I have to have WhatsApp installed on one of my phones for work purposes. It’s not possible to ask my work to give me a phone (I’m on zero-hours contract). I do have two phones - one DeGoogled pixel running CalyxOS and one iPhone XS. The iPhone I use for banking apps and basically anything that ties directly to me. Apple Pay and so on. Then I use the DeGoogled phone for everything else - most communications done over Signal, taking photos etc. This is my daily driver.

My question is this - is there any way to make WhatsApp as private as possible? I’m fine knowing WhatsApp reads all my messages etc (not really fine per se, but what choice do I have) but what I really don’t want is telemetry. So which phone should I install it on? The private one to limit telemetry, or the regular phone to stop any telemetry from my private phone being read? Or is there some way I can remotely host an instance of WhatsApp or something?

  • count_duckula@discuss.tchncs.de
    171·
    9 months ago

    I have a similar setup and decided to install it on my degoogled phone because I definitely wanted to use a VPN to connect to Whatsapp and my other phone is an older Android without the global VPN option.

    I have it completely isolated from my main account by using Shelter from F-droid, installing Aurora store in that sandbox and then installing Whatsapp from Aurora into the work profile created by Shelter.

    This way, my main contacts and media are not accessed by Whatsapp. It does its own separate thing and I have no other apps interacting with it.

    • NebulaOP
      4·
      9 months ago

      Yes that’s a great idea! I will do that, thank you.

      • NebulaOPEnglish
        2·
        9 months ago

        Update: WhatsApp just didn’t want to open whilst in a work environment set up by shelter. Don’t know why. It just hung for a few mins then crashed. Shame! But I think I’ll go with the other suggestion of a Matrix server

        • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
          2·
          9 months ago

          I don’t know if it works the same way on calyx or stock Android, but GrapheneOS lets you have an entirely separate work profile. You could install WhatsApp (and any other work stuff) on that and have it as isolated as possible from your own stuff.

          • iturnedintoanewt@lemm.ee
            2·
            9 months ago

            The problem with this setup would be there constant profile switching and the constant screen unlocking. These profiles aren’t too easy to switch/coordinate, IMHO.

            • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
              3·
              9 months ago

              Really? I’ve always switched very simply by pulling down to the quick settings menu and clicking the user button.

              • iturnedintoanewt@lemm.ee
                2·
                9 months ago

                And then you have to choose the user and go through the login screen/PIN. I mean you can be done in 10-15 seconds each time, but it’s for something as frequently used as a chat app, it really breaks the workflow each time you need go switch apps/users, as compared to, say, hitting the navigation button to switch app twice.

                • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
                  3·
                  9 months ago

                  OK, well that’s the price you have to pay if you want to keep it isolated. I know I can’t be bothered to do it, but that’s what OP requested!

                  • iturnedintoanewt@lemm.ee
                    3·
                    9 months ago

                    I reckon there should be a way to keep both sessions logged in and more easily changeable. I mean, I asked and apparently they are running simultaneously and without pausing when you switch.

          • NebulaOPEnglish
            1·
            9 months ago

            Yeah that’s what I did but it just didn’t want to work. Never mind!

            • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
              2·
              9 months ago

              Ah shame. Maybe it needs Play Services (or something to spoof them like MicroG) in the work profile?

    • Atemu
      3·
      9 months ago

      I fail to see any benefit in a VPN proxy for WhatsApp.

      • NebulaOPEnglish
        3·
        9 months ago

        Meta scum don’t get my IP? Its better than nothing

        • Atemu
          5·
          9 months ago

          I again fail to see how that helps you in any way when they’ve got a part of your social graph and active times and other much more critical metadata.