People are noticing that their phones are getting an app called “Android System Safetycore” auto-installed without notice or consent. Check your phone for the same, it is likely it’s a slow rollout instead of every device getting it installed all at the same time.

Google has all the same old reasons that they drone on about, but the actual reason is likely to harvest your messages data for training AI models.

Uninstalling seems to remove the application, and there aren’t any malicious activity reported so far as I can see, but naturally that can change anytime.

Has anyone noticed this in their applications lists? Did straight up uninstalling them work? I’ve had some trouble removing systems apps in the past, but uninstalling this one seems to have worked straightaway - I don’t see them in the list anymore.

URLs below for Reddit posts about the same: From 2 months ago: https://old.reddit.com/r/antivirus/comments/1gpdhwz/guys_help_some_app_called_android_system/

From 2 days ago: https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/1idjbdi/googles_new_app_will_help_warn_you_about_nude/

  • .Donuts@lemmy.worldEnglish
    35·
    6 days ago

    What use is uninstalling if it was automatically installed to begin with? As in, what’s gonna stop them from doing it again?

    • Caboose12000@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      4 days ago

      is it compatible with anything besides pixels yet? my phone is a Samsung galaxy something and I can’t afford a pixel but I really wanna try gtaphene

      • Midnight Wolf@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        9 hours ago

        You can finance a pixel directly from G - and avoid carrier lock-in, and potentially save hundreds on your bill by not having to get an expensive plan to qualify for carrier financing - at 0% for 36 months.

  • kekmacska@lemmy.zipEnglish
    7·
    5 days ago

    another win for custom rom users (vanilla, pico gapps, core gapps unaffected).

    this is an example of Google trying to ruin the best operating system in ever existence. Don’t let that. Flash vanilla AOSP today

  • Cenzorrll@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    6 days ago

    I just found it in my list and uninstalled it, doesn’t seem to have affected anything by removing it.

  • Maiq@lemy.lolEnglish
    3·
    5 days ago

    The only way I was able to uninstall facebook on my old S9 was through adb. It works for preinstalled bloat probably should work for system apps as well.

    adb uninstall package.appname.here

  • ohellidk@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    81·
    6 days ago

    Not seeing it on my rooted LineageOS device yet. I’ll keep looking out for it, and methods to block installation if it does show up.

  • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
    413·
    6 days ago

    Google already has all of your data. Why would one extra app make a difference? There background service runs as root and sends back all data every few seconds. If you put your device in airplane mode it stores your data to disk before sending it back. Modern Android also has all Google proprietary apps that collect data. That includes everything from messages to calendar

    The only way to get privacy is to use something based on AOSP that doesn’t have Google services framework.

    • kekmacska@lemmy.zipEnglish
      3·
      5 days ago

      i agree with the last part but i think “they already have my data it doesn’t matter” approach is the worst thought about privacy. It is almost never too late. If you start to care more about privacy, they will get much less amount of data, and the previously collected data becomes outdated, thus not usable to track you

      • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
        11·
        5 days ago

        They only way to stop the data collection is to stop using Google services. Google is very intent on gathering as much as possible so you can’t just stop the data collection.