Be it printers or wifi or other service/product, more and more companies require an Apple or Android smartphone app as the ONLY way to manage essential features. I’d rather avoid WayDroid as it seems very leaky. How do you all navigate this in all Linux households?
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I would never buy or use such products.
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It’s getting harder and harder not to. Other than Starlink, all internet providers all but require them; many printers all but require them (for mobile devices, anyway). Those are the two we’re trying to navigate.
I’m fortunate in that my home broadband provider has an online portal where I can manage my account, no smartphone application necessary. I own my own modem and my own router. My printer is a Brother Laserjet which isn’t connected to the internet, and which doesn’t require any smartphone for anything.
As for other products and services that might force app installations to use them, I would simply avoid them. even though I do own and use a degoogled Android, but I only install apps from F-Droid, and won’t be forced to install any commercial app.
For a time I had an unavoidable obligation to run a government app. So @amarok’s approach does not fly. Government doesn’t give a sh!t, doesn’t have to give a sh!t and can’t be forced to give a sh!t.
For that scenario I had an old (obsolete, spare) iPhone that did not have a SIM in it and which ran only that one app and was basically otherwise a clean phone e.g. no Contacts, can’t make phone calls, no other apps, no other app data, no files, no bookmarks, no browser history, … . So even if the app were dodgy, there wasn’t much for it to snoop on - and the lack of a SIM forces it to use WiFi, thus allowing me to snoop on it (somewhat) and to exercise some control over its network activity if I wanted to. The phone was switched off at all times except when needed to run the app (which was not often).
This isn’t a perfect approach. It was as good as I could manage given the level of effort that I wanted to put in. One could argue that this in some respects provides better isolation than running the app under Waydroid on your actual phone.
If you need a spyphone in order to do initial printer setup, the above approach may work. If you need a spyphone for some printer purpose that will arise on an ongoing basis, the above approach may be less satisfactory.
If you want to check actual satellite coverage in your area before purchase then I believe Starlink requires an app. I believe that the app requires to know your location, then calculates satellite transits at your location, and cross-references that against skyview, so the app also requires access to the camera. So the app’s permission demands are quite scary, albeit justified. Effectively the app is simulating what the dish will be able to communicate with. Disclaimer: I don’t have Starlink so take with a grain of salt.
When I got Starlink several years ago you could set it up with simple web browser. The interface even let you align, stow or heat the antenna. A few weeks ago I helped my son setup his new Starlink… it required a Android and the web interface was for diagnostics only.
Enshittification.
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I haven’t encountered ISPs requiring Apple or Android yet in the USA. What country are you in? Big city? Just curious.
Rural USA. Xfinity/Comcast and T-Mobile. The shift is newish and gaining momentum. If you haven’t had to set anything up recently, you’ve likely not had a need.
Over the course of the last 3 years using my Librem 5, the way I dealt with this problem was the Cthulhu server concept that I put together.
The premise is as follows:
- Rent a cheap server
- Install a Wayland compositor with remote access
- Install Waydroid on the server
- Remotely connect in, run the Android apps, and then disconnect when finished
This gives the benefit of Waydroid for apps I have to run, in a consistent device I can keep always-on, but which exists in cyberspace and isn’t able to stalk me.
If you search the word Cthulhu on these forums, some descriptions of how I set it up will probably come up in the search.
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Thanks. FWIW, I’m also rural USA on a local co-op phone company. I have the triple play package (phone, internet, TV), and the last time they changed things, I made them set up the provided router for only the TV boxes (now Firesticks), behind my own router.
I, too, had a single client need for an android app. Bought a no-contract phone at Target, told them to hit “Next” for customer info, and enter the store’s zip code (the one piece that was required, for taxes). Then I sat in the parking lot using the guest wifi while the phone spent painful hours updating several times, and downloaded the app. On the few occasions I needed the app, I connected to my isolated wifi in the home office through a VPN. Otherwise the “burner” phone was powered off.
In general though, I simply go without. I am little by little arranging my life to one day have zero devices or connection. Friends and family may object, but that will be a cost I’m willing to pay. I cannot park downtown because it requires an app now. Can’t even use a credit card (which I also avoid as much as possible).
“Freedom is not free.”
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Funny but fact. One company tried to enforce Microsoft Authenticator on me. I told them that they will have to fire me. At some point they were thinking about buying me iphone for that specific purpose but ended up with a ubikey 
Aside, sadly I had to give up all discounts in a local shop because they only do it on an app 
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There’s an important distinction to be made here between two different scenarios.
- Using proprietary Microsoft code generation on web site to be entered into proprietary app and using push notifications to app. BAD
- Using Microsoft Authenticator app but just using standard TOTP code generation in app to be entered on web site and so can use any other TOTP implementation. GOOD
My understanding is that it is a server-side option as to whether TOTP is allowed. So if the company is cooperative then this need not be a problem. Otherwise, yes, add it to the list of “nosy company required apps”.
I’m used to being about 20 years behind technologically from my peers. I’m used to going without things. It’s easier when those things are not necessary. It’s getting scary when it’s becoming more and more necessary to live a basic life.
The sad thing is that not only are we losing the battle over our phones or computers, but also our vehicles. I recently purchased a car that had a built in cell/modem. My only solution was to pull the fuse that powered the cell/modem. If I want to remove the built in microphones, etc. it would require a massive amount of disassembly of the dash.
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