• General

  • User profiles and background notifications

I'd like to use graphene profiles to isolate certain apps completely so they cannot know any other apps I use. For example, Meta's apps (I've not been able to completely disconnect). Ideally I want to give Facebook as little extra metadata about me as possible while still receiving notifications. And I'd like to have multiple single-app profiles also, all able to receive notifications in the background

It seems the user profiles approach was the way to go, but I've not been able to get consistent notifications. I have sandboxed GPS set up, but it seems that certain scenarios were closing the user and therefore making notifications impossible.

While browsing, I saw someone mention only 3 profiles can be active at once here. Is this accurate? Is there documentation on this, such as how I can know which profiles are active (is it just the last 3)?

Also, is there any way to achieve what I want without having so many user profiles? Specifically the isolation where apps don't see each other. (Is that a planned feature, a permission to disable the ability for an app to know anything about other apps)?

    fryWringer

    You can use their Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and allow notifications. Can do this in your regular use profile and those PWAs cannot list other installed apps. Here's how to add a PWA in Chrome (same in Vanadium).

    I have this set up on my phone with Twitter and I've accidentally enabled notifications once with Instagram, all through the web browser.

    fryWringer Is there documentation on this, such as how I can know which profiles are active (is it just the last 3)?

    You're right. 3 secondary profiles can run at the same time in addition to the owner profile. I don't know where the documentation is for this, but that's what they say. Keep in mind that Android might end the background processes of secondary profiles' apps if the profile in the foreground needs more memory.

    Some details can be found here: https://source.android.com/docs/devices/admin/multi-user#effects but keep in mind some of what you read here isn't the same on GrapheneOS.

        It's surprising that there is no feedback to the user when a profile is terminated in the background. Can we at least get a notification that this has occurred?

          fryWringer

          As far as I know, that's not a supported feature upstream so it would have to be added by someone in the community (assuming the GOS devs approve of the change) since the other devs are reportedly busy with other planned improvements.