My notes about Android

Table of Contents

Where can we buy used phones?

iPhone related question: Does anyone have experience with or recommendations for used/refurb iPhone sellers? My partner really prefers the ‘mini’ versions, and the newest mini’s available are 13 I think.

Swappa is a good site for this. Swappa is currently the top of our list.

I’ve used Back Market and been very happy with the results.

My current iPhone is the first one I didn’t buy off of eBay. I’ve never had a problem with them, though I have only bought from sellers with excellent ratings.

I’ve used Gazelle in the past and had a good experience.

I got a used one from Best Buy, and it has worked well

woot is awesome as well

Android alternatives

  1. GrapheneOS
  2. LineageOS (supports many older devices)

Look into these as well:

  1. Sprinboard Volla - phone

  2. Cosmo Communicator - phone

  3. Proix - phone

  4. Purism librem 5 -> Not recommended.

  5. Pinephone is the better choice compared to Purism.

  6. Regarding the OS that can be used on Pinephone, UBPorts (Ubuntu Touch) is recommended.

  7. How does Manjaro Plasma compare to UBPorts?

What do people use for maps when using Linux phones?

How to revert back from a custom ROM baqk to stock Android? https://flash.android.com/welcome

Tools to help make your phone boring

(In an effort to minimize screen time and improve focus on doing other things)

  1. Hex Launcher
  2. Disable “lift to check” feature in Android
  3. Black screen for wallpaper

How to install Android apps without using PlayStore?

  1. Install F-Droid using apk download
  2. Download Aurora Store from F-Droid
  3. Search for and install apps from Aurora Store

Helpful apps for Android (alphabetical order)

  1. Alarm/Clocks
    1. AlarmDroid - minimal and good
    2. Google Clock app - better interface than the native app. Not many features in addition to the native app.
    3. The native one (works ok with minimal interface)
    4. Timely (need subscription)
    5. Alarmy - the app didn’t even start. It looks like it needs native debugging access - which is not permitted (by default) in GrapheneOS
    6. Caynax Alarm Clock - the app didn’t even start. It looks like it needs native debugging access - which is not permitted (by default) in GrapheneOS
  2. Accrescent
    1. AppVerifier
    2. BeauTyXT (text editor)
    3. Aves Gallery - The best gallery app I’ve seen for Android
  3. Browsers
    1. Brave browser
    2. Firefox (extensions - Dark Reader) (set startpage.com as the default search engine)
    3. Tor Browser (browser) (set startpage.com as the default search engine)
  4. Chimes based on a duration
    1. Mindfulness Chime (worked well) - doesn’t seem to work with latest Android version though
    2. BlipBlip (blip reminder on an hourly or timely basis) (couldn’t find the app in AppStore)
  5. Email clients
    1. Dedicated clients
      1. Protonmail
      2. Tutanota
    2. Apps that support multiple accounts like gmail, hotmail, outlook, yahoomail, etc. - better than using one for gmail, one for hotmail, one for yahoomail
      1. Just stick to using FairEmail.
        1. FairEmail
          1. https://email.faircode.eu/
          2. I used it for many years
          3. People like FairEmail because it does everything. Whatever feature you like in any other app, it’s somewhere in FairEmail ready to be used along with a thousand others you’ve never dreamed of. The downside is that there are hundreds of options in a dozen different settings tabs which overwhelms people who just want to put their password in and have it work. If there’s ever a problem, the developer will usually respond within the hour to fix it for you, rewriting code and adding features if he has to. Its privacy guards are unequalled, stripping tracking data out of all your mail. It is not the prettiest, but it is the runaway winner for being the most powerful.
          4. I would not sleep well if my email app was not open source. So FairEemail from fDroid is very recommended.
          5. Theming-wise, it is a little bland. It was designed in 2008.
          6. But otherwise, it is great.
          7. For being open source and like $8 you can’t ask for much more.
          8. you can also set up rules for individual emails or accounts
          9. Multiple accounts (Gmail, outlook, yahoo etc)
          10. Ability to bulk delete emails all at once
          11. Ability to pin or star emails to stay at the top
      2. I tried some of these at one point. Did not like them.
        1. Inbox app from blackberry
          1. Snooze messages so they can reappear later
          2. Caveat: To use this, we have to install another app called BlackBerry Hub+Services
        2. K9-Mail
          1. Its free, open source and ads free so it is best email client app you can download it from F-droid
          2. Did not like the interface
        3. Gmail or Gmail Go (lighter version)
        4. Outlook or Outlook Lite or Outlook (Microsoft)
        5. Yahoomail
        6. Aquamail - https://www.aqua-mail.com/android
          1. AquaMail is 29 dollars a year for premium version that strikes it right there
          2. Nobody should pay 29 bucks for email app
        7. Bluemail - https://bluemail.me/
          1. Best features
          2. Despite all of its features, Blue Mail can sometimes lag a bit or fail to notify you about a new message. Although this isn’t something that happens with every message or even every single day, it does happen frequently enough to frustrate the average user who likes to reply to messages in a timely fashion.
        8. EdisonMail
          1. Best for Spam Removal
          2. It’s the spam filter and spam removal tools that really make Edison Mail stand out from the competition. Unlike other Android email apps, Edison Mail blocks tracking pixels automatically. With each message in your inbox, you also have the option to both block the sender’s address and mark the message as spam, giving you the ability to better control future emails you receive. Furthermore, the single-click unsubscribe tool makes it easy to remove yourself from mailing lists you no longer want to be on.
          3. Stay away from Edison. They were in a big scandal 2 years ago where they were caught scraping customers’ email to sell data to a third party ( https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkekmb/free-email-apps-spying-on-you-edison-slice-cleanfox ). Also they were just bought by yipitdata which sells data to hedge funds.
  6. Navigation
    1. Google Maps
    2. Magic Earth
    3. Mapquest
    4. GPS Tools (good app with various features to determine gps info)
  7. News
    1. Feeder (RSS Feed Reader)
    2. Flipboard
    3. Instapaper (Reading articles)
  8. Podcasts
    1. AntennaPod
    2. Google Podcasts
  9. Printers and Scanners
    1. HP Print Service
    2. Epson iPrint
  10. Office
    1. CamScanner
    2. WPS Office Lite
    3. Word (Microsoft) (technically, it supports pdf files as well. But it is very slow. Moonreader seems to be much faster alternative to this.)
  11. Streaming
    1. Prime Video (streaming)
    2. Netflix (streaming)
    3. Max
  12. Authenticator
    1. Google
    2. Microsoft
    3. Oracle
  13. Radio
    1. NPR (NPR News, NPR One)
    2. WFAE (Charlotte NPR app)
  14. Cloud storage clients
    1. Mega Sync Client
    2. Sync (cloud client)
  15. Home
    1. Eero (wifi router app)
    2. Flo my Moen
    3. Google Home
    4. MyQ (Garage door opener)
    5. Rainbird (app to control sprinkler system)
    6. Ring (Home security)
  16. Cambridge Dictionary
  17. DuckDuckGo
  18. Fdroid
  19. Geeks for Geeks
  20. GitHub (Preferable to look at repositories in a browser. The app is not all that helpful)
  21. Glassdoor (Job search)
  22. LBRY
  23. LinkedIn (Job search)
  24. NetGuard
  25. OsmAnd
  26. Quora (Reading) - Beware of this. This could turn out to be a time pit. You are probably better off logging into the website in a computer when necessary
  27. Startpage search engine app
  28. Vim Master
  29. APAS (Algorithm Problems and Solutions)
  30. AccuBattery
  31. Algorithms (visual explanation of algorithms)
  32. Alltrails
  33. Bitwarden password manager
    1. To unlock Bitwarden on Android with your fingerprint, first ensure fingerprint unlock is enabled in your device’s settings.
    2. Then, within the Bitwarden app, navigate to Settings, then Account security, and toggle on the biometrics option for unlocking your vault.
  34. Calculator
  35. Calendar
  36. Chess.com
  37. Connect and ConnectIQ (Garmin)
  38. Contacts (Google)
  39. CourtReserve (Fort Mill tennis and pickleball courts)
  40. Craigslist
  41. Crossrope
  42. F-Droid (Need it to install Aurora Store)
  43. Gray-scale - did not work (toggle gray color screen on and off - haven’t figured out how to use this successfully - the set-up seems a little complicated)
  44. Grayjay - How is this different from using the “subscribers” tab in YouTube?
  45. Jump rope traning
  46. Level (keylock)
  47. OpenPhone
  48. Proton VPN
  49. QR Code Scanner
  50. Standard Notes (note taking app)
  51. The weather channel (weather)
  52. Token (SecurID RSA Tokens)
  53. Udemy
  54. Voice Recorder
  55. Walldrobe (wallpapers from Unsplash)

Messaging

  1. Discord - https://discord.com/
    1. How to find servers in discord? To find and join Discord servers, navigate to the Server Discovery tab, explore categories, or search for specific communities using keywords. You can also use external websites like Discord.me and Disboard to find a wider variety of servers.
  2. EFnet - http://www.efnet.org/
  3. Element chat
    1. This site is mentioned in hledger support documentation
    2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Element_(software)
    3. https://element.io/
  4. ICQ Chat - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICQ
  5. Signal (Messaging apps)
  6. Trillian - https://trillian.im/
  7. vk.me https://vk.me/app
  8. Whatsapp (Messaging apps)

ebook readers

  • Kindle
  • Lithium (ebook reader)
  • Moonreader (This has good support for txt and markdown files along with epub, mobi and a lot of other file types. A very good app. Use this for pdfs as well. You do not need any other app specifically for pdfs.)

How to export books in epub or html or whatever format to devices so that we can read them using these readers?

Upload the files to tresorit and use that link in a browser to download the files on to a device.

The downside to this approach is, you have the files only on the device to which you downloaded it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/androidapps/comments/18mrw2e/suggest_me_the_best_ebook_reader/

Music

Streaming

  1. Spotify
  2. Amazon Music
  3. Pandora

Tagging

  1. MusicBrainz Picard:
    1. Cross-platform: Available on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
    2. Open-source and free: A community-driven project.
    3. AcoustID: Uses AcoustID audio fingerprints to identify tracks and match them to MusicBrainz metadata, even if tags are missing or inaccurate.
    4. Features: Can tag, rename, and reorganize music libraries, download album art, and includes an integrated player for verification.
  2. Kid3
  3. Puddletag
  4. EasyTAG

Youtube and it’s alternatives

  1. Youtube

Is there a way to listen to youtube videos as audio only?

There are several ways to listen to YouTube videos as audio only.

  1. YouTube Music
    1. YouTube Music allows you to toggle between audio and video modes for uploaded content.
  2. browser extensions
    1. Browser extensions like “Audio Only YouTube” can disable the video portion and save data.
  3. third-party apps like
    1. NewPipe - You can listen in background or download the video/song. Another big plus it’s that is pretty easy on the battery.
    2. YMusic (available outside the Google Play Store) or
  4. external websites like
    1. ListenToYT.cc offer ways to stream YouTube audio without the video.

Alternatives

If you like playing YouTube videos without ads or for increased privacy to avoid having your video habits tracked and processed by A.I. or whatever dark magic treats you like digital livestock, then there are plenty of existing players. These often include handy features, such as SponsorBlock and DeArrow, that reduce clutter, clickbait, misleading titles, and other bloat.

  1. NewPipe,
  2. ReVanced,
  3. SmartTube,
  4. yt-dip
  5. and several others.
  6. youtube-dl and yt-dlp
    1. I’ve dropped youtube-dl some years ago, because it was speed limited (by Google), while yt-dlp somehow is downloading as fast as the network can. Syntax is about the same as for youtube-dl: Code: [Select] 
      yt-dlp -f best --sub-lang en --write-auto-sub --sub-format srt <video-ID-or-playlist-ID>
  7. Grayjay
    1. Grayjay is similar. It will play YouTube videos anonymously and without ads (if you choose) without needing to sign into YouTube with an identity. While the other players mentioned are mainly limited to YouTube, Grayjay allows you to add additional sources so you can watch videos from other platforms through the use of plugins.
    2. Grayjay Plugins You can add sources. A source is a platform from which to scrape videos. By default, the YouTube plugin is already active, but you can add more platforms by installing other plugins. As of this writing, the available plugins are:
      1. YouTube (installed by default)
      2. SoundCloud
      3. Patreon
      4. Spotify
      5. PeerTube
      6. Nebula (requires a Nebula account to watch videos)
      7. Kick
      8. Twitch
      9. Odysee
      10. Rumble
      11. BiliBili
    3. You do not need to be logged into any free platform to subscribe to anything. Subscriptions are handled with Grayjay’s own mechanism.
    4. Convenient Aggregation
      1. Adding a number of videos and channels from a variety of sources in order to view them in a single app is extremely handy and convenient. It is kind of similar to how RSS aggregates feeds from multiple web sites in one location. You can consolidate multiple sources into a single user interface using a familiar format. Imagine if the original YouTube app could also stream from Rumble, Twitch, Odysee, and Kick in addition to YouTube videos. The result would be Grayjay.
    5. Is Grayjay free?
      1. No. Grayjay is very clear about this. However, the payment system for now appears to be an honor system. If you like the program, the developers ask you to pay. If not, you can still use the program. There is no difference between a paid version and using it for free.
      2. Personally, the asking price is not enough to justify what still feels like beta software. Many sections are clearly labeled as “Under Construction.” For myself, buying it now seems premature, and I do not see myself using it much anyway.

Some Android Keyboards that Respect Your Privacy

https://www.howtogeek.com/3-free-android-keyboards-that-respect-your-privacy/

Your personal text messages, banking info, social media passwords, and search history all have one phone app in common: the keyboard. When so much private data interfaces with a single app, privacy becomes a real concern.

When you look at the toggles in an app’s settings menu, if you see switches that are enabled by default that reads “Share” data for ads personalization", It allows Google/Microsoft/builders of that keyboard to harvest device and keyboard usage data.

Does a keyboard need internet access in the first place? Of course, it doesn’t. There’s no justification for that. Unless you want to mine your users for as much data as you can. That’s what makes these keyboards a bad choice for privacy.

According to their privacy policy, the keyboard apps from Google and Microsoft frequently phone home with metadata and usage statistics. Metadata and usage statistics are what’s officially outlined in the Microsoft Swiftkey privacy policy. But what you type into the app is also sent to the Microsoft servers. A few years ago, SwiftKey had a bug that started displaying other people’s private email addresses in the prediction boxes. Microsoft had to shut down the syncing features temporarily.

That wasn’t an isolated incident. Ai.type is a popular keyboard with over 50 million users. It suffered a data breach that exposed sensitive records of some 30 million of those users. The record was promised to be encrypted, but it wasn’t, actually. The leak had almost 9 million entries of what people had typed into their onscreen keyboard, including sensitive info like web history, email addresses, locations, phone numbers, and even live passwords.

Samsung had its fiasco with the onscreen keyboard in the form of a bug that gave hackers free access to users’ devices.

All that is not to say that these popular keyboards are keyloggers or malware. The trouble with these apps is not just their unrestricted internet access. But also their closed-source nature. Functionally, these keyboard apps are black boxes, and you have no way of knowing what happens to your data and text.

Companies are aggressively plugging generative AI into every app they can find. SwiftKey now has a Microsoft AI Copilot integration. And the privacy risks are only going to get worse from now. That’s why it’s the perfect time to switch to a truly free, open-source keyboard that stays offline (just as a keyboard is supposed to do). I have four awesome options to share with you in particular order.

  1. AnySoftKeyboard
  2. Openboard
  3. Simple Keyboard
  4. Florisboard
    1. we have an open-source keyboard that works offline.
    2. But on top of being privacy-friendly, Florisboard is the most modern and the most thoughtfully designed keyboard on this list.
    3. If you want a keyboard that feels fresh and modern while delivering a privacy-friendly experience, you cannot go wrong with Florisboard.
    4. Florisboard isn’t available on the Google Play Store. But you can grab it from F-Droid to get automatic updates.

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