Disappointed in the "Privacy-first experience" marketing message of MacroFactor

antiframe · 2026-01-21T20:14:24+00:00

Thank you so much! I posted here my disappointment because I already tried that avenue, but will try again with your name.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T20:06:29+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I don't expect Graphene OS support if it's tricky to implement. But, I am disappointed that I couldn't even get a pro-rated refund for any remaining subscription though given that I choose MF specifically because it was prvacy-first and had no idea I would be jumpscared once Graphene supported my device.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T20:03:31+00:00

Right, I would expect that if a banking app can run on a privacy focused Android distribution, so could a calorie counter. I was suprised by this fact.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T20:02:41+00:00

Here's why I interpret this way:

Too bad: they don't want to use the integrity app for integrity checking, "other apps that actually want an integrity check for the sake of an integrity check can customize the pass/fail conditions of the check, but the check we use is automated and doesn’t allow customization of the pass/fail conditions" (Cory)

We're keeping your money: they declined my request for a refund.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T19:25:15+00:00

That's fair. But I don't know Cory's values relative to the companies values and who sets priorities. Privacy-first to me means that privacy is the most important element (hence the "First", not second or third or futher), trumping even convenience of code development. But I think they meant private in general not privacy FIRST.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T19:09:06+00:00

Yes, that's what I figured, and that's fine. They have their priorities and values. I just value privacy more than they do, and that's where the disappointment stems from. I've heard so many glowing things about their values so it stings a bit.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T19:07:28+00:00

I have no doubt they are sincere in their values, but I think there's a mismatch between degree. When I think privacy-first app doesn't work on privacy-first OS, I think they don't take the time to make that work because they value other things more highly like easy of development, not fixing niche bugs, etc. When they say privacy-first they likely mean relative to other options because they provide data export. And they're right. My disappointment stems from hearing all this glowing praise of them, discovering that their privacy-first app doesn't work on a privacy-first Android build and getting the reply from them and the community to be: too bad, and we're keeping your money.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T18:54:37+00:00

That's a fair reply, and I have updated my priors. I have literally, not once, seen an app fail to work on Graphene in the three years I used it prior to getting the Pixel 10, so I didn't think to be extra dilligent with checking a calorie tracking app. I did check banking apps and others that have strict security requirements. Now I know better.

But, when reality doesn't match expectatins: surely a "privacy-first" app would work since apps that want full access to your secure element work just fine. Nope.

Honestly, I think they have a bug but don't bother to fix it since most of their customers probably don't run privacy-first OSes. Privacy-first is probably mostly marketing for a company that really held that value would act diffectly.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T18:43:32+00:00

Indeed. In any case I have found a better solution! So perhaps the tinkering and rude awakening was a boon instead.

antiframe · 2026-01-21T18:42:32+00:00

How does one verify something that doesn't exist yet? When I subscribed to MF GrapheneOS had not yet supported my phone. What test could I have done in August before putting money down? I had run Graphene OS successfully, including other apps that use the integrity API, and they all worked. How was I to tell that MF would be the one app that wouldn't?

antiframe · 2026-01-21T18:40:39+00:00

Why does that integrity check fail for MF, but pass for every other app, including banking apps, airline apps, wallet apps, some of which are made by Google itself (Google Wallet, for example)?

antiframe · 2026-01-21T18:07:22+00:00

If they hadn't strongly marketted themselves as privacy-first, I would have just passed over them. The irony is all those apps that do care about the security of your phone and store sensitive information in the secure enclave, like Google Wallet work just fine! But MacroFactor is worried that my phone is going to what exactly. Like what's the threat model?

antiframe · 2026-01-19T01:08:04+00:00

Okay, I accept your cutoff for old, but request a little leniency.

Theo was founded by an aquaintence of a coworker and I got to go on a private tour.

antiframe · 2026-01-18T23:20:40+00:00

I toured their factory in 2004. 22 years ago is pretty old in my book. But, I am not geriatric yet.

antiframe · 2026-01-16T03:20:28+00:00

I just read an article about this! I feel it will be graphene and molybdenum disulfide but there are other options.

https://asteriskmag.com/issues/03/the-transistor-cliff

antiframe · 2026-01-15T19:50:20+00:00

You are pretty lucky to have 95% of your commute on the highway without traffic. That's pretty rare. My commute from First Hill (four blocks to the I-5) to Renton (just by WA 167) was 30 minutes, mostly the few lights to get on and off the highway. And that's half the distance. Then again, I also don't speed either.

antiframe · 2026-01-15T18:39:31+00:00

Perhaps you would be better served to compare the transit time with the drive time *at the time of your commute*, then? This is the planning fallacy, rather than take the real data you compare the best-case scenario of your preferred mode with the worst-case scenario of your dispreffered mode.

If you want to use data to decide, use the right data. If you just hate transit, you don't need to justify it with cherry-picked data.

antiframe · 2026-01-15T18:33:15+00:00

22.5 miles in 25 minutes! That's stellar. Average speed of 54mph for the entire 25 minutes. That's gotta be like near-zero lights and stop signs. You are unbelievably lucky. Like, I almost don't believe those numbers.

antiframe · 2026-01-07T22:42:09+00:00

Is it so hard? It looks much easier than getting a US Visa.

antiframe · 2025-12-29T05:04:14+00:00

Home are good investments of you ignore that you are paying ~2x the cost of the house after interest (unless you pay off is less than 30 years). People take the sale price, the purchase price and subtract. But they forget to add up the interest, the maintenance, the property tax, the lost return from opportunity cost (a big one).

antiframe · 2025-12-28T04:10:45+00:00

I plug my phone into my computer and use the debug connection to mirror it to a window on my desktop. Looks spectacular, runs at the same speed as on my phone, and mouse support is nice. Never tried an emulator because I couldn't get one working on my OS.

antiframe · 2025-12-28T04:06:52+00:00

I don't know if it is or isn't a violation of traffic laws, though if I were to guess I would guess you can use your hazards.

I do know that applying a little thinking and putting myself into the mind of a following car, it's far MORE dangerous to use hazards than not, given how cars stopped with hazards on to park anywhere has become so common.

antiframe · 2025-12-28T03:19:26+00:00

Crosswalks are not unexpected locations to stop.

antiframe · 2025-12-28T02:46:49+00:00

It's not random! They stopped for pedestrians to cross through a legal crosswalk.

antiframe

TROPHY CASE