XPost: comp.mobile.android
From: marion@facts.com
Long ago, I had disabled Google's Android System Intelligence.
C:\> adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.as
After that step, Android's Muntashirakon App Manager has shown
Android System Intelligence
Version T.3.sysimg.oemfull.453200829 (8486856)
is not installed in the user partition.
Nothing bad happened that I can recall happening after disabling ASI.
To be clear, Android System Intelligence is a core
Google system component that runs inside the device's Private Compute Core.
It provides on-device features that depend on context awareness and machine
learning. These include Live Caption, Live Translate, Now Playing (ambient
music recognition), Smart Auto-rotate, Screen Attention, smart text
selection, link detection, app predictions, and context-aware actions in
notifications.
On your Android 12+ phone, ASI supposedly processes data such as on-screen
text, audio from media, and usage patterns locally on the device to
generate these functions without sending the raw data to Google servers.
Disabling or uninstalling it will remove or impair those features.
REFERENCES:
A simple com.google.android.as test sequence might be the following.
1. Open Settings and go to Sound & vibration.
Play some music nearby and check
if "Now Playing" identifies the song on the lock screen.
2. Open a video with speech & turn on Live Caption from the volume menu.
Confirm that captions appear automatically.
3. Rotate the phone while looking at the screen.
Check if Smart Auto-rotate keeps the orientation correct
based on your face position.
4. Let the screen idle while looking at it.
See if Screen Attention keeps it awake without touching it.
5. Highlight text in Chrome or another app.
Check if Smart Text Selection suggests relevant actions.
6. Swipe up to open the app drawer.
Look for App Predictions at the top row.
7. Receive a message notification.
Check if Smart Reply suggestions appear.
Here are potential Android system intelligence privacy implications.
1. Local data processing
ASI is designed to process sensitive data such as on-screen text, audio
from media, usage patterns, contacts and app activity locally on the
device. The Private Compute Core is isolated from the rest of the system
and does not send raw personal data directly to Google servers.
2. Broad system permissions
To deliver its features, ASI has extensive system-level permissions.
Depending on the device, it may access location, microphone, camera,
contacts, calendar, call logs, app usage and notification content. This
access is what enables context-aware suggestions and automation.
3. Model updates via Private Compute Services
While ASI does not have direct internet access, it can receive updated
machine learning models and feature logic through Private Compute
Services. These updates are designed to occur without exposing raw user
data, but they still involve communication with Google infrastructure.
4. Potential metadata collection
Even without sending raw content, ASI or related services may collect
anonymized metrics, crash logs and feature usage statistics to improve
performance. These are typically stripped of direct identifiers but
still represent telemetry.
5. User control
On most devices, ASI can be disabled or have its permissions revoked via
Settings. Disabling it will remove or impair the smart features
it powers. This is the main privacy control available to end users.
6. Risk surface
Because ASI has deep integration and broad permissions,
any vulnerability in it could expose sensitive data.
If you want to re-enable Android System Intelligence, the sequence is easy.
Disable & uninstall com.google.android.as from the user partition:
C:\> adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.as
C:\> adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.as
Re-install com.google.android.as from the system partition:
C:\> adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.as
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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