise, all this is amateuristic!

  2. My HotSpot function does not work and when it’s available the phone automatically disconnects from the Internet/Mobile Data. I just spent 6 hours with my carrier trying to troubleshoot the phone to no avail. What settings need to be changed to allow Mobile data and HotSpot to work simultaneously (this renders HotSpot useless without Internet connectivity)?

  3. I need to have a good navigation with vocal instructions. CoMaps is useless if I can’t route or get navigation instructions as I drive. What navigation solutions work with Brax3?

  4. What password managers can work with Brax3 phone?

Appreciate your responses/solutions to the above, as I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with little use of my Brax3.

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Did you check the official iode documentation?

Help us out a bit with your environment.
What OS version are you running?
Can you also share your hotspot settings (Security and Speed & Compatibliity).
What devie is trying to connect to your BraX3?

I don’t believe there is any open-sourced one, as far as I am aware. Maybe worth to create a separate topic for this one.

Basically any except Google’s.

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Iode Documentation does not list the Android Apps included (other than Android Auto). And of course, no map to the Android Apps communications needs (Mobile & WiFi). So, this issue remains open. On my Iode Brax3, I see the following Android Apps RUNNING (and mind you I’ve never connected to Google Services or loaded anything from GooglePlay store): “AdPrivacy, AndroidEasterEgg, Android Services Library, Android System, Avatar Picker, CameraExtensionsProxy, CellBroadcastService, Certificate Installer, com.android.backupconfirm, com.android.carrierconfig, com.android.cellbroadcastreceiver, com.android.cts.ctsshim, com.android.cts.priv.ctsshim, com.android.federatedcompute.services, com.android.localtransport, com.android.ondevicepersonalization.se, com.android.ons, com.android.providers.media, com.android.sdksandbox. com.android.server.deviceconfig.resourcesV, com.android.sharedstoragebackup. com.android.systemui.accessibility.accessibilitymenu, com.android.systemui.plugin.globalactions.wallet, com.android.wallpaperbackup, com.qualcomm.qti.poweroffalarm.overlay15, Companion Device Manager, ContactsKeysStorage, DeviceLock Controller, Dynamic System Updates, External Storage, GPS daemon, imsApp, Input Devices, Intent Filter Verification Service, IntentResolver, key Chain, Local Contacts Backup, mediaserver, MTP Host, MulticastDNSResponder, Network manager, nobody, notes Role enabled, Package installer, PacProcessor, Proviles Trust Provider, ProxyHandler, root, secureElementApplication, Shell, Simple Device Configuration, Simple Settings Configuration, Sounds, System UI, User Dictionary, VpnDialogs, Webcam Service, Work Setup, DNS daemon, Trebucket.”

Can any knowledgeable expert, tell me if any of the above Android Apps should be on my Iode phone, and which ones require either Mobile or WiFi communications with the outside for my Brax3 phone to function properly?

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The applications you have installed are system applications needed for the phone to operate. For the most part, these are the same apps that any Android device needs to work.

To verify your device has only the apps you need (or are needed by the system), it helps if you can first understand the different app levels.

  • System apps - those are preinstalled and have all the necessary access granted. You can’t remove access. You can identify those apps by opening the app from your App settings, and seeing that the Uninstall option is not available. The device has a verified boot flow, that ensures your OS is authentic and that only the intended apps (intended by the developer) are installed as system apps with granted privileges.

  • Other apps - those are apps you can install, uninstall on demand. You can also grant or remove access on demand too. As a rule of thumb, give as little access as needed for the functions you need. If you want to use an app online offline, do not grant it access to the network. If you don’t want an app to record your mic, do not grant it access to the mic.

For all the preinstalled apps, you are able to install by going to Settings > Apps > Preinstalled apps. This allows you to uninstall some of the apps and replace them with another app of your choice. This only applies to apps that are replaceable such as phone app, browser, app stores, navigation, etc. etc.). You are not able to uninstall apps that are critical for the operation of Android (e.g. com.android.cellbroadcastreceiver, com.android.sdksandbox, etc.). If you want any of these gone, you will need to fork the OS, remove them from the code, and build your own version of the OS.

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is google maps from browser ok?

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That’s how I use it when I have to use it. If your objective is to not let google collect data points tied to your account with them - then you’re good with this.

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Thank you.

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If you want to use Google Maps within your browser of choice, consider installing GMaps WV via your F-Droid client.

GMaps WV works as a “wrapper” that allows you to use the Google Maps webapp as if it were an actual app. Webapps usually don’t send as much telemetry as real apps do, especially if you use a hardened browser.

There is an app called Native Alpha (available from the IzzyOnDroid repository through F-Droid) that allows you to use many webapps as if they were actual apps. This might be very useful as an alternative to using a particularly intrusive app (e.g., Facebook or many Google apps). YMMV

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thank you thats good to know

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@plamen @bqyoung : Thanks.

My hotspot started working again (I have no idea how it was fixed! I suspect the carrier had something to do with it!).

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See also my thread here might help as a starting point:

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