GrapheneOS let's you run Whatsapp in a Work profile that's sandboxed away from your real data. You might have to install something like Insular from Fdroid to manage it.
this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2024
1 points (100.0% liked)
DeGoogle Yourself
8799 readers
1 users here now
A community for those that would like to get away from Google.
Here you may post anything related to DeGoogling, why we should do it or good software alternatives!
Rules
-
Be respectful even in disagreement
-
No advertising unless it is very relevent and justified. Do not do this excessively.
-
No low value posts / memes. We or you need to learn, or discuss something.
Related communities
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
If telemetry is only what bothers you, you should be able to block it. Pi-hole can block telemetry so you should be able to do this with some app too for example https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jak_linux.dns66 and https://nextdns.io
Very good! I've been putting off creating a pi-hole, but it looks like the time has come.
You can setup a matrix server and use whatsapp via a bridge.
It is not trivial to set up, and you still need a phone running whatsapp to re-authenticate it every couple weeks.
Run whatsapp on an android vm using quickemu or something and have a vpn for when you need to do that.
ps. Not denying its not trivial but if youre a stubborn spiteful fool (like me) using that spiteful energy for something this isnt a bad place.
What's "zero hours contract"?
There are concerns with a company requiring any tool but not providing hardware to use it. That's bad practice from a corporate perspective, and opens them up to litigation connected to whatever is on that device. This is CTO/CIO Risk Management 101, and why companies provide devices that are heavily restricted.
Its a thing in the UK - basically you don't sign a contract for regular work, but instead are given work ad hoc. My point being there're not as many rights given to these types of workers, and they especially aren't going to buy me a phone - never mind give me paid holiday leave or a pension plan.
Yes youre right its bad practice. But the company I work for really doesn't care about that. I'm only there temporarily anyways.
if you need only the chat (i.e. not calls) you could self host an instance of matrix with the whatsapp bridge. In this way you won't need the whatsapp client on your phone (other than for signing up and connecting the bridge once) and use it througth the matrix client (e.g. element).
other than for signing up and connecting the bridge once
According to the docs, you still need the whatsapp client on a physical or virtual device to call back home every 2 weeks or so, which is really annoying.
I also tried the route of using a disposable number for the activation code without any success.
didn't know that. Thank you for the useful info!
This is perfect! Exactly what I'm looking for, thank you.
I do this. However, you need to connect using the WhatsApp client every 12 days just to keep it "alive" otherwise WhatsApp servers sign the bridge out.
I have a similar setup and decided to install it on my degoogled phone because I definitely wanted to use a VPN to connect to Whatsapp and my other phone is an older Android without the global VPN option.
I have it completely isolated from my main account by using Shelter from F-droid, installing Aurora store in that sandbox and then installing Whatsapp from Aurora into the work profile created by Shelter.
This way, my main contacts and media are not accessed by Whatsapp. It does its own separate thing and I have no other apps interacting with it.
I fail to see any benefit in a VPN proxy for WhatsApp.
Meta scum don't get my IP? Its better than nothing
I again fail to see how that helps you in any way when they've got a part of your social graph and active times and other much more critical metadata.
Yes that's a great idea! I will do that, thank you.
Update: WhatsApp just didn't want to open whilst in a work environment set up by shelter. Don't know why. It just hung for a few mins then crashed. Shame! But I think I'll go with the other suggestion of a Matrix server
I don't know if it works the same way on calyx or stock Android, but GrapheneOS lets you have an entirely separate work profile. You could install WhatsApp (and any other work stuff) on that and have it as isolated as possible from your own stuff.
The problem with this setup would be there constant profile switching and the constant screen unlocking. These profiles aren't too easy to switch/coordinate, IMHO.
Really? I've always switched very simply by pulling down to the quick settings menu and clicking the user button.
And then you have to choose the user and go through the login screen/PIN. I mean you can be done in 10-15 seconds each time, but it's for something as frequently used as a chat app, it really breaks the workflow each time you need go switch apps/users, as compared to, say, hitting the navigation button to switch app twice.
OK, well that's the price you have to pay if you want to keep it isolated. I know I can't be bothered to do it, but that's what OP requested!
I reckon there should be a way to keep both sessions logged in and more easily changeable. I mean, I asked and apparently they are running simultaneously and without pausing when you switch.
Yeah that's what I did but it just didn't want to work. Never mind!
Ah shame. Maybe it needs Play Services (or something to spoof them like MicroG) in the work profile?