Does this exist? I basically want a simple phone for texting and calling, but added to that also whatsapp, since this is used more and more, and it would be convenient if I have access to whatsapp.
But I do not want access to a browser, or a gmail or facebook app, or anything else, because this is very distracting, and I do not want this on my phone
Is this possible? Ideally I would like a simple phone like a Nokia Asha 206 or 301, with just a numeric keypad, but I don't think that it is possible to remove for instance the browser.
So basically, does this mean that since I want a dumbphone, I need to have a smartphone? I think this is possible with an iPhone, by letting someone disable everything for me with parental control? And probably this is also possible with a rooted android phone?
Are there more possibilities for me to achieve this? I hope you have some ideas. So I would like it the most to have a simple phone like a Nokia asha 206 or 301, just for calling, texting but also capable of whatsapp, and nothing else.
You can always remove the apks from your phone, thereby removing the app from your phone. You could also flash a custom rom and remove the specific apks in questions, so your phone never has the app in the first place. However, note that gmail is part of Gapps, so if you want to remove it, you will probably not have access to Google play, which is used to update your apps.
after buying your phone, you can simply remove/ uninstall the apps you don't need by going into
Device/>System/>app>(remove the apk's)
Related
Hey guys, im pretty much new to the android scene, last week one of my parents friends changed their carrier to Telstra and my plans came into the conversation, and i said that i would like to get an android phone in the near future (probably the nexus 5 depending on whos making it).
Anyways he said he could give me one of his old android phones, a HTC Velocity 4G to see if i liked it or not.
Now my previous phone was a Nokia N8, not exactly great for apps n stuff but it was good at browsing the net using Opera and its battery life was amazing especially with music in the background it could last for quite a bit. If you werent using the browser and it was just sitting there with a few tabs open it could last nearly the entire day, if you actively used it with music in the background i think it lasted about 2 -3 hours
So here are a couple of questions i would like to ask regarding the phone itself and the google play store n such.
1. Do all android phones seemingly have bad battery life? i put some music on this phone, and it didnt even want to last a damn hour, that im wondering if it really is the phone or if the battery was stuffed up during the time they had it (understandable)
2. Do all android phones come with this task manager and can you only fully close apps from this app itself? i mean the N8 all you did was hold a button it would have the open apps and you just touched the X button.
3.. The Google Play store. Do you have to sign in with a google account? i mean i have a youtube account with a gmail but i dont think i want my phone to get all these email notifications or store my contacts on this account, mainly because this account gets alot of spam, in the spam folder and in the inbox folder that and i dont really use google plus except on a few occasions that i dont really wanna receive those kinds of notifications. Is it better just to create a new gmail just for my phone?
4. If i want in the future, can i remove my android phone from an account and decide to move it to another account due to unforeseen circumstances and keep the apps i might buy in the future?
Please remember im still new to the android scene, pretty much using Symbian my whole life (well only nokia 6300 and nokia n8 but they were both great phones) so dont judge me to harshly.
Thanks
Regular Android User Trying To Help
I am by no means an "expert", but I can try to answer your questions.
1. I currently have the Droid Razr MAXX HD and I can easily get 2 full days of use, and if I try, 3 days of full use. This is taking pictures, using 4g, playing games, texting, you name it. I also know they just released a 5000MaH battery for the S4, meaning it will last longer than my phone. Also, most phones have an optional extended battery.
2. Mostly, you don't need to close your apps. If you use the back button to navigate all the way out, or simply hit the home button, it will stay in your ram, but it won't normally interfere with the speediness of your device; since android apps are run in their own virtual device. But, in the settings you can force close any open app, and custom roms allow you a "kill" button for open apps.
3. I think it is better to create a new gmail for your phone. You have to sign into a gmail account to really even use an android phone, and I find it quite nifty. The one account lets you log into anything Google, the playstore, gmail, keep, etc. I have my contacts synced with my Gmail, so I never lose phone contacts, and I have really switched over to gmail because of my android phone. I just find it better to use than old school yahoo. Plus, I use drive, keep, and calendar frequently. Try all these Google apps for yourself, they can be very useful.
4. If by account you mean google account, then no, because the apps you purchase are synced with that account. If you mean carrier, then yes, because the apps are synced to the google account. You can also back your apps up with a rooted phone with certain software. Someone else might be better at answering this though.
Hope I helped.
jdubya42 said:
I am by no means an "expert", but I can try to answer your questions.
1. I currently have the Droid Razr MAXX HD and I can easily get 2 full days of use, and if I try, 3 days of full use. This is taking pictures, using 4g, playing games, texting, you name it. I also know they just released a 5000MaH battery for the S4, meaning it will last longer than my phone. Also, most phones have an optional extended battery.
2. Mostly, you don't need to close your apps. If you use the back button to navigate all the way out, or simply hit the home button, it will stay in your ram, but it won't normally interfere with the speediness of your device; since android apps are run in their own virtual device. But, in the settings you can force close any open app, and custom roms allow you a "kill" button for open apps.
3. I think it is better to create a new gmail for your phone. You have to sign into a gmail account to really even use an android phone, and I find it quite nifty. The one account lets you log into anything Google, the playstore, gmail, keep, etc. I have my contacts synced with my Gmail, so I never lose phone contacts, and I have really switched over to gmail because of my android phone. I just find it better to use than old school yahoo. Plus, I use drive, keep, and calendar frequently. Try all these Google apps for yourself, they can be very useful.
4. If by account you mean google account, then no, because the apps you purchase are synced with that account. If you mean carrier, then yes, because the apps are synced to the google account. You can also back your apps up with a rooted phone with certain software. Someone else might be better at answering this though.
Hope I helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mostly what jdubya42 said but heres my word on it.
1. Battery life. Battery life can be bad on any device, it depends on what you use and how much you use your data or WiFi Bluetooth etc. Also like jdub said the new s4 is getting a 5000mah battery, that's a lot of juice normally android phones will have only around 1000mah-1800mah, your lucky if you get 2000mah. Android tablets get somewhere around 7000mah, so 5k on a phone should last you all day. Just think of how much the nexus 5 will get.
2. Most android phones nowadays come with a task manager. On some of the Samsung phone all you would have to do is hold the home button and will show you all the apps you have opened, and keeps them running. Its a nice way to switch between apps but keeping apps in the background can drain your battery fast so you should close the ones your not using (the task manager for android only comes with android 4.0 and up devices lower versions of android close the app when exited out), for this I would recommend a phone that would have more than one core, the s4 comes with 1.6ghz quad core which is more than enough.
3.as for the gmail, yes you need to make gmail account or use existing one, android is open source, the way google make money is the OEM (original equipment manufacturer, HTC Samsung lg etc) makes the phones sells them, profit for OEM, and people buy apps movies music and books from the Google play store, profit for Google.
4. If you get a new android phone you are able to still use all the apps music etc you bought on your previous devices and use on future ones, you won't have to remove your gmail account from your old phone.
Welcome to the world of android mate
Closing apps and getting "battery saving" apps can potentially save you battery but in addition to the software aspect, you can also modify the hardware usage. By that I mean unlocking, rooting, custom kernel and ROM. Just installing them will likely optimize your phone better then stock but you can also manually set your min/max frequency, frequency governor, core activity, undervoltage, GPU governor/responsiveness, and more.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1736168
I used to use Full Control with great success for my Xperia Z ultra, but since it updated to Lollipop it no longer works. I've looked in to some other apps for children and teens but they either have a horrible graphic overlay on the phone or simply don't do what I want. Basically I want the phone to look and act as normal, but I want the choice to exclude certain apps from accessing the Internet, like Google play or chrome. These could be accessible but only with a password. Or is there a way to inherently restrict access to chrome and play in lollipop? I don't want to have to create another user account.
Help would be appreciated!
WEll you need root for this
Timpaa said:
I used to use Full Control with great success for my Xperia Z ultra, but since it updated to Lollipop it no longer works. I've looked in to some other apps for children and teens but they either have a horrible graphic overlay on the phone or simply don't do what I want. Basically I want the phone to look and act as normal, but I want the choice to exclude certain apps from accessing the Internet, like Google play or chrome. These could be accessible but only with a password. Or is there a way to inherently restrict access to chrome and play in lollipop? I don't want to have to create another user account.
Help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i didn't see any xperia ROM on any sony device that has a custom firewall by default for this purpose. And i am still sure that it is highly unlikely that sony still included something in their roms. What you need is to root your phone. Then you can install a firewall by searching on xda. That will allow you to add a layer of security against internet access for you. It stand between your allowed apps and non allowed apps fo internet as gate keeper. But beware rooting will ruin your warranty status. You no longer can enjoy warranty from sony after rooting.
Hi all, I work at a group home and one of the clients recently purchased an Amazon Fire tablet to facebook chat with his dad.
My issue is that thanks to the crapiness of humanity I know that there's a strong potential for the tablet to grow legs.
Without getting into details, the client cannot have the tablet always in their posession, and we can't conveniently lock it down anywhere, and ideally whoever is supporting him needs to have access to the tablet whenever possible.
I'm wondering if there is an app, or even better, a device, which can cause the tablet to alert my manager the moment the device leaves the property? Ideally something not easily accessed or removed.
I know getting a tablet just for facebook chat is overkill, I wasn't the one who purchased it for the client, I'm just trying to make do with what is available.
theseventensplit said:
Hi all, I work at a group home and one of the clients recently purchased an Amazon Fire tablet to facebook chat with his dad.
My issue is that thanks to the crapiness of humanity I know that there's a strong potential for the tablet to grow legs.
Without getting into details, the client cannot have the tablet always in their posession, and we can't conveniently lock it down anywhere, and ideally whoever is supporting him needs to have access to the tablet whenever possible.
I'm wondering if there is an app, or even better, a device, which can cause the tablet to alert my manager the moment the device leaves the property? Ideally something not easily accessed or removed.
I know getting a tablet just for facebook chat is overkill, I wasn't the one who purchased it for the client, I'm just trying to make do with what is available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an Android right?
I had a look at the Amazon store for anti-theft apps but there were none that I recognised from sources I trust (nit that I have researched them, but maybe you can find a reliable review) You have to be certain it's from a trusted source as these type of apps require special permissions eg admin in order to do their job, and could be abused by a malicious app.
I would recommend Cerberus Anti Theft, I used them for years & they have a good reputation, even though Google removed the app form play store. This is because they had to link the Google app to additional downloads in order to maintain the functionality of the app that made it the best, after Google changed what permissions apps could be granted for apps downloaded from Google store.
You can download for Android devices from their website
https://www.cerberusapp.com/
However there is a potential problem with all antitheft apps, ie. Turning off wifi/data means you can't communicate with it(but Cerberus could be activated via SMS), also a factory reset will remove them, so if a knowledgeable person steals a phone/tablet they can remove the antitheft app, so possibly you would have limited time to activate it. Which is why I used to root & install as a system app, which meant only reinstalling the full factory Android operating system to remove it.
There should be the basic "fined my device" on Android built in (I'm not familiar with Amazon variants) but its not very powerful.
I'll look into it, thanks. It does have tracking but unfortunately that wouldn't alert in time to be able to accurately determine who took it.
If Cerberus can do sms then my manager might be able to get immediate notification if it walks away, once it disconnects from wifi
What I don't get is why isn't there a hardware based solution, something that you have connected to your wifi that alerts you if devices in connected to that wifi signal get disconnected. Or even simpler, bluetooth based.
The problem is that tablets don't all have data, and if turned off they lose the anti theft features. So there needs to be something outside of the device itself that can alert the owner. Maybe it's just to specific a problem unfortunately.
theseventensplit said:
What I don't get is why isn't there a hardware based solution, something that you have connected to your wifi that alerts you if devices in connected to that wifi signal get disconnected. Or even simpler, bluetooth based.
The problem is that tablets don't all have data, and if turned off they lose the anti theft features. So there needs to be something outside of the device itself that can alert the owner. Maybe it's just to specific a problem unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PS. You could use Tasker app (or other automation app) on your phone to set up an alert when the tablet losses connection, if you use your phone as a hotspot, I think.
Anyone here use Phone app by Google instead of Samsung's Phone app?
fuchsiapenguin said:
Anyone here use Phone app by Google instead of Samsung's Phone app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what you're trying to get at as there isn't much information in your question, but I will try to help where I can.
If I assume you simply want to REPLACE the default phone dialer, I have a Samsung where I NEVER use the default Google apps and it works just fine WITHOUT those Google apps (I've disabled most of them).
As for the phone app, it gets confusing what people "mean" as things changed since Android 10 in terms of separation of the parts that people often mix together.
Specifically, in later Androids, AFAIK, there is a "Dialer" and a separate "Contacts" app (yet which often are combined) and there is even the concept that the "SMS/MMS" messaging app also can often dial out and use the contacts - but there is no longer a default "Dialer" as of Android 10 (AFAIK).
Me?
I don't keep a contacts file (for privacy reasons) in the default sqlite location (because Google/Facebook/Microsoft/etc. motherships upload that database, that's why!) so I use only {dialer,contacts,sms/mms} apps which can work both with and WITHOUT a default contacts sqlite database).
Note that Simple Mobile Tools has a lot of related privacy-aware free useful apps which don't necessarily need the default sqlite contacts database, which is a boon to your privacy (if you care about such things).
Here is a screenshot of what I use in my dock for phone apps on my Samsung, none of which are the default apps by Samsung or Google.
Thank you for your reply. I am actually looking for a way to record phone calls on phone. Phone by Google is the app I was referring to, as you may know it has a call recorder and I was wondering if anyone were able to enable it on their A32 5G.
There's a lot of information about call recording for this phone in this Galaxy A32 5G thread over here...
Anyone know a working call recorder app for this phone?
There's also a generic thread about call recording issues after May 11th when Google made their most recent changes over here...
Is there any way to get 3rd-party call recording (ACR) apps working after tomorrow, May 11th, 2022?
If you're rooted, you probably have more options though.
Hello.
I plan to turn my phone as "dumb" as possible, leaving only apps that are absolutely necessary and practical, essentially making my phone as minimalistic, simple and distraction free while at the same time maximizing the hurdle to install new apps due to the lack of willpower aswell as the general battery life.
I have the POCO F1 with LineageOS 19.1, root is currently enabled via Magisk.
I considered just buying a regular dumb phone, but unfortunately I do not feel they are worth it; plus I'd want to still use Spotify.
I'd greatly appreciate ideas/solutions for this particular project. Thank you in advance!
EnigmaticLife said:
Hello.
I plan to turn my phone as "dumb" as possible, leaving only apps that are absolutely necessary and practical, essentially making my phone as minimalistic, simple and distraction free while at the same time maximizing the hurdle to install new apps due to the lack of willpower aswell as the general battery life.
I have the POCO F1 with LineageOS 19.1, root is currently enabled via Magisk.
I considered just buying a regular dumb phone, but unfortunately I do not feel they are worth it; plus I'd want to still use Spotify.
I'd greatly appreciate ideas/solutions for this particular project. Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you'd like to do isn't really "dumbing down" XD - it is simply making a "barebones Android" phone with only the apps/functions you need without usual bloat that comes preinstalled on the new devices. This is in fact something a lot of people on XDA are passionate about, as it helps optimize for space, speed, battery life and privacy.
For the Android phone to be considered usable in modern day and age, it needs a handful of apps:
Dialer
SMS messenger
Contacts
File manager
Gallery
Clock
Calendar
Calculator
Web browser
Camera
Installing vanilla LineageOS rom (or any other rom with no GoogleApps) will give you this default Android experience. For 99% of tasks that do not involve Google this is enough.
However, most people want something more than just a dialer, and so phone manufacturers pre-install some other stuff for them: Google (play store, chrome, maps, drive, mail), Payment (Samsung Pay), Gallery/Music apps, social media apps, fancy wallpapers etc. This is what makes the phone "smart" for you, I guess?
In case you want to cut it down further, you can use adb to remove certain apps from this list. This includes certain system apps too, like unnecessary fonts or accessibility services (web search is your friend here). Theoretically the phone can serve as a GSM calling brick only with the following:
Dialer
SMS messenger
Contacts
But then you'd be doing the hardware a misservice - why lug around Octa-core 8GB RAM 4000mAh HD TFT6.1" 999GB device if you could achieve the same with a Nokia 1100 or 3310? These are still being sold
UPDATE: Just saw your additions about Spotify. If you only want to use the phone for Calling/Web browsing/YouTube/Spotify, go with the "Install No GApps LineageOS -> Sideload apps you need and nothing else".
Word of WARNING though: a lot of popular messaging/steraming/quality of life (maps) apps APSOLUTELY DEPEND on google ecosystem (i.e. GApps like google play, google play services and google services framework).
WITHOUT GOOGLE THESE APPS WILL LIKELY CRASH or won't work as intended. I.e. Whatsapp will not give you "New message" notifications and will not ring UNLESS you have it open in your face right when the call comes in. Delivery/Ride sharing apps that need google maps will not show you the map. Facebook messenger will has the same problem as Whatsapp. List of risks is far too long, and you will need to have an idea of whether the app requires google and whatsnot.
Therefore Make absolutely sure that barebones phone is what you want. If it is, a lot of apps that reliably work with the barebones setups can be found on Fdroid.
Despite having "dumb" in the name, this procedure requires one to be amazingly smart about it
To conclude, you have the following ways of achieving this:
1. Install no-Gapps (i.e. "vanilla") lineageOs, delete what you wont need, sideload .apk of apps you are after
2. Install stock android rom, then Degoogle and Debloat it. Guides for your particular model can be found here on XDA
3. Install SlimROM, a custom Android distro whose developers had the same idea as you did, i.e. optimized for simplicity.
Totesnochill said:
What you'd like to do isn't really "dumbing down" XD - it is simply making a "barebones Android" phone with only the apps/functions you need without usual bloat that comes preinstalled on the new devices. This is in fact something a lot of people on XDA are passionate about, as it helps optimize for space, speed, battery life and privacy.
For the Android phone to be considered usable in modern day and age, it needs a handful of apps:
Dialer
SMS messenger
Contacts
File manager
Gallery
Clock
Calendar
Calculator
Web browser
Camera
Installing vanilla LineageOS rom (or any other rom with no GoogleApps) will give you this default Android experience. For 99% of tasks that do not involve Google this is enough.
However, most people want something more than just a dialer, and so phone manufacturers pre-install some other stuff for them: Google (play store, chrome, maps, drive, mail), Payment (Samsung Pay), Gallery/Music apps, social media apps, fancy wallpapers etc. This is what makes the phone "smart" for you, I guess?
In case you want to cut it down further, you can use adb to remove certain apps from this list. This includes certain system apps too, like unnecessary fonts or accessibility services (web search is your friend here). Theoretically the phone can serve as a GSM calling brick only with the following:
Dialer
SMS messenger
Contacts
But then you'd be doing the hardware a misservice - why lug around Octa-core 8GB RAM 4000mAh HD TFT6.1" 999GB device if you could achieve the same with a Nokia 1100 or 3310? These are still being sold
UPDATE: Just saw your additions about Spotify. If you only want to use the phone for Calling/Web browsing/YouTube/Spotify, go with the "Install No GApps LineageOS -> Sideload apps you need and nothing else".
Word of WARNING though: a lot of popular messaging/steraming/quality of life (maps) apps APSOLUTELY DEPEND on google ecosystem (i.e. GApps like google play, google play services and google services framework).
WITHOUT GOOGLE THESE APPS WILL LIKELY CRASH or won't work as intended. I.e. Whatsapp will not give you "New message" notifications and will not ring UNLESS you have it open in your face right when the call comes in. Delivery/Ride sharing apps that need google maps will not show you the map. Facebook messenger will has the same problem as Whatsapp. List of risks is far too long, and you will need to have an idea of whether the app requires google and whatsnot.
Therefore Make absolutely sure that barebones phone is what you want. If it is, a lot of apps that reliably work with the barebones setups can be found on Fdroid.
Despite having "dumb" in the name, this procedure requires one to be amazingly smart about it
To conclude, you have the following ways of achieving this:
1. Install no-Gapps (i.e. "vanilla") lineageOs, delete what you wont need, sideload .apk of apps you are after
2. Install stock android rom, then Degoogle and Debloat it. Guides for your particular model can be found here on XDA
3. Install SlimROM, a custom Android distro whose developers had the same idea as you did, i.e. optimized for simplicity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is really interesting. I am thinking of trying to do this with a Google pixel 4a. Would I be able to do the lineage OS with that? I haven't found other threads that speak on this topic, am I right? Thinking that I would like to customize exactly what apps I have on the phone etc.
LineageOS for Google Pixel 4a exists:
LineageOS Downloads
download.lineageos.org