submitted 5 days ago by Toasted_Breakfast@lemmy.today to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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Many people argue you have to trade convenience in order to get privacy when it comes to cell phones in the technological world. But can we take a moment to appreciate just how much convenience you can obtain with a privacy-focused ROM I mean think about it, what makes a smartphone? The ability to make phone calls the ability to text message somehow, some way, as well as the ability to access the internet and properly GPS If your phone can do those things, it is absolutely a smart phone by all conceivable metrics.

Many people can play that a completely de-googled phone is simply too frustrating to work with. It's still a far cry away from digital minimalism or monasticism.

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[-] gwl 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

The Definition I've always been taught:

a phone with the ability to install and run applications from an application repository (often called an "app store") without needing to "sideload" via USB

So no, your definition isn't inclusive of Smart Phones

Pre-smart would have the applications only be those set by a provider, and no way (without manually sideload installing via USB) to install extra applications

Edit: apparently I can't spell "applications", put it as "aplications"

[-] Eirikr70@jlai.lu 1 points 5 days ago

You have a very restrictive definition of a smartphone. Sideloading is a natural way for installing apps. In fact it has for a very long time been the only way to install apps on a Windows computer.

[-] gwl 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I'd say that anything else isn't "Smart", it's just a phone

Computer

Well yeah, a computer isn't a phone

this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2025

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Privacy

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