Database Info

[APPMOD][07.11.10] Brut Google Maps 4.6.0.4686-brut17

Features:
worldwide navigation using Google Maps Directions
map tiles caching on SD card
force-enable MT. If you're on Eclair or some custom Donut and don't have multitouch zooming, then maybe this will enable it.
force-enable Buzz feature
fix for map shift issue in China
option to hide zoom buttons
installable on non-rooted devices
could be installed beside original app
Credits:
canadiancow for starting a brainstorm; an idea to use maps directions as backend for navigation; great Nav Launcher app; helping and support
TAPP for enabling "Navigate" button; first version for non-rooters
acamar for his research on map shift issue in China
many, many people for testing it, complaining ;-), helping others, etc.
Google for making this great app and service and for not sending C&D to me so far ;-)
Download:
maps4.6.0.4686-brut.apk
md5sum: 456b3fe71f74bb8b76a443be4075473c
maps4.6.0.4686-brut-renamed.apk - probably not usable - random ANRs
md5sum: a378ce5d9ddd07c489d129e972a5c2bd
maps4.6.0.4686-brut-renamed-tagged.apk - probably not usable - random ANRs
md5sum: 1bf581213c77fe2e3aa9fa1b7001d01b
Variants:
This mod consists of many independent changes and some of them may be good or bad for some people. Unfortunately not all changes could be configured at runtime, so we need several apk files to let people choose what they want.
There are 3 packs of changes:
-brut - it's a BrutMod itself: international navi, map caching, etc. All of these changes are configurable at runtime.
-renamed - Android package name was changed from original com.google.android.apps.maps to brut.googlemaps . See "Package name changing" below if you don't know, what this means.
-tagged - all icons in the launcher, widgets, etc. were tagged with red "BRUT" sign, all icon names were suffixed with "[brut]". It's to distinguish modded and original GM if you have installed both.
Then we could create several variants of this mod with different combinations of changes, but fortunately only 3 of them actually make sense: -brut, -brut-renamed and -brut-renamed-tagged.
Note: I know this may be confusing for some people, who get used to brut.googlemaps as normal package name for this mod and com.google.android.apps.maps as "stockified" modification of it. You should take into account that starting point is original GM with original package name, so com.google.android.apps.maps is actually "normal" and brut.googlemaps is modded/renamed one.
Installation:
For -renamed variants: just download & install. For others: see section below.
Package name changing:
Generally it means that modded app is identified by Android OS as totally different app, not connected to Google Maps at all. There are several consequences:
Android forbids to install same app twice. If you want to install modded app, you have to uninstall original one first. -renamed variant is detected as different app, so you could install it normally and then you will have installed both original and modded app.
It's much worse if you want to replace system app - and Google Maps is a system app on many devices. You can't uninstall system apps just like that, cause they're write-protected. You need root and probably some hacking, so if you had Google Maps preinstalled on your device and don't have a root or don't want to hack, then use one of -renamed variants.
Some apps call GM by name and if you have -renamed variant, then they can't find modded GM, cause it's detected as different app. People have such problems with Car Dock, Street View and few others.
Maps cache - formats:
BrutMod natively supports two formats for stored tiles: Andnav format and BrutMod old, which is kept for backward compatibility and will be eventually removed. You could also set custom path to stored tiles if you want to use different format.
If you have cached tiles from other maps/navigation app and they're stored in "one tile, one file" format, then you should be able to use them with BrutMod. You have to choose custom database format and set path to tiles. Path can contain variables - currently supported are:
(Z) - zoom level
(Y) - Y id of a tile
(X) - X id of a tile
So for example custom path for AndNav format would be: (Z)/(X)/(Y).png.andnav . If you would set something like: (Z)-(X)-(Y).png , then all tiles would be stored in one directory. Be cautions when setting a path: it's very simple and not very smart algorithm - if you would do something wrong, for example don't close bracket, then BrutMod will read/write everything from/to special "ERR" file.
Maps cache - zip support:
Having thousands of files isn't good for a filesystem. Usually they use more of space than they should - sometimes A LOT more. BrutMod supports tiles zipped into one file and format is identical as for normal files.
For example: we use AndNav format and we have /sdcard/brut.googlemaps/tiles/map-en_US-andnav directory. Inside of it we have "13" and "14" subdirectories. We could zip these subdirs into a zip file, so they will be in the root (right after opening a zip file you will see "13" and "14" dirs) and place it to: /sdcard/brut.googlemaps/tiles/map-en_US-andnav.zip . Then you could remove original "13" and "14" dirs and tiles will be read from a zip file.
If you have "Save map to cache" option enabled, then you could compact all saved tiles from time to time. Just open zip file and add all loose tiles to it. Then remove tiles. Maybe someday I will add automatic compactor to BrutMod.
Maps cache - downloading maps:
There are several downloaders available, I recommend Mobile Atlas Creator. Open it, select some area and zoom levels, click "Add selection" button, choose "AndNav atlas format", click "Create atlas" and wait. Then open directory with atlases, open your new atlas ("Unnamed atlas_<date>"), open "Google Maps" dir (or something else, if you didn't download Google's map) and you should see directories "0" - "19" - depending on which zoom levels you have chosen. Copy these directories to e.g. /sdcard/brut.googlemaps/tiles/map-en_US-andnav/ dir or zip them all and copy to /sdcard/brut.googlemaps/tiles/map-en_US-andnav.zip . If you have zip file already, then you could add new files to archive or do a unzip, copy, zip combo.
And one more advice related to maps cache. If you have any problems with creating custom tile path, zipping or pushing predownloaded tiles, then enable "Debug mode" in BrutMod menu and look into logcat. There you will see where BrutMod looks for files and why it can't find them.
FAQ:
Q: Phone reboots when I try to reinstall maps.
A: Uninstall it and then install. It's Android issue, may occur even when updating original Maps from Market.
Q: When navigating directions are in English, but I set different locale.
A: They are forced to "en_US" to guess turn symbols from them. You could disable this feature in BrutMod menu, but you will lost turn symbols.
Q: Feature X doesn't work!
A: Did you enabled it in Menu -> More -> Brut Mod?
Q: Could you add feature X?
A: Just ask in this thread, but you should take into account that I'm not an author of this app, but a modder. I work mainly on features, that Google probably won't add for some reasons: licensing concerns (int navi), non-standard ROM support (MT), "whole world is online" assumption (maps caching), etc. GM is rapidly developing, so if you have e.g. some UI suggestions, you should ask Google about them. I could work on some of these, but they have low priority.
Q: Car Dock, Google Voice Search or other app always use original Google Maps - it doesn't ask me about your mod. What can I do?
A: See "Package name changing" above.
Q: Multitouch still doesn't work even if I enabled it in BrutMod menu.
A: As description says, it may work, but may not. There are plenty of custom roms, each has different bits and sometimes GM disables MT even if it could use it normally. My mod could force it to enable, but it won't add MT support.
Q: What is "Unlock hidden features" option?
A: There are features that are hidden for some reason: they aren't finished yet, are for debugging, etc. If feature does not give you something really useful, but is for curiosity and maybe some fun, it will be controllable through this option. For now there are:
navi: menu->Switch to Walking/Driving - seems working fine, don't know, why they are hidden.
navi: menu->Report a Problem - doesn't work for me, but it is location related, so maybe works for someone else. When I was migrating to 4.2.0, I saw many new resources related to this feature. Will be quite good feature, when it will be finally enabled.
navi menu->Settings - for now it's nearly empty, has one option related to above "report a problem" feature
navi: Enable/Disable mock location - quite funny and really, really useful for me. There would be no voice fix, if I would not find it
Q: How does navigation hack work? Could you hack Google Voice and other services to work outside of USA as well?
A: No, I can't. Generally it's not possible to bypass security of most server-side services, because their owners have full control over a situation. GMM navigation is an exception of this rule, cause of Google Directions. GD is some kind of navigation service, only limited. It uses exactly same data as navi and uses it in similar way. So why Google has created two navigation services: one full and one limited if both are for free? Because of licenses which G has signed with map providers - Google can't use map data for "real-time, turn-by-turn navigation", but they can for just "directions". This is why GD is available worldwide, but navi in supported places only.
I have modded GMM, so each time it wants to ask servers about navigation route from A to B, it actually asks about Google Directions between these points. GMM gets GD response which is missing a lot of data required by navigation, e.g. turn symbols, voice, etc. Then I try to somehow guess and add these missing things, so response will be as much as possible similar to real navi response.
Pretty smart, huh? Thanks @canadiancow for this wonderful idea
Q: You didn't answer my question/help request.
A: Usually I totally ignore people, who ignore me. I spend time to make all necessary info, instructions and answers easily findable - in first post. If you ask about something, that was answered there, I will probably ignore you. If you are lucky, someone else will answer you.
TODO:
navi: map caching
navi: routes caching
navi: "continue on turn left on" issue
navi: turn symbols without forcing locale
navi: automatically use normal navi when available
navi: guess ramp direction
MT on custom Donuts using backported Eclair bits.
MT on stock Donuts through Luke Hutchinson's lib
Limits (issues that we know of, but are impossible or very hard to fix, so they aren't on TODO):
navi: too long directions in top bar
Changelog:
brut17 (07.11.10)
updated GM to version 4.6.0.4686
from now GM is released in 3 variants: -brut, -brut-renamed and -brut-renamed-tagged
added an option to choose map cache format - AndNav is a default, but old one is also supported
added support for zipped map cache
app directory is always /sdcard/brut.googlemaps - it does not depend on package name
readded es_MX language
removed Vector map test
fixed some ContextNotSet warnings
brut16 (09.08.10)
fixed "Data exceeds UNCOMPRESS_DATA_MAX" issue
removed es_MX language - es is used instead (caused by above issue)
brut15 (07.08.10)
does not work for many ROMs - "Data exceeds UNCOMPRESS_DATA_MAX" issue
updated GM to version 4.4.0.4414
brut14 (24.06.10)
updated GM to version 4.3.0.4305
added vector maps test
added BrutMod menu to navigation app
tagged gohome icon, Latitude widget and shortcut
fixed ContextNotSet issue
brut13 (19.05.10)
navi: fixed voice feature!
added "Unlock hidden features" option (see Q/A section)
added "I'm in USA" option
brut12 (18.05.10)
added fix for map shift issue in China - many thanks to acamar
added option to force enable Buzz feature
TurnUtil: Added "* turns slightly *" support
brut11 (12.05.10)
Google Maps updated to 4.2.0.4210
unlocked DestinationActivity when int navi is enabled
fixed "disabled MT" bug
brut10 (08.05.10)
added simple map caching feature! For now it's some kind of demo (but usable), will be more featureful soon.
readded multitouch force-enable feature
reworked Brut Mod screen: added some credits, link to XDA, categorized preferences
navi: added turn symbol for merges
fixed force locale bug
fixed some exceptions right after navigation start
brut9 (05.05.10)
added option to force locale in navi requests to en_US, so turn symbols will work
added option to hide zoom buttons
international navigation is now enabled by default
brut8 (04.05.10)
navi: fixed turn symbols feature - I've screwed it up right before brut7 release
brut7 (04.05.10)
navi: added "street names" in top bar
navi: added turn symbols (for now you must set "en" locale to use it)
added possibility to use hacked or normal navigation - you can choose this from menu (and int navi is disabled by default - if you're updating and want to use it, then remember to enable it)
reverted MT mods for now
based on GM4.1.1
seems more bug free to me
rev6 (04.03)
mod version included in app versionName (4.0.0-brut6)
added "[brut]" postfix to Add -> Shortcuts -> Directions & Navigation
fixed navi shortcut bug
fixed directions to contact bug
rev5 (01.03)
Minor update, but great from technical point of view:
repackaged all resources
changed app name and icon to distinguish it from original maps
changed package name to brut.googlemaps
rev4 (10.02):
now MT depends on existence of MT framework, not on Android version, so it will be enabled for 2.0 and 1.6 with backported MT bits, but app will work on stock 1.6 too (without MT)

Very nice, works great on superD, thank you.

Thank you for amazing work
but i cannot find Buzz...
where is it?
Rogers in Canada using OpenElrair 1.0.1

zip version please...
How about the zip version. Thanks in advance.

Not sure if it matters, but I also encountered the exact same bugs that canadiancow encountered. Just to confirm his findings.

ytwytw said:
Thank you for amazing work
but i cannot find Buzz...
where is it?
Rogers in Canada using OpenElrair 1.0.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same [email protected]@ Where is my buzz layer?

Some reason I can't download this. Is there another link?
all I get is 12kb ??
Seems it wouldn't download via the Nexus One .. got home and tried it again on my Desktop with success .. go figure!
All good .. maps working again including Buzzzzzz!! Zzz!! Zzz!! lol!

Buzz is awesome on this! Using CM 4.2.14.1 HTC Dream.
Layers > Buzz
One weird thing though, I used:
adb push Maps.apk /system/apps/Maps.apk
And it pushed fine, but now the Market sees Maps as not being installed. Which is perfectly fine, since now it won't bug me to update it. Just saying. It's really a non-issue, since the Maps 4.0.0 works great! Thanks!

this looks like a good start, but the other ones were much better. No ADP and no glitches.
I rather just flash it and not have everything working.
Good start though.

Runing on latest CM.
Great work for the maps, it just works. Done everything with ADB as described.
Problem: The My Tracks and My Maps Editor apps are force closing on startup now. Any soltuion? I tried even uninstalling this 4.0 version and puting back the maps from the DRC83_base_defanged.zip, but did not help.

@Brut.all, would you mind please adding MD5 sums to your first post?
Brut.all said:
... Download: ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks

I really like this app and works well for me appart the known bugs.
do you see any way to fix them? especially the voice guidance? is this due to the proxy solution?

zoltan.fekete said:
Problem: The My Tracks and My Maps Editor apps are force closing on startup now. Any soltuion? I tried even uninstalling this 4.0 version and puting back the maps from the DRC83_base_defanged.zip, but did not help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This might have something to do with the command below. As written, it will find and delete not only Maps, but also the My Maps Editor:
Code:
C:\>adb shell find /system /data -name \*google\*maps.apk\* -o -name Maps.apk
/data/dalvik-cache/[email protected]@[email protected]
[COLOR="Red"][B]/data/dalvik-cache/[email protected]@[email protected][/B][/COLOR]
/data/app/com.google.android.apps.maps.apk
[B][COLOR="red"]/data/app/com.google.android.apps.mymaps.apk[/COLOR][/B]
Brut.all said:
Code:
adb shell find /system /data -name \*google\*maps.apk\* -o -name Maps.apk \| xargs rm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

For peaople who are runing CM or other Mods based on google development ROMs, I find a solution how to restore the broken functionality of the applications that use google maps framework (e.g. My Track, My Maps Editor, etc.)
This will restore the original Google Maps. You can update it latter from the Market (for me it finds no updates). After this, you can use the bruts.all stand alone (alternative) version to get the full navigation and other stuff (maps 4.0) without messing up the framework file that other apps use for maps display and manipulation.
First go here and download this: DCR83_base_defanged.zip
(I'can post URLs, find you base image, for Magic 32A it is named DRC83_base_defanged.zip, for othe take a look at the CM wiki)
Connect your phone to the PC, enable debugging and make sure the ADB is working.
Uninstall the current Google Maps (hacked or stock whatever) by using this:
Code:
adb remount
adb shell find /system /data -name \*google\*maps.apk\* -o -name Maps.apk \| xargs rm
adb uninstall com.google.android.apps.maps
(for me this xargs rm is not working. I use only the find command, then delete one file at time by using RM)
Now extract from the DRC83_base_defanged.zip, the system\app\com.google.maps.apk to c:\com.google.maps.apk
Use ADB to install:
Code:
adb install c:\com.google.maps.apk
Then extract from the DRC83_base_defanged.zip , the System/Framework/com.google.android.maps.jar, to c:\com.google.android.maps.jar
Then run these commands:
Code:
adb remount
adb push c:\com.google.android.maps.zip /system/framework/com.google.android.maps.jar
REBOOT THE PHONE
After this, install the maps4.0.0-brut4-alt.apk (alt) maps, and you will have best of the both worlds, e.g. Old Google Maps (3.1) working, all applications that use google map working, and the new Google Maps (Name: Maps) working, with navigation and stuff. Bravo for Brut and other people who made it happen!

@Neejay, @neok44: the most of google maps floating here around were built by me or were rebuilt from my version, so it isn't a "good start" ;-) and it naturally shares bugs with other versions.
About update.zip: hmm... I try to avoid creating 50 different versions. Now I have 2 versions, if I allow to choose modded or normal navi, then I will have 4. Apk or update.zip? - 8 different files. With or without zoom buttons? - 16.
"alt" version is a must, cause changes are in AndroidManifest.xml, so it isn't possible to change it after built. In last revision (rev4) I have saved my ass from version for Eclairs and Donutters, cause previous maps with MT was force-closing on stock Donut.
I will always try to find alternative to creating masses of subversions with different installation instructions and there actually is alternative to update.zip - very useful app Nav Launcher, which will do everything for you. I will add something about it to first post and try to cooperate with canadiancow, so Nav Launcher will install newest version right after I will release it.
zoltan.fekete said:
Problem: The My Tracks and My Maps Editor apps are force closing on startup now. Any soltuion? I tried even uninstalling this 4.0 version and puting back the maps from the DRC83_base_defanged.zip, but did not help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is known from 3.4.0 version of maps and as far as I know these problems occurs on original maps too :-/
scootley said:
@Brut.all, would you mind please adding MD5 sums to your first post?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, thanks for reminder.
scootley said:
This might have something to do with the command below. As written, it will find and delete not only Maps, but also the My Maps Editor:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have copied commands from someone's else thread, but you're right: it will remove MME too. I will try to fix it.

Amazing work!... Int Nav & Buzz layer working fine in Nexus One CM5 Beta3

Brut.all said:
It is known from 3.4.0 version of maps and as far as I know these problems occurs on original maps too :-/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be, but I can't live without these aps
Anyway, using the instructions I written above, it is possible to restore the framework and maps apk to the stock version (for me it is 3.1.2), and use everything normaly, and also to install your ALT version of the maps 4.0 with ruting, navigation and other stuff. I can't wish for more, live is beautiful

update.zip
zoth said:
How about the zip version. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here: http://www.4shared.com/file/218983580/ce8e3b6b/_2__Mapy.html

zoltan.fekete said:
Problem: The My Tracks and My Maps Editor apps are force closing on startup now. Any soltuion? I tried even uninstalling this 4.0 version and puting back the maps from the DRC83_base_defanged.zip, but did not help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
zoltan.fekete said:
For peaople who are runing CM or other Mods based on google development ROMs, I find a solution how to restore the broken functionality of the applications that use google maps framework (e.g. My Track, My Maps Editor, etc.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brut.all said:
It is known from 3.4.0 version of maps and as far as I know these problems occurs on original maps too :-/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
zoltan.fekete said:
Anyway, using the instructions I written above, it is possible to restore the framework and maps apk to the stock version (for me it is 3.1.2), and use everything normaly, and also to install your ALT version of the maps 4.0 with ruting, navigation and other stuff. I can't wish for more, live is beautiful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never had this problem. I had "My Maps Editor" and "My Tracks" (both by Google) installed, followed Brut.all's instructions (the root apk, not the alt) with one exception (below), and those 2 apps continue to work fine. Of course, Brut.all's Maps works too.
The only thing I did differently was to avoid inadvertently removing the apks and dalvik cache's for either of the 2 apps, which are:
/data/app/com.google.android.apps.mymaps.apk
/data/app/com.google.android.maps.mytracks.apk
/data/dalvik-cache/[email protected]@[email protected]
/data/dalvik-cache/[email protected]@[email protected]
None of this process ever involves /system/framework/com.google.android.maps.jar

Google Maps Installer
Google Maps v4.0.0 #4046 ADB Installer
Install Code by me & Google Maps Mod by Brut.all​
Info:
Update Code 11/02/2010: Fix "Remove Old Maps Data", you can use now on My Track & My Maps Editor. ( thanks to scootley )
Testet on:
CM 4.2.x
Super-D 1.7 - 1.9.x
where it still works?...give me feed back!
HowTo:
Connect Device on Windows PC
Download my Installer & Extract it
Start Install.bat
wait moment... Finish
Have phun
Brut4_Maps4.0.0_Installer.zip
MD5: F92BE4EC05CEB27E70147B7402EB00FF
ADB_TREIBER_x86_x64_v08.11.2009.zip
MD5: 065F32B32E32C6B853D269F39CB85CC6

[APP] microG GmsCore - lightweight free software clone of Google Play Services

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Introduction
microG GmsCore is a FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software) framework to allow applications designed for Google Play Services to run on systems, where Play Services is not available. If you use your phone without GAPPS this might become a useful tool for you.
microG GmsCore is one of the two core components of the microG project.
More up-to-date descriptions and instructions might be available on the wiki
Instructions
Preparation:
You need a 4/5/6 ROM that is GAPPS-free. Either don't install them or remove them, if your ROM ships them. Please note that microG GmsCore might run on a cleaned stock ROM, but it might also brick it or cause random bugs. Be aware that only latest Android versions (4.4+) are regularly tested and thus prioritized over older versions when issues occur.
You need a ROM that supports signature faking. Some custom ROMs are patched to support signature faking out of the box, including all OmniROM-based ones. Stock CyanogenMod denied the inclusion, as the possibility of third-party play services implementations is considered a security issue (read here about why it's not). Please ask your ROM developer if unsure. The latest version of signature spoofing for Android < 6.0 has to be enabled at the bottom of the developer settings first. If your ROM does not support signature faking, but you use Xposed, you can grab a Xposed module here.
If you are a ROM developer or just do custom builds for whatever reason, you can download and include the patch from here and here for Android 5.1 or here for Android 6.0.
Remove UnifiedNlp. In case you installed it before. You can keep your backend modules installed, microG Services will be able to use them later and provide the same feature set (to be precise, microG Services includes UnifiedNlp).
Installation:
The installation does not require any modification of the /system partition. All installations should be done using the default app installer included with Android or using `adb install`. This means you need to enable third-party sources or developer mode first.
Install GmsCore.apk as provided in the download section below.
If you want to use Google Cloud Messaging ("Push-Notifications"), Install GsfProxy.apk as provided in the download section below. The GsfProxy version does not need to match the GmsCore.apk version.
If you have BlankStore installed, continue with the next step.
If you want to be able to access the Play Store, install BlankStore from its thread. It is not a requirement that you set it up correctly and this is not covered by this instructions. If you need help ask in the original thread.
If you don't care about Play Store access, Install FakeStore.apk as provided in the download section below.
Open the microG Settings, which are available in the launcher now. If you want to use any Google services (Log-In, Cloud Messaging), tick both checkboxes for background services. This is the only supported setup, but you are free to disable them if you like playing with fire. You can also open the UnifiedNlp settings to enable the location backends of your choice. If you don't have any yet, check out F-Droid. For further questions and concerns regarding UnifiedNlp, use its corresponding thread.
Reboot your device. If you skip this step, everything unwanted is possible.
Using it:
You can test Google Cloud Messaging using this test application. Push notifications do not require account registration.
You can add an account through the system settings. Some applications might ask you to do so, if you don't.
Use your applications as you like. But note that apps that use Cloud Messaging must be installed after GmsCore, else they will not work. Some hint of applications that can run due to microG GmsCore: TextSecure/Signal, Play Music, YouTube
When using AdAway make sure to put mtalk.google.com on your whitelist, else problems are likely to occur when using Google Cloud Messaging. Thanks @benstyle1 for the hint.
Downloads
See this wiki page for Downloads. You can find details on the F-Droid repository on https://microg.org/fdroid/.
Signing key
The NOGAPPS and microG Project use a shared signing key. Apps and the F-Droid repository are signed using this key. You can verify app signatures using the Checkey app (not when signature spoofing is enabled) and the F-Droid key in F-Droid repository details.
The SHA-256 hash of the key is:
9B D0 67 27 E6 27 96 C0 13 0E B6 DA B3 9B 73 15 74 51 58 2C BD 13 8E 86 C4 68 AC C3 95 D1 41 65
Current implementation progress
Please check this wiki page for up to date implementation progress.
Please report bugs
This project is still rather unstable. Please report bugs as they occur. Whenever you report a bug, please tell us what application caused the bug, including its exact version. If you're the developer, name the play services library you are using. Please do not bother the original app author when it might be related to microG services. If the problem is related to geolocation with UnifiedNlp, report it in the UnifiedNlp thread, even if you're using it through GmsCore.
Thanks
Big thanks to everyone who continuously supported me doing this, by donating, pull-requests or just feedback.
XDA:DevDB Information
microG GmsCore, App for all devices (see above for details)
Contributors
MaR-V-iN
Source Code: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore
Version Information
Status: Beta
Current Beta Version: v0.2.13.203915
Beta Release Date: 2020-10-19
Created 2015-10-04
Last Updated 2020-10-20

Nice! Even original Play Store started to work with this! Not fully, but now you can login, search for apps and see already installed ones. Just download doesn't work yet. Keep up good work! Original GMSCore is android cancer.

Thanks for the new thread on this!
I am wondering why the code for GsfProxy, which looks rather simple, is not included as part of GmsCore. . .
Also, there are some older apps that I have that use Maps API v1, so I have installed it from the link at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1715375 I assume some rework would be needed to fold that into GmsCore but that would be another nice feature. The convenient thing about gapps is that it comes as a single package, having to install multiple items from the microG project makes things a little else friendly.
FWIW, I've been using the downloads from http://files.brnmod.rocks/apps/GmsCore/Latest/ and have been very pleased with GmsCore (and UnifiedNlp before it). Now that there is an official version tag, I wonder if F-Droid will pick this up. That would make it easy to keep it relatively current.

n76 said:
I am wondering why the code for GsfProxy, which looks rather simple, is not included as part of GmsCore. . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The whole purpose of GsfProxy is to not be included in GmsCore: For GCM to work properly you need three packages installed: "com.google.android.gms" (GmsCore), "com.android.vending" (FakeStore/BlankStore) and "com.google.android.gsf" (GsfProxy). This is how Google build it up, don't ask me why.

A good store app requires working play services first. So one step at a time

Could Be Anyone said:
I'm not saying let's rush and have both but I just thought from what I read that blank store will be depreciated in favor of something better but having play services replacement is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you are correct, Blankstore will be replaced by something in a while and it is only being maintained if/when a Google change requires it.
selemine said:
A good store app requires working play services first. So one step at a time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! Once Play Services are working well and there is someone to work on it, a successor to Blankstore should appear.
I'd like to help but even though I can get a number of things to compile through either the old Android CLI development system or Android Studio I haven't figured out how to get most of the components in the microG project to compile on my computer. Seems like I've bolloxed something needed to make gradle, etc., to work properly. If/when I get time I guess I should wipe the whole machine and start over on setting up a development environment.
In the meantime, I am amazed by the work @MaR-V-iN had done with the microG project. I don't miss having GAPPs on my phone at all.

Thanks for sharing

Thanks, subscribed.
Dead Cookies leave no trails...

Koloses said:
Nice! Even original Play Store started to work with this! Not fully, but now you can login, search for apps and see already installed ones. Just download doesn't work yet. Keep up good work! Original GMSCore is android cancer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this out yesterday after you posted it to verify your findings. I received some random play store error code.
When I wanted to do this again today, instead of the error message, a dialog popped up asking me to "renew" my account. I continued and skipped the payment details. After that I was able to download and install applications. Can you try this out on your device as well. If it does not work automatically, this might also be related to a second checkin. In this case, can you try dialing *#*#CHECKIN#*#* or on a tablet open a root shell and invoke `am broadcast -a android.provider.Telephony.SECRET_CODE -d android_secret_code://2432546`. If this changes anything for you, please report back what you did.

Hi,
Unfortunately, I couldn't get push messaging to work properly; after installing as described I was able to sign in to textsecure, but I only get new messages when the app is opened and in foreground. Further, in push notification tester I only get the first 3 checks. Another problem is a huge battery drain since I installed it, as you can see in the picture. If I can provide more info, specific logs, I'd love to do so. Great project, thanks for your efforts.
ROM: omnirom 5.1
Device: Samsung GT-I8190
Never installed original gapps on this setup, using blankstore, which works without problems
Sent from my GT-I8190 using XDA Free mobile app

I just tried reinstalling Play Store after having your gmscore for a while on my device and Google Play is fully working now
I guess it's running second check in later on and that makes play store work. Anyway, awesome job, not falling back to blankstore at this point. Amazing work! Thanks!

microG Services Core keeps crashing when trying to sign into my Google Account.
---------- Post added at 04:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:25 PM ----------
Rebooting fixed it.

benstyle1 said:
Unfortunately, I couldn't get push messaging to work properly; after installing as described I was able to sign in to textsecure, but I only get new messages when the app is opened and in foreground. Further, in push notification tester I only get the first 3 checks. Another problem is a huge battery drain since I installed it, as you can see in the picture. If I can provide more info, specific logs, I'd love to do so. Great project, thanks for your efforts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These problems are likely caused by a bug in the gcm background service. Can you please grab logcat for output containing Gcm (from a unix shell `adb logcat | grep Gcm > gcm.log`) and send this to me (PM, it might contain sensitive data). Rebooting afterwards might fix the issue. Normally `mcs` shows up in BetterBatteryStats with about 1% max, the other wakelock never appeared in BetterBatteryStats on my test device.
dank101 said:
microG Services Core keeps crashing when trying to sign into my Google Account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This happens when no checkin happened before. make sure you have automatic checkin enabled in settings, rebooted and then got a network connection. You can also force checkin manally by dialing *#*#CHECKIN#*#* or on a tablet open a root shell and invoke `am broadcast -a android.provider.Telephony.SECRET_CODE -d android_secret_code://2432546`. The problem is known and will be fixed in the next alpha.

MaR-V-iN said:
These problems are likely caused by a bug in the gcm background service. Can you please grab logcat for output containing Gcm (from a unix shell `adb logcat | grep Gcm > gcm.log`) and send this to me (PM, it might contain sensitive data).
This happens when no checkin happened before. make sure you have automatic checkin enabled in settings, rebooted and then got a network connection. You can also force checkin manally by dialing *#*#CHECKIN#*#* or on a tablet open a root shell and invoke `am broadcast -a android.provider.Telephony.SECRET_CODE -d android_secret_code://2432546`. The problem is known and will be fixed in the next alpha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I turned everything on and rebooted and it worked.

Maybe could be used on jolla?
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Free mobile app

Themirk91 said:
Maybe could be used on jolla?
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try it.

cAn I use this to play CLAsh of claN???

MaR-V-iN said:
I tried this out yesterday after you posted it to verify your findings. I received some random play store error code.
When I wanted to do this again today, instead of the error message, a dialog popped up asking me to "renew" my account. I continued and skipped the payment details. After that I was able to download and install applications. Can you try this out on your device as well. If it does not work automatically, this might also be related to a second checkin. In this case, can you try dialing *#*#CHECKIN#*#* or on a tablet open a root shell and invoke `am broadcast -a android.provider.Telephony.SECRET_CODE -d android_secret_code://2432546`. If this changes anything for you, please report back what you did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dialing *#*#CHECKIN#*#* got rid of that random error code but now the play store FCs after accepting permissions.

Nice work but I don't that be Google will be happy to know the existence of this Suite of Apps.
Second: I think these new services/apps are using direct HTTP(S) calls to Google's WebServices ...so what will happen if G frequently change/add some code/parameter and/or add a crypted token to the communication? It will be not easy to follow all G updates in the next years.
Third: using an alternative GoogleServices leaves the credentials/data and all user informations in an unknown/untrusted group of people's hands. G could not be the most transparent "group of people" (about privacy and data retention), but......
I think G will force you to stop this project or (it's the most simple way) G will add special crypted tokens (not only the OAuth one) to all its WebService calls...or other things to prevent your framework to work.
I respect all projects but IMHO touching user's credentials, personal informations, payments and other critical things it's not a good thing that an user should trust on if not managed by someone trusted (I repeat: G could not be the most trusted "person" but at least it follows laws and be punished by them if G do illegal things with data/credential/payment....and I don't think it will be the same for the authors of this project).
I think this could be a big and great project but just for educational purpose to write "wrappers" around WebServices...but not a thing to be used in a real-life environment where real credential and payment data are sent, used and watched by these new Services...

Well that's why it's open source - you can inspect the source code to ensure the alternative services aren't doing anything shady with your details.
And if you don't trust the precompiled APKs, you have the option of compiling the source code.

[ROOT] [HD 10 2017] FireTabletSettings.apk Rewritten [August 22, 2018]

I've been able to provide to all of you, some of the best hacks and tricks for your tablets, for both the rooted and non-rooted varieties. I've been able to teach myself to do things with these tablets I never thought I would be able to do. Most of the best advice and help has come from threads and individuals here on XDA. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without help from this site in one form or another. So before I present to you what is for now, likely to be my best hack so far, I want to thank everyone who has helped me, and put up with me The list is too long to mention individuals, threads and forums, but all of you are what keep me going at all of this so thank you!
Below is just a general list of the settings I have been able to reactivate. They are settings Amazon, for whatever reason, decided they didn't want you to see or have. I have in no way created any of the features you are about to receive. Every single one of these features and settings are all part of the Android Project (the Java code is quite clear on that). I simply added or replaced Amazon settings with Android's stock settings. This isn't a mod. This isn't a theme. This is nearly a complete rewrite and redevelopment of the FireTabletSettings.apk (which also happens to be the android settings package com.android.settings renamed by Amazon) and as such I give permission for this development of this APK to be open sourced and give permission for you to redistribute it.
This will only works on the HD 10 running FireOS 5.6.0.0 through 5.6.2.0 You must follow installation instructions for this to work, and like any installation, could soft brick your device if instructions aren't followed. I am not responsible if it doesn't work for your tablet, or if you don't have the same results. So if you aren't prepared for the possibility of flashing back to stock firmware, then don't try this APK!
Features:
Wireless:
-Location Based Services: This takes you completely away from Amazon's location services, and redirects you to Stock Android. HERE Positioning is GPS. I am currently developing various integrations of AGPS. My ability to edit framework-res allows for a more advanced way of using AGPS, but it's been difficult to get it working 100%. I am pretty close though! Wait for future releases for this option to be fully functional. (NOTE: I have flashed Pico Gapps and later Nano (more on why in a future post. Your visual may vary.)
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
-Tethering and Hotspot: The hotspot will not work, but this is the title of the setting. This enables USB and Bluetooth tethering.
-VPN: Setup a Virtual Private Netowork
-Proxy: Setup a proxy
-Wi-Fi: tap Wi-Fi > three dots at upper right > advanced settings: Toggle scanning always available, avoid poor connections, keep wifi on during sleep, Use open wifi automatically, Wi-Fi frequency band which needs framework-res mod and Wi-Fi Direct
Apps and Games:
-Apps with usage access: Determine which apps ask for the access and revoke or grant this permission
-Advanced Settings: Toggles advanced settings to uninstall app for current user. (Do this via the app list. Only good for user apps. Sometimes it shows up, sometimes it doesn't. Work in progress)
-Preferred install location: Internal, external SD, or let system decide
Display:
-Wallpaper: Decide what app sets your wallpaper. If you uninstalled Amazon Photos, you CANNOT YET change the lock screen wallpaper here (work in progress). Please see my guide here on how to change your lock screen wallpaper without Amazon Photos
-Toggle adaptive brightness
-Daydream screensaver (you meed to modify the framework-res APK as instructed here, for this setting to appear and work)
-Display Mirroring: Does not work, or I can't get it to connect to a device at least. You see devices come into and out of range, the UI works, and enabling certification in developer options works too. This also needs a framework-res modification or add persist.debug.wfd.enable=1 to build.prop. Work in progress (so close)
Security:
-Trust Agents: Only shows an option if you have play store installed or flashed Gapps
-Screen pinning: Allow a screen to stay pinned until you unpin it
-Credential Storage
Sound and Notification:
-Other sounds: Enable Screen lock sounds, dock and touch sounds
-Dock speaker options if you have them
Keyboard and Languages:
-Language: Directed to AOSP
-Voice input settings: Must have Google Play and Google App installed
-Text-to-speech settings: Must have Google Text to speech engine installed as a system app. Also toggle PicoTTS. IOVANA TTS is not compatible for the English language and is unsupported
-Spell Checker: Fire Keyboard is default. Install Gboad to toggle it. Might need to be a system app
Accessibility:
-Screen Reader
-Color Correction
-Text-to-speech settings again
-Touch and Hold Delay
Installation and Requirements:
-ADB
-ADBD Insecure
-Rewritten FireTabletSettings.apk provided at the bottom of the post
1. Download ADBD Insecure and open it. Check the box to make ADBD insecure. Plug your tablet into your PC.
2. Place the FireTabletSettings.apk into your ADB/platform tools folder. Making sure the box is checked in step one, open an ADB window and run the following commands:
Code:
adb remount
adb push FireTabletSettings.apk /system/priv-app/FireTabletSettings/FireTabletSettings.apk
adb reboot
3. Check your Settings. Profit
Thank you everyone. Look for future releases as I get more options working.
Change Log:
May 31, 2018: Support for 5.6.0.0, 5.6.0.1 and 5.6.1.0
June 24, 2018: Fix setting fragments in setting 'use open Wi-Fi automatically'
July 8, 2018: Add AGPS settings, additional security and lock screen options
August 22, 2018: Support for FireOS 5.6.2.0

Hello mate,
Thanks for you great mods, but somehow my location services still don't work and I have a Fire HD10 with 5.6.0.1 OS. Don't know what to do. I rooted it installed your stuff but it is still not working...

yakon said:
Hello mate,
Thanks for you great mods, but somehow my location services still don't work and I have a Fire HD10 with 5.6.0.1 OS. Don't know what to do. I rooted it installed your stuff but it is still not working...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have play store installed? Google App?
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs

DragonFire1024 said:
Do you have play store installed? Google App?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did before rooting my tablet and installing your mod. Was that wrong?

yakon said:
Yes I did before rooting my tablet and installing your mod. Was that wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all. I am trying to see what might be different. Do you have FlashFire setup? My next guess would be to flash pico gapps. Perhaps that's the key. What happens when you open location services?
Edit:going to look at my upload and see if I made a mistake.

DragonFire1024 said:
Not at all. I am trying to see what might be different. Do you have FlashFire setup? My next guess would be to flash pico gapps. Perhaps that's the key. What happens when you open location services?
Edit:going to look at my upload and see if I made a mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I don't have flashfire. I installed it with a tutorial on internet and it worked and after rooting and your mod I didn't work anymore. There isn't anything special in the location services. They are on but when I use Google maps my location inst precise and any app that uses the services don't work the weather apps can't find my location.

yakon said:
No I don't have flashfire. I installed it with a tutorial on internet and it worked and after rooting and your mod I didn't work anymore. There isn't anything special in the location services. They are on but when I use Google maps my location inst precise and any app that uses the services don't work the weather apps can't find my location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does it look like? Does it look like the screen shot I posted? If so tap "mode" and set it to high.

yakon said:
No I don't have flashfire. I installed it with a tutorial on internet and it worked and after rooting and your mod I didn't work anymore. There isn't anything special in the location services. They are on but when I use Google maps my location inst precise and any app that uses the services don't work the weather apps can't find my location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maps works perfectly for me. I haven't any weather services installed though. Your services not working might have helped me though and given credit to a proof of concept for agps working. For now install activity launcher. The one in this post is designed to launch activities with root. Open it and scroll to settings and tap it. Scroll to wireless and select the one that has location activity com.android.settings.Settings$LocationSettingsActivity. that will bring you back to the Amazon settings. See if you accidentally turned them off. I'll work on an apk that doesn't have my modification to it until I figure out what's wrong. Give me an hour or two to upload one.

yakon said:
No I don't have flashfire. I installed it with a tutorial on internet and it worked and after rooting and your mod I didn't work anymore. There isn't anything special in the location services. They are on but when I use Google maps my location inst precise and any app that uses the services don't work the weather apps can't find my location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgot to add the apk

DragonFire1024 said:
What does it look like? Does it look like the screen shot I posted? If so tap "mode" and set it to high.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already did that before posting here ?. Maybe I should just
---------- Post added at 12:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 AM ----------
DragonFire1024 said:
Maps works perfectly for me. I haven't any weather services installed though. Your services not working might have helped me though and given credit to a proof of concept for agps working. For now install activity launcher. The one in this post is designed to launch activities with root. Open it and scroll to settings and tap it. Scroll to wireless and select the one that has location activity com.android.settings.Settings$LocationSettingsActivity. that will bring you back to the Amazon settings. See if you accidentally turned them off. I'll work on an apk that doesn't have my modification to it until I figure out what's wrong. Give me an hour or two to upload one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll let you know later in the morning as I'm right now on my night shift in the ER and I don't have the tablet with me. It was a gift for my mom for her birthday ?

yakon said:
I've already did that before posting here . Maybe I should just
---------- Post added at 12:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 AM ----------
I'll let you know later in the morning as I'm right now on my night shift in the ER and I don't have the tablet with me. It was a gift for my mom for her birthday
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. I do apologize. I'll get you a fixed apk asap. Here is the root launcher.

Did you update your APK with the new files ? Should I just reinstall the new files that you uploaded?

yakon said:
Did you update your APK with the new files ? Should I just reinstall the new files that you uploaded?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try to upload it tonight. If I can't get to it I'll do it as soon as I get home from work tomorrow. That apk will launch activities with root. If you install it, scroll to settings, then tap it. Scroll to wireless and tap the one with location settings. That brings up Amazon location settings. See if it's turned on.

DragonFire1024 said:
I'll try to upload it tonight. If I can't get to it I'll do it as soon as I get home from work tomorrow. That apk will launch activities with root. If you install it, scroll to settings, then tap it. Scroll to wireless and tap the one with location settings. That brings up Amazon location settings. See if it's turned on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try it asap once I'm home mate! Big thanks to you!
---------- Post added at 02:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:17 AM ----------
Another question I'm a total noob with Adb shell. How should I install the file? Normal installation or should I use the Adb shell?

I can't choose which services to use or maybe I don't get it... I installed it normally but it doesn't seem to work... Don't know

Ok didn't read it well. So went to settings and location exactly like you told me but I don't see anything turned off. I'll show you 2 pics with what I have.

yakon said:
Ok didn't read it well. So went to settings and location exactly like you told me but I don't see anything turned off. I'll show you 2 pics with what I have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh. Well maybe it has to do with language. Do you have issues with anything else?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs

yakon said:
I'll try it asap once I'm home mate! Big thanks to you!
---------- Post added at 02:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:17 AM ----------
Another question I'm a total noob with Adb shell. How should I install the file? Normal installation or should I use the Adb shell?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to use adb shell and you have to install it according to OP. Normal installation won't work. Using ADB like this disable signature verification in the package and allows the apk to be installed, and keep original signature.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs

How does it work with the Adb shell? What commands do I have to type?
I'm sorry I'm really bad at it.
I just installed it normally for the moment.

yakon said:
How does it work with the Adb shell? What commands do I have to type?
I'm sorry I'm really bad at it.
I just installed it normally for the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the original post. Download the FireTabletSettings APK put in ADB folder;
Download ADB Insecure and open it https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1687590 Check the box to make ADBD insecure. Plug your tablet into your PC.
2. Place the FireTabletSettings.apk into your ADB/platform tools folder. Making sure the box is checked in step one, open an ADB window and run the following commands:
Code:
adb remount
adb push FireTabletSettings.apk /system/priv-app/FireTabletSettings/FireTabletSettings.apk
adb reboot.
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs

[Guide][Debloat][No-Google] Apps/services safe to disable and their alternatives

*I'm no dev., and some of the statements here might be technically innaccurate. Please, forgive and correct me. I'm just sharing my experience.
*I'm creating this thread following @elvinguitar 's request to list the apps/services safe to disable and how to do it.
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"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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Introduction
I've been google-free ever since I've rooted my Nexus 5 and flashed AOSP. Everything worked like a charm. I even experienced longer battery life and better performance. I've done the same to a Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Moto G 2015 and a couple other Samsung, BQ and Xiaomi devices I don't remember the model now (family and friends). Really happy with the process. Of cause, you cannot use most Google apps if you don't have the google services (framework?) running in the background (consuming resources and collecting all sort of data).
Only downside when disabling Google core services is that most apps out there in the market use google services to show up a map. If you don't have google services, you won't see a map. However, it is possible to "trick" the apps into calling for openmaps instead. I haven't tried, though.
Android One lets you disable most apps/services via the default settings menu. But there are still some of Google's tentacles fused into the core of your phone you cannot get rid of. But heck, it's something. We'll have to wait until the custom ROMs start showing up.
The reason
There are endless reasons to use all Google products. But there are endless reasons to avoid them. It's up to you what you want to do with your privacy. Despite privacy laws and promises, it's well known that your data, once online it's not longer only yours. And smartphones sensors combined with big data management, they are capable of infinite ways of recording your lifestyle. Camera (obvious), microphone (obvious + knowing where you are and what are you doing by the background noise), location(obvious), GSM/wifi/bluetooth (knowing where you are, who you are with...), body sensors/movement sensors (activity you are doing all the time)... Without being paranoid, unless you are a VIP you are not being followed, and if someone really wants to follow you, they'll do so even if you get rid of all this apps. But ALL YOUR data is being stored and analyzed for their own profit and linked (securely) to your persona. Now, it's only for economical profit, but indirect censorship is already taking place. Try doing some research for something rather unpopular and then try looking up a mainstream celebrity. You'll see the difference. I'm sure you've all heard about the China "Social credit" they want to develop in China. It's what big internet companies have been doing for a while now. Orwell's big brother all over. It's kinda scary if you ask me.
Some reading:
https://www.socialcooling.com/
https://donttrack.us/
Some alternatives to Google products we all use
An example of rogue censorship (one of millions)
Interesting infographic about how google knows you
But well... let's go to the bone. These are the apps and services I've tried to disable and some alternatives I use/consider.
I strongly recommend using a powerful firewall that blocks all internet communications unless you say otherwise. I use AFwall+ (root). There are other alternatives like NetGuard (no-root) that use VPN. This way, even if you have an app you want to use, but you don't want it to be communicating with the outside, you can have it (nothing is bulletproof, though). - Let me know if you want a lit of internet enabled apps/services, too.
Disabled APPs / services
Note that I uninstalled the apps when possible. The unistalled apps won't be in that list. Also, I've stopped the device initial set up progress and, therefore, some apps had never been installed to my device. So, they are safe to disable.
Disabled via the settings menu:
Calendar
Carrier services @thorin0815 explained to me what they do. Thx.: "intended to allow you to take full advantage of RCS, which allows for extra features in the Android Messaging app)
Chrome
Contacts
Gboard
Gmail
Google
Google Backup Transport
Google Contacts Sync
Google One Time Init
Google Partner Set Up
Google Play Services
Google Services Framework
Market Feedback Agent
Messages
PAI
Photos
YouTube
Disabled via an app manager (root) or adb method without root
Device Setup
Feedback
Google Play Services
Spock
Google and tricky enabled apps I guess they can be disabled with no problem:
Android Setup
Android system webview (gotta look for an alternative)
Google text to speech engine
Maps
TalkBack
Google and tricky apps I do use and I won't disable because they are too critical for me (or I have no idea what they do and I'd rather not mess with them).
Android Services Library
Android Shared Library
Clock (there are alternatives, a lot. But it wakes me everyday, and it doesn't look to be to bad).
ConfigUpdater
PackageInstaller
Phone (I've tried a couple alternatives, but I didn't trust them (one crashed and the other one looked even worse (privacy-wise) than the original)
Print Service Recommendation Service
There are tons of other apps needed for the correct use of the device that shouldn't be disabled. Anything you can disable from the Settings/apps menu, you should be OK trying to disable it. Disable it, then try to use what you think the app might be used for, and if it works fine... there you go. Try and error!
Alternative APP to the disabled ones
When possible, I tried to use FOSS apps.
FOSS app catalog - F-Droid (most apps come from here)
Google Play - Yalp Store or Aurora store - Yalp works better, but Aurora is nicer. Both have Exodus Privacy check.
Maps - Here and OsmAnd (mountain) - there are a lot of good mapping apps out there.
Calendar - I use BusinesCalendar because I like the widget. But there are a lot of other apps. Eg.: SimpleCalendar. Personal preference.
Contacts - Again. Personal preference. I like the AOSP app.
Files - I have it. But I use Es File explorer. Not the best for privacy or anti-bloatware. But I like it.
Chrome - Firefox all the way! I use Firefox Beta. Previous versions of the non beta one used to be way slower compared to the beta one.
Gallery - Simple gallery
Mail - K-9 mail. It's ugly, but I love it. There is a material version. I also found another app worth trying, here in XDA, but cannot remember its name now. I'm switching to protonmail as my personal mail service (I still use Gmail, hotmail and others as I always have).
Phone - I use the stock app (google ) 'cause I didn't find a valid alternative.
Messaging - QKSMS. Signal is a neat app with more features and secure communication (thx @thorin0815)
Keyboard - I use SwiftKey (internet blocked)
Calculator - AOSP calculator.
YouTube - I use WebTube. NewPipe is a valid option, too.
Camera - Check the discussion threads about the camera
If you have any app not listed here, post a comment and I'll add it. Also, if there is any error or you know something I don't, let me know and I'll correct. Same with the apps/services I have no idea what they do.

IGNORE THIS POST
I have to talk to you about this, too. Among other things. (posting it here so I remember about them later)
AFirewall+
DAVdroid
Greenify
DuckDuckGo
Snowden
how to force disable

Just a suggestion for a Messenger alternative.
Signal, a nice and secure open source alternative for Whatsapp like and SMS apps.
Nice thread btw. I try to avoid Google and Microsoft stuff where I can aswell.
Too bad we don't have a nice mobile Linux for our phones.

Thanks for creating this thread. By the way, have you experienced some error when uninstalling some apps? I tried removing Gmail (via debloater) but after that, I keep getting crashes on some of my apps. Even magisk crashes.
Also, I tried uninstalling Chrome via debloater, but it seems like it's not working. What's your preferred way of uninstalling apps?

elvinguitar said:
Thanks for creating this thread. By the way, have you experienced some error when uninstalling some apps? I tried removing Gmail (via debloater) but after that, I keep getting crashes on some of my apps. Even magisk crashes.
Also, I tried uninstalling Chrome via debloater, but it seems like it's not working. What's your preferred way of uninstalling apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't experienced any issue unisntalling/disabling any of the mentioned. Except for google services. They are required by some third party apps to display a map layout. I uninstalled Gmail and Chrome with no problem.
What is "debloater"?
I preffer unisntalling apps via the traditional method when possible (settings/apps/unisntall). Same with disabling them. With Android One you can uninstall/disable most apps this way. I've experienced no issues.
For the apps thet the disable option is not available, I use an app known for being warez (I like it and I use it only for the powerful tools it provide). But there are other apps that'll do the job even better. In another device, I used APP2SD with another purpose, but I loved it. Titanium Backup is a powerfull tool that should work, too. However, you'll need the PRO package if you want to disable system apps. AppMgrIII and App Manager promise to get the job done, too. You'll need root with all of them, though.

thorin0815 said:
Just a suggestion for a Messenger alternative.
Signal, a nice and secure open source alternative for Whatsapp like and SMS apps.
Nice thread btw. I try to avoid Google and Microsoft stuff where I can aswell.
Too bad we don't have a nice mobile Linux for our phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added Signal to the list. I'm more than happy with the other app because I only want it to recive sms. It's been ages since the last time I sent one. My brother uses SMS and he's happy with what Signal provides.
If you have any other ideas on how to stay away from the big guys, let me know

On my Moto G4 I always used the following app for freezing/disabling system apps with root.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iamaner.oneclickfreeze

adriakus said:
I haven't experienced any issue unisntalling/disabling any of the mentioned. Except for google services. They are required by some third party apps to display a map layout. I uninstalled Gmail and Chrome with no problem.
What is "debloater"?
I preffer unisntalling apps via the traditional method when possible (settings/apps/unisntall). Same with disabling them. With Android One you can uninstall/disable most apps this way. I've experienced no issues.
For the apps thet the disable option is not available, I use an app known for being warez (I like it and I use it only for the powerful tools it provide). But there are other apps that'll do the job even better. In another device, I used APP2SD with another purpose, but I loved it. Titanium Backup is a powerfull tool that should work, too. However, you'll need the PRO package if you want to disable system apps. AppMgrIII and App Manager promise to get the job done, too. You'll need root with all of them, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the tool that I'm using to debloat my device: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/module-terminal-debloater-debloat-t3584163

elvinguitar said:
This is the tool that I'm using to debloat my device: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/module-terminal-debloater-debloat-t3584163
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I didn't unisntall Gmail nor Chrome. I just disabled them with no problem.
I don't know how this debloat tool works. My suggestion (someone might advise otherwise) is to do as much as you can via the default settings menu. Is you device rooted? If so, I'd rather use one of the apps mentioned before (by me ir by @thorin0815 ) to disable the locked ones. Personal preference. Mostly because I'm quite new to all the "systemless" thing, but also because I don't really care about OTA updates, so I don't need the system partition intact. I'll update android once LineageOS is ready. But again, this is how I'd do it. You might preffer another way.
thorin0815 said:
Too bad we don't have a nice mobile Linux for our phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a pitty the Firefox OS project was abandoned

Hi, do you know a way to quit the Google search bar from the Home Screen? O dont like it and rather a clean Home Screen

yaco96 said:
Hi, do you know a way to quit the Google search bar from the Home Screen? O dont like it and rather a clean Home Screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For now, only way is to install another launcher. Any will do. There is a thread about it, too. Look it up

I suggest Lawnchair Launcher to get rid of the searchbar after freezing/disabling the Google app.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.deletescape.lawnchair.plah&hl=en_US
Lawnchair should have all the features of the stock one and many more.

Have you ever heared the sentence "I don't care about privacy. I have nothing to hide". Well...
Here is an interesting website on how important is privacy https://www.socialcooling.com/
I know most of you already know all of this, but it's a nice website to show family and friends and help them open their minds.
Also, watch the documentary and/or the movie about Snowden to see what's going on in the USA (most data and most popular internet servers are located there). Snowden and Citizenfour (available on youtube)

Hello, I disabled some apps via the adb method, including the inbuilt file manager, which causes some problems now. Could someone be so kind and either tell me where to find an apk of the file manager or maybe upload it somewhere? Thanks in advance

mr-obot said:
Hello, I disabled some apps via the adb method, including the inbuilt file manager, which causes some problems now. Could someone be so kind and either tell me where to find an apk of the file manager or maybe upload it somewhere? Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one?
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/files-google/files-6-8-1-0-release/

Nice thread. Now we have microG to replace google services. It is compatible with deodexed roms.

MicroG is great.. But few challenges I came across:
1. No Validation of purchases - Apps & In-Apps
2. Few apps being used due to work, eg. Google Workspace Chat doesn't work.
3. AutoVoice integration - only works with Google Voice Engine
Has anyone figured out how to handle any of the above challenges

[Wear OS App] Enable Google Pay in unsupported countries using Permanent Proxy!

Simple app to set the built-in proxy setting on a Wear OS device and enable geo-restricted apps like Google Pay in unsupported regions!
Sometimes big companies decide that Geoblocking is a good idea. I don't agree. So that's why I created this Wear OS app to allow users to use their watch as if they were in another country. This means you can use certain payment apps or otherwise geospecific apps wherever you are in the world!
The app uses Android's built-in http_proxy command that turns on a proxy for the whole system and which normally can only be accessed using a computer and ADB Shell. This app however, uses the "ADB over Bluetooth" functionality of the watch to enable the proxy by itself. This can even be turned on at boot!
Installation
Method 1: Download the latest mobile-release.apk from https://github.com/Jolanrensen/PermanentProxy-for-WearOS/releases or from https://labs.xda-developers.com/store/app/nl.jolanrensen.permanentproxy and install it on your Android phone. Next, go to the "Apps on your phone" section in the Play Store on your Wear OS watch. Install Permanent Proxy.
(Google removed this ability sadly)
Method 2: Download the latest wear-release.apk from https://github.com/Jolanrensen/PermanentProxy-for-WearOS/releases. Install it on your Wear OS watch directly using ADB.
Wear installer can also be used:
Wear Installer makes it easy to sideload Wear OS apps again
A new app called Wear Installer makes it easy to sideload apps on your Wear OS smartwatch using your phone. Read on to know more!
www.xda-developers.com
Get started
To get started, first enable the Developer Options of your watch, which can be achieved by going to Settings -> System -> About and tap the Build number until you are a "developer". Next, go to Settings -> Developer options and enable "ADB debugging" and "Debug over Bluetooth". Finally start up Permanent Proxy, request permission and press "Allow" or "Always allow this Computer" if prompted. After requesting permission, ADB can be turned off again to save battery, unless you want to turn off the proxy completely.
Now you can get started! Simply enter a proxy address and port, enable it (and on boot if you like) and you're done!
Proxy services can be found online and can be from any country. However, do make sure you completely trust the proxy you chose before you enter it! All the data of your watch might be sent through that proxy, even sensitive data, so act at your own risk. I personally recommend strongly to create your own proxy. This can be done easily using the (trial of) Google Cloud. A tutorial can be found below:
Having trouble getting permission?
Some older watches are not powerful enough to get Secure Settings permission by itself using my method. If this is the case for your watch, you will need a PC to grant Permanent Proxy permission. The instructions are also available in the app description.
First make sure to connect your watch to your PC via ADB. You can Google how to do this, there are lots of tutorials. When your watch is connected, use the command
Code:
adb shell pm grant nl.jolanrensen.permanentproxy android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
to give Permanent Proxy the permissions needed to turn on/edit the proxy.
To turn off the proxy, connect to your PC in the same manner as before, but now you will need the following command:
Code:
adb shell settings delete global http_proxy; adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_host; adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_port; adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_exclusion_list; adb shell settings delete global global_proxy_pac_url; adb shell reboot
How to create a proxy on Google Cloud? (May 2020)
Go to console.cloud.google.com.
If you want to activate the free trial in the top-right corner, you can!
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Fill in your information. You can pick your own country. It doesn't matter for the proxy.
Next you can create a new project by clicking here on the top bar, or you can use the default one.
From the sidebar on the (top)left, go to Compute Engine and VM instances:
And let's create a new VM instance:
Fill in the settings. Make sure the region and zone are set to a supported region for Google Pay on Wear OS. A safe bet is always to pick the US for this. For the machine type, just pick the cheapest one. This is fast enough for the proxy.
Next, we change the boot disk...
...to, let's say, the latest LTS version of Ubuntu:
After selecting, enable both HTTP- and HTTPS traffic
And, press Create!
Wait for it to load and then we can press "SSH" to connect to the VM. We can also already see the External IP. This is the IP our proxy will have eventually.
This opens up a terminal where we can start to set up the proxy!
Type "sudo adduser squid", enter and then it will create a new user. It will ask for a new password and to retype it. You can pick whatever you like. After this it will ask you for details. Just press enter until you're done.
Next, to add the user, type "sudo usermod -aG sudo squid"
Let's update the packages by typing " sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgrade". This might take a bit...
Now let's install squid using "sudo apt-get install squid" and press enter on "Do you want to continue?".
Also install nano, to be able to edit the config, using "sudo apt-get install nano".
Now that squid is installed, let's set it up. Type "sudo cp /etc/squid/squid.conf /etc/squid/squid.conf.bak" to make a backup of the config (If you mess up, you can restore it using "sudo cp /etc/squid/squid.conf.bak /etc/squid/squid.conf"), and to start editing the config, type "sudo nano /etc/squid/squid.conf".
Go to line 1411 by pressing Ctrl, Shift and -, and typing 1411, or use Ctrl+W to search for "http_access deny all". Replace "http_access deny all" with "http_access allow all" to make sure we can connect to the proxy.
Go to line 1907 by pressing Ctrl, Shift and -, and typing 1907, or use Ctrl+W to search for "http_port 3128". Replace 3128 by a random 5-digit number under 65536 (and make sure it's not a commonly used port, for security. Check wikipedia to find out which ports are common.) and note this down. This will be your port for the proxy.
Save the file using Ctrl+O and then press Enter. Next, leave nano using Ctrl+X. You'll end up back on the command line.
Restart squid using "sudo systemctl restart squid" and check if it's running using "sudo systemctl status squid".
Were done here! Type "exit" until the window closes.
Now we need to go to "Setup Firewall Rules. This setting can also be found under VPC network, Firewall rules from the side menu.
For both "default-allow-http" and "default-allow-https" we need to add our port. So for each, click on the name...
...hit Edit...
...and add the random port you chose before, with a comma in front, after the one already present in the tcp field.
Save, and then you're done (After you did both).
You should now be able to connect to the proxy using the Permanent Proxy app. Use the external IP mentioned above and the random port you came up with to connect.
If there's ever abnormally large usage of the vm or you're getting billed more than expected, quickly change the port to something else, as it might have been indexed by a free proxy website.
Some tips:
Create your own proxy. Free proxies might work, but usually they stop working within a couple of days if they work at all. A tutorial can be found above.
Proxies with a password don't work.
Don't sideload Google Pay on your watch. It should enable by itself.
Clearing the data of Google Pay using the settings on the watch also helps sometimes. You can also find remove updates / disable the app there.
After enabling the proxy, exit the app, give your watch some time and then check back in the Permanent Proxy app to see whether your External IP has changed to the one you entered as proxy. If so, good job, you're connected!
You can make your watch refresh its Google Pay availability check in two ways. Either by setting the IP/port again in the Permanent Proxy app, or by tapping "Home App" in Settings, System, About, Versions.
Does Google Pay still not appear? Sometimes you have to enable it by searching Google Pay in the Play Store. You can also use the Pay Enabler app, which takes you to the Google Pay page in the Play Store.
Google Pay works if you see the icon in your quick settings.
Google Pay gets stuck when adding a new card? Check the Google Play stores for updates for Google Pay.
Only cards you can use to pay with your phone in stores can be added to Google Pay on your watch. This means you'll need a card from a supported Google Pay country.
Permanent Proxy only works for IPv4 networks. If you're on a network that uses IPv6, in theory, Google can still check your country. Turn off WiFi if you have to.
Using a VPN on your phone that routs the internet traffic of the Wear OS app through it is an alternative to Permanent Proxy, but you'll have to turn off WiFi on your watch, only use Bluetooth and keep the VPN on your phone always on.
Uninstalling Permanent Proxy will not stop the proxy. Stop the proxy using the app before uninstalling it, or stop the proxy using the ADB command above.
Google Pay might not work if your Google account was created in a non-supported country. Try creating a new Google account (or migrating your own) using a VPN to a supported country, like the US (Failing to do so can result in "this app is no longer compatible with your device" on the Play Store at the Google Pay page). Your account is successfully migrated to the US, for example, if you see $ dollars in the Play Store. This must be your main account on the watch.
Permanent Proxy might not work if your watch connects to cellular directly.
Thanks to reddit user /u/shadowban!
XDA:DevDB Information
[Wear OS App] Permanent Proxy, App for all devices (see above for details)
Contributors
Humpie
Version Information
Status: Stable
Current Stable Version: 3.8
Stable Release Date: 2020-01-06
Created 2019-10-09
Last Updated 2020-01-06

@mods, sorry for the duplicate posts, the website is just incredibly slow when creating a thread. This is the right one. I tried to delete the others but it didn't work.

Humpie said:
@mods, sorry for the duplicate posts, the website is just incredibly slow when creating a thread. This is the right one. I tried to delete the others but it didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have removed all your duplicate threads. Next time, use the Report Post system. Your @ mention didn't do anything.
:good:

Hi @Humpie,
wow, good job with that! I would like to try it, but is there any option to also fill login and password? I prefer to pay for some private proxy, but i think all of these services offer just with login/password.
Thank you for your answer!

termen said:
Hi @Humpie,
wow, good job with that! I would like to try it, but is there any option to also fill login and password? I prefer to pay for some private proxy, but i think all of these services offer just with login/password.
Thank you for your answer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking to see if it's possible but this is entirely dependent on Android itself. To start the Proxy I use the adb shell command "adb shell settings put global http_proxy <address>:<port>", which doesn't allow for credentials. So, if you find how to enable a proxy using adb with password, please let me know!

termen said:
Hi @Humpie,
wow, good job with that! I would like to try it, but is there any option to also fill login and password? I prefer to pay for some private proxy, but i think all of these services offer just with login/password.
Thank you for your answer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, can you try something for me as you might have a proxy with login.
I came across this "<username>:<password>@<yourproxy.com>" being used as address. Maybe this would work as the address?

Good idea, but i don't have a ":" on my watch keyboard

termen said:
Good idea, but i don't have a ":" on my watch keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL XD. Forgot about that.
Well, I do have a semi solution. If you long press the space bar, you can switch to handwritten mode where you cán type a ":". Good luck XD
But if it works I'll of course add a "username" and "password" option in the app itself.
Edit: if you can't do it on your watch, maybe you could try to type a proxy like this on a Wifi network on your phone! I don't have a proxy with username and password myself so I cannot check, unless you know a free one .

v2.0:
ADB over Bluetooth only needs to be enabled the first time using the app (more battery life yay!)
Way faster proxy switching using WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
New amoled black theme with better layout

It works!
Thanks! Now I can pay with a watch in the Czech Republic. Only port settings cannot be deleted if I enter the port incorrectly. The application data must be cleared and then re-entered.

mlenak said:
Thanks! Now I can pay with a watch in the Czech Republic. Only port settings cannot be deleted if I enter the port incorrectly. The application data must be cleared and then re-entered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great to hear!
And thanks for the feedback, I do notice as well that the app crashes when you submit an empty port, I'll have a look at that. However, you can also just drag the cursor to the end and use the backspace key if you want to change it!

mlenak said:
Thanks! Now I can pay with a watch in the Czech Republic. Only port settings cannot be deleted if I enter the port incorrectly. The application data must be cleared and then re-entered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also from CZ, but i was not able to set up with credentials (nordvpn) - how you did it?
Thank you for help

termen said:
I'm also from CZ, but i was not able to set up with credentials (nordvpn) - how you did it?
Thank you for help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a free proxy from Poland without login ( free-proxy.cz ). I don't know if it's safe, but it works.

v2.1:
Possibly fixed proxy not turning off properly. A reboot always turns it off if enable on boot is disabled.
Added clearer loading screen and easier setup
before:
ADB over Bluetooth only needs to be enabled the first time using the app
Way faster proxy switching using WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
New amoled black theme with better layout

Big update! Better in every way XD
v3.0
Proxy can now properly be turned off
Removed on boot setting as that happens automatically
Easier setup and better layout
Live external IP view
Remember: turning off wifi will make it work better!
before:
Added clearer loading screen and easier setup
ADB over Bluetooth only needs to be enabled the first time using the app
Way faster proxy switching using WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
New amoled black theme with better layout

v3.1:
Fixed no-internet crash bug
Added cancel button to requesting permission to please Google
before:
Proxy can now properly be turned off
Removed on boot setting as that happens automatically
Easier setup and better layout
Live external IP view
Remember: turning off wifi will make it work better!
Added clearer loading screen and easier setup
ADB over Bluetooth only needs to be enabled the first time using the app
Way faster proxy switching using WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

CAn't download app
Hi, can't download app from Play Market, because "This app is incompatible with all of your devices."
My Device Fossil gen 5 (fossil Carlyle HR)

I cannot download, too, same problem with incompatible on TicWatch Pro. Connected with USB to computer and sideloaded via ADB file from github.

vlasevich said:
Hi, can't download app from Play Market, because "This app is incompatible with all of your devices."
My Device Fossil gen 5 (fossil Carlyle HR)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tslany said:
I cannot download, too, same problem with incompatible on TicWatch Pro. Connected with USB to computer and sideloaded via ADB file from github.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup I'm aware. I've been trying to explain and change the app in a lot of ways to make Google's software recognize that the app does NOT get stuck at the "requesting permissions" screen. It's completely bonkers that they cannot just wait for 5 seconds. This is the reason it gets blocked from the play store.
Maybe v3.2 will be accepted, who knows. I'll keep you up to date.
Until then you can indeed sideload the Wear version from github on your watch or install the mobile version from github (or XDA Labs) on your phone and the app will appear in "Apps on your phone" in the Play Store on your watch.

Any proxy suggestions...tried a few but none worked.