Data lock-in: Difference between revisions
→Incidents: User data on mobile web browsers. |
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Some web browsers have a "Sync" feature that allows synchronizing tabs and bookmarks across devices, but it is cloud-based, meaning it depends on an online service that can cease to operate at any time.<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud] - Karl Voit</ref><ref>[https://workona.com/pages/how-to-export-chrome-bookmarks/ How to Export Chrome Bookmarks for the Last Time] - Workona</ref> | Some web browsers have a "Sync" feature that allows synchronizing tabs and bookmarks across devices, but it is cloud-based, meaning it depends on an online service that can cease to operate at any time.<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud] - Karl Voit</ref><ref>[https://workona.com/pages/how-to-export-chrome-bookmarks/ How to Export Chrome Bookmarks for the Last Time] - Workona</ref> | ||
===Text messages=== | |||
The built-in text messaging applications of both Android and iOS lack a built-in local export option. | |||
On Android, the third-party app "SMS Backup+" can create exports, but they can not be directly stored locally, only uploaded to the middleman GMail, which requires Internet connection and a Google account, and can cease to function at any time due to Google API changes.<ref>[http://archive.today/2025.03.13-125718/https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus/issues/974%23issuecomment-2721105904 Feature request: save to local file · Issue #974 · jberkel/sms-backup-plus · GitHub]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.03.24-225433/https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus/issues/1110 SMS -Backup+ unable to log into my email to backup SMS messages · Issue #1110 · jberkel/sms-backup-plus · GitHub]</ref> | |||
On iOS, exporting apps require payment, an external computer, and save as PDF, resulting in much larger files than plain text.<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.16-053829/https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255416051?sortBy=rank Export iMessage conversation - Apple Community]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.16-053940/https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255674743?sortBy=rank I want to download my messages to an external drive (flash drive) - Apple Community]</ref> | |||
Chat messages can be archived manually with screenshots and screen recordings, but this takes lots of time and manual work, and the resulting files can not be searched for text and will be much larger in size than a plain text-based export would be. | |||
[[WhatsApp]] lets the user export messages to a text file, but this has to be done for each conversation individually, and starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant.<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.08.28-001731/https://faq.whatsapp.com/715385484388016/?cms_platform=web About advanced chat privacy | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref> | |||
===Android data folder=== | ===Android data folder=== | ||