this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2024

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Gemini is about to slide into your DMs (www.theverge.com)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/technology@lemmy.world

20 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Google’s AI chatbot is coming to Messages. Meanwhile, Android Auto gets some AI smarts and Google Docs will let you add handwritten comments.

all 21 comments

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[–] TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone 52 points 8 months ago (6 children)

Wild question I never thought I'd be asking, anyone know a stripped down SMS app I can use instead of the default?

I don't want to see AI features and I don't wanna participate in helping anyone build a LLM

[–] seathru@lemmy.sdf.org 29 points 8 months ago

I've been using the Fossify SMS Messenger for a few weeks now and it does everything I need a messaging app to do.

[–] CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

My recommandation, stop using SMS

Switch to E2EE chats

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

I've tried, but literally everyone else I know absolutely hard refuses to switch to Signal. So, L I guess.

[–] Liz@midwest.social 14 points 8 months ago (1 children)

And here is the exact reason Signal dropping SMS was a terrible decision.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Yup. That's the whole reason I kept using signal. I got 2 or 3 people to start using it while the rest stayed on sms. It kept all my other SMS messages in the same app. So it was seamless to transition between one or the other depending on who used what.

I actually quit using signal when it could no longer be my SMS app, just because it became too much of an annoyance to remember which people did and didn't use signal.

[–] Usernameblankface@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

Yeah. Very few of the people I know have any interest.

[–] CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Up to you what you choose to share when the information goes over open air

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

The shit I send via sms is like "Do you want pizza tonight" or "how far away are you". Anything more detailed gets turned into a phone call. It'd be cooler if it were Signal but alas, family habits die hard.

[–] CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

For sure, my family took to it because Hangouts was being deprecated and we wanted a new group chat system. Easier for them since they had already adapted to a more modern text system, but I used it as an opportunity to get them onto a more secure platform and they did!

Signal Matrix etc are the way. Good luck in the future.

[–] throws_lemy@lemmy.nz 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I'm not sure this can be done more easily without root access as many Android services and Gapps are intertwined.

You can try this solution via ADB, this is just an example

pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.app

As for SMS app, I use QKSMS

I just saw this, it's available on f-droid and play store

Deku SMS is an Android SMS app.

Deku SMS is being developed as a proof-of-concept for secure SMS messaging, SMS image transmission and SMS-Cloud communications.

https://github.com/deku-messaging/Deku-SMS-Android

[–] Hellmo_Luciferrari@lemm.ee 5 points 8 months ago

It's not FOSS but I used Textra for years and it's quite great. I don't think it supports bubbles, but it's worth checking out

[–] dukatos@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago

Textra or Chomp SMS.

Textra is more feature rich but I had a problem setting custom notifications on Xiaomi phone so I switched to Chomp. Fun fact: both are developed by the same developer.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 50 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Then Google Messages is about to slide out of my phone's installed apps list.

[–] zecg@lemmy.world 27 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Now that Simple SMS Messenger by Mobile Tools has been bought, the answer is its fork, the Fossify SMS Messenger on f-droid.

[–] Unsmooth7439@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Looks like Fossify is also on the Play Store.

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I opted out of using Gemini when they launched in on my pixel 8. Will this affect me? Time to start digging.

Edit: looks like I'm in the clear until they implement this on the backend because I don't have the Gemini app on my phone.

[–] doors_3@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

One can disable google assistant via adb, I would assume even if google retires the former in favor of gemini, the newer could also be disabled via similar means.

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

I just don't want to use Gemini. I opted out and so far as I can tell from what I found online I don't have to worry about this unless they bake Gemini into apps I have installed for now. Doesn't look like I need to disable Gemini via ADB right now. And since I actually use Google Assistant, I'll stick with it till they force me to change over.