I'm trying to find a replacement for the AOSP dialer that comes with GrapheneOS (I'd like the ability to wildcard block phone numbers (I keep getting Robocall spams from 1-702-702-xxxx). I'm already using GrapheneOS' sandboxed Play services/store. If I try out the Google dialer and give it access to my Contacts, is that game over for my privacy? IOW, won't Google now have all my Contact metadata?
Give Google Dialer Access to Contacts: Game Over?
Apps can access data you let them access. If you give an app access to your contacts, it can access them.
One possible thing you could do is use a contacts app that allows you to separately store contacts within its internal storage where other apps can't access them.
One such app is Connect You: https://github.com/Bnyro/ConnectYou
GrapheneOS will eventually have a Contact Spaces feature that allows you to decide which contacts apps can access, but using apps like the ones mentioned above is a stopgap measure.
Of course, by using an app like that, any contacts you put into its internal storage will stop being accessible to all other apps, not just whatever Dialer you use.
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I'd say it's limited as a loss of privacy, as most of your contacts already give this kind of data to google/apple/social medias.
If you gain something, why not?
You can also install sandboxed GPS in a new profile. Contacts will be empty in this new profile so the dialer app can't find anything in there. Then you can try out this dialer app within this separate profile.
How about denying network access to the dialer? Sure it will have access to your contacts (if you give it that access...), but your privacy won't be impacted because it can't send your contacts to g.
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csis01 yeah, okay, but it will still talk to play services and you can't deny them network, if you want them to work, that is.