Vanilla android phones / custom ROMs and banking apps

gsf600y

gsf600y

gsf600y

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
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Looking at new budget phones, and hoping to find something that's plain vanilla Android or close to it, and avoid bloatware.
Any suggestions on brands that meet that criteria? I think the Motorola Gxx phones are vanilla android.

Currently a Xiaomi user, and have been for a while.
Alternatively, I was thinking of custom ROMs for my Xiaomi, but I gather banking apps do not work, or at least require quite a bit of work to make them work when you have a custom ROM.
Is that correct?

Thanks.
 
Correct, unlocking the bootloader and installing a custom ROM will break Play Integrity (SafetyNet successor) which banking apps do rely on. There is a Magisk module that can bypass this however, but it's very much cat and mouse as Google will work to fix this, then you'll need to wait for a new solution.

Moto is close to stock but their update schedule is a mess and unreliable. HMD/Nokia are also pretty much stock and I think their update schedule is a little better than Moto.

I'm guessing the Pixel phones are out of your budget? You can sometimes find the a series or even the non Pro version on a good deal.
 
I had a Nokia/HMD phone a few years back and it was brilliant. I'm out of the loop so not sure if they are still doing good phones. Wife has a Motorola a few years old and it's been average. Bit buggy at times.
I'm thinking Pixel next but I just cba to spend more than 300 on a phone.
 
Orcvader said:
Correct, unlocking the bootloader and installing a custom ROM will break Play Integrity (SafetyNet successor) which banking apps do rely on. There is a Magisk module that can bypass this however, but it's very much cat and mouse as Google will work to fix this, then you'll need to wait for a new solution.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I got the impression it was like that, which I definitely do not want the hassle with given how damn important banking apps are to me.


Orcvader said:
Moto is close to stock but their update schedule is a mess and unreliable. HMD/Nokia are also pretty much stock and I think their update schedule is a little better than Moto.
Click to expand...
Interesting to know that, thanks.


Orcvader said:
I'm guessing the Pixel phones are out of your budget? You can sometimes find the a series or even the non Pro version on a good deal.
Click to expand...

jaybee said:
I had a Nokia/HMD phone a few years back and it was brilliant. I'm out of the loop so not sure if they are still doing good phones. Wife has a Motorola a few years old and it's been average. Bit buggy at times.
I'm thinking Pixel next but I just cba to spend more than 300 on a phone.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think they are beyond my budget really. I'm a £200 max kinda budget, for something I might drop on the floor/loose/drop in the toilet/etc :D
I'd kinda forgotten the bloomin obvious Google phones being the obviously more pure flavour of android......saying that.....do Pixel phones actually let you uninstall some of the google crap I wouldn't want, I wonder.


I'll take a look at Nokia.
 
You can buy renewed Google pixel 7 phones for less than £300.
I was thinking of getting a pixel 7 pro until I read that they don't have brilliant modems and can suffer from poor signal.
 
rangor gubbins said:
You can buy renewed Google pixel 7 phones for less than £300.
I was thinking of getting a pixel 7 pro until I read that they don't have brilliant modems and can suffer from poor signal.
Click to expand...
I moved from a Motorola G7 Power to a Pixel 7a. I only moved as I wanted NFC. I wouldn't recommend the 7a due to the poor connection. Battery life was poor too, but seems to be better. I'll stick with it for a while, but I'm tempted to trade it in and see what's available for about £250.
 
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