Pixel 6 and 3g shutdown/data leak to carriers

schweizer

I get notifications by my carrier that my Pixel 6 runs an outdated software and will stop communicating soon after they shut down 3g antennas.

So I opened a ticket at the carrier to ask what software version they think I run.

But I would ask GOS:

Is there a risk that a Pixel 6 running GOS runs out of service if there are no 3g antennas?
How do they know that I run a Pixel 6 at all?
Can I prevent unneccessary data transmission to my carrier? Such as version numbers and model names?

Probably9857

schweizer Is there a risk that a Pixel 6 running GOS runs out of service if there are no 3g antennas?

Only if you have manually disabled 4G (LTE).

schweizer How do they know that I run a Pixel 6 at all?

Probably lots of ways they could know this (IMEI, various cellular radio characteristics or identifiers). This isn't something the OS can reasonably expect to hide.

schweizer Can I prevent unneccessary data transmission to my carrier? Such as version numbers and model names?

Only by not connecting to the carrier's network. Use WiFi only.

grayway2

schweizer Your Pixel is capable to communicate with 4G antenna so even if all 3G antennas are off around you it's not a problem. Do you have a specific 3G subscription ? Don't know it's still exist

They know you are using a Pixel 6 because of the sim card. The sim card is sending the device IMEI to the operator network which also indicate the phone model.

Probably9857

schweizer

This is about apps, but same logic applies to the cellular radio.

Apps can determine the model of the device (such as it being a Pixel 6) either directly or indirectly through the properties of the hardware and software. There isn't a way to avoid this short of the OS supporting running apps in a virtual machine with limited functionality and hardware acceleration. Hiding the CPU/SoC model would require not even using basic hardware virtualization support and these things could probably still be detected via performance measurements.

https://grapheneos.org/faq#hardware-identifiers

wizoatk

schweizer Is there a risk that a Pixel 6 running GOS runs out of service if there are no 3g antennas?

Small, but much more likely you're just dealing with someone trying to sell you a new phone. A practical suggestion would be to stop using 3G and see how well your phone works in your location on your carrier now.

Settings > Network and Internet > SIMS > (your carrier/MVNO) > Preferred network type

Select 4G only or 5G or 4G only or 5G only to avoid 3G connections.

de0u

schweizer Is there a risk that a Pixel 6 running GOS runs out of service if there are no 3g antennas?

Probably not, but indicating which carrier is in question would enable people with first-hand knowledge to comment.

schweizer How do they know that I run a Pixel 6 at all?

IMEI. They could observe various behavioral characteristics of the cellular modem, but IMEI is trivial.