Oct 24, 2026, 6:01 PMCan no longer download some Play Store apps using the anonymous Aurora Store account.
Can no longer use my old spare gmail account without giving Google my cell number.
Can no longer sign up for a new gmail account without giving Google my cell number.
This is not normal.
This is not ok.
What the actual flaming forking fork?
Oct 24, 2026, 6:09 PMTentatively connected...
my wife this week got banned from WhatsApp until she can "download the official app"
Thing is, she is using the official app, downloaded from the play store.
Now it could be due to googly play integrity failing due to...well, it's a cheap unbranded phone, you may connect the dots there. But still, it is official play store downloading official WhatsApp.
Frankly, if anyone in this house is going to get blocked from whatsapp it's me - I got WhatsApp from aurora and use an XMPP bridge to use it in an XMPP client instead of their shitty app. But no I'm fine apparently.
Totally not OK, greedy capitalists. Not OK.
Oct 24, 2026, 7:42 PMI'd rather use tin cans and string than whatsapp. XD
I know it's hard to say no to outside of the U.S., though, thanks to silly cell carriers being super greedy with SMS fees.
Oct 24, 2026, 8:29 PM@rl_dane@polymaths.social yup. Me too, hence me bridging it to at least get some distance, but still yuck.
In the UK SMS is generally free (or at least, so many per month) but we're stuck in the "everyone uses WhatsApp so I must too" fallacy.
My wife and I message over XMPP so our communications are unaffected 😆
Oct 24, 2026, 10:47 PM@rl_dane@polymaths.social
Not need in tin cans and string. ) Use DeltaChat, XMPP or Matrix. Or just e-mail (not Google).
@paul@fedi.paulwilde.uk
Oct 25, 2026, 4:40 AMYeah, I'm on Matrix and non-google email. Haven't figured out a use case for DeltaChat, yet. Not hating on it, it just didn't grab me. It probably has some advantages over Matrix, but I guess I've struggled with Matrix enough to get used to it, plus it has some really nice lightweight and terminal clients. :)
Oct 25, 2026, 11:26 AM@peteorrall@mastodon.bsd.cafe @rl_dane@polymaths.social @wthinker@plasmatrap.com i'm the same when it cones to XMPP - mostly talking to myself (although more recently I've had a couple of fedi-people get in touch over it too and we have some cool chats which is wonderful!) But, if you're running it yourself I do encourage looking into the "slidge" range of bridges - they have a WhatsApp bridge that I use which is great, and I think there's a signal one too.
https://slidge.im/
Oct 25, 2026, 12:51 PMI'll dedicate this song to all of the wonderful XMPP enjoyers 🤣
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU
https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU
Oct 25, 2026, 1:45 PM@rl_dane@polymaths.social @peteorrall@bsd.cafe @wthinker@plasmatrap.com
🤣
Courteous re-dedication to the Meshcore/tastic people as well
@rl_dane Google: "you WILL own nothing, and you WILL be happy. You will consume our slop. Eat up, piggies."
Jokes aside, that sucks. Hopefully the Aurora Store can find some kind of workaround.
Oct 24, 2026, 7:38 PMYeah, I don't know why I can't download some dating apps from aurora. I've had to resort to using apkmirror, which of course makes updates a headache.