A lot of android apps rely on GCM (google’s notification servers), I assume Whatsapp is one. Signal does too, but I think it can use its own websockets when gcm is not available, same for telegram. Whatsapp probably not.

Some ROMs with no google services restore the gcm funciinality via microg. Graphene os, as far as i know, does not have microg.

This. It’s a sensor, detecting only a specific air type. Not a camera, not a microphone. It doesn’t have to do with privacy, this is not “scan and collect data about all to punish one” and cannot be turned into one.

I’ll agree it’s a fuc**ing dumb idea. Like utter useless garbage. Classic capitalistic “fix behavioral trash-consumption issue with overpriced fancy tech products that sound amazing in theory and are garbage in practice, without fighting the problem at the root”. Screenshot comment said tax moeny but I’m willing to bet this is some kind of private school.