Related
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.
Here is how to fix an error similar to this: App "Won't run without google play services which are not supported by your device" on Firestick 2.
There was an older thread here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/installing-google-play-service-rooted-t3574088 that updated info from here http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-inst...amazon-fire-tv-or-fire-tv-stick-without-root/ but both are outdated at least for the apps I am using. Also, they did not list the source for their working version for when the tutorial gets dated.
Only two steps are required.
For now, https://www.apkmirror.com/ has the most up to date version and seems to update daily. You can use a sideloaded Google Browser or the AFTV browser in the Downloader App (enable JavaScript in settings) that is provided in the Amazon Firestick Store.
1. Go to source website (they do not have an app) and search Google Play Store for ANDROID TV. Ensure you download the version that explicitly states (Android TV) in the title. The ones that were not titled did not work even though the description said for Android TV.
2. On the same website search and download Google Play Services for Android TV
That is it. No need to download anything else, no need to log in, or even click the apps you downloaded. Since the website does not have an app, it won't auto update but hopefully, your apps do not require a constantly updated store.
I did this and the play store never loads. Advice?
total7kaos said:
I did this and the play store never loads. Advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The play store does not need to load. This guide is not for getting a functioning play store but to allow apps that require Google Play Services to function.
Thank you, bro. Last time I downloaded 4 files including a PlayStore, this is excellent.
velayo said:
Thank you, bro. Last time I downloaded 4 files including a PlayStore, this is excellent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are welcome. I know, it was much simpler than the older tutorials made it out to be. Also by listing the source, hopefully, this tutorial can be relevant for a very long time.
What do you mean source web site?
Nm I got it thanks bunches
You rock, thank you!
Just to clarify as I got a bit confused at the beginning.
1. From APK mirror download 2 APKS with these names in the title, get the latest version.
-1. Google Play Store (Android TV)
apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-store-android-tv
- 2. Google Play services (Android TV)
apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-services-android-tv
2. They can be downloaded from the device via a browser (enable java)) or side loaded.
3. Once you have them on the device, install them but no need to launch them. I installed 1 and then 2.
4. Launch your app that threw the error before and now it should work.
melonboy666 said:
You rock, thank you!
Just to clarify as I got a bit confused at the beginning.
1. From APK mirror download 2 APKS with these names in the title, get the latest version.
-1. Google Play Store (Android TV)
apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-store-android-tv
- 2. Google Play services (Android TV)
apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-services-android-tv
2. They can be downloaded from the device via a browser (enable java)) or side loaded.
3. Once you have them on the device, install them but no need to launch them. I installed 1 and then 2.
4. Launch your app that threw the error before and now it should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is all I did and it worked.
Side note. I personally use the https://apkpure.com/ because it has an actual app store. I could not find the correct version on there but once I used the APK mirror one, the Pure store was able to find and update it and it worked. Maybe it was a one time deal but thought I would mention it. That might make it easier than continuing to use a browser. However, apps don't seem to require the newest version of Play, so no big deal either way.
Didn't work for me
Did not work for me. Any chance to confirm the working versions?
I'm on:
Fire TV Gen2 / Fire OS 5.2.6.0 (FireTV Home version 6.0.0.0-264)
I used-
Google Play Store (Android TV) v. 8.0.2.8 ( 8.0.28.R-xhdpi (8) (PR) 163004339)
Google Play Services (Android TV) 11.7.46 (836-175121617) (11746836)
^^- There were newer versions, but the new versions were all betas and I didn't want to fool with that.
I get same errors as the OP- "App "Won't run without google play services which are not supported by your device"
For what it's worth I'm trying to use my (paid for) version of realMyst.
Any help? Thanks!
Racer_X_ said:
Did not work for me. Any chance to confirm the working versions?
I'm on:
Fire TV Gen2 / Fire OS 5.2.6.0 (FireTV Home version 6.0.0.0-264)
I used-
Google Play Store (Android TV) v. 8.0.2.8 ( 8.0.28.R-xhdpi (8) (PR) 163004339)
Google Play Services (Android TV) 11.7.46 (836-175121617) (11746836)
^^- There were newer versions, but the new versions were all betas and I didn't want to fool with that.
I get same errors as the OP- "App "Won't run without google play services which are not supported by your device"
For what it's worth I'm trying to use my (paid for) version of realMyst.
Any help? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, even if it is an older version, it should give you an “update error” not a “not supported error”
My apkpure app has updated the Google Play Store but not the Services.
Currently my Google Play Services is 11.5.09 (836-164803921) Try this first.
and my store which just updated now is 8.3.75.U-all [0] [FP] 173942022
This is what is working for me right now. Let me know if that works.
allusernamestaken said:
Hmm, even if it is an older version, it should give you an “update error” not a “not supported error”
My apkpure app has updated the Google Play Store but not the Services.
Currently my Google Play Services is 11.5.09 (836-164803921) Try this first.
and my store which just updated now is 8.3.75.U-all [0] [FP] 173942022
This is what is working for me right now. Let me know if that works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for the quick reply... and for your help, generally. So- some slight progress, I guess.....
The app starts to load, but now I get the error- "This app requires the latest version of the Google Play Games app." with the option to cancel or install. Install leads to the error- This version of the app isn't compatible with your device. To fix this problem, go to Settings and uninstall updates for the Google Play Store app."
I guess I could try installing that next. I see there are (Android TV) versions of that app. Any suggestions which one(s) might be confirmed working for my OS?
Also- Is there not some way to modify an app so that it plays but doesn't need to reach out to google play? But that method probably wouldn't be the same method for all apps then (so not useful to try and figure out b/c limited use). These google apps eat up a lot of space on the very limited Amazon internal storage. Haven't tried to move them to external yet.
Also also- How did you get brakets ( ][) in your post? The site won't let me put them in, saying bbcode is forbidden.
allusernamestaken said:
Hmm, even if it is an older version, it should give you an “update error” not a “not supported error”
My apkpure app has updated the Google Play Store but not the Services.
Currently my Google Play Services is 11.5.09 (836-164803921) Try this first.
and my store which just updated now is 8.3.75.U-all [0] [FP] 173942022
This is what is working for me right now. Let me know if that works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I did go ahead and install a Google Play Games, just for fun. This one:
5.3.98 (174057789.174057789-046) (Not the most recent but only a couple weeks old)
Didn't work. Got a blank screen on loading realMyst. Then I tried something- I moved realMyst from the the SDdrive to internal storage. THAT seemed to help. For a bit.
With rM on internal storage, google play games started up. But it wanted me to log in:
x'ing out - went to a black screen permanently
choosing 'use an account' or 'login with account' somthing like that- went to a black screen permanently
choosing 'use google play services' - went to a black screen permanently.
I'm getting tired of that having to be on internal storage issue... The Fire TV has so little internal memory... what a hassle. Unless maybe if I move all 4 services out the sd drive......
And anyway it still doesn't work.
Any suggestions, generally, on google play games version, internal/sd location, etc. would be appreciated. But I'm coming up to my wall, at least for this round....
I bought this thing, secondarily, for the game capability. But their game selection stinks. (Chose this over shield b/c I only really want app games on tv, and I use it for tv/media as well. Seemed more solid. And less expensive.)
Anyway... les sigh.
The app starts to load, but now I get the error- "This app requires the latest version of the Google Play Games app." with the option to cancel or install. Install leads to the error- This version of the app isn't compatible with your device. To fix this problem, go to Settings and uninstall updates for the Google Play Store app."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did it just start to work or did you wind up changing the versions? This would help future users. Slight progress but another snag for your issue I see.
Also- Is there not some way to modify an app so that it plays but doesn't neDidn't work. Got a blank screen on loading realMyst. Then I tried something- I moved realMyst from the the SDdrive to internal storage. THAT seemed to help. For a bit.ed to reach out to google play?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Way above my layman knowledge to answer that. It is stupid that apps even require Google Play unless needed to function.. There are many devices and stores that are not Google.
Now this method is really to fool apps that don’t really even need to use Google Play but for some reason require it. I am not familiar with Google Play Games but does your app actually need a FUNCTIONING Google service to work? If so than......
EDIT:
From my quick review Google Play Games says “Games get more fun with the Google Play Games app. Browse and compete with friends, track your achievements, and pick up where you left off, on any device. As you master more games, show off your skills in your gamer profile. Record your gameplay and share it to YouTube. Play the world, anywhere in the world, all from one place“.
So from this description it appears you might need the real and not fictitious Google since it seems the game actually utilizes its framework or api to “compete with friends, track achievements and pick up where you left off on any device”. If that is the case.......not an easy fix.
Also also- How did you get brakets ( ][) in your post? The site won't let me put them in, saying bbcode is forbidden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just used the iPad and [][]
allusernamestaken said:
Did it just start to work or did you wind up changing the versions? Slight progress but another snag I see.
Now this method is really to fool apps that don’t really even need to use Google Play but for some reason require it. I am not familiar with Google Play Games but does your app actually need a FUNCTIONING Google service to work? If so than......
I just used the iPad and [][]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no, I should have specified- I installed the versions you suggested. Restarted, and open rM (realMyst). That's when I got to the Google Play Games requirement. Looking back, other versions I tried may have said that (Need-Games) and I didn't notice the difference. Moot point, we're on this path now.
So that's when I installed the above version of Google Games. Restarted. Started rM. Got to the 'choose a way to log in' errors, above.
To the best of my knowledge, rM doesn't need google play store or games. I'm not sure why it ever would, actually.. But it's single player, I think it's 'coninuous save', but you don't have multiple save games/points. There is no multiplayer, and no in-app purchases (that I recall). realMyst is a port of an old pc game, called Myst. They had a sequel, called Riven. This is just an android version of that old game. It's a first person explore and puzzle-solve game. Had great graphics for back then. Same kinda deal as like Out of This World (which will run on my Fire.)
And ur lucky with the brackets, I had to edit all the file names to remove then. And also just figure out that it was the brackets that were the problem. I have no idea what bbcode is, lol...
Racer_X_ said:
Oh no, I should have specified- I installed the versions you suggested. Restarted, and open rM (realMyst). That's when I got to the Google Play Games requirement. Looking back, other versions I tried may have said that (Need-Games) and I didn't notice the difference. Moot point, we're on this path now.
in-app purchases (that I recall). a...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably, I don’t see how an updated version of the correct file would error. Moot for you but not future users:angel:
I was editing my previous comment while you were apparently still here.
I added
From my quick review Google Play Games says “Games get more fun with the Google Play Games app. Browse and compete with friends, track your achievements, and pick up where you left off, on any device. As you master more games, show off your skills in your gamer profile. Record your gameplay and share it to YouTube. Play the world, anywhere in the world, all from one place“.
So from this description it appears you might need the real and not fictitious Google since it seems the game actually utilizes its framework or api to “compete with friends, track achievements and pick up where you left off on any device”. If that is the case.......not an easy fix.
allusernamestaken said:
Probably, I don’t see how an updated version of the correct file would error. Moot for you but not future users:angel:
From my quick review Google Play Games says “Games get more fun with the Google Play Games app. Browse and compete with friends, track your achievements, and pick up where you left off, on any device. As you master more games, show off your skills in your gamer profile. Record your gameplay and share it to YouTube. Play the world, anywhere in the world, all from one place“.
So from this description it appears you might need the real and not fictitious Google since it seems the game actually utilizes its framework or api to “compete with friends, track achievements and pick up where you left off on any device”. If that is the case.......not an easy fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My assumption was that newer versions would be better programmed to figure out that they were on a Fire and to stop working. Just like any kind of copy-protection. So that only older or 'adjusted' versions would work.
So I just loaded it up on my phone. First screen- permissions. Asks for camera, mic, other stuff, I forget what exactly. But I clicked 'don't ask again' and "Deny". The app says something about 'won't be able to save games without storage permissions'. Ok, fine for now, whatever.
Then, yes, Google Play does prompt me to create a Gamer ID (A google play account, I suppose.) My options are 'learn more' and 'Next'. This I've seen other apps do, sometime pretty insistently. But this time I can simply back out of it (The android back button on the phone). And this sends me straight to the game. The game opens, etc.
It does look like there are saved games (bookmarks). I can go back and play with the storage permissions (on my phone, at least.)
Many games will prompt to create a gamer ID. Some can be quite naggy. But at some point I can always back out and continue without.
Does that help at all? I kinda get that we're coming to the end of the road...
Racer_X_ said:
My assumption was that newer versions would be better programmed to figure out that they were on a Fire and to stop working. Just like any kind of copy-protection. So that only older or 'adjusted' versions would work.
So I just loaded it up on my phone. First screen- permissions. Asks for camera, mic, other stuff, I forget what exactly. But I clicked 'don't ask again' and "Deny". The app says something about 'won't be able to save games without storage permissions'. Ok, fine for now, whatever.
Then, yes, Google Play does prompt me to create a Gamer ID (A google play account, I suppose.) My options are 'learn more' and 'Next'. This I've seen other apps do, sometime pretty insistently. But this time I can simply back out of it (The android back button on the phone). And this sends me straight to the game. The game opens, etc.
It does look like there are saved games (bookmarks). I can go back and play with the storage permissions (on my phone, at least.)
Many games will prompt to create a gamer ID. Some can be quite naggy. But at some point I can always back out and continue without.
Does that help at all? I kinda get that we're coming to the end of the road...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to start a separate thread asking about the Google Play Games error. I am not that technically savvy but I decided to create an account and pay it forward since the other outdated thread which showed how to install Google Play Music pointed me in the right direction. I noticed that most people just needed the Play Store, so I basically cut the steps to make it easier and showed them where to always get the most up to date version.
This thread almost got you there, so maybe like Google Play Music, someone will be able to chime in.
THIS MIGHT HELP but again I am no expert and just speculating.
The Google Play Music Tutorial which I linked to on my first post had two extra steps which allowed you to log in with your Google Account credentials.
Maybe that login is what you need here to fool it and bypass the error.
So maybe try on the same APK site installing Google Services Framework and Google Account Manager
allusernamestaken said:
You might want to start a separate thread asking about the Google Play Games error....So maybe try on the same APK site installing Google Services Framework and Google Account Manager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, that sounds like a plan. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it!
Rx
it works but not 100% - teamviewer but not youtube.tv --- really need a solution swtched from directvnow to youtube.tv and it only works on chromecast and phones.
Got it working
Success after some trial and error: My intention was to get Minecraft working on the FireStick since the Amazon version has no joystick support. So I bought version 1.2.8.0 from Google Play Store for $7 (downloaded and installed to Android compatible device), used SDMaid to backup the .apk file and then sideloaded it to the Firestick using ESExplorer over my network (there are dozens of ways to get the .apk file and sideload it to the FireStick). I then dowloaded the exact versions of Google packages from this tutorial https://flixed.io/install-google-play-fire-tv-stick/
*I tried the newest versions and they do not work (as has been experienced in this thread), it has to be the older packages, regardless if the minimum API matches the Fire OS SDK 22 or whatever.
Again, there are dozens of ways to download the Google packages from apkmirror.com and install them to your Fire TV (no mystery).
Google Play version of MincraftPE 1.2.8.0 working with generic PS3 style bluetooth controller on Fire TV Stick 2 FireOS 5.2.6.1:fingers-crossed:
I'm trying to build a phone that has no Google hooks in it at all. No tracking, no storing of my data, etc...
I've taken my old Nexus 4, installed the TeamWin recovery tool, and got it setup with LineageOS "Mako" 14.(whatever was the latest available last night). My phone "should be" rooted, I installed the "superuser mode" called out at the end of the LineageOS install instructions... but I'm not sure how to test that to find out.
No issues with install or use. Seems to work well so far.
However, what is the best way to get apps installed on the phone, now? I've found a few available via .apk download, but it seems I have to download the .apk file to my PC and then adb push it across. The native web browser and Firefox both seem to choke on the download link... and most apps don't seem available this way.
Amazon's app store sucks so bad it doesn't even have Amazon's Shopping app for phones (just for tablets).
I've found a few third-party type app stores (APKpure, being one), but I have no idea if they are trustworthy, and the apps all seem several versions behind Google's app store. Also, they don't seem to support paid apps, so you can't buy the Pro features of apps you like.
Any advice? Thanks in advance!
bigfatguy said:
I'm trying to build a phone that has no Google hooks in it at all. No tracking, no storing of my data, etc...
I've taken my old Nexus 4, installed the TeamWin recovery tool, and got it setup with LineageOS "Mako" 14.(whatever was the latest available last night). My phone "should be" rooted, I installed the "superuser mode" called out at the end of the LineageOS install instructions... but I'm not sure how to test that to find out.
No issues with install or use. Seems to work well so far.
However, what is the best way to get apps installed on the phone, now? I've found a few available via .apk download, but it seems I have to download the .apk file to my PC and then adb push it across. The native web browser and Firefox both seem to choke on the download link... and most apps don't seem available this way.
Amazon's app store sucks so bad it doesn't even have Amazon's Shopping app for phones (just for tablets).
I've found a few third-party type app stores (APKpure, being one), but I have no idea if they are trustworthy, and the apps all seem several versions behind Google's app store. Also, they don't seem to support paid apps, so you can't buy the Pro features of apps you like.
Any advice? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suspect the reason why you can't find paid apps on these stores is because most devs rely on the play store's license verification mechanisms to manage these transactions. If that's what you want, you'll have to give in to Big Brother. Well, Big Brother Google anyway, since I guess you have no problem with Big Brother Amazon except for its poor app selection. F-Droid probably has the best reputation among alternative app stores but again, you'll only find free versions there.
I'm not sure why you're having trouble downloading apks directly to your phone. I do it with Firefox all the time. Make sure your browser app has permission to access your phone's storage.
As for how to test root access, download a root checker app. You'll find them in pretty much any store or app source you decide to use.
This might help you: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/android-app-stores/2/
ApkMirror is also a reputable site: https://www.apkmirror.com/
TheSt33v said:
I suspect the reason why you can't find paid apps on these stores is because most devs rely on the play store's license verification mechanisms to manage these transactions. If that's what you want, you'll have to give in to Big Brother. Well, Big Brother Google anyway, since I guess you have no problem with Big Brother Amazon except for its poor app selection. F-Droid probably has the best reputation among alternative app stores but again, you'll only find free versions there.
I'm not sure why you're having trouble downloading apks directly to your phone. I do it with Firefox all the time. Make sure your browser app has permission to access your phone's storage.
As for how to test root access, download a root checker app. You'll find them in pretty much any store or app source you decide to use.
This might help you: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/android-app-stores/2/
ApkMirror is also a reputable site: https://www.apkmirror.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
F-Droid
F-Droid for open source apps and than Yalp-Store for "standard" apps. Using MicroG LineageOS 14.1 on a Moto Z Play.
albatros_1994 said:
F-Droid for open source apps and than Yalp-Store for "standard" apps. Using MicroG LineageOS 14.1 on a Moto Z Play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Using F-Droid and Yalp Store on my LG G6 running LineageOS 14.1 microG without problems. You can use Aurora Store too (Yalp Store fork with Material UI).
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
Hi everyone. I am getting an SM-G975F with the Exynos chipset. I was planning on flashing LineageOS on it but now I have stumbled upon MicroG for LineageOS and been doing a little reading up on it. Now I am not clear what the best choice would be from a privacy perspective.
My intention with LineageOS was to *not* install GApps and see how much I can make do with the default apps (i.e. the stock mail app, etc.). If that is my intention, then am I better off with LineageOS? or MicroG?
I don't really care about Google Apps. The only thing I can see myself struggling without is without some kind of semi-decent mapping application like Google Maps. Is there a decent alternative? Do I need MicroG for that? If I do cave and find I need Google Maps, then would I be better off with MicroG or LineageOS?
Also, is there a way to get Office apps (Word, Excel, etc.) on LineageOS? Or is that undesirable from a privacy perspective?
Lastly, is there a way to enable LTE bands 29, 30, and 46 on the SM-G975F model? These are enabled on the SM-G975W (Canadian) model, and I will be using the phone in Canada on Bell Mobility.
If these questions have been asked/answered elsewhere, can you please just drop a link?
Thanks,
The Fish
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Moved to Questions and Answers.
Hi XDA’ers
I thought I would provide an update on my experience thus far with LineageOS 19.1 on my Exynos SM-G975F and answer some of my own questions which I asked above. Maybe some of this is obvious stuff or maybe not. Maybe it will be helpful for others in the future.
The operating systemI installed LineageOS from the official lineageos.org website. I did not install GApps so I am operating without the Google Play Services.
While Android itself is open source, the “Google Play Services” are not. They are a proprietary library from Google that are included with most (all?) Android devices and provide a number of services, APIs, etc. to apps running on Android. It's not part of the operating system per se, but lots of apps require it. So, I am operating with LineageOS only without the Google Play Services.
As a side note, there is an open-source re-implementation of Google Play Services called microG. MicroG cannot be installed as an app but needs to be installed as part of the OS. There are basically two flavors of LineageOS that include microG. They are “LineageOS for microG” and /e/OS. Both of these include microG. Pure LineageOS on its own however includes neither Google Play Services (unless you install GApps bundle) nor microG.
I was surprised how small the download file was for LineageOS. It weighs in at just 777 MB. I am used to Samsung firmware that weighs in at about 6 GB. So, this seemed really small to me.
Upon first boot up I was impressed with how clean the operating system was. Not only is there no bloatware but there is basically almost nothing at all. There is a dialer app, an SMS app, a camera app, a calculator, and a mini browser. There is also a local-only address book (no link to cloud services) and a local calendar app. The browser is fairly limited but gets the job done. Notably there isn’t a mail app (although I understand that there used to be one on previous versions of LineageOS). So, I set about seeing what I could do.
AppsI installed the F-Droid app store but there are not any mainstream apps in there. Some of the apps in there might be good (I still need to explore it more) but I needed a solid email app. My company is on Office 365 so Outlook would be my first choice.
I stumbled upon APKPure and APKMirror. Both are very ad-filled spammy looking website that seems to be a web-based front end to the Google Play Store. Using these sites website, you can download official APKs for mainstream apps like Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. Be very careful where you click. Lots of the ads on the site include "Download Now" type buttons that you can click on thinking you are downloading an APK but instead are clicking on a spammy ad. So, navigate carefully on these sites.
I was able to install Word, Excel, OneDrive and Outlook. This was huge because I needed a decent mail app. Being able to install OneDrive meant I could now sync my camera with OneDrive. All the Microsoft apps worked flawlessly on LineageOS even without Google Play Services. The one thing I noticed however is that Outlook does not give me notifications when I get a new email. I have to go into Outlook and swipe down to refresh. I believe this is due to the lack of Google Play Services. Maybe using microG would eliminate this problem (not sure). I can live with this for now but would obviously like a way to resolve it.
Installing Outlook synced the local Calendar and Contacts apps with my Outlook contacts and calendar so that worked great.
Bible AppsBoth the Olive Tree Bible Reader app and the ESV Bible app installed no problem from APKPure. Both of these are offline Bible apps (they download the whole Bible and can be used offline). I like Olive Tree because I have several translations (including the SBLGNT) and Olive Tree lets me switch between them. The ESV app is great because they have recordings and so you can hear Kristyn Getty or David Cochran Heath read the Bible to you in natural non-synthetic voices.
SignalI installed Signal directly from their website (they offer the APK directly on their website). Signal detects that it is being installed on a device without Google Play Services and so registers itself as a service and consequently I do get notifications for new Signal messages (unlike Outlook). I wonder if there is some way to make Outlook run the same way. I tried installing Microsoft Teams which we use at work but don't get any notifications when people send me messages. So that makes Teams pretty useless.
BrowserThe build-in default browser renders HTML/CSS just fine but is very limited in terms of features. When you install a progressive web app as an app on the home screen it works but launches in the full browser with the address bar visible which breaks the app-like experiance which is really the whole point of a PWA. So I set about trying to fix this. To my surprise I was able to install Microsoft Edge without ANY issues whatsoever. It works great and web apps pin to the home screen the way they should (and open as apps). So I made Edge my default browser.
KeyboardsThe default keyboard in LineageOS does not have stickers or GIFs. That is as it should be I think for a default built-in keyboard. But it does not support swipe typing either. This surprised me. It seemed like a huge step backwards to have to tap out every letter with my thumbs. Do people still type like that on their phones?!?! Oh, the humanity!
There is a microphone icon at the top of the keyboard for speech-to-text transcription. I used this all the time before on my Samsung S8+. But tapping it did nothing. Apparently I am missing a speech-to-text engine. This surprised be because Outlook has dictation built-in using Microsoft's engines and works well. But it only works in Outlook and not universally throughout the phone as it would if it was built-in on the keyboard.
I installed the Microsoft SwiftKey keyboard and that gave me stickers, GIFs and... swipe typing! Woo Hoo! But I was really hoping it would give me speech-to-text since I dictate almost all of my text messages. I figured it would use Microsoft's engine like Outlook does since it was a Microsoft app. But tapping the microphone on the SwiftKey keyboard promptly tells me that I need to download "Google Voice Search".
Microsoft AuthenticatorI installed the Microsoft Authenticator app for 2FA and it installed just fine. But it was impossible to add any accounts by scanning the QR codes. I think this is due to notifications not working properly, probably also due to the lack of Google Play Services or microG.
Outstanding IssuesSo, the outstanding issues I have right now are:
Microsoft Authenticator is non-usable. This is a huge issue for me
No speech-to-text transcription from keyboard
No notifications in Microsoft Teams
No notifications in Microsoft Outlook (this I can live with).
What I LikeWhat I like about LineageOS is the clean, minimalistic design of the operating system. I am not pushed into any particular "ecosystem" be it Google, Samsung, Microsoft or Apple. I can decide which ecosystem I want to participate in and to which extent. For example, I could download Outlook without downloading Edge and I don't need to backup my photos to OneDrive unless I want to. You can do this, to some extent, with OEM versions of Android, but it requires ignoring and disabling things. Come to think of it, that is really what an operating system should be - a platform for running apps, not an on-ramp into an ecosystem.
What irritates me is that not all apps work as they should. It seems like Google Play Services is an important part of the mix and many apps fail to function properly without it. Signal seems like one exception. It detects that you are not using Google Play Services and adapts the functioning the app accordingly.
Just a minor update. I tried several diffrent TTS engines (Pico TTS, Flite TTS, RHVoice) and none of these gave me text typing.
I ended up installing Speech Services by Google and it worked. I was surprised that it worked considering I do not have GApps (and thus no Google Play Services) and no microG on my phone.
So, I guess I can live with a little Google on my phone, but I would have preferred to find an open-source alternative or, barring that, a Microsoft alternative.