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  • Can google apps send data though sandboxed google play services?

Paflechien so google photos, dialer, calculator and keyboard can't collect data and send it to google play services which inturn sends it to google?

    Paflechien no, each app has its own sandbox

    You either misunderstood the question or don't understand how IPC works, in either case your comment is not applicable.

    • [deleted]

    • Edited

    Average_joe You can try decompiling those apps to find out (It will be hard, but still)

    Average_joe so google photos, dialer, calculator and keyboard can't collect data and send it to google play services

    Well they can.

      Hey! This is a topic that has been discussed numerous times before - you can likely find other instances of it being discussed if you look for it on here.

      That said, apps in the same profile can communicate with each other with mutual consent. Mutual consent means that both apps have to agree to be able to share data. If one party (one app) is unwilling, another app can't just take another app's data. All apps are sandboxed and their app data is isolated.

      This is in no way specific to Google apps, it's something that apps can do in general. IPC is not some evil thing, you probably see it in practice when using your phone every day, and you don't even realize it.

      If you don't want two apps to be able to communicate with each other in this manner, even if they mutually consent, you can put them in different profiles, which would prevent them from being able to see or communicate with each other.

      Furthermore, GrapheneOS will likely have a feature in the future that will allow you to prevent app communication in the same profile as you choose. You can see a proof of concept of this here:

      https://twitter.com/GrapheneOS/status/1636042398043086850

      The feature is in the research phase, because the project wants it to provide meaningful benefits, and not a false sense of security, so there are multiple things that this feature would have to adjust for it to provide a tangible benefit and actually do what it says on the tin. There is no ETA for when this feature will be added.

      I hope that helps!

        matchboxbananasynergy so the only way to be sure if certain apps are not communicating with each other is by placing them in separate profiles. Got it. And man I am looking forword to the restrict communication feature. Hope it launches soon.

        • KS1 likes this.

        Open board is a really good one to use instead of gboard :) also simply gallery for photos. The only google app I use is gcam and I have a shim installed so I can use the photo preview without having google photos

          [deleted] I would very much like to know if your method by IPC works, I am a car photographer, I store everything in Google photo for practical reasons, on the other hand the advertisements that are offered to me in chrome have absolutely nothing to do with that! the videos that are offered to me on youtube are never on the theme of cars, and I have not deactivated advertising profiling. so I would like someone to explain to me by a+b why I am not entitled to an ad that might interest me? I use all the Google services to connect to the internet, even the Google keyboard. if anyone has an answer...

            E24 already using it. Do miss the speech to text function from gboard though. Got to work with what's available

            • E24 likes this.

            Paflechien as far as I know google does not use photos, files and keyboard activity to send you ads or promos of any kind. But they do use it to collect data and train there AI models and other services. I think it is written in their terms and conditions.

              a month later
              • [deleted]

              Average_joe The photos and files aren't sent in the first place (unless you use google photos and/or google drive)

              And Gboard does "Share usage statistics" with Google and It also uses Federated learning to "Improve for everyone" using Gboard. Gboard also personalises for you without sending any data. You can opt out of "Share usage statistics" with Google, "Personalise for you" and "Improve for everyone".

              • KS1 likes this.

              So to clarify....
              I have all apps in main Owner profile.
              I have 3 Google apps from GOS App store.
              These 3 apps only have Network Permission turned: On.
              I have no other specific google apps, but I downloaded my other apps from GOS-Play store.
              So the way I understand it is: Google Play knows I downloaded my apps, BUT the 3 Google apps from GOS App store CANT get any data from my other apps in this same profile.
              Is this correct?

                [deleted]
                Ok, I think I understand.
                The 3 GSA have (cell/wifi) Network Access that I grant. Let me ask this part from the other scenario: if someone wants to give "mutual consent", so their app can share data with the GSApps what do they actually toggle to allow this?

                  I figured it out, thanks for the help