Pronounced "say candy", the goal of SecAndy is to come up with as secure and private of an OS as possible. So as not to reinvent the wheel, we'll base this initiative on our open source code of choice (Android or maybe other developers' choice).
I am not a developer myself but I can without a doubt, because of former professional experiences, organize a project and gather the right people together as a community in order to make sure that project sees the light of day after it has acquired a life of its own if needed, which I think we will agree is something that this kind of project requires because of the scrutiny it will quickly attract.
I am officially calling upon this post all interested developers that could help us fork Android or other open source OS.
Let's get a kickstarter funded and let the party begin. I will update you later today on the advancement of such.
This thread welcomes constructive ideas and developer participation, but here are beginning requirements we'll need to fulfill eventually to privatize and secure android :
- default browser allowing custom search engines such as https://ixquick.com or duckduckgo
- default system search pointing to those custom engines for online component
- control of gps at firmware level to allow full disability
- peer to peer file exchange (think BitTorrent sync) with 1024 to 2048 bit encryption
- implementation of secure sms and mms exchange (think textsecure)
- implementation of encrypted voice channels (think redphone or SIP with end-to-end encryption)
- root vpn for all online access
- systemwide warning of insecure solutions (example : wanting to use gmail or regular email)
- PGP transparent email solution
- Tor option for root vpn (subject to mitm attacks but more on that later)
- peerguardian type auto-updated database to identify suspicious IP address ranges
- systematic in-out firewall control auto updated with peerguardian database and community based rules database
- hardened malware protection and app permissions with automatic permission audit based on application type
- full device encryption and lockup (in case of unauthorized user)
- full remote wipe out and bricking with auto IMEI reporting (in case of theft, might have to be amended because of attack vector)
- full remote location capability with real time tracking (that one might have to be scratched, high security risk because of attack vector)
This obviously doesn't cover all the bases but would be a good start... I know a lot of these options can be implemented with a mismatch of apps and custom Roms but having it all at an OS level AOKP style would greatly help in building an android by the people for the people community that could eventually loosen the stranglehold of less than transparent corporations.
60 views in 24 hours and not one comment. Obviously I'm approaching this the wrong way. More news at 11.
e-motion said:
60 views in 24 hours and not one comment. Obviously I'm approaching this the wrong way. More news at 11.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want to be insulting, but no programming work has been done on your part, and you're just asking for people to dive in this project to get managed by someone they never heard of. It's not really surprising no one has commented yet.
I understand what you're saying but any comment, even if only just to show interest in such a project, will be key to drive developers to it.
I might not have started any development but I have clear understanding of how to design secure solutions. I can't go into details of why that is, however you can clearly see with my 2nd post that some research has been done. If I wanted a solution for me alone, I could just go on with my own little pudding of custom ROM and security apps.
However, because of the recent news events that SHOULD have awaken this population, I thought now might finally be the right time to try to get such a project off the ground. But without anyone even showing any interest, why would any developer be drawn to it ? If people would rather focus more on content consumerism than on what might happen under an umbrella of spooks that they're paying for with their taxes, then they have learned nothing from history and deserve what's coming to them, simple as that.
This is NOT a development thread in case you haven't noticed, so telling me I haven't developed anything yet is not even relevant.
In case anyone cares, this will be moved shortly in the t-mobile Note 2 Android development thread as a Touchwiz proof of concept ROM. Little steps, little steps...
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
mobile sec
While I am not a developer I would be interested in this project. I've been thinking about this a bit lately given recent events. I think a useful privacy preserving security related app and phone combo might have these features:
-some way to separate the baseband processor (radio) from the OS. It seems most phones share memory with the radio and this fact can and has been exploited. Own the bb processor and you own the phone. Perhaps a 3g dongle plugged into an android phone in host mode would work. Some of these usb "data only" radios can be unlocked for voice too. I believe a rooted phone with IP tables/firewall running would be much more secure than a conventional mobile phone.
-an anonymising network for connecting to servers/peers. I think the i2p network is well suited for this purpose. Rather than connect to services that are not designed with your anonymity/privacy in mind, connect to hidden/darknet servers that make it extremely difficult to ascertain your real IP and location. Perhaps an i2p router running on your home computer relaying i2p traffic while also maintaining a long lived encrypted connection to your mobile in order to "push" data to it. In this way the user benefits from the anonymising network, contributes to the network, but doesn't have the battery drain of relaying packets from the phone (if this is even possible).
-end-to-end encryption. Perhaps OTR messaging for texting and perhaps openPGP for transferring binary files as I don't believe file transfer in OTR is available at this time.
-an app that uses the above network that is capable of sending/receiving encrypted text, audio, video, gps location etc and does not leak any personal information that you don't want leaked. XMPP might be a good choice (with perhaps out-of-band binary transfers for efficiency). Giving your unique identifier to another person that is using the same app would allow you to communicate with them while not revealing your phone number, imei, imsi, etc. There would be some latency in the communication especially with binary transfers but I would gladly accept that for the added security.
anyway, just wanted to add this to the conversation and hope to see this project take shape as we definitely need more security enabled os's and apps.
Purpose: To share my personal experiences how I achieved an enhancement of my battery’s life, privacy and security.
INDEX:
Post #1 - General Statements, ROM and Kernel.
Post #2 - Privacy Measures and Considerations.
Post #3 – Better Battery Stats.
Post #4 – Greenify.
Post #5 – Amplify.
Post #6 – Power Nap
Post #7 – AppOpsXposed
THE BASICS:
Please read the XDA Forum Rules provided by @MikeChannon; from my personal point of view a definite MUST READ for everybody who intends to post on XDA or to contribute to this great site. Other MUST READ's I certainly recommend to everybody who wants to "breathe" what I believe the spirit of XDA is, are the following posts:
Forum Etiquette by @TheByteSmasher,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16682226&postcount=2441 by @zelendel, and last but not least
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2031989&postcount=44 by @kyphur.
Do me the favour and really inhale what I just linked above!
Disclaimer:
Your device requires to be rooted, and in most cases that the Xposed framework is installed, too.
I am not responsible for any damages to your device if you follow any of the suggestions or my experiences provided in this thread.
If you do your warranty is now void. I am not responsible for bricked devices, dead SD cards, thermonuclear war, or if you’re getting fired because the alarm app failed. Please do some research if you have any concerns about features mentioned in this thread before flashing anything! YOU are choosing to make these modifications, and if you point the finger at me for messing up your device, I will laugh at you.
Whatever you do, before you do it ensure you save a NANDROID backup. If you don’t know what this means you’d probably rather discontinue further reading. Alternatively, you might want to start reading this and then return: What is?Boot loader,custom roms, CWM, modem, kernel?? by @esimon311.
Background: In December 2015, I got a used SGS 3 LTE that was running on CM 10. Immediately, I started to search for others ROMs especially on XDA (actually my first contact with this fantastic forum), thoroughly read the OPs and the subsequent posts, flashed and tried a few of them, till I've ended up in the configuration I'm now using for nearly nine months (details are available in the hidden part of my signature). I'm extremely happy, and my phone completely fulfils my requirements and desire; thanks to @rodman01, the dev of "my" ROM, I certainly don't need a different phone.
I'm quite "paranoid" in regard to privacy i.e. I don't and won't ever use things like FB, Whatsapp etc., and I’m not having experiences with them. Privacy is also my main driver to have my devices to only carry a minimalist suite of Google (“pico” and even some of that crap uninstalled) because I only use Play Store (unfortunately, some of my favourite apps incl. their betas are only available there) and broad location. If I'd get MicroG to run on my device Google had already been totally eliminated.
Desired End State: A device, which runs in a well-balanced ratio between battery endurance or drainage and performance specific to my objectives.
Criteria for Success: Battery lasts at least for 36 hours while all functionalities in regard to the objectives are applied; no unintended or random reboots occurring; no frozen screen.
Own Centre of Gravity: Maximum privacy.
Objectives:
Phone calls 24 hours per day, 7 days a week (24/7).
Text messaging 24/7.
Email reception and transmission 24/7.
Email and messenger encryption.
No “social networks” at all unless provider fulfils all privacy requirements.
No “messenger” except “Signal” but Signal 24/7.
All what can be accessed via a (slim line) browser, will be accessed via browser but not via dedicated applications.
If possible and achievable, no use of any Google “tool” or service.
If possible, no use of Chinese or Russian “products” or from any other country of “similar quality”. If unavoidable to use such a product, no WiFi, mobile data, or VPN access at all; all private or confidential data will be spoofed.
Control of access to private or confidential data like contacts, calendar, location, telephone number, IMEI etc. Spoofing as access control is acceptable.
Control of permissions only via ROM tools.
Control of broadcast receivers, services, wakelocks, and alarms.
Battery endurance of at least 24 hours.
Scenario: Remote location close to a national border with low 4G and 3G reception, even GSM reception occasionally weak and weather depending. No gaming at all.
Initial Steps: As stated above at background, I quite intensively and thoroughly scanned XDA for a ROM that could suit me; reading at least all the Ops but screened the respective thread, too. I finally but quickly found my desired one with [ROM][6.0.1][i9305 OFFICIAL] Resurrection Remix® M by @rodman01 in April 2016; it became my daily driver, and I’m using it till today.
Very fast, I concluded that performance of my phone might be enhanced by replacing the stock ROM kernel by a custom one i.e. I commenced the same search for a suitable kernel as I did for the ROM. Please be aware that kernel totally depend on the device and highly on the ROM. Read extremely thoroughly through the respective OP of the kernel you’ve in mind and get a clear indication if the kernel is really suitable for your device and your ROM. Even then, there might be more than one version available (as it’s the case for my current kernel); simply try, which one runs the best on your phone but also study the thread – others might have already shared experiences.
Next step was to experiment with the kernel settings especially the governor, governor and GPU frequencies and under-voltage. It became a try-and-error process including frozen locked screens and unintended reboots but the result was worth the torture. I was able to find kernel settings in accordance with my objectives especially improving the battery duration. I found the following thread extremely helpful in working out “my” kernel settings: [REF][GUIDE]Most up to date guide on CPU governors, I/O schedulers and more! by @Saber. If you search the thread of my kernel but also the Q&A section of my ROM you’ll certainly able to find some of the experiences I tried to share. Attached is a zip-file with screenshots of my current kernel settings.
Please be aware that not all kernel come with the same types or number of available governors. Some come with a dedicated control tool, some use the tool e.g. provided by the ROM; and as this would be off-topic and isn’t important to me, some offer different sound control like “boeffla”. Unless you’re on AGNi like me with its own AGNi Control application or on another kernel with its own control tool, I’ve very good own experiences with a tool called [APP] [4.0+] Kernel Adiutor by @Grarak. From my point of view, besides the marginal ROM settings to decrease battery drainage, installation of the right kernel and manipulation of its settings were the first major step to enhance my battery’s life!
Soon, I realised there are two versions of my ROM available, the “regular” one but also a so called “Sammy version” (for those who are interested, the differences are explained in post #3 of the above linked Resurrection Remix thread). I converted to the Sammy version and was impressed; first, how smooth my device performed “on Sammy” but second and more important to me that battery charging was much faster.
Nonetheless, if required I'm tweaking my system by tools like [APP] [4.0.3+] L SPEED Android tweaking APP by @Paget96 and keep it clean and tidy by [APP][1.6+] SD Maid - System cleaning tool by @Dark3n. SD Maid additionally offered me the possibility to easily control the “autostart” behaviour of my installed applications; however, there are certainly other tools available for this purpose e.g. My Android Tools that I'm also mentioning in post #2 for another reason.
Please be advised that for all somewhere in this thread mentioned applications or tools, I personally started using them with the recommended settings in their OPs if available i.e. you must thoroughly read them but eventually commenced to experiment with different settings until I achieved the results I wanted. This certainly also applies to the use of e.g. different governors or other kernel settings. I collected some of the guides and tutorials, which were very useful and supportive to me, in post #3 of this "How-to...". This whole thread is meant in conjunction with the SGS3 but some parts might be helpful even for your device.
EDIT (2016-11-11): If you experience WiFi drops you might be interested in experiences that @Wood Man is sharing with us, and he gratefully allowed me to quote him regarding WiFi drops that occured to him several times. It never happened to me because my setup was (just by accident) always different; however, if WiFi drops occur to you please have a look at this post. The explanation is so reasonable and makes so much sense from my point of view. Thanks very much to Wood Man for sharing his knowledge. I do mention this issue in this OP as I assume that these type of connected inteferences might even lead to a higher battery drainage in turn.
Last but not least a few words regarding Xposed – I apologise to the multiple XDA users who already know for covering this here but just by monitoring all the Xposed threads I’m convinced a lot of guys just don’t know. The Xposed framework in available in different versions pending e.g. on the brand of the device or its architecture, on the ROM respectively the Android SDK or if systemless root is used. I refrain from quoting all the different Xposed threads at this point; simply search the Xposed forum by yourself, and you certainly find the framework suitable to you. In the hidden part of my signature you can retrieve the Xposed version I’m using.
We talked about ROMs and kernels, now let’s mention the other key players for my satisfying battery endurance but as stated you certainly need Xposed:
BetterBatteryStats, Greenify, and Amplify, and PowerNap. EDIT (2016-11-11): Please refer to post #6 (about PowerNap) why I "removed" PowerNap.
I tried all of them, it worked out for me, and I'm continuing to use them; however, that what I stated in the paragraph above applies for them too: Comply with the recommendations and develop it further till you are satisfied.
EDIT (2016-11-19): If interested how I made my system GApps free, please check post #54.
Remarks:
If a donation option is available please consider to take advantage of this chance as you not only occasionally get a better capability but you're supporting the dev and the development.
None of the mentioned apps has got permission granted to the internet, and all are spoofed by XPrivacy. I'm pretty cautious regarding applications if so much power has been made available due to root and Xposed, and I always take their origins into consideration (a reason why I don't update my SuperSU anymore and continue to use SuperSU v2.76).
Occasionally, it's required to post you logs on XDA, and quite a few guys have problems with attaching files to their post; me too. In such a case, I suggest to try a different browser; I can only post all allowed attachments via Microsoft Edge and Chrome. FF, IE and Chrome doesn't allow for whatever reason; they even don't provide any possibility to select a file for upload. I have no experiences with XDA Labs. EDIT (2016-10-18): I don't know what changed a few minutes ago but I'm now able to use Chrome for the upload of files. Weird! Another option is to upload e.g. to http://hastebin.com and to post the link.
Now, you know more or less what I did to achieve a really good battery life.
ATTENTION: In accordance with my objectives
No so called "social network" applications (e.g. Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or how you name them) at all are installed on my devices i.e. you couldn't find any settings/limitations regarding them.
All my described settings/limitations are in that way that no push notifications at all are allowed (because I want it this way). Every wakelock and alarm connected to Google Play Services (GPS) is somehow limited; not one is unlimited. Quite a few services of GPS and/or Google Services Framework (GSF) are disabled. Edited because all devices are GApps-free.
If you just copy my settings without any reflection do not wonder that all of your push notifications are (even extremely) delayed. If you require anything of above you need to play with your system yourself.
The following posts provide you with details of all the applications I use to monitor and to limit the drainage of my battery.
CREDITS: To everybody who I mentioned in this OP or the subsequent posts. If I forgot someone I apologise. Please let me know in this case or if you want to be more prominently given credit; I'm happy to immediately follow such a request!
Off topic comments are allowed as long they are generally related to the overall topic, are in the general interest of the followers of this thread and add value to the thread. The ultimate decision rests with me as the OP!
Privacy Measures and Considerations
You might be wondering why I post this and actually so far on top of this thread. As you can read above, I recognise maximum privacy as my centre of gravity (COG) i.e. everything needs to be done to defend the COG. Or in other words, without all the steps below, I wouldn’t be able to install and use some of the applications i.e. tools to decrease the drainage of my battery. The following measures and considerations are therefore the prerequisite to continue further.
Prevent Google's and other applications from "calling home” by controlling access to WiFi, mobile data (including roaming), or VPN through “AFWall+ (Donation)” and control effectiveness through Network Log.
EDIT (2016-11-18): Google is no longer an issue as I'm "GApps free" for some days, and I'm extremely happy with the performance of my system. If you are interested in more information please search this thread for "GApps free".
Limit all unnecessary use of services and broadcast receivers not only in support of privacy but also “to save fuel” e.g. by “MyAndroidTools”. As an example, here’s a link to one of my posts in a different thread, where I showed how to manipulate some broadcast receivers used by “Google Play Services” in order to decrease its wakelocks.
If using MM+ control of all permissions in the ROM settings granted to the installed applications including system applications. In the ROM privacy settings, by default don’t allow any application including system applications access to your private data; just grant this permission on a strict case-by-case policy if absolutely necessary. Check in the advanced privacy settings if the granted permissions correspond with your objectives. Use AppOpsXposed for additional implementations (refer to post #7).
XPrivacy - The ultimate, yet easy to use, privacy manager by @M66B. Actually, I deem XPrivacy to be the most powerful tool on an Android device to protect privacy. XPrivacy can only run on devices with an installed Xposed framework. XPrivacy doesn’t control permissions an application gets granted but is able to spoof all data that are made available to an application or are requested by it. The advantage of this method is that the application itself “believes” it’s correctly functioning whereas denial of a requested permission quite often leads to a force closure of the application.
XPrivacy isn’t only extremely powerful but also highly complex albeit easily to use from my point of view if you familiarised yourself sufficiently; however, this takes a bit of time but it’s the effort worth. And M66B has provided a very detailed user manual and FAQ tutorial.
And just to reiterate: Without the mentioned measures, I would personally never have installed some applications; to name them I leave it with your imaginations.
Remark: If someone decides to go for one or all of the mentioned applications please consider to use the donation versions (if available) or to donate to the developers in order to support them and the further development!
EDIT (2017-06-11): Due to the (hopefully only temporarily) non-availability of Xposed for Nougat, I had to terminate the utilisation of XPrivacy i.e. to try to use my brain more intensively. It's a pity.
If interested in Privacy, these two posts might be interesting to you: Post #64 and post #66.
Better Battery Stats
For me, it’s was immediately obvious that I needed to know how and what is when draining my battery before I could commence reducing the drainage. In order to monitor drainage of the battery, I finally learnt about [APP][2.1+][06 Sept. - V2.2RC3] BetterBatteryStats (BBS) by @chamonix.
BBS serves my personal requirements the best; the application is well maintained and supported by a really active XDA thread. BBS is also able to run on non-rooted devices; however, some modifications via ADB are required. As an example, I attached a BBS log but please be aware it isn’t really informative at all because I used the phone while logging was running. Clear guidance is in this thread [GUIDE] 0% [0.0%/h] Idle Battery Drain on Stock ROM (XPosed & Amplify Required!) of @Celestial Fury how the BBS log must be taken in order to provide valuable information for a diagnostic assessment of your battery’s drainage, literally it has to be an idle log. It’s also very helpful to establish first baselines for your device and its current battery i.e. for you to known how much is the battery draining even with the phone switched off and the next time when it’s not transmitting/receiving at all (i.e. in airplane mode).
EDIT (2017-06-08): From my point of view, this procedure by @Davey126 is the best way to achieve a suitable dump file.
Just for completeness: Besides the log (dump file), BBS is able to provide you simultaneously with a logcat and dmesg file. You can retrieve the logs by pressing on the "triangle sign" located in the middle between the refresh and the menu symbols (see screenshots).
EDIT (2016-10-13): Idle Dump attached. Drainage of 1.5%/h i.e. a theoretical battery duration of slightly more than 60 hours, which is fully in line with my given objectives, especially under consideration that neither K-9 Mail and ChompSMS nor Signal are hibernated. From my personal evaluation and conclusion - however, I'm happy to receive experts' opinions, nearly no partial wakelocks but the "standard" (at least from my point of view) kernel wakelocks. As you see at post #1, my kernel's settings are a fair compromise between battery savings and performance. I haven't had any frozen screen or unintentional reboot for month, which is equally important to me as a good battery duration. I doubt that I'm able to further minimise kernel wakelocks. Final remark: Within our home WiFi network, the phone has a fixed IP address assigned respectively reserved.
EDIT (2016-10-17): If you experience issue with "net scheduler wakelock" maybe my post here is interesting to you?
EDIT (2016-10-18): Again thanks to @Wood Man as already so often (eventually I believe he knows the whole XDA by heart) I've become aware of another thread dealing with "net scheduler" by @spencetj. Maybe this helps you in case of any problems e.g. this workaround.
Greenify
Greenify supports my objectives by “hibernating” most of my installed applications. The screenshots below are supposed you to show you the applications, which I haven’t “greenified”. What Greenify does respectively is supposed to achieve can be taken from the XDA threads. Please be aware that the thread regarding [APP][4.1+] Greenify v2.9 Final (Updated on Aug.1) has been closed by @oasisfeng; instead he opened this new one: [BETA] Greenify 2.9.5 beta 3 (Sep. 21, 2016) [BETA]. Please check the Greenify Forum for applicable threads.
Further guidance, actually the one I initially used, is also available in this guide: [GUIDE][26-07-2016]Extreme Battery Life Thread(Greenify+Amplify+Power Nap) by @v7.
EDIT (2019-01-02): Meanwhile, hibernation on Oreo and later seems to work nearly perfectly that Greenify is probably unnecessary in conjunction with these Android versions. However, no own personal experience as our devices are still and will remain on Nougat.
Amplify
By the use of Amplify, I manipulated wakelocks, alarms, and services connected to my installed applications. Using Amplify probably requires the most manual input of all other mentioned applications (except maybe MyAndroidTools and/or AppOpsXposed) but the outcome is tremendous in my opinion.
Amplify is available via this thread [Mod][Xposed] Amplify - Battery Extender - Control alarms, services, and wakelocks by @cryptyk who also nicely explains in his thread what wakelocks and alarms are.
My screenshots below (zipped due to their amount) are supposed to provide an impression, which wakelocks, alarms, and services I limited by Amplify; however, it’s a pity I can’t show you the exact settings for each one of them. Till today, I’ve been unable to figure out how to export or save my settings of Amplify.
EDIT (2016-10-12): Additionally, the attached xml-file contains my current Amplify limitations for those interested. I found it thanks to this post by @Sam Nakamura and the hint to it by @Davey126.
EDIT (2016-10-27): For completeness, I must mention that some highly experienced users e.g. @Davey126 are questioning the let's call it effectiveness of Amplify and from my understanding seem to achieve less drainage without the use of Amplify. If interested in these conversations I suggest to search for respective posts (e.g. by @Davey126) relevant threads. Some of his very valuable thoughts and paradigmatic attitude can be retrieved here.
In the very beginning, I initially took the settings suggested at [GUIDE][26-07-2016]Extreme Battery Life Thread(Greenify+Amplify+Power Nap) by @v7 but in turn continued to modify them more and more. Meanwhile, all Google Play Services related wakelocks and alarms are limited, by the way without any problems for me or my device; however, remember how limited my intended use of Google crap is (post #1).
@Celestial Fury provides very helpful guidance in his thread [GUIDE] 0% [0.0%/h] Idle Battery Drain on Stock ROM (XPosed & Amplify Required!) “[GUIDE] 0% [0.0%/h].
If you use the powerful XDA search engine it’s going to drag you to other valuable, sometimes specialised posts e.g. to this one: Getting rid of wlan_rx_wake wakelocks by @laxor.
EDIT (2016-10-31): Just in order to gain some own experiences, I uninstalled Amplify three days ago after resetting to its defaults. My intention was to observe battery drainage of my system without a running Amplify; everything else remained unchanged.
Observation: Within the two days, the system had higher battery loss of 1.5%/hour during idle without an installed Amplify compared to the values before with the running Amplify.
EDIT (2016-11-16): For two days now I'm GApps free!!! System is running thousand times smoother, fixing the location is very fast even without GPS, blanketstore does what it's supposed to do, and in a few days I'm going to observe my battery drainage more closely; just this morning resetted my Amplify statistics.
But talking Amplify: Obviously due to the lack of the original Google Play Store, it doesn't recognise my donation anymore i.e. no pro-features available and by this now useless to me. Most likely, I'm going to uninstall Amplify having also in mind that some very experienced guys like @Davey126 doubt its necessity anyway.
Alternatively, I hope that @Paget96 is eventually forking Amplify to his great application L SPEED.
Davey126 said:
FYI - I am Amplify free on most of my devices and have profited from reduced maintenance (monitoring/tweaking/optimising blocks) and undesirable side effects that often manifest in subtle ways. In some cases I accepted a modest increase in drain rates while still enjoying overall performance that ranks in the top 20% based on values reported here and similar threads. All day battery life is a must; no compromises there. Arguably drain rates improved a bit with the removal of Amplify but hard to isolate (hint: reset stats on occasion and observe results with no other changes). I do have Amplify running on a couple of older devices that rely on stock ROMs and tight Google Play Services integration. I find a minimal configuration works best with carefully selected conservative blocks (items/durations) along with a weekly stat reset.
Amplify continues to be a fine (albeit stagnant) tool with no apparent equal. It is the right solution for many who experience excessive battery drain and/or wake time due to unconstrained alarms/wakelocks. I prefer to go after these pups at the source which mitigates the need for Amplify.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT (2017-04-14): A few weeks ago, I decide to no longer use Amplify as @Davey126's philosophy quoted above and below makes sense to me. Meanwhile, I'm able to fully concur to his deductions and conclusions.
Davey126 said:
I'm certainly no expert but take a different approach to wakelock management after spending am embarrassing amount of time with Amplify and similar tools. I don't limit anything that does not contribute to unwanted wake time and associated battery drain. That reduces the number of candidates from hundreds to a handful. From there I target the app/service/function vs going after wakelocks. For example I disable Firebase Analytics vs limiting/blocking the associated WLs. Currently enjoying 0.2%/hr idle drain will LTE, WiFi and location service on 7x24. Haven't used Amplify in months. Greenify and native Doze are my power management tools of choice on Android 6 w/Xposed. Also use MyAndroidTools and SD Maid to rein in a few rogue services and broadcast receivers. The rest is pure stock.
Bottom line: the vast majority of wakelocks are benign. It's the receiver that determines what actions, if any, will be taken.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Power Nap
Please allow me to phrase from [GUIDE][26-07-2016]Extreme Battery Life Thread(Greenify+Amplify+Power Nap) by @[I]v7[/I], as I couldn’t explain it better: “Power Nap for Xposed is the SONY's stamina mod for non-Sony devices. When your screen is off, Power Nap maximizes your device's deep sleep time by stopping services, alarms and wakelocks from waking the device when the screen is off. You can get notification from the apps you've whitelisted.” The application itself is still available here:; however, the corresponding XDA thread [MOD][APP][XPOSED][4.1+] Power Nap for Xposed - Sony's Stamina Mode for all devices! by @waylaidwanderer currently seems not to be very active because waylaidwanderer didn’t contribute since nearly April 2015 anymore. Anyhow, the application does its job from my point of view, and I amended this post by some screenshots of my applications on the whitelist.
EDIT (2016-10-22): @waylaidwanderer is back on air.
EDIT (2016-11-03): I was wondering if PowerNap really has an influence on the battery drainage of my device. For this reason, I uninstalled PowerNap and observed the power consumption for about two days. Attached is last night's idle dump. Actually, I wasn't able to detect any difference to the times when PowerNap was installed. I know my device is more than idling when asleep but this is due to my personal objectives; however, even without PowerNap I got a drainage of (in my opinion) only 1.1%/hour. My decision is now: I don't re-install PowerNap 'cause I don't require applications I don't benefit from in some way - less apps, much better.
AppOpsXposed
AppOpsXposed is a permission manager on Android, and by that you’re also able to deny permission to “keep awake” of e.g. Google Play Services, Google Services Framework, and other applications; However, I again suggest to look into the recommendations at [GUIDE][26-07-2016]Extreme Battery Life Thread(Greenify+Amplify+Power Nap) by @[I]v7[/I]. Actually, I used AppOpsXposed to re-check and to modify my advanced privacy settings of the ROM if required.
The application is available via its thread [Xposed][MOD][1.30.3] AppOpsXposed - AppOps for 4.3+ “[Xposed][MOD][1.30.3] by @caspase.
Spare #1
Spare #2
Spare #3
Wow and again wow!! :good: Congrats and many thanks for the time you spent
and the effort you did for such a contribution, the thread and the posts.
And also thanks for what you do and did for our beloved i9305 in this thread and all in all the other threads you participate. Thanks!! :good:
rodman01 said:
Wow and again wow!! :good: Congrats and many thanks for the time you spent
and the effort you did for such a contribution, the thread and the posts.
And also thanks for what you do and did for our beloved i9305 in this thread and all in all the other threads you participate. Thanks!! :good:
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I'm surprised how many thanks you had available. Getting slightly embarrassed now; however, I believe it's my duty to share my experiences like so many others do on XDA. I learnt incredibly much from them. Superb community.
Anyhow, I not only guess - I know as soon as my wife left the hospital and is back home, I won't and actually don't want to spend the same amount of time at XDA as I did in the past.
You are welcome and all my best to and for your wife and you. Enjoy your life together and when she is back home and you find the way back to xda from time to time, we would appreciate it.
Wow, great thread! I'll be following this closely as I can only get 1.5 hours of SOT max with my current setup.
thanks man....apreciate
carlitobahsoun said:
thanks man....apreciate
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If you like it I don't mind you'd hit the thanks button in the lower right corner of the OP and/or the post(s) helpful to you.
rodman01 said:
You are welcome and all my best to and for your wife and you. Enjoy your life together and when she is back home and you find the way back to xda from time to time, we would appreciate it.
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You won't definitely lose me. I get so much out of XDA and its great community; you made such a great tool out of my device, and I want to see RR "N" (despite not knowing if or when I convert - RR v5.7.4 Sammy is running so smoothly. Shall I really change a well running engine?)
limjh16 said:
Wow, great thread! I'll be following this closely as I can only get 1.5 hours of SOT max with my current setup.
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I'm convinced I'm going to further decrease my battery's drainage as soon as I'm able to modify my objectives: No requirement for 24/7 framework operations (calls, text messaging, email, messenger). And this will occur when my wife is returning home.
Well executed write up with a nice balance of general guidance and specific detail. Thanks for sharing your experiences; should prove a helpful starting point for those seeking tighter control and improved battery life from their devices.
Update of OP
OP Updated: Amended post #3 by an idle dump from BBS, and amended post #5 by my Amplify settings.
I hope both is interesting to check.
Update of Post #3
Added a remark regarding "net scheduler wakelock" to post #3.
EDIT (2016-10-18): Updated post #3 thanks to @Wood Man I've become aware of another thread dealing with "net scheduler" by @spencetj.
Gave all my thanks for today
Great guidance, hope i can improve my batterylife and SoT
I already followed most threads you suggested but this one sums up everything very nice and easy
This might seem like a really weird topic to some but its becoming one that I feel will benefit many in discussing:
Since 2010, I've remained on the fence about Google and to a lesser degree Samsung and Apple. Some days I'd wake up and they would be the company I LOATH and HATE because of some thing they did that had bad optics (Hello Google's purchase of Boston Dynamics). Other days, I'd wake up and think they were the best company in the world because they did something that really pushed the envelope of technology or did something that had fantastic humanitarian potential or something that was just genuinely felt altruistic in nature.
As time went, those days of "evil" creped closer in to being the daily status quo and those altruistic events have been diminishing. 2016 marked the year where we saw a huge uptick in the unethical usage of data Google and companies who could claim close affiliation (either by direct partnerships or making use of their technology) began to absolutely abuse the information they've gathered on us over the last 10-20 years depending how early of an adopter you were.
Events such as PRISM, Harvard Analytical and Fusion GPS all illustrated the unethical use of data gathering techniques and has inspired the application of the Jellinik Curve and other addiction methodologies into applications.
It's been my goal in 2019 to get myself as much out of this "game" as possible. The big realization I had a number of years ago (which, I'm sure many others have had) is that if you aren't paying for something with money, you are paying for something through some other means; usually through information. This doesn't necessarily preclude that paying for something means they aren't ALSO doing stuff with your data too to some nefarious end (Hello False Dichotomy).
After all this background, my usecases are pretty simple:
- Any application I use on my phone has to be front someone or someplace (company) that, with some research, seems like they have ethical standing.
- My information going through their network needs to be encrypted in some way. Obviously the higher the better within operational tolerances (IE I doesn't bog down the equipment into unusable).
- It has to be cloud based with the same information being accessible across multiple devices.
- A mobile webapp is highly welcomed (it's harder to mess with your on phone data if you can use a webapp as opposed to an APK, but, of course that comes with usability and potentially security problems).
Insofar, I've tested/played with the following apps that are starting to become my daily drivers.
- Protomail to replace Gmail. (paying for yearly subs)
- Timetree to replace Google Calendar (Still not sold on this one)
- Cryphon to replace Hangouts/Messaging (kind of, sort of)
- Waze to replace Google Maps (Sure, Waze is owned by Google now, but its lacking some the issues --- I'm very open to another long term solution)
The one that's personally killing me is Google Voice. It's been my daily driver since 2008. I have 8 different Google Voice numbers I use for various things.
- 1 is for personal
- 1 is a "business personal"
- 5 are for business
- 1 is a spam line
I can't find any solution to Google Voice that allows for the number of phone lines without it costing an arm and a leg.
All this said, I'd like to see what the XDA community thinks about this topic in general and what app suggestions people may have.
At the end of this year, I'd like to be at a place where I can use an Android and have absolutely zero Google apps installed (including Play Services).
99.9%+ of people don't care about going non-Google. Even after many privacy abuses over the years. Even after a Play Store filled with 99.99%+ adware, trackers and malware & where clean apps are the very rare exception rather than the norm. Most people simply don't care about this stuff. Congratulations on caring enough to make changes.
Google is a filthy company, much like Microsoft and Apple. CIA /NSA partners. No different in other countries. You get exactly what you expect from such State Mafia pairings. Android only gets worse and more restrictive as time goes on.
F-droid.org for all open-source apps that aren't reliant on any Play Store spyware. F-droid.org forums for any help. Probably the best way to start on your journey. I use Osmand on the odd occasion I need GPS. It is OK. I am looking into hosting my own ejabberd server for chat. I have some way to go...it's all new to me.
Removing as much Google spyware on a new device (after rooting) is essential, IMO (If not flashing with new Google-free firmware). That means all the stock Google apps and more - gone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0G6mUyIgyg
https://qz.com/1145669/googles-true...nd-nsa-research-grants-for-mass-surveillance/
https://exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/
I feel like over the next few months we're going to start to realize this as a society, especially as we close into the 2020 election in the US and Directive 13 and 15 close closer in at the EU.
To me, its important to get ahead of the game a bit.
Ideally, from my perspective, I don't see the need to have the newest phone on the market. This ecosystem has taught us that we'll see a new product every year no matter what but that newest product will always interface the buyers as abused beta testers. The technology never seems to be good until the a generation or three later.
That being said, a phone a few years back usually has a good development group around, especially thanks to XDA.
Besides dealing with the information that's on the company's servers, however, I have a learning concern that even inside Android, without GAPPS installed, there is still some potential for abuse of person's information stepping from the various repositories designed for call logs, calendar, GPS data etc that, in theory, every Android going back to 1.0 has.
Part of my hunt for good apps are ones that don't rely on that underpinning technology.
For some time now, many years, I have experienced problems with my cellular telephone that I could not explain or rectify. I know I am being hacked and no matter how many times I factory reset the phone the problems still exist. My phone has been lost and stolen in which insurance has replaced the phone and in no time or immediately I experience the exact same problems. My videos and pictures are altered, deleted or hidden. All the programs or applications seem to be altered or customized with options that are not the genuine developer or creator options and images. The graphics associated with the applications and web pages are not the genuine images and I am sure that violates trademark, copyright, intellectual property rights and other laws I am not aware of. Web pages information, contact information, address information, and content are altered and changed which can affect all sorts of areas such as personal safety, product safety, access to information is blocked, altered or displayed in ways that make it impossible to get directions, product availability, law enforcement help, legal help and information. When I use Google Maps for directions, it will take me down one way streets the opposite direction toward oncoming traffic,, have ludicrous directions, unnecessary turns, wrong speed limits, and out right wrong directions or even switch my end point without my knowledge. I tried to order cleaning gloves and masks today, and no store in my city was in stock, and delivery was not until July the 5th, 2020. I am also experiencing the same things with all my electronics such as my computer, smart televisions, printers and gps units. I did a screen recording of the applications on my phone, and the about phone section. I know from that it is apparent that my phone is hacked and under control of some other party or person. Someone is either maliciously attacking me with the purpose to cause extreme harm for reasons of personal enjoyment, or my name, reputation and activities have been purposely misled and lied about in a gross manner where a cellular telephone developer, or a technology hacker, or information pirate or mercenary developed and/or gave someone or some group a program and knowledge on how to capture my phone and all other electronics and hold it hostage. I have tried to root the phone in order to put a custom rom on it, but my searches and efforts are blocked and never get any traction or success. I am attaching the screen capture video- it is 20+ minutes and will show the extent of the hacking. Someone is perverting and illegally using developers tools, programs, applications and code in ways that were never intended and can only lead to extreme problems of which in all honesty death or terminal scenarios are all real possibilities. I am hoping to identify these people with your help, and bring them to justice and alleviate my life problems that this has caused and stop the illegal and intentional perversion of the original intent for cellular development which is the fruitful search for knowledge and advancement of useful and legal technology. Please help me in this battle to which all operations on my device are unsuccessful, disheartening, and uncontrollable. Thank you in advance and if this should be posted in another area or forum please advise, however I am posting it in a few that I think are relevant. I live in Houston, Texas- so if there is a group of developers, or some people that can help me combat this locally please message me their contact information. Take care. - Dale-
Screenshots attached and a link to the video of my phone and it’s contents.
Here is the link to the screenshots of applications, programs and phone information: wwwdotdrive.google.com/drive/folders/1OImrdp64ndMzJGN74v7K4G6H4zc2DzV9?usp=sharing
Here is the link with the video of the screen shots and a little narration: wwwdotdrive.google.com/file/d/1i7GU9TVUnqfJvgyLq5roaaPR08EkBf0z/view?usp=sharing
Hi shooterd,
Everything is fine with your phone. I've seen both your screenshots and screen recording. What you're seeing under settings/apps list are all the system apps as well as the user apps. Most phones have at least 300+ system apps to keep it running. Granted most of them are bloatware and crap which is why there are threads with "how to debloat your phone." I'm going to go over some of system apps that you've scrolled through and tried to disabled.
Adapt Sound is found under settings/sounds, it's sort of an equalizer for all the audio on your phone.
Android Easter Egg is a built in mini-game that Google included with every system. You can do a quick search to figure out how to activate it. Most times, you go to Settings/About Phone and tap the "Android Version" block rapidly until the game loads.
ANT Radio Services are bloatware/crap.
Application Installer installs apk that you want to sideload or apps from Play Store.
CaptivePortalLogin handles the "Sign in as a guest" when you join open wifi networks such as those in cafes or hospitals.
ChocoEUKor (along with a few others, they share the same icon) is part of the stupid font bundle from Samsung.
Again a lot of these are necessary for your phone to run and is completely normal. The other 100 are removable bloatware which you can find a list of by doing a web search. It would be easier if you root your phone and then use Titanium Backup to debloat.
"My videos and pictures are altered, deleted or hidden."
You haven't shown any proof of this but if you keep reseting your phone, you'll lose internal storage data which might be what happened.
"All the programs or applications seem to be altered or customized with options that are not the genuine developer or creator options and images."
They all look fine to me, if the icons are weird, it could be your Android version or home launcher theme. I use Nova Launcher so if I go to Settings/Look & Feel, it gives you options for the icon theme including round, squircle (which is what yours currently is), rounded square, flower, adapative, legacy, etc...
"When I use Google Maps for directions, it will take me down one way streets the opposite direction toward oncoming traffic, have ludicrous directions, unnecessary turns, wrong speed limits, and out right wrong directions or even switch my end point without my knowledge. "
This is either bad GPS or bad Google Maps data. Try Waze. Although it's own by Google, it has better routes in my experience. It also sounds like you're dealing with some cognitive impairment*
"I tried to order cleaning gloves and masks today, and no store in my city was in stock, and delivery was not until July the 5th, 2020."
Short supplies, I remember it being the case everywhere. I couldn't order hand soap for two months.
"I am also experiencing the same things with all my electronics such as my computer, smart televisions, printers and gps units."
Where? How? You haven't shown any proof.
"I have tried to root the phone in order to put a custom rom on it, but my searches and efforts are blocked and never get any traction or success."
It's hard in general. And if you've updated your phone pass whatever ****ty unprotected bootloader version is necessary to root your phone, it will be impossible to root your phone. This may be the case based on your Software Information section. Check the thread requirements and make sure your phone meets those.
*I've mentioned cognitive impairment early because you sound paranoid. Are you experiencing a lot of stress, trouble sleeping, etc? And this may be odd but do you have a lot of bug bites? Bed bags are known to cause paranoia. Sorry if this isn't what you want to hear but your phone is perfectly fine.
To protect your privacy, you should probably take down your screen recording. And if you need to talk, I'll check here more frequently for the next couple days. Good luck.