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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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.
Related
I have been thinking a lot lately about my phone, I have a Galaxy S and I felt some features that were not there or missing without the third party apps, I think putting these together will help making an already amazing operating system even better
1. SMS and call history
Google should come with service where these are backed up on Google servers, or have the option to save it to the external sd card, so that when you format your phone they should be back again. (Yes I know there are third party software’s that does that but something like that should be a part of Google android)
2. Google Talk with Video Integration.
(Right now Yahoo, fringe etc. are there for video chat) but Google should come up with their own video integration service.
3, Google doc support.
Android is lacking with Google doc support, I hope they come up with it, in coming versions.
4. Google chrome,
It should be the default Browser, and should come up as preinstalled browser on the Android.
5. Bookmarks.
Google should come up with a service like xmarks and xpass, which saves your bookmarks and passwords on the servers and sync them with your home and office computers.
6. Video/music player.
I saw this somewhere on the xda where they have put in upcoming default player for android that would be a great thing to come. Also I would want it to have an option where it gives you option to select the directory which you want to scan and put into the music and video player. I don’t want it pick anything and everything (Like the game video/music files)
7. Google sync.
Google should come up with a default pc application, not something like HTC has their own, and Samsung has bull**** kies. Also it should have options to save a back up for settings, sms, applications and call logs etc.
8. Market.
They made the interface better but they still need to sync it much better to the Google account and next time when you format the phone, the applications which the person has always be using, should come in the list of previously installed applications, so that we can install them all in one go.
9. Power saving feature.
I used the task killers etc.. They don’t really do anything. but one thing I do not know when you close the application why does it keep running in background? We don’t really need this, it should be more like Symbian once you close the app, it should not run unless you rerun it.. (This will help fix the battery issues)
10. Google maps.
They are getting better and better day by day with maps, but one thing I would say is still lacking is the navigation part. Google Navigation is really not as good as the Igo, Garmin etc. They should allow you to download the map of the city you are in and should show route by route navigation. Also There is a Mark your place option missing, you can mark your house etc, unless you save it as a contact on Google maps, which is annoying..
This is my experience on Android and features which I feel are missing and can make the Android the best OS on the earth ...
PS. This feedback is more related with software only, if you know any feature that you miss the most, comment
Gaurav Kainth
Android SGS user
196 views 0 reply
Guyz this is not something random picked from some site.. this is what I feel is missing on the android... worth a reading.. may be some devlopers put these issues accoss and might help us all
Contrary to popular believe google software is far from the miracle work it's made out to be. In fact their software is often rather immature. Best example of that is google maps but the whole android os is another example. However, unlike microsoft, google is not looking to provide an all in one solution by themselves. They are in fact intentionally leaving out many of the features you mention in order to make those a commodity (and it works, there are apps for most of those functions). It's bad and good for the enduser at the same time. But considering google's software quality, I think it's mostly positive.
PS: Leaving voice and video out of gtalk on the mobile is retarded. But it will likely change with the new apis introduced in android 2.3
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
They probably do back up your call history and SMS messages lol.
Market should be a part of Android (AOSP), not Google Apps.
1. SMS and call history
Syncing to a server would enrage privacy organisations, regular users don't flash thier phone every week. But being able to read them in Gmail would be awesome.
2. Google Talk with Video Integration.
Will be here within months, Andy Rubin already showed it on the dive into D:mobile interview
3, Google doc support.
Google docs = webbased, you can edit in the webversion.
4. Google chrome,
Browser already uses the V8 engine and the webkit renderer, just like chrome.
5. Bookmarks.
Bookmarks already get saved and synced on google phones and AOSP roms, samsung disabled it?
6. Video/music player.
7. Google sync.
it's called google apps (gmail, calendar, picasa, enz)
8. Market.
AOSP roms automatically reinstall all your apps after a reset/flash, samsung disabled it?
9. Power saving feature.
Apps dont keep running, they just keep in the RAM so they don't need to reload. They only keep running if they have ongoing processes, and then you probably want them to keep running.
10. Google maps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
10charsoutsideaquote
RambJoe said:
They probably do back up your call history and SMS messages lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol yeah you never know but atleast they should give users an access to that
I agree with every point.
Upon first launch these apps are installed
Apollo
Browser
Calculator
Calendar
Camera
Clock
Dev Tools
Documents
Downloads
DSP manager
Email
Gallery
Messaging
Movie Studio
OmniSwitch
People
Phone
Search
Settings
SIM Toolkit
Torch
Voice Dialer
I'd like to know which of these are actually supported.
I believe many of them have been abandoned by upstream, like Email, Calendar, Gallery, Messaging, etc.
Search should be removed, seeing as it hasn't been updated since like 1.5. Same with Movie Studio.
I disabled Apollo, Browser and Email within minutes, as there are better apps for their purposes.
VLC instead of Apollo, Firefox instead of browser and K-9 Mail instaed of email.
For some reason, Apollo, a third party app by Cyanogenmod gets included but not any other third party apps.
If third party apps are going to be included, there should be some kind of system as to what is included.
Is omnirom going to come with everything included or just what you need to get started?
bump
There are some open-source apps I'd like to include, but there are some issues (regarding package signatures) that make it difficult to properly include stuff that is also available on the Play Store.
Apollo's inclusion is mostly from inertia, I think that really needs a nuke and repave. Once it was submitted to CM it kind of just sat there. (I'm wondering if it was the victim of shady manuevering by the CM leadership like Focal was...)
Most of the other apps are included as part of AOSP - fixing these apps is something pulser is working on organizing in conjunction with some other projects.
In general, if an app doesn't automatically start a background service and is part of AOSP, we don't put significant effort into removing it since free space in /system achieves nothing for the user.
Frankly most of these apps are useless as Google has alternate in market eg.
Calendar
Browser
Voice dialer
Apollo
Camera
Dash clock widget
I generally freeze them after installing. Might use a script to flash and remove these after install
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
shri_chanakya said:
Frankly most of these apps are useless as Google has alternate in market eg.
Calendar
Browser
Voice dialer
Apollo
Camera
Dash clock widget
I generally freeze them after installing. Might use a script to flash and remove these after install
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But a solid rom *must* include apps to cover that basic functionality, regardless of what else is availabe in the market. Preferrably it should include excellent apps to cover the basics like that. No calendar? No camera? No browser? Those are *must-have* apps to be included with any rom). Unless there's a replacement baked in, it would be a major slight to cut them out. It'd be better to leave what essential apps in as placeholders until superior replacements can be developed/incorporated, instead of just shipping with gaping holes in the ROM and telling users, 'You don't like a barren, crippled build? Ha! Go fish!'
That kind of thing reminds me of so many Linux distros who spend tons of time on slick graphics, but don't even include basic functionality (*cough-elemental-hack*), leaving users to fend with a half-assed barely functional experience. That is just an atrocious way to go about things, IMO.
shri_chanakya said:
Frankly most of these apps are useless as Google has alternate in market eg.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To add to what Culot said a post above: an AOSP ROM should include apps to cover that basic functionality, and provide a fully functional and useful experience, not only regardless of what else is available in the Play Store, but mostly because an AOSP ROM should be usable without even having Google Play Services.
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 ran across this "solution" while investigating ways to avoid installing GApps on low-RAM tablets. It is not a perfect solution but if you want to be able to search, browse, etc., and download/install PlayStore apps right on your device, this may serve that purpose.
The app is called the Yalp Store and is available on F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstore/
It runs just fine on the NST/G. Options are accessed via the menu "button". As default configured, it uses a generic shared login to access the PlayStore. You could substitute your own credentials, but I would advise against this as using this app would probably make the big G very angry. Search works fine, apps that are not compatible are listed as such and you can set the app to instantly download/install, just like the real thing. The app keeps track of your on-board apps, and can even be set to check for updates (probably unwise, as updates are likely to break functionality for our old devices).
Does this mean I don't need GApps?
Maybe, but probably not. One of the other things I discovered while pursuing this issue is that an increasing number of PlayStore apps which have nothing to do with Google sync or logins, incorporate a Google Framework Services API. So you may be able to download and install them but they will either refuse to run or else whine constantly about needing said Services to be installed. While GApps on the NST/G is not good for much these days except maybe Google Books sync, its hidden system files--which include the Services--may be needed to run PlayStore apps (like even the NPR app--go figure).
There are a few Xposed modules I tried that appear to be able to circumvent this issue (though not for apps requiring Google sync), but you're not going to get Xposed on the NST/G!
Anyway, there are a lot of other places to get apps (like the F-Droid store itself) but even if you get a "PlayStore" app from one of these sources, it may refuse to run if you don't have the GApps package installed. The Yalp Store app indicates which apps rely on GFS.
Edit: oh, and quickest way to exit the app is Settings > More > Log Out
Edit-Edit: no need for GApps except for Google Books. See https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/general/gapps-install-tested-confirmed-t3782459
the yalp apk installed but it isn't opening ...
aiamuzz said:
the yalp apk installed but it isn't opening ...
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Wow...something majorly funky going on there with the packages at F-Doid and the GitHub. Version 0.32 is as you describe. Versions 0.31-0.30 install with a lot of Chinese characters in the title bar and then do not run. Version 0.29 from the GitHub gives a package parsing error like it's for the wrong Android version.
Version 0.28 from the GitHub is the newest that functions for me (although the anonymous login is broken). I've attached a copy below and I've made an issue report to the developer via the GitHub.
Edit: here is the response I received to my report of the issue to the developer: "Apparently, new build-tools (specifically aapt2) generate apks which are unusable on old androids.". So....it's not clear whether this will be addressed or not. One of the intents of the simplicity of the Yalp Store was to keep it available to Android systems as old as 2.0. Version 0.28 functions fine except for the anonymous login. If you use your own Google login you should be good, although you might want to open a separate account just for that purpose--to be safe.
update
Just a heads-up on the Yalp Store. The issues with installation, etc., seem to have been resolved with version 0.33 (available via the developer GitHub as of this writing, but not yet on F-Droid).
I had an issue or two at first with search but after exiting and reopening the app everything seemed to work fine. Categories are a little slow, but they do work.
Hi, I am looking to move away from Google and Gapps and trying to work out what is the best way to do it on a Redmi Note 7.
I have already install OrangeFox recovery and have been reading about LineageOS+MicroG for this purpose. Would like to hear comments/suggestions from anyone who has gone down this path.
Many thanks.
Even I am also looking forward on doing the same, just did in my galaxy note 3 where I installed lineage OS 16 and MicroG for the essential google services required by apps to run properly, I use only web applications except for WhatsApp, shifted to signal as my primary messenger application, F-Droid is my source of open-source apps. I guess privacy is your concern, right? Developers kindly assist on the same
SunilNair2020 said:
I installed lineage OS 16 and MicroG for the essential google services required by apps to run properly
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I did a bit a research on this and found that installing MicroG requires signature spoofing be enabled on the ROM which I understand is a major security issue - this is supposed to be the reason why LineageOS do not include MicroG in their builds.
I'm using an old Zenfone 2 Laser (snapdragon 410 version) with an old LAOS MicroG 14.1 (Android 7), without those massive Google Services the phone seems to be faster than my Redmi Note 7 (no joke, it's incredible), it has f-droid preinstalled as main store and MicroG Manager, all apps works fine, the only problem is Gmail (need to use the browser version, i don't know how to set the stock email app), i really need a Google free rom on this Note 7 too
N1ck474 said:
I'm using an old Zenfone 2 Laser (snapdragon 410 version) with an old LAOS MicroG 14.1 (Android 7), without those massive Google Services the phone seems to be faster than my Redmi Note 7 (no joke, it's incredible), it has f-droid preinstalled as main store and MicroG Manager, all apps works fine, the only problem is Gmail (need to use the browser version, i don't know how to set the stock email app), i really need a Google free rom on this Note 7 too
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According to the previous comment, upon doing some research app signatures are important for apps to work safely and without malicious code being embedded, so is there any option for using lineage OS without neither Gapps nor MicroG? Also is there any option to backup contacts in the absence of google services? Thanks again !
SunilNair2020 said:
According to the previous comment, upon doing some research app signatures are important for apps to work safely and without malicious code being embedded, so is there any option for using lineage OS without neither Gapps nor MicroG? Also is there any option to backup contacts in the absence of google services? Thanks again !
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I don't know about contacts, with MicroG they syncs normally like a Google enabled phone, i don't actually know what this problem with signatures is (i use the Zefone as secodary phone without a SIM or important personal data), i think you need to upload all of your contacts on a Cloud (OneDrive, Drive etc) then redownload them as ICS or Calendar data on your Google-Free ROM, if you have less than 200 contacts and a modern SIM you save all of them on the SIM Card without problems.
N1ck474 said:
I don't know about contacts, with MicroG they syncs normally like a Google enabled phone, i don't actually know what this problem with signatures is (i use the Zefone as secodary phone without a SIM or important personal data), i think you need to upload all of your contacts on a Cloud (OneDrive, Drive etc) then redownload them as ICS or Calendar data on your Google-Free ROM, if you have less than 200 contacts and a modern SIM you save all of them on the SIM Card without problems.
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I don't prefer using cloud storage as it involves storing data somewhere we don't have access to...any other alternatives? Thanks again ?
SunilNair2020 said:
I don't prefer using cloud storage as it involves storing data somewhere we don't have access to...any other alternatives? Thanks again ?
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I don't know, you can actually export your contacts locally as ICS/Calendar file on an SD Card or locally (on a PC or Hard Disk), at least, i think so, never done that
SunilNair2020 said:
According to the previous comment, upon doing some research app signatures are important for apps to work safely and without malicious code being embedded, so is there any option for using lineage OS without neither Gapps nor MicroG? Also is there any option to backup contacts in the absence of google services? Thanks again !
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I am not 100% sure about this but I feel if the app is widely used and no security issues have been uncovered then using it via MicroG might not be a major issue. Perhaps, someone with more experience can comment on this?
I once went on a full on no google mission.
- Lineage, no gapps, not even micro g
- apps were mostly, if not all, from fdroid
- colud (storage, backup, notes) I used nextcloud, also used mega
- davx for contacts
- search engine - startpage or sometimes DDG
- email from proton
- youtube, which unfortunately doesn't have any alternative, I used newpipe.
I'm pretty sure here I forgot a thing or two, but this was mostly it.
I was happy with my privacy though, peace of mind you know. But the experience was horrible for me, a lot of time needs to be invested for maintenance, you'll see. I was still okay with it, because I had the time for all that. But I had to sacrifice, due to lack of time to handle and keeping track of every single thing, wheather it was working or not as per my needs!!
If you have that much time, and a will to do a thing or two manually than you should go for it.
Well, imho the best way to keep your privacy AND to be able to receive push notifications and download apps from google app store (via aurora store) without the need of a google account is to install an rom which supports signature spoofing (for example crDroid, AICP, ...) or a rom that already has microg included (https://download.lineage.microg.org/lavender/ )
LOS for microg purely supports signature spoofing for the MicroG components/apps (gmscore, fakestore, ..), so imho there isn't any security issue
ssaikia3 said:
I once went on a full on no google mission.
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Thanks very much for sharing your experience - this is exactly the sort of information I was after.
Currently, I use NoRootFirewall to block all traffic generated by Playstore Services which helps me stop Playstore Services updates. The downside is it affects apps reliant on Playstore Services such as Gmail etc. This is not a problem as I switched to my phones native email client which handles mail without any issues. Skype complained and wanted me to update Playstore Services but I continued on and was able to make a call without obvious problems. If I have to install an app, obviously I need to enable Playstore Services but once I install the app I could block Playstore Services once again. In a sense, this gives me the option of continuing on like this but was thinking of LineageOS for MicroG may be a better alternative. Would like to hear your views on this.
Many thanks
2faraway2 said:
Well, imho the best way to keep your privacy AND to be able to receive push notifications and download apps from google app store (via aurora store) without the need of a google account is to install an rom which supports signature spoofing (for example crDroid, AICP, ...) or a rom that already has microg included (https://download.lineage.microg.org/lavender/ )
LOS for microg purely supports signature spoofing for the MicroG components/apps (gmscore, fakestore, ..), so imho there isn't any security issue
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I did more reading about LOS for MicroG last night, in particular this one https://blogs.fsfe.org/larma/2016/microg-signature-spoofing-security/ - while I still haven't got my head around all the security issues, I feel a lot more comfortable about them now.
Many thanks for your comment.