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I'm trying to use the Square app on the Fire but it won't let me proceed without location settings. There doesn't seem to be an option on the menu that let's me make that change.
I know GPS usually takes care of this and there is no GPS but you can use wifi for location settings too.
I suppose that amazon could have removed the location manager from this build. Hat would disable all location Providers including wifi. I did manage to get google maps and the stock android news and weather app installed. Maps displays the maps just fine, but cant show even a rough location. I had to input my zip code to get weather working.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I don't think Amazon has their own location services and by default, android uses google's location services. Since it does, Amazon was not allowed to use them. Perhaps later, Amazon will roll their own, but for now, there are no location services built into the fire.
The Amazon Market now has a custom edition of Mapquest for the Fire which does include a form of Skyhook-based location services. But this is different from the Google location services, which still don't seem to work. In fact, I have APKs for a couple of other apps that are location-aware and they won't even install. (The ADB console says [INSTALL_FAILED_MISSING_SHARED_LIBRARY].)
I have a rooted Galaxy S4 with 4.4.2 Android installed. I installed the app "Uninstaller" and have uninstalled LOADS of crapware off my phone. Everything was working great until I started using the GPS. It was working and then while I was driving it just said that the GPS signal was lost and no matter how long I waited it wouldn't get a signal again. After rebooting the phone the GPS worked again but only for a little bit.
I have the following apps left on my phone according to the Uninstaller app:
Application Installer
AutoPreconfig
BadgeProvider
Calculator
Calendar Storage
Camera
ClipboardSaveService
Clock
com.android.browser.provider
com.android.sharedstoragebackup
com.qualcom.interfacepermissions
com.qualcom.timeservice
com.sec.android.app.keyguard
com.sec.android.app.Smartclip
com.sec.phone
CSC
DeviceKeyString
Documents
Email
Exchange services
External storage
FilterProvider
Fused location
Gallery
HTML viewer
KeyguardBackuprestore
KeyguardTestActivity
KLMS Agent
LocationServices
LogsProvider
MTP application
MyScript Resource Manager
OM customise
PacProcessor
Perso
PopupuiReceiver
Preconfig
ProxyHandler
RILnotifier
S Planner
Security storage
SecurityManagerService
Security mode RIL
SetDefault Launcher
Shell
SilentLogging
SmartcardManager
SmartcardService
Syscope
Task Manager
Tasks provider
TcpdumpService
Tethering Automation
USB settings
USBSettings
User dictionary
As you can see I am a minimalist kind of person and have obviously deleted something I shouldn't have! Therefore, does anyone know what apps I need to restore to get the GPS to work 100% again? I have kept a backup of all the apps I deleted in Uninstaller so I can restore them...once I know which ones need restoring.
Can anyone assist please?
Provide a list of all the apps you removed, as it may be easier to pinpoint which app needs to be replaced.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Provide a list of all the apps you removed, as it may be easier to pinpoint which app needs to be replaced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres 230 of them, is there an easy way to get a list of them?
If on Windows, open a command prompt. Navigate using the CD command to the directory where the apps are stored. Type "dir /b > filelist.txt" and post as an attachment here.
For example, if the apps were stored on external drive G, in the directory Android/Apps, you would type the following commands:
Code:
G:
cd android
cd apps
dir /b > filelist.txt
If the apps are stored on your MicroSD card, you'll need to transfer them to the computer, as the command prompt doesn't understand the media transfer protocol used for the connection between the computer and the S4.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
If on Windows, open a command prompt. Navigate using the CD command to the directory where the apps are stored. Type "dir /b > filelist.txt" and post as an attachment here.
For example, if the apps were stored on external drive G, in the directory Android/Apps, you would type the following commands:
Code:
G:
cd android
cd apps
dir /b > filelist.txt
If the apps are stored on your MicroSD card, you'll need to transfer them to the computer, as the command prompt doesn't understand the media transfer protocol used for the connection between the computer and the S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very helpful, thank you! I have attached the file list.
Odd that you removed the Play Store (Phonesky.apk), Google Services Framework (GMS_Core.apk), and Google Search (Velvet.apk) from the device. I personally would recommend restoring all three to /system, even if you have updated versions in /data/app. Many device functions are routed through the Google Services Framework or the Google Search app, or both. And having a version of the Play Store to fall back upon in case an update becomes corrupt is never a bad thing.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Odd that you removed the Play Store (Phonesky.apk), Google Services Framework (GMS_Core.apk), and Google Search (Velvet.apk) from the device. I personally would recommend restoring all three to /system, even if you have updated versions in /data/app. Many device functions are routed through the Google Services Framework or the Google Search app, or both. And having a version of the Play Store to fall back upon in case an update becomes corrupt is never a bad thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use any Google services and all my apps are installed manually by installing the APK file. I don't even use Google Maps for GPS. Currently I use CoPilot for my GPS stuff. Surely these Google apps wouldn't affect CoPilot from functioning correctly? I'd really like to keep this a Google app free phone (oh the irony considering Android is Google!)
My guess is that I have uninstalled a core system app that the GPS software needs. Its just weird how CoPilot will be happily working away giving me directions and then BAM...it doesn't have a GPS fix to the satellite anymore and the directions stop!
Well, unless you try them you won't know. You can always take them back out.
I'd have to take a look at my list of apps and see what I kept that you didn't, as I don't have problems with the GPS suddenly up and quitting.
EDIT: I've posted mine below, which is based on FailoFAX's debloat list. There's way too many files you removed that I didn't to make a judgment call here. So I'm going to recommend two ROMs for you to solve your problem.
1. Install a Google Play Edition ROM and take the time to remove the Google Apps. This is good if you want dead stock Android without any added customization whatsoever.
2. Install CyanogenMod or another AOSP ROM, and don't download or install the Google Apps package. You get some custom features not found in the GPE ROM, but also don't have to pick through the system and remove the Google Apps.
I'm recommending either of these above because the ROMs are essentially barebones as is, and need little or no customization to be useful.
Thanks for the helpful reply. I'll try restoring the Google apps this evening when I get home from work.
Appreciate the ROM recommendations but I (shock horror) like TouchWiz (I like the interface) so thats why I use the official Samsung ROM and the remove all the crapware.
I've had a look at quite a few of those debloat lists and some are quite useful but theres always apps that no-one knows what they do.
I think if I reset my phone again I shouldn't remove so many system apps!
There are plenty of things to like about Touchwiz. The launcher isn't one of them, which is why I use Google Now or Apex.
The debloat lists here in the forums tend to provide the right balance between functionality and size. For example, my list above netted me a 700MB savings. Especially as much of it is bloatware.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
There are plenty of things to like about Touchwiz. The launcher isn't one of them, which is why I use Google Now or Apex.
The debloat lists here in the forums tend to provide the right balance between functionality and size. For example, my list above netted me a 700MB savings. Especially as much of it is bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, after deleting all the bloat on my phone it came to about 950MB!
So I restored Google Play Store, Services Framework and Search and I have done two trips today with the GPS working 100% (ie: it didn't stop working while giving me directions).
Now I am going to start removing the Google apps one at a time and then test the GPS again after uninstalling it to see what is causing the GPS to fail.
One issue though. After reinstalling the 3 Google apps I get this error message after I have entered the SIM PIN and the home screen appears:
Unfortunately, Google Services Framework has stopped.
All I can do it tap ok a few times and it then goes away.
After uninstalling Googe Play the GPS stopped working again halfway to my destination today. I think I am going to have to reset the phone again as there are other strange things that are happening on the phone (phone calls sometimes don't connect).
What is the best way to reset the phone back to the factory ROM? Do I just do a reset from settings? Or should I rather use TWRP?
You can do a factory reset through TWRP, but starting from scratch with a ROM flashed via Odin might be best. Of course you'd have to debloat again.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
You can do a factory reset through TWRP, but starting from scratch with a ROM flashed via Odin might be best. Of course you'd have to debloat again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so last night I did a complete factory reset and reflashed the original ROM. I've used the GPS twice today and so far it has been fine. I'll test it some more this weekend. I have uninstalled about 174 apps.
One thing I noticed today. Usually when I would receive a call I didn't want to take I would turn the phone upside down and the phone would stop vibrating. Now when I turn the phone upside down it continues to vibrate. Is there a setting I need to change to enable this feature? Or have I uninstalled an APK I shouldn't have? I have attached the most recent list of apps I have uninstalled using Uninstaller.
Thanks for any help!
In this case it seems you don't have the mute or pause turned on in settings. Go to Settings > My Device > Motions and gestures > Motion > Turn Over > Mute/Pause to enable it. If that's not working, try replacing SensorService2_5.apk.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
In this case it seems you don't have the mute or pause turned on in settings. Go to Settings > My Device > Motions and gestures > Motion > Turn Over > Mute/Pause to enable it. If that's not working, try replacing SensorService2_5.apk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That did the trick (ie: going in to settings and enabling...I didn't restore the APK)! Strange, I have never set that before when I was using Jellybean!
I went for a long drive today with the GPS turned on all the time and it worked all the way.
When first running Uninstaller on KitKat/Galaxy S4 there are 283 apps. I currently have 110 apps installed (so I have uninstalled 173) so its looking good so far. Time will tell though! I would like to delete another 20 or so apps but I want to do it in a more controlled manner! The next batch I would like to uninstall are:
Automation Test
BadgeProvider
BandService
Beaming Service
Camera Test
com.android.backupconfirm
com.android.providers.partnerbookmarks
com.sec.android.FlashBarService
com.sec.android.app.sbrowsertry
com.sec.android.sviewcover
ConfigUpdater
DeviceTest
Face Unlock
LocalFOTA
PickupTutorial
RCPComponents
ringtonebackup
Screen Mirroring
ShareShotService
WlanTest
Any of these a bad idea to uninstall?
I've installed google play services ( sideload without root based on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-3SWSD232U ).
And Fake Location 3.27 apk (com.fakegps.mock), tried a few others that failed to install but this one installed and seems to work.
You will need to use the ADB shell to enable mock locations as well. I also installed a rotation app to force landscape on apps that seem to think its portrait.
I have my location set by ZIP code in FireOS settings however it seems that all apps don't use it.
Installed (sideloaded) all of these to get this working (I'm not certain if GP services are needed for fake location to work or not, but I think they are):
Google Account Manager_4.0.3-239410.apk
Google Play Store_4.6.17.apk
Google Play services_4.4.52 (1174655-036).apk
Google Services Framework 4.0.4-338691.apk
com.google.android.gms-8.1.14_(2244331-030)-8114030-minAPI9.apk
com.estrongs.android.pop-v4.0.2.8-242-Android-2.2.apk (ES File Explorer)
RotateScreenOrientation.apk - Free for XDA people
Fake gps - fake location_3.27.com.apk
Watch TNT_3.1.20151105.com.apk - Wanted to be able to Watch TNT on FireTV Stick (requires Cable sub) - doesn't work perfectly, can't "full screen" so there is a red banner at the top of the screen. have to use a mouse too
Enable Mock Locations (since they don't show in the settings app in Fire OS):
Code:
[email protected]:/ $ settings get secure mock_location
0
[email protected]:/ $ settings put secure mock_location 1
[email protected]:/ $ settings get secure mock_location
1
Then I opened Fake Location and set my location (accurately, as it placed me in the middle of the ocean) and started the fake location then switched apps over to Watch TNT and now I am able to stream Live TV.
Does anyone have a full list of settings that we can change via the shell access?
Edit:
Also working
Watch ABC Family (better than TNT works too)
Watch ABC - Live TV not available in my area though (but it was for ABC Family??)
I will admit that none of these are HD quality streams, 480p at best after it has buffered a bit.
Thanks for posting this tip. Followed these steps to get WatchTNT to load live streams using the latest version of Fake Location. Full-screen works on a FireTV2 -- but I can't seem to get rid of the red banner on the top of the screen. Tried disabling screen locker, but no change.
Have you come across any work-arounds? I'll try my luck on a few other app forums to see if others have had any success.
the fact that the red banner is there is why i say it doesn't work in full screen, it may take up 95% of the screen but that banner is an issue.
Not sure what can be done about it either.
horrorschow1986 said:
Use TorGuard! Works Perfect for me!
Yes it costs something but there is a Spezial offer 29,90$ /year! I'm on aftv 1. gen without Root!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why we would need a VPN service. FireOS 5 doesn't appear to be able to report any location data to the non Amazon apps. That's the whole point of us faking location in this instance. Our IPs are already USA based so that eliminates 95% of the need for the VPN when someone is trying to fake a location.
Old thread i know , but has anyone got fake location working with the latest fireos?
moontan33 said:
Old thread i know , but has anyone got fake location working with the latest fireos?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too would love an answer to that question. I've done all the installations of APK's that are called for, and everything seems poised to work, but [email protected]:/ $ settings get secure mock_location returns a no such file or directory error.
pryingeyes said:
I too would love an answer to that question. I've done all the installations of APK's that are called for, and everything seems poised to work, but [email protected]:/ $ settings get secure mock_location returns a no such file or directory error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to use such apps you would need to be rooted as the app needs to be in system/priv-app for most GPS faking to work
You could use a vpn if it's just an ip based location check
TheFixItMan said:
If you want to use such apps you would need to be rooted as the app needs to be in system/priv-app for most GPS faking to work
You could use a vpn if it's just an ip based location check
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that doesn't solve it. My IP address, if that was all that was required, is just fine for the purpose and would not need to be revised through a vpn. I'm trying to get my local stations via the DirecTV tablet app. It requires a GPS reading that simply shows you're somewhere in your service area, and specifically prompts you to turn on GPS locations in settings.. The Firestick doesn't provide one, but in the past people have had success by installing the various Google apps and an Android settings app, allowing mock, and then using apps like fake GPS to create a GPS reading and satisfy DirecTV that they really are sitting in their own living rooms. Fake GPS would be the simple answer except that when you open it, it prompts you to go into settings and allow mock. But because that's under Android developer options (not firestick developer options), it can't be accessed. There's no way to repeatedly click on About Phone in the newly-installed settings app to open up D.O., as you normally would on an actual phone.
In the past, installing everything in the OP and then entering that adb command was the solution, but that command no longer works. Just looking for an alternate.
Did you ever resolve this with the newer fire sticks?
I'm also wondering the same my mock locations say on withing adb however I'm getting nothing out of the firetv
man i dont like that sound of install that google play services.....if you would have asked me few months back because thats how i bricked my first firstick then went on a full on 4 days research marathon AFTER is came back up from a restart loop ON 7th DAY ._.
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.
I'd recently installed Google Play onto my Fire HD 10 and noticed my weather apps could no longer access the location services to give me the local weather. It doesn't matter if the apps were downloaded from the Amazon or Play store. The only weather app that still works is the preinstalled one from Amazon. I've checked the Location function is enabled for all the apps within Settings.
Before Google Play installed, the weather apps downloaded from Amazon appstore definitely worked. I'm surprised this issue is not widely known as I've tried a factory reset several times to start again and could reproduce this problem each time.
Please help as this is really annoying as I really want to use the Google Play store.
spikey_w said:
I'd recently installed Google Play onto my Fire HD 10 and noticed my weather apps could no longer access the location services to give me the local weather. It doesn't matter if the apps were downloaded from the Amazon or Play store. The only weather app that still works is the preinstalled one from Amazon. I've checked the Location function is enabled for all the apps within Settings.
Before Google Play installed, the weather apps downloaded from Amazon appstore definitely worked. I'm surprised this issue is not widely known as I've tried a factory reset several times to start again and could reproduce this problem each time.
Please help as this is really annoying as I really want to use the Google Play store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We jerry rig these things to the point amazon internals cease to function properly, even without root. Location among them. I guess I can go ahead and write a guide this weekend that could put an end to that. In the framework, there are a few pre defined settings for AGPS. These settings use the Google AGPS system. Amazon only has it half set up. There are no servers set either. I have inserted some default settings I have come across on various devices, to at least get a position lock. Google maps has me off by only a few feet. The issue is, Amazon set it up in the framework for AGPS to work, but never activated it. This also prevents adding a gps.conf file because any additions made to the framework AGPS, override any settings set in the system files. What I will do this weekend is start from a fresh framework-res.apk and settings apk, and set only the AGPS settings. If it works, you unfortunately get no visual effect aside from what your apps provide you.
DragonFire1024 said:
We jerry rig these things to the point amazon internals cease to function properly, even without root. Location among them. I guess I can go ahead and write a guide this weekend that could put an end to that. In the framework, there are a few pre defined settings for AGPS. These settings use the Google AGPS system. Amazon only has it half set up. There are no servers set either. I have inserted some default settings I have come across on various devices, to at least get a position lock. Google maps has me off by only a few feet. The issue is, Amazon set it up in the framework for AGPS to work, but never activated it. This also prevents adding a gps.conf file because any additions made to the framework AGPS, override any settings set in the system files. What I will do this weekend is start from a fresh framework-res.apk and settings apk, and set only the AGPS settings. If it works, you unfortunately get no visual effect aside from what your apps provide you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I understand, I thought I might have a faulty HD 10 as no one else has mentioned this problem but somehow knew it must be a software issue as before Google Play it worked fine. It will be fantastic if you could fix this. At the moment I have not rooted my HD 10 but if it is necessary then I'm willing to do this to implement the fix. Good luck and thanks.
spikey_w said:
Now I understand, I thought I might have a faulty HD 10 as no one else has mentioned this problem but somehow knew it must be a software issue as before Google Play it worked fine. It will be fantastic if you could fix this. At the moment I have not rooted my HD 10 but if it is necessary then I'm willing to do this to implement the fix. Good luck and thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not even sure the AGPS settings work myself. I'm just speaking based on my experience so far. Very very few providers use the agps settings in the framework because their devices support GPS. The HD 10 supports GPS. Even has a GPS chip. However, the instructions sent to the preloader at boot tell the preloader GPS is unsupported. I can switch the settings in the Project config.mk, but if it doesn't match the values set in the preloader, the preloader overrides the settings in the .mk. it also links to the other loader too so that would also need to be modified. But without an unlocked bootloader, we can't make changes to those imgs without bricking the tablet. I wish we could take the preloader settings from the HD 8 and load them into the HD 10 preloader. All we need to tweak is the cpu specs and it would be good to go. Damn you Amazon.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs
So the HD 10 has a real GPS built-in, that's interesting. I wonder is that why a compass pointer appears momentarily at the top of the screen when the Amazon weather app accesses the location services. Never mind but thanks for your effort to look into this. Yes damn you Amazon indeed.
spikey_w said:
So the HD 10 has a real GPS built-in, that's interesting. I wonder is that why a compass pointer appears momentarily at the top of the screen when the Amazon weather app accesses the location services. Never mind but thanks for your effort to look into this. Yes damn you Amazon indeed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the HD 10, and pretty much all modern Amazon tablets have 'HERE Positioning' which has no activity and can't be launched, but is the driver for Amazon location services. What little I can gather from the company, they specialize in indoor GPS and uses a similar system to agps. I imagine a user interface arises when you are registered to certain Amazon interfaces, but I've never experimented with an Amazon tablet fully registered and used on Amazon software.
Point being, there is a GPS chip. Look in /system/data/misc at ProjectConfig.mk you'll see the device includes a GPS chip from an older chipset, but the following line says GPS-support=no. the only way to fix this is to modify the kernel. If you scroll to the bottom you'll see a few director locations, like the preloader. The preloader is going to default to whatever it's programmed to, but I've never looked at it. You can edit the file to say yes, but if it doesn't match what the preloaders say, they will override the changes to the make file and boot to set defaults.
Can it be changed? Yes. Will it boot? The chances are slim to none. Modifying any of those partitions and recompiling them will brick the device beyond repair. Locked bootloader means signature verification is active. You modify the prelaoder or boot images, the device will soft or permanent brick.
There is one good thing about this kernel make file. With root, you can add any of the MTK values that say yes, to the build prop, if they aren't already there. for example, from the make file we have:
Code:
MTK_SIM_HOT_SWAP = yes
This is included in the build, but is not supported in the build prop, or the framework (we don't have a mobile device). But if the framework we're not predefined and this were a cell phone, you could add the above to the build prop as:
Code:
ro.mtk_sim_hot_swap_support=1
and so on...
I'm hoping Devo mode will change all of this and then some.
I bought Fire HD 10 for using as head unit in my car. Therefore, Navigation is important for me. Initially I rooted device and tried some offline navigation apps like Maps.me and Here we Go. None of them worked and finally I decided to restore Fire OS to 5.6.1.0 hoping for navigation to work with the apps. It didn't work, now I am wondering if mine is bad unit or GPS is expected not to work.
siddharth_bhal said:
I bought Fire HD 10 for using as head unit in my car. Therefore, Navigation is important for me. Initially I rooted device and tried some offline navigation apps like Maps.me and Here we Go. None of them worked and finally I decided to restore Fire OS to 5.6.1.0 hoping for navigation to work with the apps. It didn't work, now I am wondering if mine is bad unit or GPS is expected not to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The GPS chip is disabled in the kernel. If you have flash fire set up, try flashing nano gapps. when I am settled from moving, I'll post and updated framework apk that I've been working on that should help with location.
Sent from my Amazon KFSUWI using XDA Labs
So it seems I may have found the issue. When you set up the play store, before installing Google, make sure 'find my device' is NOT set as administrator at least until you get the pop up that asks if you want to use Google's enhanced location services.
Was trying to solve this problem on a tablet I wanted to use as a jukebox in my car. The jukebox app required location services so that only nearby users could add songs.
On a whim I installed Google Maps from the Play Store, pressed the compass/zoom on my location button within Maps, and that prompted me to turn on Google Location Services. This was on a 5th gen Fire 7 downgraded to FireOS 5.4.0. YMMV with other tablets/OS version.
DragonFire1024 said:
So it seems I may have found the issue. When you set up the play store, before installing Google, make sure 'find my device' is NOT set as administrator at least until you get the pop up that asks if you want to use Google's enhanced location services.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, DragonFire1024. I'm glad I found this thread. I haven't had my Fire HD 10 but a week yet (so not too far along into all of the installs and whatnot that I want to do--Play Store was the very first thing I did after some basic configuration that unfortunately included the setting you mentioned) and am wondering if it's worth a factory reset to attempt this fix.
robbbmi said:
Thank you, DragonFire1024. I'm glad I found this thread. I haven't had my Fire HD 10 but a week yet (so not too far along into all of the installs and whatnot that I want to do--Play Store was the very first thing I did after some basic configuration that unfortunately included the setting you mentioned) and am wondering if it's worth a factory reset to attempt this fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends how bad you want location services to work. If you aren't too concerned, you can install a GPS spoofer and just use it whenever you need location services. The issue with using one of those, keeping a spoofer running all the time will drain your battery quick.
They say they have the chip for GPS but do they have the antenna?
StoneCoast1 said:
They say they have the chip for GPS but do they have the antenna?
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Click to collapse
I don't know. All I know is the chip is there, but Amazon had it disabled at build. It's evident in the .mk file in /system/data/misc on the HD 10:
Code:
MTK_GPS_CHIP = MTK_GPS_MT6630
MTK_GPS_SUPPORT = no
Christ, what a bummer. At least I use wx apps where I can input location manually. (Eweather HD, PYKL3 radar)
Rich
dorpmuller said:
Christ, what a bummer. At least I use wx apps where I can input location manually. (Eweather HD, PYKL3 radar)
Rich
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a few good GPS emulator apps out there as well.
Could anyone tell me if any fix for this having found? Pleade, should I uninstall Google play and grant access to my location to any one?
Here is what I found on my own, if you enable Scanning Wifi and Scanning Blue Tooth which were disabled by Default the location works in some applications.
throwawayjusttosay said:
Was trying to solve this problem on a tablet I wanted to use as a jukebox in my car. The jukebox app required location services so that only nearby users could add songs.
On a whim I installed Google Maps from the Play Store, pressed the compass/zoom on my location button within Maps, and that prompted me to turn on Google Location Services. This was on a 5th gen Fire 7 downgraded to FireOS 5.4.0. YMMV with other tablets/OS version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked like a charm for my 2019 HD10. Installed Google play & services immediately after unboxing and no weather app would work. I installed Google maps as you suggested and clicked OK at the prompt to turn on location services and presto, all weather apps are now working. Thank you.
Pretty old thread, but hopefully someone will stumble upon this easy fix.
Hello everybody.
I just got the most current Fire HD 10+ (11th Gen, with 4GB) on a Black Friday deal to use mainly as a car Media and Navigation unit, but the GPS Performance is absolutely terrible.
The included Maps app (Nokia's Here) is barebones and can give you instructions but not precise navigation, so I followed a guide to install Google Services/Play Store and Google Maps.
The GPS kinda works, but mostly when I'm stationary. As soon as I move, it loses satellite signal, and it is veeeery sloppy. Sometimes I need to close the app and open again to have some update (you can imagine how trying this can be while driving on a Freeway).
I spent almost 30 minutes doing "the infinity" symbol to improve accuracy, but Google Maps still says the accuracy is very low.
Any advice on what can I do to make this a usable navigation device?
Thank you