This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
I've been saving all the .apk files for apps I find valuable, just in case this ends up impacting future GrapheneOS builds.
Worst case scenario, at least I'd be able to use a saved Pixel for the apps I want, without needing a Google account.
Is there a way to get the apk files for apps you've downloaded from the Play store?
aurora gives you the option to "save app bundle"
Interesting... I've only just started messing with Graphene by putting it on an old Pixel and it seems pretty impressive.
So you opt to use Aurora? Do you need to install Google Play services to use that one? Seems like the options are Aurora, or creating a second user and installing the sandboxed Play services on that for apps that need it.
I tried the latter, but it's basically impossible to sign up for a Google account without giving a phone number these days and I'm not sure I want to log in to my actual Google account since that kind of defeats the purpose...
Some people seem to have some concerns about Aurora as well
̶S̶̶i̶̶d̶̶e̶̶l̶̶o̶̶a̶̶d̶̶i̶̶n̶̶g̶ Installing
And that's why I'm installing /e/OS in my Fairphone 6, and shifting to Linux based phones.
Even now Google is removing everything that is a choice to avoid their massive surveillance machine, apps started complaining about removal of UnifiedPush:
Fuck Google.
Don't forget their ongoing war on ad blocking. I'll miss NewPipe so much.
Pipepipe works fine
That's actually a known bug in Fennec, nothing to do with Google
Do ~~no~~ evil.
FF6 with eOS is awesome! For the first time in a very long time, I feel like I actually own the device! Very liberating.
Do you use any banking apps?
Yeah, I was very happy that my banks app worked. Also, I found if I keep microg connected to the app lounge, then my bank app would not work. So I keep it set to anonymous connection.
All mine work, so far, in Graphene, except Google wallet and i don't need Google to see what I purchase anyway.
I'm on an FP6 with iodéOS, very smooth so far, and apparently security is better than with /e/OS.
I had to manually flash it though.
Great. So half my software won't work.
Google, just call it what it is. Ad blocking prevention.
This is in no way a jusficitaion for what Google is doing, but they came to a "compromise" where you can still opt-in to being allowed to "sideload unverified apps" (read: install apps that didn't have to get approval from Google).
You have to enable it in the settings, and then you need to wait 24 hours before the setting is enabled. After that you can continue to run "unverified" apps
Xiaomi bootloaders used to work like that. You'd have to jump through some bullshit hoops to register your phone for bootloader unlocking, and then wait a few days to finally be able to unlock it. Then they made that worse and worse, and afaik it's so insanely difficult and inconvenient right now that it's practically impossible to unlock your Xiaomi phone's bootloader. This applies to all the brands under that umbrella.
I am about 97.37% sure Google will do the same over time and at some point you just won't be able to install any APKs.
Even google's "verified apps" are full of spyware, backdoors, and telemetry. They're so fucking hypocritical. Like an abuser who says "You can't make it in this world without me!"
Also, is this going to effect third-party ROMs like Lineage and its offshoots?
For now at least, google will likely remove that option in the future.
it wont remain at that. i bet they will disable that setting occasionally and make you wait that 24h again and again.
What I haven't seen is what happens to all of the apps I currently have installed when this hits.
Am I going to have to wait 24 hours to open apps I already have installed?
Will they all get auto-removed and need reinstalling?
Everything is written as if you're starting from new not an existing state.
It won't do anything to apps already installed. Future apps can be installed either by going through the dev mode unlock process or connecting to a computer and using ADB which doesn't require a wait period.
What happens if I just stop updating android for as long as I can? Quite a few apps on my phone have retained functionality past when their developers attempted to brick them because I froze updates
Hello from Android 12 lol. My 4yo phone runs just fine!
Sick. Any security scares or compatibility problems?
My Samsung S22 let me pause updates anymore. And it nags me to death.
My workaround is to start downloading the update and then pausing it.
RIP, that's cancer. Yeah samsung has lost its fucking mind. I wish I had been considering the availability of 3rd party roms when I chose my model
Just bought a second hand pixel 6 to test Graphene. Let's see what Motorola does and how Linux phones do in the future.
Ummm... Isn't this precisely against the whole EU's make sideloading (ie. installing) as easy as main app store installing thing?
Taking steps backwards...
It took years and legal pressure and fines to have othet app stores decently recognized and allowed. I don't understand how wr are goinf so back. I mean I understand. Capitalism + monopoly + orange guy.
Apple shat all over those regulations with their implementation and got away with it so now Google are doing the same
Yeah, my thoughts exactly.
Accountability is key in regulations. Without it, why should anyone follow them?
