Since this thread is open to some weird things, well lo and behold. The faces of bank employees when I got my phone out of the pocket and showed them that I would like to install their banking app, but it just so happens that my OS is GrapheneOS, not your run of the mill Android. They went blank and silent, eyes popped out. Like some awkward situation in which they saw me like a bum, smeared in feeces or something. They were out of their know territory and called someone, I assume some higher tier tech and the situation somehow defused. Yet, they asked me to bring a real phone next time and try again. What about that, Sir? What about no? Will do my banking in a web browser and each party goes their separate way. Cheers
They asked you to bring... a *real* phone? Damn, I have a Pixel 7 and once it hits EOL I plan to move it to Lineage/GrapheneOS as well. The more you know I guess.
This gets even weirder. Managed to buy a mint condition Pixel, got my parcel and started to check everything, I have 48 H to either accept or make a claim on paid money and return the item. Long story short, the damn thing had the WiFi bug, I didn't know that it even exists! The Pixel would not "see" the wireless network, let alone connect to one! Tried every trick, managed to get it working for a few minutes, then it went in a boot loop After many minutes, managed to boot it into the recovery and flashed GrapheneOS on it, thinking it would solve the problem. No, it didn't. Made it even worse. Flashed back to stock, contacted the seller, send him videos with proofs and opened a claim. It was not to be. Fingers crossed to receive my money in a timely manner.
I have been using internet for as long as I remember These two are not the same problems, although they might be to you. As long as some service does require me to link a social media accounts on it I just stop using it and its fine. The second story is not the same thing because banks cannot issue their online banking app for everything so they do so for major platforms, e.g. official android and iOS, that means those phones which have access to google play and iOS app store. So going nuts over a fact that lady behind a desk at the bank does not know what graphene OS is just overreaction on your part. I agree with you 100% that technology does tie us to the big brother spying on us. However, you can live happily without any phone, or bank or social media, and no one will care, but you have to prepare alternative things to compensate and lose the convenience. I know tons of people who never used social media, who have same bar-type button phone for 20 years, as long as you don't need the convenience of those things, it's fine.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems as though the 'QR Code' technology is proliferating quite a bit. Even within the UEFI BIOS on motherboards. "Oh? You want details and information? Scan the QR Code. Wait, what?!!! You don't have a smart-phone? What?!!!" No. No, I don't. And, I'm just fine about that. Scan the QR Code... Who is scanning who, I wonder. How about you scan my ass?
I would if I was not on another continent... As for QR-codes - that`s just textual information (like URL) coded in square bar code. Scanning it with smartphone (to decode to actual information) is just a shortcut. No problem if QR-code just placed beside the textual information, problem is when it sits alone.
"bring a real phone next time" lol If I had a job I'd buy a pinephone in a heart beat and use it as my second phone.
It's that, "sits alone" issue that I was referring to. I was recently at a train station where there was this advertisement stating only, "Limited Offer!" and a QR code. Nothing else. Down, boy.
Let`s hope we will still be able to read information on foods/goods in stores without scanning QR-codes or using augmented reality for 10-20 years at least...
Give it a few years when smart glasses are as common as smart phones, the HUD will just be bombarded with this stuff like a Web page is with adverts.
It's an interesting one, is it not; should we give more or less credence to people who post here if they have less than 100 posts and zero likes - even if what they post is of value?
Not to mention anyone could have placed that QR code there (or placed one on top of the original) and you're downloading malware by scanning it.
