What are the security ramifications of changing your GSFID to foil fingerprinting?

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GalaxyA325G

Senior Member
May 11, 2021
631
184
Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
What are the security ramifications of changing your GSFID to foil fingerprinting?

After much googling and multiple failures, I have finally managed to change my supposedly permanent GSF ID (Google services framework ID) without needing to be rooted (and without having to factory reset the phone) specifically so that my phone is less vulnerable to malicious fingerprinting.

Given I realize almost nobody knows how to change the GSF-ID (it took me hours to figure it out but only minutes to perform), and even easier to display the results... hence I would like to ask the experts in this Security Discussion forum what the ramifications are.

Specifically what I don't know is why this unique ID (which uniquely identifies your phone!) isn't supposed to be changed, nor do I know what any given apps are doing with it - but I do know that it's super freaking important to Android (I can give gory details what happens if/when you change it for example).

It seems only "some" apps (those linked with GSF API's perhaps?) use this supposedly permanent personal tracking ID to watch your activities; but maybe they all do for all I know (do YOU know?).

I'd like to ask for MORE INFORMATION about how the GSF ID (and perhaps the Android ID too) are used by Android & by apps, but there's almost nothing out there on the Internet about them (ask me how I know this).

Give it's clearly a fingerprinting issue... can someone here give me more information about the ramifications of keeping/changing/deleting the GSF ID?

Thanks!
 

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GalaxyA325G

Senior Member
May 11, 2021
631
184
Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
Given a unique Android11 to Android12 migration screwup:
As a possibly directly-related datapoint, I found this revealing sentence in this thread:

Sentence: "Changing your Android ID is akin to doing a factory reset (at least as far as Google Play is concerned. It has no effect on your
downloads)."

Thread:
The question I need to ask (find out) is whether or not any apps have an Android ID permanently (or temporarily) associated with them.

Do they?
 
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Ace_Cole

Member
Jul 5, 2022
25
3
Given a unique Android11 to Android12 migration screwup:
Question I need to ask (find out) is whether or not any apps have an Android ID permanently (or temporarily) associated with them.

Do they?
I think starting from Android 10, each app installed has a unique permanent Android id generated on installation which I think change after uninstalling the app and reinstall. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 

IronRoo

Senior Member
Aug 4, 2014
1,403
454
Given a unique Android11 to Android12 migration screwup:
As a possibly directly-related datapoint, I found this revealing sentence in this thread:



Thread:
The question I need to ask (find out) is whether or not any apps have an Android ID permanently (or temporarily) associated with them.

Do they?
Not sure, but I know you can use AppCloner to report a different Android ID to the cloned app (ih also changes the hardware s/n.

Also using the AppCloner app you can change the GSF ID (requires extra premium subscription). It also offers a bunch of other identity options depending on what you pay for etc 1 click new identity.
 
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