camera / microphone blocker

Okrawa

There are toggles in the quick access bar (also found in Settings > Privacy) for mic and camera access so I can't see how these would be necessary.

mat1024

Thanks Okrawa. The phone would be kind of hard to use if I had to turn on/off mic/camera every time :(
I have to use Instagram, which I dislike and do not participate in, to communicate with some people, and I am sure that the app records everything I do no matter how restrictive the permissions are (e.g. I watch a movie, and IG suddenly shows content related to the movie). I am looking for a function or app to disable this constant background recording (cam/mic).

mythodical

mat1024 Just to clarify, I think that what you are looking for is already baked into GOS, as @Okrawa pointed out. There are quick tiles in the Quick Setting menu (notification pull-down) to enable/disable the camera and mic on the fly. There's no need for an app or anything more complicated than that. In addition to this, you can of course restrict the camera and microphone (and network, sensors, etc.) on a per app basis within the phone's Settings.

f13a-6c3a

Instagram has pretty decent PWA implementation so you dont have to use the full blown app to make it more restrictive

54ysysw5y4s5n

mythodical Also, if you have them blocked you get a popup to unblock upon use. I leave both always blocked since it's hardly an inconvenience to unblock this way & then re-enable in quick settings when done.

mat1024

Thanks, I understand, I probably do not need these apps.
But IG is already restricted: the only permission is network. Does anyone know how it can snoop on audio (and perhaps on video too)? As in if I listen to Iron Maiden, I get Iron Maiden IG content showing up thereafter?

treequell

mat1024 What makes you think it's via audio that the information is shared? Could there not be some other way that your identity between where you stream music and where you use Instagram is shared for the purposes of advertising?

I'm just asking as an ignorant but curious GOS user.

spiral

mat1024

Instagram is probably not snooping on your audio - that's why, with the microphone turned off, you're still seeing related ads.

IG has a profile on everyone who is connected to your WiFi. IG will show you ads based on yours and other wifi users' demographics - if your buddy is connected to your WiFi, and perhaps you're both male and roughly the same age, perhaps you follow some of the same content creators, then IG will assume the same ads which apply to your friend could also apply to you. No "microphone snooping" necessary.

mat1024

Thanks for your many replies!
I do not share my home WiFi, I am the only user.
What happens is that I listen to Iron Maiden "offline" through Poweramp (flac files ripped off my own cd, I never use spotify or any other music streaming services), on a Dali Katch G2 speaker.
Then a few hours after, I see Iron Maiden content on IG. It is not a coincidence, the same happens with any other audio content played the same way.

Graphite

mat1024

Still probably not audio from microphone.
Did you scrub metadata from audio files? What about the file names?

[deleted]

mat1024 What happens is that I listen to Iron Maiden "offline" through Poweramp (flac files ripped off my own cd, I never use spotify or any other music streaming services), on a Dali Katch G2 speaker.
Then a few hours after, I see Iron Maiden content on IG. It is not a coincidence, the same happens with any other audio content played the same way.

Check the privacy information on Dali Katch G2 speaker:
https://8572466.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/8572466/Documents/DALI-Privacy-Policy-v2.pdf
I edited the comment so that I do not spread fearmongering, read it yourself.
But it doesn't mean that the information about your listening habits can't be from other sources than the speaker itself...

mat1024

Hello!
The flac files are full of metadata, including the file names. Are you saying that IG could be looking into what file I open/play?

Graphite

mat1024

If it's true that it's not coincidence.
It's a lot more likely than audio processing.

mat1024

Oh wow, that's terrifying.. and I thought I was buying a plain BT speaker.. would have never suspected the speaker vould be involved. I guess I am going to have to be more thorough with every purchase from now on.