Privacy Guides @lemmy.one grilled_chesse_eater @lemmy.world 2y ago

Meta Services, Sorry WHAT!?

Meta/Facebook preinstalls an app called Meta Services (previously Facebook services) on a very large percentage of android devices (I've never used one without it) and while they claim it helps updates and synchronisation between different meta apps, it is very suspicious. Why preinstall it on devices of people who will potentialy never use a single meta app?

Go to your app list/app management and show system apps and find anything with the words "meta" or "Facebook" then turn off network access for those apps (if you can) and disable them. (eg. Meta app manager, Meta app installer).

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/meta-services-an-android-app-or-not/

https://fixyourandroid.com/about/facebook-app-manager/

https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS20FE/comments/ttmx4t/meta_services/

Edit: Looking around I have found several people complaining that this app is using their ram for 10 hours a day even though they don't use anything Meta. That's even more suspicious.

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If it can't be uninstalled, try using adb commands from a computer to remove it. I got rid of a bunch of preinstalled stuff on my phone that way.
- Can you possibly go more in depth or provide a source that goes more in depth on how to do this? Very interested in doing this
  
  Here you go. Hardest part is probably installing adb, there's a more detailed page linked to that in step 2.
  
  https://www.xda-developers.com/uninstall-carrier-oem-bloatware-without-root-access/
Now on GrapheneOS on the Pixel 6a. One of the best decisions I made :)
- GOS club!
- What NFC payment options were available on there?
  
  Tape your bank card to the back of your phone
  
  To use my bank card separately, because proving less data to my phone (previously on Android) was a sensible plan.
Blame the phone manufacturer, they are the ones that took the bribe to put it there just like with every other bundled crapware.
- I do. GOS club!
It's not unlikely to be an NSA thing which allows them to access everthing. That sounds paranoid, but Snowden happened so we know they were doing stuff like this 10 years ago:

DROPOUTJEEP .... "A software implant for the Apple iPhone that utilizes modular mission applications to provide specific SIGINT functionality. This functionality includes the ability to remotely push/pull files from the device. SMS retrieval, contact list retrieval, voicemail, geolocation, hot mic, camera capture, cell tower location, etc. Command, control and data exfiltration can occur over SMS messaging or a GPRS data connection. All communications with the implant will be covert and encrypted."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANT_catalog

To be honest, I think we just have to accept privacy is dead. The only real choice that remains is whether to regularly teabag our phones on on the off chance someone's looking.
- No, we don't have to accept that privacy is dead. We need to learn to control the technology around us.
  
  This podcast covers this topic in depth with a lot of practical instruction for what you can do to manage your privacy and security: The Privacy, Security, and OSINT Show
I have a Pixel 7 and it isn't installed.
- Of course not. Google is a competitor to Facebook.
  
  But much of the long tail of Android phones bundle Facebook shovelware.
  
  Depends on your phone provider really. AT&T? Chocked full of crap. Verizon? Chocked full of crap. TMobile? Barely anything. Google Fi also doesn't install anything.
  
  Let's not even get started on unlocked, AT&T devices blocking updates unless you're using their service.
I always, disable or remove anything to do with Facebook or Meta, & lots of other crap, as a first sweep of a new phone or installation..👍🏼
One more reason to use a custom ROM. Death to the bloat!
Thanks for the heads up, fuck this bloat/spyware shit.
Shit like this is why I use a DeGoogled phone. Get a Pixel and install GrapheneOS or CalyxOS and use open source apps wherever you can, and sandbox any Google Play apps you have to use (banking, etc).
- Pixel phones don't have this app. It's not Google adding it to the OS.
  
  I don't think they were implying that it was. Pixel phones don't have this, but they have loads of other methods of stealing your data. Ungoogled ROMs are focused on complete privacy, not just from google.
Fairphone 3, don't have it 👌
- Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G on PixelOS, also don't have it.
  
  Pixels don't have it.
  
  For xiaomi , I think you have to use adb to check. Mine never showed it in the system/user apps but using adb it was installed. I uninstalled it for user 0 but still wasn't happy so removed the ROM and installed custom ROM.
One of the pros of using a Pixel! Absolutely no bloat on my previous 4a or my current 7 besides a T-Mobile app that was installed because of my SIM card. Uninstalled that and I was golden.
- Unless you don't consider google software bloat.
  
  Honestly, if I have the choice, I will choose Google to keep my data over Facebook/meta. While they will do the same stuff with it, at least they give me good products in exchange for my personal life. I also think Google is more transparent about how they collect their data and they let you pretty easily opt out of most of the very intrusive stuff. I also trust their security a whole lot more than Meta's as they are pretty innovative in that space (like with webauthn)
  
  With pixel you can install grapheneos and have no bloat! (or optionally sandboxed bloat)
  
  Well, using Samsung (and whatever other brands) smartphone you my have Samsung spying on you (because he can install whatever he wants) AND Google because he provides Samsung the OS. With a Pixel phone, you're spied only by Google.
  
  True, but most of it is useful and not useless games and shit. Google tracking me is better than Meta, I suppose.
  
  While technically it is, it mostly depends on whether you use Google products. I use some of them, but not all of them so the ones I don't use I still consider bloat personally. Regardless of how I feel about it though anything pre-installed that you can't uninstall is bloat and Samsung, in my experience, is the fucking worst I've used.
All the phones I've had come with bloatware like this, I currently have a Xiaomi phone and MIUI itself is bloatware, the ROM is full of ads. Thankfully there is an "adb" software for Xiaomi phones that allows you to disable or remove this pre-installed malware.

Of the cheap Samsung, LG and huawei phones that I've had they also come with random bs pre-installed that can't be uninstalled without the help of third party software.
- adb stands for "Android Debug Bridge" and it's an Android tool, not specific to Xiaomi.
  
  Yes my bad, it is just that the one I have is called ''XiaomiADBFastbootTools'' so that caused some confusion on that beautiful brain of mine
This is why I avoid Samsung like the plague. Chinese brands atleast let you swap the stock ROM with whatever you like, with minimal effort.
I have a pixel, no Facebook apps installed
- I have Samsung S10 ultra. Never used Facebook, but this services app was installed used data. Can't uninstall it. I can disable it but that's not enough..
  
  I stopped buying samsung because of all the garbage it preinstalls
consider grapheneos. i use it and its been great
- Updoot from LineageOS land!
  
  based :) how r u liking it? i considered it but didnt want the risk of bricking my phone
- If they're using a phone with Meta services pre-installed, it won't support GrapheneOS
  
  true (i think). i bought a pixel to use grapheneos
For those that aren't aware, Universal Android Debloater is a great tool to uninstall/disable bloatware.

It lists out all potential bloatware found on your device and you could disable them with a mouse click. I always use it to debloat my new devices.
- The problem with this app is that it's very liberal on its definition of bloatware. Specially on Samsung devices, it considers bloatware and marks for disable/uninstall many critical apps, including the dialer
  
  Quite true that it recommends removing a lot of the apps, but we could always select and remove those we are sure we wouldn't need.
  
  I personally don't and also wouldn't recommend selecting all of the apps on the recommended list and removing them all.
  
  The author provides comments on most if not all of the apps stating it's use and whether it's safe to remove, and it's the very reason why I like the app.
used to have one on my phone, thank god I switched to a custom ROM, shit feels 1000% better than stock
Why am I not surprised
Some phones used to come with Facebook pre-installed, it's probably from that. Don't get a Samsung lol
Not installed on Pixel 5a (with Facebook app) or 6a
absolute bloatware, i just uninstalled this a few days ago
Thanks for sharing. Had no clue and just went and disabled all 3 of these apps of theirs
Ugh, stuff like this is why I bought a pixel. I got an s23 for "free" from T-Mobile, and it was so infested with spyware and bloat that even android debloater couldn't get it all.

GrapheneOS has basically made it all worthwhile. I do with I could have multiple (more than 2) profiles though.
- The one gripe I have with grapheme is I can't get images to be received through or sent through MMS. I constantly get sent images by my family with questions and they hate using share in google photos. Even republic wireless support couldn't help me
  
  In most apps, there's several settings you can change to try and fix that. If you ever want to try it again, try using qksms (or another good alternative at the time), and playing with the settings.
  
  I had the exact same issue with signal on my last phone.
Why can't I find any articles about decompiling and researching this one? :(
I find using a combination of AdAway and AFWall+ on android to be effective in blocking a lot of stuff. I run as root.
thanks for the heads up.
This is why it's so nice to use CalyxOS. All the functionality of an Android with none of the crap and minimal bloat.
Thanks for the info. Didn't notice that this shit installed itself on my phone.
I have had my current device since 2020 but somehow those were installed. Might've missed them. I don't use anything meta.

Thanks for pointing this out.
Does anyone have info on what it does that main Meta apps already can't?
- Being preinstalled as a system app (even more permissions available, such as call recording on android 7+) and regular users not knowing Meta Services is still there after they delete other Meta apps like FB, whatsapp and instagram.
  
  As for its capabilities specifically, I have no idea...
Samsung M12, Not on it
(I’ve never used one without it)

I'm so glad I went with a Pixel 4a. Main factors were the smaller size, but I also chose it over the cheaper Samsung alternative because of the OS. Stock Android is just nice, because then you only have to worry about the Google bullshit and not also all the other bullshit on top of that.
Thanks for the heads up!

Just disabled this and a few other "Meta services" apps for "app download" and all the other nonsense...

Unfortunately using a bloated S23 at the moment but toying with getting a P7 Pro 🤦🏼‍♀️
Samsung (in the UK) doesn't seem to have it.

Is this a US problem?
- I think its specific to devices. Ive never seen this before on samsungs in the us
- No ,iam in a European country and one of my phones had it.
Razer 2 and I don't have it
Is that an RSS reader for Meta products?
- Yes, but you're the source of their feed
Does this count only for NA or EU too? I can't believe it gets installed automatically without the user's consent.
- I've seen it on several phones in the EU, but I don't know about NA.
  
  it's in NA too, disabled that shit ages ago
- I'm in EU and have a phone from (not mine) carrier plan, it was installed on it
Outlook does the same thing with Exchange services. It would kill my battery in a matter of hours
Unacceptable
I didnt find anything on my pixel 4a thankfully.

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