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  • Hacker News
  • I want a law that requires publishing your API for apps like this as well as allowing users to crate their own frontend based on it. That would enable more privacy aware versions of these apps.
    by jmward01
  • If this is a deal breaker, then you want to avoid KIA. The KIA connect app also doesn't work on GrapheneOS due to the use of NSHC DxShield [1].

    [1] https://en.nshc.net/

    by jsiepkes
  • Google Play has been a huge drag on innovation and security in the mobile ecosystem. I'm actually looking forward to the time when AI kills the mobile app ecosystem so that every phone manufacturer can bundle their own "vibe-code-your-own-app" system with their devices, and the Google Play monopoly is broken.
    by 9cb14c1ec0
  • VW blocking third party to access their servers is one thing, the thing that I find shocking is that you need to access VW servers to obtain your charging data while this should be directly available locally from the car.
    by prmoustache
  • I don't know how large a group who will do this is - but if the UK bans VPNs I can see Graphene having a very large target on its back.

      - Buy Pixel, Get Graphene
  - Use FDroid, don't sign up for Google Play, download Tor browser
  - Censorship resistant access to the internet without handing over your ID.
    Pixel being a fairly popular phone in the UK is the interesting bit - if you had to buy some niche device I couldn't see it hitting more than a few hundred people doing it, but there are likely 100k pixels in the UK, and it's still possible to buy one and put Graphene on it.

    The squeeze on the free internet happened so quick by the UK (well it took years of indifference and a failure to enshrine protections - but once they started moving the did so super fast)

    Realistically we're speed running ID being tied to internet usage - create your escape hatch while you can!

    by AJRF
  • Driving a rental car in Germany almost makes me cheer for the ongoing bankruptcy of their auto industry. It really needs a full reset at this point. Sad thing is EU law mandates for a modem in the car as well as intrusive driving aids that actually make driving less safe by constantly driving your attention away from the road[1]. So there is no hope to get a minimally decent car in Europe in the near future, unless a wider reset also happens at the political and social level.

    [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-S76WEl25k

    by afarah1
  • This is sadly not even the full extent of it. What they did is, they locked their api entirely for anything that is not play protect certified. That means, all the cool stuff that was doable via community-driven projects is now dead in the water.

    The "app" they provide is 60% advertisement, 30% features, and I unironically preferred using a Home Assistant connection instead of of it for everything. Even for automations like "when to preheat the car", since that was easier and more intuitive outside of their native function.

    This also means, that charge control from the cars side is not possible to automate anymore.

    Sure, one could take the position "but it was never officially promised", but for some people, including me, having the api (which is paid btw) was a selling point.

    Yes, I registered specifically for this comment.

    by aka13_404
  • It is amazing how Volkswagen keeps messing up. I am currently in the market for a new car, an EV specifically. Volkswagen brands were at the top of my list for many reasons, among them the excellent driving assist implementation.

    I got an offer from a dealer three weeks ago and was going to order the car, then the API for the community integration got turned off. I decided to hold back and see what comes from it. Now this, which ultimately - since I am a GrapheneOS user - makes me completely cancel my plans.

    I really do not understand VWs thinking here. It would cost them little to nothing to continue not blocking the the inofficial API and not block GrapheneOS (or other non Play Protect androids) users. It would have no adverse effects on the average Joe, but it would gain a lot of support and enthusiasm from heavy users, differentiating from other brands. Not to mention the fact that it is the USERS data in the first place

    by moooo99

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