A few weeks ago, I explicitly disabled it everywhere I could find within account.google.com and I’ve not used anything gemini since. Now I get this email and find it enabled on my devices.

By default Gemini has permissions to access everything on screen, view your contacts/messages, and can be used from the lockscreen…

I’m not all that surprised; but I’m still annoyed. Especially with the opt-out of data collection/access after it’s been given access to everything.

  • chetradley@lemmy.world
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    17 hours ago

    I strongly suspect the Gemini team is trying to artificially inflate the usage statistics for it by opting people in without their consent and requiring you to replace assistant with Gemini in order to access popular tools like image gen.

    It’s likely that in a few months they’ll get exposed, probably not even get a slap on the wrist for it, and go back to their shady business practices.

    • Darkassassin07@lemmy.caOP
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      16 hours ago

      Sounds about right.

      It may inflate the numbers for now, but overall I think it’s just going to have a negative impact. I may have decided to play with it at somepoint, I’m just somewhere between disinterested and distrusting of the tech. Now that it’s been shoved down my throat though, I adamantly REFUSE to touch Gemini. Installing it on my devices and giving it all my data without consent is absurd overreach and should be a felony.

  • wulrus@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    I tried Gemini before. The problem was reliability.

    E. g. I say “add an event to my calendar: tomorrow 2 p.m., doctor visit”, and it parses the voice perfectly. The regular assistant would then just create the entry.

    But Gemini sometimes goes like: “Adding an entry to your calendar is easy! Do you have an iPhone? Then these are the steps: …”

  • notfromhere@lemmy.ml
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    1 day ago

    on my devices

    See that’s where we’re fucking up. If a company can install things on ”your” devices, it’s really their devices.

  • Ulrich@feddit.org
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    1 day ago

    Come to GrapheneOS where your phone just leaves you the fuck alone and does what you ask of it.

    • truxnell@infosec.pub
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      10 hours ago

      This is the way. I resisted doing a custom ROM based on past experience, but GrapheneOS is absolutely worth it. The day I saw Gemini in the text messaging app is the day I bit the bullet. Wish I did it sooner

      • SidewaysHighways@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        what’s the privacy vs pure security info? is GrapheneOS actually keeping our data more private or just making it really hard to get hacked?

        I’ve been on it for like a week now and love it

        • smeg@feddit.uk
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          20 hours ago

          Security is the priority, but that does usually give you a good amount of privacy too.

          One example I remember where there was a clash was developing their sandboxed Google Play Services rather than supporting MicroG. I think their reasoning was that sandboxing the Google code makes it much more secure, and even though MicroG is more private from Google it’s still a mystery blob with full access to your device and therefore less secure.

        • kat@orbi.camp
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          1 day ago

          It makes the former possible but you still meed to keep up on privacy hygiene. Check out privacyguides.org to help you with that. Privacy is a spectrum, so the trick is finding where you want to be and assesing what you have to sacrifice to do so.

    • JoshCodes@programming.dev
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      1 day ago

      Can I install on a Samsung? I know computers and their bootloaders/OSs pretty well but phones are mostly a mystery

      • Ulrich@feddit.org
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        1 day ago

        Well for starters there’s no Gemini unless you choose to install it on your device.

        Other than that, just general privacy and security improvements. Sandboxed Google Play Services is another big benefit.

        You can check out the website if you want to know more.

          • The Octonaut
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            1 day ago

            Step 1. Reconsider your chosen birthplace. Choose another location with consumer protection.

            Step 2. Restart your life.

            Step 3. If the restart life option is not available on your plan, contact support. Location transfer options are available but terms and conditions of port outs have changed recently.

          • Spider89@lemm.ee
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            1 day ago

            I’m pretty sure Verizon locks the bootloader on their phones. I had a S10e and I wasn’t able to unlock it.

            It may be the same for you.

            • SatanClaus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              1 day ago

              Yeah. I’m fucked sadly. I might call and yell at their phone reps. But I doubt it would ever get me anywhere.

              • Ulrich@feddit.org
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                1 day ago

                Yeah. Uh. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that but don’t buy phones from the carrier.

  • centof@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    It is vital that the peasants consumers use our AI to keep the Lords’ Shareholders’ happy.

  • Lojcs@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    I have the assistant disabled entirely because I find its gesture annoying. Gemini force enabled it back a couple days ago.

  • realcaseyrollins@thelemmy.club
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    1 day ago

    When’s Google gonna put Gemini on the Google Home/Nest devices? I’d switch to 'em if they end up getting Gemini on them, the amount of times I ask my Echo Dot a simple question that it can’t answer but Gemini can is ridiculous.