Maria Sophia, 2026-05-01 05:07:

PSA: Fossify Simple Mobile Tools FOSS replacement apps
<https://www.fossify.org/apps/>

Apparently these are released SimpleMobileTools replacement apps:
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Calendar>
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Contacts>
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/File-Manager>
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Gallery>
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Messages>
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Phone>

Here are the Fossify APKs on F-Droid for those which are fully released:
<https://f-droid.org/repo/org.fossify.calendar_20.apk>
Name: org.fossify.calendar_20.apk
Size: 7774487 bytes (7592 KiB)
SHA256: 2ACBD47FA2ABC6DD4846E406ED2FD60C5C01B8613158D10E012135923EE24894

<https://f-droid.org/repo/org.fossify.contacts_13.apk>
Name: org.fossify.contacts_13.apk
Size: 8602985 bytes (8401 KiB)
SHA256: 6A89BE96B5EC39F5E2B11BD61DC7031F4B88261B324AB13AF5743FBC62F0CDDB

Thanks for the hint.

But please do not link to specific APK versions but the official F-Droid
URLs. Then one can also use that in the F-Droid app and the links to the
APK files are also part of those pages - thanks!

<https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.fossify.calendar/> <https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.fossify.contacts/> <https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.fossify.filemanager/> <https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.fossify.messages/> <https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.fossify.phone/>

And you can use DAVx5 (former known as DAVDroid) to synchronize and your calendar and contacts via CalDAV/CardDAV to your own Nextcloud server:

<https://www.davx5.com>
<https://f-droid.org/packages/at.bitfire.davdroid/>


--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Maria Sophia, 2026-05-02 08:04:

Maria Sophia wrote:

<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Calendar>
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Contacts>
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Messages>
<https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Phone>

True privacy isn't a better lock; it's not giving them a door to open.

Some people don't realize that on a standard smartphone, their contacts are stored in a centralized, unprotected database. If they give a social media

Only, if you use a Google contacts/calendar account. If you use only a
local addressbook or calendar, then the data stays on the device even
when using the official Google apps. Of course your data is then not
backed up as well and you need to take care oft this - for example by
using your own Nextcloud server and DAVx5 to synchronize
contacts/calendar. If you don't want to setup and maintain Nextcloud on
your own and trust companies like Hetzner, you can also get Nextcloud as
a paid service:

<https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/>


--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Maria Sophia, 2026-05-03 22:16:

Arno Welzel wrote:

Some people don't realize that on a standard smartphone, their contacts are >>> stored in a centralized, unprotected database. If they give a social media >>

Only, if you use a Google contacts/calendar account.

Hi Arno,

It's excellent to discuss where our smartphone stores our contacts and calendar data and what a centralized unprotected database­ really means.

It's fundamentally about data sovereignty, which is the idea of who
actually owns and has access to our personal information.

If you use only a
local addressbook or calendar, then the data stays on the device even
when using the official Google apps.

Yes. But. No. Sort of...

I don't have a Google Account set up on my phone, as you're well aware.
But the contacts-privacy problem doesn't change since there are many
apps with full-read-access to the default sqlite contacts database.

We have a thread on that where almost nobody knows that list, mostly
because you cant' get the full list anyway, without adb queries, and even then, you have to realize that the list is ephemeral even to adb lookups.

So you are correct you can avoid syncing to Google, but it doesn't change
the app-permission issue that most people have no clue exists (likely
because they believe the GUI but the GUI does not tell the whole truth).

This is why apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, etc. ask for contacts.
It's a gold mine in terms of their ability to sell your social graph.

Of course your data is then not
backed up as well and you need to take care oft this - for example by
using your own Nextcloud server and DAVx5 to synchronize
contacts/calendar.

I saw your post about <https://www.davx5.com> and I agree with it.
My problem is that Windows just does not do servers all that well.
But for Linux owners, it's a wonderful way to sync things up nicely.

Besides, good contacts apps (like OpenContacts) can be set to automatically back up your contacts to a vcf file on your phone, which is potentially copied via rsync-like mechanisms to our PC (although I have yet to set that up).

I should probably set up a Raspberry Pi as my linux server, huh?

It's your decision, how you backup and use your data.

I prefer having my contacts and calendar accessible on my computer as
well and not just on my smartphone.

[...]

Me?
I never pay for anything for the obvious reason that paying even one cent destroys privacy; but I do understand for most people it's a good deal.

How does "paying" destroy privacy? Did you get your phone, your internet
access and computers for free as a gift?



--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> wrote:

How does "paying" destroy privacy? Did you get your phone, your internet access and computers for free as a gift?

The problem is that it requires a payment method, which requires details
like real-name, real-address, email, etc. Additionally those are often tied
to an 'account'.

In the real world you can buy with cash, avoiding the first problem, and if
you pay with a card in a shop, the merchant gets some details (name and card number) but they don't get the email, phone number, address or the ability
to cross-reference other purchases (especially if made on a different card). You can also use prepaid cards or gift cards if you wish to give fewer
details. Even if you purchase online, buying a phone/computer/etc from a reseller (or used) means the original OEM doesn't get your details.

Internet access does typically need your address, but there's a limit to how much utility companies can invade your privacy (if everything is HTTPS they can't snoop on your traffic).

On Android, purchases are tied to a Google account which means your other activities on the phone become tied to that Google account too. You can't
just use the account to purchase the app. (I've not tried it, but I suspect paid apps stop working if the account is removed?)

Some apps have their own ways to buy them that aren't tied to Google, but
most don't.

Theo

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Theo, 2026-05-04 12:56:

Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> wrote:

How does "paying" destroy privacy? Did you get your phone, your internet
access and computers for free as a gift?

The problem is that it requires a payment method, which requires details
like real-name, real-address, email, etc. Additionally those are often tied to an 'account'.

Which is the case for internet access as well. And I doubt, that "Maria
Sophia" does not have internet access ;-).

[...]

Internet access does typically need your address, but there's a limit to how much utility companies can invade your privacy (if everything is HTTPS they can't snoop on your traffic).

If you don't trust any company at all, you also must not use hardware
you did not design and built yourself.

On Android, purchases are tied to a Google account which means your other activities on the phone become tied to that Google account too. You can't just use the account to purchase the app. (I've not tried it, but I suspect paid apps stop working if the account is removed?)

It's possible to create a Google account without personal data which
leads to your identity and purchase gift cards in shops using cash which
can be used to purchase stuff on Google Pay.


--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)