Database Users

[Q] Freezing System apps without Rooting N4?

Is there a way to freeze apps (just like you can freeze with XXX) without rooting your phone. I don’t use most of google apps like hangouts, google play music, google movies, google now etc. It looks like google has made them system app taking away the option to uninstall them.
I would like to freeze these apps so they don’t even run in the background. But I want to have the option to unfreezing/enabling them if I need them.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks.

sLiKK said:
Is there a way to freeze apps (just like you can freeze with XXX) without rooting your phone. I don’t use most of google apps like hangouts, google play music, google movies, google now etc. It looks like google has made them system app taking away the option to uninstall them.
I would like to freeze these apps so they don’t even run in the background. But I want to have the option to unfreezing/enabling them if I need them.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go to the system settings menu, then tap on apps, then swipe over to All, you can Disable most system applications. When you tap on the application, you'll see Disable in place of Uninstall. Just be careful about what you disable. For example, don't disable Google Play Services, since many apps (not just Google apps) rely on it.

thanks ...that worked

[Q] Remove everything Google

Hey Guys,
So i've have a Samsung Galaxy S4 (I9500) as a secondary device (Primary is iPhone 5 :highfive
I used to love Android but off lately I am starting to hate every device its on like Note 3 (demo for 1 hour) Or HTC One or Note 2 or this S4.
Now I like Google & Android like everyone else, but have started to hate their approach, Google used to stand for "Freedom" of what users want to do but now they are forcing stuff on you and don't give you easier way to get out of it.
e.g. Google Play Movies / TV, Google Play Books < I don't give a crap for these service, I have found no way to remove them yet, even via Rooting I still am unable to remove them. they don't show up in NoBloat Free software.
Then there is Google Location Service, Why does location service / any other service for that matter need to run continuously when the phone is running, this is why I started to like iOS better than android (grant it has its issues) there is no optimization of the usage of resource these background task are taking & there is no way to just stop them from using up system resource unless you disable them. including other services like Dropbox Camera Upload, I don't think its that hard to build a trigger into an app that starts and stops the service when Camera application is launched.
Take a look at the screenshot below, the total amount of RAM used should be only 147MB according to the list of running apps & 123MB in Cached Processes but it is for some reason using 707MB.
Then there is the dependencies of apps, e.g. Google Hangout requiring Google Play services, Google Hangout in itself is a 16 MB app why would they build a dependency to another application and require its presence when the Play Services is only to Update Google Apps & other Apps from Play store?
Then the built-in Google Search, a freaking 30MB application & all that does is use the web search. Really Google?
So comming back to my real question here. I've looked in the sections but there aren't any ROM's that are designed to be used without any of the Google crap.. Is there any way i can run my S4 without these, I don't even want the Play store.

You can flash a deodexed google rom, and then remove the bloatware via a root file explorer of your choice, by deleting the apk files in system/app
Sent from my GT-I9103 using Tapatalk

Deadfreak said:
You can flash a deodexed google rom, and then remove the bloatware via a root file explorer of your choice, by deleting the apk files in system/app
Sent from my GT-I9103 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks i will install arrow rom and remove the apps I dont need.. and see if the phone is stable.

Setting up CyanogenMod with maximum privacy (no more Google)

I'll try to make it as simple as I can.
Here is what I want:
CyanogenMod with root privileges
Full control over which app, service or system component can access my data and the Internet.
(at the moment for instance I can't alter the "network access" privileges of my apps)
Safe to use speech recognition software
Safe to use, sophisticated navigation software
My questions:
Is that even achievable without a ton of work?
Is there a simple way to flash CyanogenMod without pre-installed bloatware? (e.g. Google apps, Skype, Cortana, ...)
Which tools should I use to make sure that apps can only access what I want them to?
Is there speech recognition software for Android that doesn't require Internet access?
Is there a navigation app that is capable of using the offline maps of Google Maps without requiring an Internet connection?
(e.g. Google Maps makes itself useless if you don't update from their servers every 30 days)
From your experience, do apps refuse to work when you deny certain privileges?

ferivon said:
I'll try to make it as simple as I can.
Here is what I want:
CyanogenMod with root privileges
Full control over which app, service or system component can access my data and the Internet.
(at the moment for instance I can't alter the "network access" privileges of my apps)
Safe to use speech recognition software
Safe to use, sophisticated navigation software
My questions:
Is that even achievable without a ton of work?
Is there a simple way to flash CyanogenMod without pre-installed bloatware? (e.g. Google apps, Skype, Cortana, ...)
Which tools should I use to make sure that apps can only access what I want them to?
Is there speech recognition software for Android that doesn't require Internet access?
Is there a navigation app that is capable of using the offline maps of Google Maps without requiring an Internet connection?
(e.g. Google Maps makes itself useless if you don't update from their servers every 30 days)
From your experience, do apps refuse to work when you deny certain privileges?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude- You should start developing your own rom in this case.
But consfused here and at this point i think you dont know.
CyanogenMod & Cyanogen OS
Assuming- when you said, cortana etc etc--- i think you are on cyanogen OS.. Which is the original OS for 1+1.
1- To achieve, you need to work.
2- Some optimized COS builds in XDA one android dev section- try a search. but not latest 13.1.2-ZNH2KAS3P0. Root using SuperSU. and use system app uninstaller to remove apps you dont need. Some debloater zips also lurking around in XDA. If you install CyanogenMod, then no need of gapps flashing if you dont use google account.
3. you can stop background data for the apps you dont want. Settings in most roms.
4. Speech recognition can be used offline after u download all languages of your choice. Not 100% and dont use it.
5. Try Maps.me. i didnt know google map needed to be force updated every 30 days unless some one restructures the entire landscape and routes.
6. Certain apps refuse to work if you dont grant permission. yes. its like telling some 1 without hands to eat from hand,.
:good:

Thank you so much for your reply. I indeed did not know that there is a difference between Cyanogen OS and CyanogenMod. But if I understood you correctly, CyanogenMod comes without gapps. (I hope it also comes without Google Play Services?)
The offline speech recognition you linked to seems to be from Google. I bet it will require Google Play Services and an Internet connection after some time, just like Google Maps does and I'm really afraid of that.
I might give Maps.me a try, but I think Google Maps still has by far the best most detailed and correct maps especially when it comes to POIs.
I would consider using official Google Maps, if there was a 100% safe way to wipe all the data the app collects before I allow it to update the maps. Alternatively, maybe I could download the apps from a second device and just copy the map data over to my main device every once in a while.
An even more crazy approach might be to spoof the time/date data for Google Maps so that it thinks the 30 days haven't been reached yet.
But I would still be very concerned about Google Play Services. Would microG be sufficient for my purposes to replace Google Play Services?
edit:
Okay, I have a rooted CyanogenMod without gapps now on my OPO.
edit2:
I have Xposed with modules "Xprivacy" and "Per App Hacking" installed now.
Xprivacy is an app permission manager and "Per App Hacking" can be used to spoof the system time an app will see. Hopefully I'll be able to fool Google Maps with it.
edit3:
I have microG installed now. Hopefully this will be enough to run Google Maps.
I really need to make sure I understand Xprivacy before that though.

My recommendations:
1. I recommend full device encryption with long and secure boot password and easy to use pin lock screen password. Here's more info: http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/security/guide-separate-passwords-encrypted-t3048072
2. Get an email address from a provider that respects user privacy i.e. Riseup. https://riseup.net/
This is one the most important things to do if you don't want google / yahoo / microsoft scanning your email for surveillance / marketing purposes.
3. Use apps from F-Droid. It's an app "store" for open source apps.
4. Always use Afwall+ to have control over which apps have access to internet. Even better if you use Afwall with combination of Orbot. This way you can route some apps through tor (need a custom script though). Orwall does the same thing more easily.
5. Instead of closed source Supersu, use open source superuser http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software-hacking/wip-selinux-capable-superuser-t3216394
6. For maps I recommend openstreetmap. Download Osmand from F-Droid. It has navigation too.
7. For cellbased location provider, use unified location provider found from F-droid. It's connected to microg projects.
8. For encrypted SMS use Silence from F-droid (recipient needs the same app if you use encryption).
9. For encrypted instant messaging use Conversations (XMPP client) from F-DROID. Or Riot (which will soon have strong encryption).

Hey tofu thanks for your answer, I appreciate it!
I'm only really concerned about my phones software spying on me.
About the email thing: I'm running my own email server for that.
But I'm still looking for a way to anonymously creating a google account without providing my phone number.
I'm using F-Droid already and it's great.
I'll never go back to the play store that's for sure.
And for anyone else reading this, please don't touch the amazon app store, it's pure poison.
I'm also using AFWall+ already, but I'm not satisfied at all. The creator doesn't really seem to care about ensuring that no data gets leaked ever. I read a lot of reports that data was being leaked every once in a while, especially during system boots.
This is really scary to me... I'd really like to have a safer firewall.
Blocking Internet/networking permissions directly just causes apps and the system to become extremely unstable. I soft-bricked my phone like 5 times while playing around with it the last few days.
I was not aware supersu was closed source. I'll switch to the open source alternative soon.
I just installed OsmAnd~ and I'm not very satisfied. Navigation was ok, the tts voice was absolutely terrible and I wasn't able to find a single POI, I wouldn't even be surprised if it would fail to find the next McDonald's to my place. Google Maps just seems completely unmatched to me.
And about that: I was actually able to get Google Maps running without Google Play Services installed and I was able to successfully use it offline, spoofing the system time for that app, so that my maps would never become outdated. I notices a few downsides though, for example it only works for car navigation (bicycle mode etc are not available). After completing the installation of all the microG components I wasn't able to get it to work anymore though (I couldn't download the offline maps, because I couldn't enter my google account data anymore...).
But I'll figure out how I did it and go with Google Maps then.
To complete the microG installation I installed unifiedNlp with GSMLocationNlpBackend.
For encrypted messaging I'll probably be forced to stay with WhatsApp, as I can't possibly convince all of my friends to switch. But hey at least WhatsApp claims that your messages are end-to-end encrypted.
But obviously WhatsApp will always know who I know... that problem seems pretty much unfixable to me though...
I have btw also tried to get Google Now (speech recognition) to work offline. But I was unsuccessful. I have read reports of others getting it to work for literal voice to text applications... it won't take voice commands though. So that's not very useful... unless there was a way to define your own voice commands somehow.
But my biggest worry at the moment really is the firewall. I feel like there is nothing that you can really trust to work reliably.
And also the fact that Xprivacy can't restrict file access to certain folders... it's either all or nothing.
The worst of all might actually be IPC though (inter process communication) which a lot of apps require permissions for. And from what I understand any app with that permission could use another app as a sort of proxy to access the Internet.

I'm using a Google-free device with maximum privacy, so maybe I can not answer all your questions but I can give you an idea. First of all - disclaimer: I'm here because my girlfriend has an Oneplus One (OPO), but I do not have one. I use her old Nexus 5 (N5), but you will get the general idea. You already noticed there is a difference between CyanogenOS (COS) and CyanogenMod (CM). It also took me a while to figure out that difference. If you still have a stock Android in your OPO, it should be a COS 13.1 which is based on Android 6.0.1 and comes with alot of bloatware from Google and Microsoft.
1. First step is to find a suitable ROM for your needs. If you are used to COS and have not much experience in chosing custom ROMs, you should give CM a try. Here is the official wiki which includes Download links and installation instructions: https://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Bacon_Info
2. The 2nd step after installing CM is the full device encryption, can be found in Settings > Security. If you do it on a clean phone without any apps and data it only takes a couple of minutes and chances of breaking stuff are low at this step.
3. Now I usually root it (with SuperSU) and install some magic which is called XPOSED framework. It's something which allows you to install modules on your phone on system level, not like an Appstore, but rather like a Tweakstore. There are a lot if chances you break stuff and most of the modules do not work with CM, however, one module to beat them all is the XPRIVACY module. It gives you back full control on everything. You can manage App permissions, you can fake permissions or if apps do not want to run with your set of permissions, you can even feed fake data (like wrong GPS signals, etc.). Read more here. http://repo.xposed.info/module/biz.bokhorst.xprivacy
4. F-Droid, yeah, the one open-source repository for your new apps. I'll install it at this point.
5. Now, that the device is flashed with CM, probably rooted and with a custom recovery, you have to flash a stock recovery again and lock the bootloader. Stock recovery because it does not allow any malicious party (hacker with physical access, police, intelligence services, etc.) to deploy any code to your phone which compromises your privacy. Locked bootloader is important to disallow any malicious party to boot anything they want which also compromises your privacy.
And this is pretty much what you need to get started, a rock solid environment free from Google. Make sure you have a strong PIN, I also use randomized screen locker, so people can not "observe" the way you enter your PIN.
For encrypted calls and SMS there is Signal, but that does not work without Google services and LibreSignal, the Websockets version, was discontinued just recently. For encrypted IM use ChatSecure rather than Conversations. Both are XMPP clients, but Conversations does not allow you to import or export OTR keys, which is very annoying for an Jabber client. For not so sensitive chats, I use telegram.
Finally, not having Google Play and Google Services available, makes the experience a totally different for the android device. Apps like Snapchat which do not require Google, but still do for some unknown reasons checks for Google, wont run. Also, a lot of apps work without Google, but you can't install them without downloading suspicious APKs from dubious websites. Be very carefull from where you download and install software if you can not find what you need in F-Droid.
I hope that helps you for your considerations.
---
Edit, one more final note. I also use OsmAnd and have to say it never let me down on any occasion (except when I forgot to download the maps before going somewhere remote without internet). The geodata quality is excellent in most urban areas, but the interace and usability are a mess. If you find your way around in the interface, the navigation works out pretty well. I sometimes have issues calculating very long routes, but you start to live with that.

Thanks for your input 5chdn! Most of the stuff you mentioned it already on my phone.
I made some progress yesterday and I'd like to share my current configuration:
All the apps I mention in this post are (at the time of writing) available in F-Droid, unless stated otherwise.
Everything I mention in this post is free and open source, unless stated otherwise.
Recovery Image: TWRP
ROM: CyanogenMod
'Apps' that have to be flashed:
SuperUser (this roots your phone which means you can grant root access to apps)
Xposed (provides a lot of important privacy tools)
Apps:
F-Droid (app store that provides free open source apps)
AFWall+ (manage which app can access the Internet)
Autostarts (manage triggers that apps can use to start themselves)
AdAway (can remove ads from apps)
Xposed Modules:
BootManager (manage which apps can start on boot)
Xprivacy (manage/spoof app permissions for privacy)
Safely using Google Maps offline permanently:
Please note: Google Maps is not open source.
Install microG (open source alternative to Google Play Services)
The installation complete installation consists of:
'microG Services Core' (aka 'GsmCore') (app)
At the time of writing this app is NOT available in F-Droid. This app also automatically installs 'µg unifiedNlp (NO GAPPS)' for you.
'microG Services Framework Proxy' (aka 'GsfProxy') (app)
'FakeGapps' (Xposed module)
'FakeStore' (app)
'XposedGmsCoreUnifiedNlp' (Xposed module)
'LocalGsmNlpBackend' (app)
'NominatimNlpBackend' (app)
'µg unifiedNlp (NO GAPPS)' (app) (will be installed automatically!)
Install 'Per App Hacking' (Xposed module)
Use this module to spoof the system time/date that Google Maps sees e.g. to '2016-10-14 10:00' so that offline maps don't become outdated. The feature to spoof the time is called 'time machine'.
I would really like to improve what I got so far and share it with the community.
If you know of anything that could help improve privacy please tell me.
I do not mention things like device encryption, passwords, lock screens etc, as these are a separate issue.

[Q] Installing Google Play on Oculus Go

Hello,
I'm looking for info if is possible to successfully install and run google play and non android tv apps on oculus go.
Thanks in advance.

What has worked for me is Yalp Store.
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstore/
Yalp Store let's you download free apps from the Play Store. I've tried downloading the Play Store, Play Services, Services Framework and Login Service from Google and seeing if that works, but Framework keeps crash looping and needs to be removed via ADB, might be a login weirdness though. Go is running Android SDK 25/Android 7.1, so keep that in mind when downloading apks.

The problem with system apps and services is that we should only mess with them if we have a way to flash a firmware back on.
I would not risk a brick or mess around for hours through ADB.
The reason is quite simple:
1. The GO is not a licensed Google device, so we would need to use a hacked playstore setup to overcome the nagging unauthorised device crap.
2. The system is based more on the Amazon TV stick, which makes things a bit complicated.
3. The play services and framework need to be modified to work with a VR setup.
A simple TV version will fail as we can't really match the required specifications.
At least not without rsking access to Oculus stuff.
4. The interest for developers or rom cooks is quite limited.

Aurora app store works great on the GO (https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/galaxy-playstore-alternative-t3739733) I'd also recommend installing appstarter (https://github.com/sphinx02/AppStarter/releases) and then Oculus TV appstarter launcher (https://github.com/GyroJoe/OculusTVLauncher/releases). Then you can just go to unknown apps in your main app library to launch appstarter in oculus TV (much faster than opening OTV, scrolling down, etc). All your sideloaded app will show here (all apps do, but you can hide non-VR apps to make it less cluttered). Works GREAT!

Hi AspenMan. Thanks for pointing out Aurora app Store and the appstarter.
I am trying to install the FuboTv package and cannot get through without Google Play Services if I install the apk from apkmirror. Trying to get this in Aurora App Store - but I do see FuboTV but there is no way install it. May be its a quick help will point me in right direction. I want to watch my FuboTV on Oculus Go

prevent block remove Google Playservices for INSTANT Apps

HOW I DISABLED Google Playservices for INSTANT Apps
DISCLAIMER: Tweaking these apps and services can leave you with a broken, non-functional, steaming, smoking, screaming device; proceed at your own 
risk. Just because I got it to work, doesn't mean it will work for you. I am not responsible for your PEBKAC errors. All Google stuff on my devices is extensively neutered, if it's not on your this may not work. I prevent updates to Play Store and Play services and the brunt of services run by those apps are disabled there's too much there to be covered in a simple guide but this instruction is what FINALLY clipped INSTANT APP'S wings.
 I thought I'd found a way to prevent it from re-installing itself, but after two days it did, but at least this turns it off and keeps it from hogging battery and as much memory. As many have pointed out, freezing doesn't, but but turning off the SERVICES as outlined here, it slows it down a lot.
ROOT IS REQUIRED, the only way to block it without root I know of is disable the Play Store, go someplace else for that and don't hijack this information, it's not about using 3C, facebook, Play store, relationship problems or political unrest, it's about STOPPING Google's Apps: Play Store & Play Services from installing "Playservices for INSTANT Apps"
I think the PLAY STORE downloads and installs “Playservices for INSTANT Apps” under control of services run by PLAY Services
RECOMMENDATION: Every release of Play Store and Play services potentinally includes NEW services that might affect this solution. I recommend each time they are updated you check for NEW items that might trigger installation of Instant apps.
THE SOLUTION:
=============================================================
Using 3C All-in-One Toolbox" from 3c71 dot com
"Manage">"Application manager">"Apps">"Google Play store">"Manage">"Permissions">"Activities">search (with magnifying glass on toolbar)
input package name "instantapps to filter and uncheck items. Do the same for "Providers", "Receivers" and "Services"
"Manage">
"Application manager">
"Apps">
"Google Play services">
"Manage">
"Permissions">
"Activities">search (with magnifying glass on toolbar)
input package name "instantapps to filter and uncheck items. Do the same for "Providers", "Receivers" and "Services"
NOW, UNINSTALL/DELETE/REMOVE the app: Google Playservices for INSTANT Apps.
"Manage">
"Application manager">
"Apps">
"Google Play store">
"Manage">
Uninstall
============================================================
This is working for me on Samsung Galaxy S5 (G900V Lollipop), Core Prime (G360T), Core Prime G360V, J1 (J100M), LG VS810P and MemuPlay Emulator.
Call it what you want, Malware, Spyware, Shovelware, Vaporware, Bloatware to me Google Playservices for INSTANT Apps is all those things. I saw Google Playservices for INSTANT Apps on my phone December 2018 and cringed. It's taken me almost 4 months to come up with this working solution. When I say WORKING, I mean it prevents Google Playservices for INSTANT Apps from reinstalling and still leaves Google Play Store functional.
THANK YOU! to the dev of 3C All-in-One Toolbox for providing their awesome tools.