I am a Tasker enthusiast and when I can automate something simple on my phone I like to. I set a simple task to turn off WiFi when my home network is not detected so my phone doesn’t scan and report my location to businesses. However, this functionality is now nonexistent and the developer has to ask people not to one-star their app because it doesn’t work. My phone is my phone and killing my ability to use it as such for whatever security theater Google is playing at is why I root my device. Anyone else still rooting for similar reasons?

  • kratoz29
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    3 months ago

    TIL Tasker even worked without root lol.

    Also, why do we even need tasker to do that? iOS allows you to do that with its Shortcuts app lol, this is a weird moment when Android is becoming more closed and iOS open (in system wide features).

    Well, that is why I chuckle when people say there is no reason to root nowadays… Heck, not even banking apps will prevent me from rooting my phone, and my next android purchases are gonna be based in whether it can be rooted or not.

    • COASTER1921@lemmy.ml
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      3 months ago

      It barely works for Android 14+ without root. Macrodroid has much better compatibility for whatever reason.

      Unfortunately rooting while passing safetynet verification is very hard or impossible lately depending on the device. If apps didn’t unnecessarily check safetynet status this wouldn’t be a problem, but since so many now the rooted phone effectively becomes a brick. I really miss the days of custom ROMs and full device automation without stupid workarounds. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any going back without app developers getting on board with an alternative to Google-verified security on Android.

      • ben_dover@lemmy.ml
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        3 months ago

        MD has a companion app, and you have to grant it special rights via adb (read/write secure settings) first. might also work for tasker

        • COASTER1921@lemmy.ml
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          3 months ago

          Tasker has a similar companion app, it just doesn’t work with as many things on my Pixel 8 Pro as Macrodroid. The only phone automation I rely on anymore is Wifi hotspot toggling based on connected Bluetooth devices, which Tasker is incapable of now even with the companion app. I really don’t know how Macrodroid does it.

          Of the automation apps my preferred UI Automate with its flows. It allows the complexity of Tasker without becoming unreadable as the automations become big. It’s harder to edit and even worse without root than Tasker.

    • filcuk@lemmy.zip
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      3 months ago

      Well, you need Tasker because that’s one of the Android equivalents of the Shortcuts app.

      • kratoz29
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        3 months ago

        Sure, but I meant, how is it that we don’t have a native tool for this (like Automator) or at least a system app from Google (like Shortcuts app).

        • filcuk@lemmy.zip
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          3 months ago

          Fair, I was being cheeky. I don’t know if I trust Google anymore to make and maintain a good app or service.

      • kratoz29
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        3 months ago

        Come on, you know what I meant, compare pre iOS 7 with whichever Android was at that time… You can see nowadays the release updates are switching and iOS is implementing more features (or features that it should have had since the beginning lol) and Android is closing down more (Google’s fault and no root ofc).