This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Knowing about prompt injections, I really don't like the growing integration of LLM inside real applications
Unless it's all local I'm staying out of this AI craze.
I agree. Though even if it's running locally, if you ask it to browse the web for a specific answer it's still vulnerable
One of the things I initially liked about Pixels was that I could uninstall/disable a lot of the proprietary garbage that would be mandatory on other phones. But now it looks like Google is abandoning that flexibility in favour of shoehorning Gemini into everything.
My only interaction with Gemini so far was telling it to kick rocks when it sent me an unsolicited text message. I also barely use Assistant to begin with. So once my current phone dies, I guess I'll have to find something new.
Don't worry in a year or two they'll have a competing Ai assistant and break any functionality of Gemini and leave everything half baked on the new one
Well, one of the great things about Pixels is that you can install an alternative OS (I use GrapheneOS) that doesn't come with that crap anyway. I use GrapheneOS, and it has none of Google's crap. I made a separate profile for the handful of apps that require Google stuff (a couple work apps), and I only access it for less than a minute at a time, and those apps (Google Play Services) have no access to the device's storage that they don't strictly need (hooray storage scopes!).
The ironic thing is that I use Google's phone specifically to avoid Google.
I did similar, I needed a new phone so I picked pixel so I could use GrapheneOS continue the process of degoogling my life.
Did you at least get a dikpic?
Nah, just the sad message of "Pretty please love me (because we sunk a bunch of money into this)."
Oh yeah the same "ai" that can't tell who factually won the 2020 election.
Nice try big data.
I switched back to assistant, because Gemini still can't do everything I am using the assistant for
Plus no alternative voices....what the hell?
I do not want this on my device at all. What are my options for my next phone that will replace my aging pixel 6 that won't include Gemini?
a newer Pixel phone with GrapheneOS or CalyxOS installed on it.
If I could keep the good camera with Graphene, I'd be set.
You can still install the Google camera app alongside the GrapheneOS camera app. Double tapping power button still takes you to the built in camera (but you at least have the option of either app). https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.GoogleCamera
you should be able to change the camera app launched when double pressing the power button.
On CalyxOS my double press opens the Google Camera. I think because I disabled the default camera app.
I agree that you should be able to change which app opens with double tap. But AFAICT you cannot on GrapheneOS build 2024082200. Someone please enlighten me, if you know a way.
I'm on the most recent GrapheneOS with both the Google Camera app and the Graphene camera app installed and enabled, and can confirm the double tap of the power button can be set to open the Google Camera app! Downside is I have no idea how I did it 😅
As another user mentioned, try disabling the default camera app and see if it defaults to the other one.
I'm unable to disable that app (app.grapheneos.camera). Its greyed out. I assume I did get a prompt initially asking me to "Complete action using Camera" and I hit "Always." That was before I found and installed the Google camera (com.google.android.GoogleCamera). So I'm still stumped how to alter that double-tap "Open by default" to a different, non-built-in camera app (and I can't seem to find anything in settings). Not a huge deal, but it would be nice to know. Thanks all!
Dang, you're right. This forum post looks relevant, so check the steps they did. And make sure any settings you set are in the main profile.
I don't have the Google Camera installed so I'm not going to go through the steps to test it, but hopefully something there helps.
The camera app is just called Google camera on the play store. It works on Calyx with no internet permission so I assume it works on graphene.
I use Google's camera app on GrapheneOS. Have been for years. No problems at all, though I wish the camera app included with GrapheneOS wasn't so annoying to use by comparison
A Fairphone with /e/OS would do.
I don't currently run /e/OS on mine - for now I've just disabled the Google app instead. But it's a solid option, and last time I used it my banking apps and everything worked with no problem.
You don't need a different device, just root it and unlock the bootloader to disable the AI stuff..
Or install an alternative ROM that doesn't ship with the AI stuff.
Like hell it will, not on my phone
Yeah, I don't have it installed, and I actively block/quarantine anything vaguely Google-related. Screw 'em.
Ew on both accounts
Ill stick to Signal thanks
They control the OS that's storing your encryption key and decrypting your signal messages. You still have to trust one of the leaders in surveillance capitalism to not "accidentally" capture all the data they assure you they aren't capturing.
Why? Alternative ROMs exist.
Check out GrapheneOS. Relevant to your concerns.
grapheneos.org
Seems like a cool idea but, so far with Gemini on my Pixel, I hate that I can't tell what's on device and what's in the cloud and I ended up uninstalling it. I'm not sure Google needs to know more about me than they already do.
Supposedly the phone can run local models but I've only seen it in the recorder app, which isn't really that useful, especially after all of the hype around Tensor, AICore and Gemini Nano.
Well, it's expensive technology to develop, and there's no other business model behind it than surveillance. So I think it's fair to expect the surveillance part of it to be difficult to neutralise.
I'm not sure Google needs to know more about me than they already do.
But then why would they want to give you Gemini if not for your data
They sold me a device and want me to buy another.
I doubt they sell Pixel devices to profit from the hardware sale, they sell them to push the market in the direction they want, as well as to hoover up your data.
So instead of playing their game, I just installed GrapheneOS the day I got my Pixel, and it's been fantastic.
Part of what I've hoped about Gemini is that Google would actually take advantage of its Cloud infrastructure and build Gemini in a way that makes it truly cross-platform compared to the Google Assistant with a consistent set of features across the web, the speaker, and anywhere else they choose to cram Gemini into.
Instead they choose to channel everything through WhatsApps Android app.
Didn't they say that about Google assistant some time ago? And how many people just disable that on their devices?
I want to take all my phone calls. I very rarely get one. Maybe 1 time per 6 months on my private phone. I have meetings on teams but don't count them as it is remote working and only for work.
Besides, Google products just dies.
Can't they just code this like an assistant or something? Much more power efficient.
