Using gmail on graphene os privacy configurations?

0j923jd023j

i do realize that the whole point of using graphene os is to degoogle and increase our privacy and security in general, but in this world wherein people use gmail all the time, i just also need to use gmail.

if i give people an email address that does not end in [@]gmail[.]com, then they will give me a hard look and ask me whether the email is legit and can be accessed.

also prior to degoogling myself , i have a lot of accounts that i signed up or using my [@]gmail[.]com account so i just cant "leave" my [@]gmail[.]com account very easily

i am currently looking into open source alternatives to the gmail app like fairmail and k9 mail, but it just feels different and just feels a little _off so i am thinking of installing the gmail app again on my graphene os phone.

i just want to know what are the considerations and configurations that i should think about when installing the gmail app. what permissions are necessary and which are not so that i can reduce the tracking that google does on me?

thank you

Dumdum

0j923jd023j whole point of using graphene os is to degoogle

https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/14939-pre-ordered-the-9-pro/9 sigh

other8026

0j923jd023j the whole point of using graphene os is to degoogle

The point of GrapheneOS isn't deGoogling, but you're right that one of the project's main focuses is improving mobile privacy. One of the best things about GrapheneOS is its Google Play compatibility layer, so we can install Google Play and other Google apps on our phones as regular non-privileged apps.

If you want or need to continue using a Gmail account, then there's nothing wrong with that. You could consider setting up an email client to sync with Gmail, so that way you wouldn't have to install the Gmail app. You can also consider setting up a profile that you only use when necessary with Google Play and Gmail installed. Some people install Google apps in their "daily driver" profile.

Phones are very personal things. You should be able to set up your phone in way that best suits you.

0j923jd023j

Dumdum i apologize for asking something that have already been asked before. i will do better next time and look first thoroughly before posting something

0j923jd023j

other8026 If you want or need to continue using a Gmail account, then there's nothing wrong with that. You could consider setting up an email client to sync with Gmail, so that way you wouldn't have to install the Gmail app. You can also consider setting up a profile that you only use when necessary with Google Play and Gmail installed. Some people install Google apps in their "daily driver" profile.

would you say that using an open source email client to login to my google account is better than logging in using the official gmail app? what are the pros and cons of each if you may explain?

i ask this because as far as my knowlege (which is not very much as i am not a very very techy person), it does not matter since i am still using google's email service so they still "see" my emails whether i use a open source email client or the official gmail app. is this correct?

flighty_sloth

0j923jd023j I don't think he was saying it was asked before, the link is to a post from a mod stating that GrapheneOS isn't about de-googling.

other8026

0j923jd023j It's very hard to give a full list of pros and cons for any kind of setup. I think a determining factor for most people might be that I think that Google Play has to be installed for Gmail to work. So, if you don't want to install Google Play on your phone, using an alternative email client may be your only real option.

But some pros and cons that just come to mind:

Pros:

limits what info Google can potentially gather from your device (see the sections on hardware and non-hardware identifiers)
you can set up multiple accounts
you don't need Google Play installed (up to you whether you consider this a pro or not)

Cons:

can use a lot of battery, depending on your setup
you may not get notifications quickly, depending on your setup
you may miss out on some of Gmail's features (if you care about any of them)

0j923jd023j i am still using google's email service so they still "see" my emails whether i use a open source email client or the official gmail app. is this correct?

Right. Considering emails aren't encrypted, you might want to use a different email service if you don't want Google to have the ability to go through emails' contents and other metadata.

0j923jd023j

other8026

other8026 Considering emails aren't encrypted, you might want to use a different email service if you don't want Google to have the ability to go through emails' contents and other metadata.

this might sound like a dumb question but ive been searching for an encrpyted alternative to gmail and ive stumbled upon proton mail , which i think is one of the most popular ones out there

i am curious, is there a way so for example a person mygoodfriend[@]gmail[.]com email me at mytrackinggmailacc[@]gmail[.]com will be forwarded to my new encrypted email at mynewencryptemail[@]protonmail[.]com, and then when i reply using mynewencryptemail[@]protonmail[.]com it will then be forwarded to mytrackinggmailacc[@]gmail[.]com and then sent to mygoodfriend[@]gmail[.]com?

other8026

0j923jd023j I am not sure that would be possible. I know that Gmail supports pulling emails from other services into Gmail (or at least they used to) by adding other accounts' credentials, IMAP/POP, and SMTP server info, but I couldn't find a way to do that with Proton Mail.

I'm not entirely sure how Proton Mail deals with emails sent or received from other email providers, but an email sent to Gmail wouldn't be encrypted.

If you exchange emails with someone who uses Gmail, then the whole conversation would still be there on their servers. Your best bet for truly private communication is to use anything that supports end to end encryption.

Dumdum

0j923jd023j i am curious, is there a way so for example a person mygoodfriend[@]gmail[.]com email me at mytrackinggmailacc[@]gmail[.]com will be forwarded to my new encrypted email at mynewencryptemail[@]protonmail[.]com, and then when i reply using mynewencryptemail[@]protonmail[.]com it will then be forwarded to mytrackinggmailacc[@]gmail[.]com and then sent to mygoodfriend[@]gmail[.]com?

I might be wrong in thinking you want to hide your proton account from gmail, but if I'm not then you should be able to set this up with Addy. With Addy, you can add the public key of your Proton mail account, which means any emails that you forward from trackinggmailacc[@]gmail[.]com to exampleacc[@]addy[.]io will then be forwarded in encrypted form to your proton account (which you set as a recipient in Addy). You might also be able to do the same with SimpleLogin (which is owned by Proton themselves), but I don't have experience with that.

As for replying/sending to your friend, you can just use the option to encrypt messages to non-Proton accounts to send an encrypted message either directly to your friend or to your gmail account and then forwarded to your friend.

TheAwesomenESQ

for secure communication, you could try following email services via the tor network.

Onionmail
https://onionmail.org/

TorBox email
https://torlinks.io/trusted-tor-sites/torbox-email/

Dumdum

Dumdum
I should also note that the alias can be used by your friend directly so you don't have to forward emails (your friend's emails at least) from your gmail account. If they use the alias themselves, then you can just reply to the email as normal and it will automatically be directed through the alias so your proton account is hidden. Remember to use the encrypt option for non-proton accounts though before replying.