Database Info

[Think Tank #2 - SOLVED] Modifying Maps to enable Navigation outside USA

Edit 4: New Thread
Since the main issue in this thread has been solved (Navigation works outside the USA), I'm going to stop updating it. For the latest updates on Brut.all's mod, please use http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=630887
Edit 3: Solution
Brut.all has done it again with 4.0.0. The modified version works anywhere Google has the "Directions" feature, but it has reduced functionality (including in the USA).
The reduced functionality is as follows:
*No street name at the top
*No arrow indicating next turn direction
*Voice guidance is delayed, if at all present
Please do not waste space posting these issues. They are known.
If you are only going to be using Navigation in the USA, then get the official version from the Market. If you need Navigation outside the USA, then install the modified version.
If you don't want to do the installation manually, then uninstall Google Maps, and download and install Nav Launcher 2.1.3 from the Market (see below for a QR code). It will install the modified version of 3.3.1 for you.
If you want to do it manually, then follow these instructions:
If you have root, uninstall the current Maps app.
adb:
Code:
adb remount
adb shell find /system /data -name \*google\*maps.apk\* -o -name Maps.apk -delete
adb uninstall com.google.android.apps.maps
shell:
Code:
mount -o remount,rw /system
find /system /data -name \*google\*maps.apk\* -o -name Maps.apk -delete
pm uninstall com.google.android.apps.maps
Next, regardless of whether you have root, install the SpeechSynthesis Data. You can do this either by going into the market and searching "SpeechSynthesis Data Installer", or on some ROM's, like CM 4.2.7.1, Menu -> Settings -> Speech synthesis -> Install voice data
If you have root, download http://ul.to/1ofshq/maps4.0.0-brut4.apk (4.0.0)
If you do not have root, download http://ul.to/6w7e8n/maps4.0.0-brut4-alt.apk (4.0.0)
These files were created by Brut.all, without whom we would not have Navigation outside the USA.
Install the new file that you downloaded:
adb install -r maps4.0.0-brut4.apk
or
adb install -r maps4.0.0-brut4-alt.apk
Edit 2: Broken again
Google has made some anticipated changes to block us from using Navigation outside the USA. It looks like Brut.all is going to be looking at the original proxy idea again. For now, you might as well upgrade to 3.3.0, as it does have some cool new features (and you can always revert if necessary). Stay tuned to the thread for more details.
Edit 1: Solution (NO LONGER WORKS)
Brut.all and TAPP got it working. Here are some more in-depth instructions for those of you having issues:
If you have root, uninstall the current Maps app.
adb:
Code:
adb remount
adb shell find /system /data -name \*google\*maps.apk\* -o -name Maps.apk -delete
adb uninstall com.google.android.apps.maps
shell:
Code:
mount -o remount,rw /system
find /system /data -name \*google\*maps.apk\* -o -name Maps.apk -delete
pm uninstall com.google.android.apps.maps
Next, regardless of whether you have root, install the SpeechSynthesis Data. You can do this either by going into the market and searching "SpeechSynthesis Data Installer", or on some ROM's, like CM 4.2.5, Menu -> Settings -> Speech synthesis -> Install voice data
If you have root, download http://ul.to/uwa3gp/Maps3.2.1-patched-root.apk or http://files.legendofbong.co.uk/download.php?file=534750032-Maps3.2.1-patched-root.apk
If you do not have root, download http://ul.to/18fckr/Maps3.2.1-patched-no-root.apk or http://files.legendofbong.co.uk/download.php?file=1240234753-Maps3.2.1-patched-no-root.apk
These files were created by Brut.all and TAPP, without whom we would not have Navigation outside the USA.
Install the new file:
adb install -r maps-root-aligned-apk
or
adb install -r maps-no-root-aligned-apk
Update: I made a simple launcher app called Nav Launcher that lets you easily navigate to a contact or any other destination by typing or speaking the name or address. Search the Market for "Nav Launcher", go to market://search?q=pname:com.madcowsolutions.NavLauncher on your device, or scan this QR code:
{
"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"
}
Discuss this app at http://navlauncher.madcowsolutions.com
rac2030 made a similar application called NavStarter that you can download from http://www.2030.tk/link/navstarter
Reply to this thread if you have any issues.
Original Post
Now that we have Google Maps Navigation working on other devices, I thought the next logical step was to get it working outside the USA.
I noticed something very interesting.
I turned off cell/gps location services, then opened Maps, and plotted a route from Detroit to San Francisco. I got the Navigate option.
When I selected it, it prompted me to download the voice stuff, so I did. Then it told me to go into settings to enable GPS. When I did that, and came back, it popped up a dialog "No route found - Navigation to your destination is not available.".
HOWEVER, under this dialog is a Navigation view of my area. Which means it was able to download the necessary map data, but something is preventing it from retrieving or using a route.
Here's an example of this from the emulator, with the GPS set to be right in front of parliament in Ottawa:
It's possible that the route could be transmitted in the same format as normal directions in Maps, but that either:
a) The server is rejecting the request because it's coming from Navigation and has a Canadian endpoint, or
b) The application is discarding it because it has a Canadian endpoint.
If it's a), then we might be able to setup a proxy server (even a locally running server on the phone) to mask the signature of the request.
If it's b), then we might have to modify some of the Maps code.
But the fact that it can render the Navigation view of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada means that it is downloading the appropriate map data, so that's a great start for getting Navigation to work outside the United States. We just need to find a way to tell it that it is allowed to work.
I made some Wireshark captures of a successful route being generated, as well as one that failed because it's in Canada, but the transmitted data isn't textual for the most part, and I don't know how it's encoded.
One interesting thing to note is that in my Wireshark captures, Navigation uses "DriveAbout" in all of its requests to the server, whereas regular driving directions uses "GMM" in the same spot.
I'm going to see if I can setup a simple proxy to forward requests, replacing "DriveAbout" with "GMM" to see if that gets us any further.
Hopefully some other people can help with this so that everyone, everywhere, can enjoy Google Maps Navigation.

Ill be watching this thread with interest
TrOjAn

I installed the Nav, then Google Voice stopped working, no matter how many times I uninstalled GV and re-installed it. Also, I rm -r /cache/*.apk. but GV keeps saying Downloading.... Then I flushed the old build.prop and build.trout.prop back, and reboot. and both Nav and GV are working.

Interesting
It's interesting. I couldn't start navigation at all - I think it because of my location (Ukraine) - but some Motorola Droid apps was installed without any problems.

AlexandrUa said:
It's interesting. I couldn't start navigation at all - I think it because of my location (Ukraine) - but some Motorola Droid apps was installed without any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've installed it properly, and you enter two US locations as the endpoints, you should get the Navigate option.
If you use "My Location" as the start point, you won't get the navigate option unless you're in the USA.

i think it depends on the map licence. e.g. in germany google maps use another provider for the map data. thats the reason why google just allow navigation in us. i think it must be possible to change that.

Couple of weeks ago google terminated their licence with european maps provider teleatlas because or related to that licence not allowing turn-by-turn. Is that relevant? Was on financial mkt news.

The licensing issues are why Google won't let us use Navigation, but this thread is about finding a technical way around the limitations.

Just an idea
what I would do, is get a map route in the US with WiFi, use wireshark to see where/who it's talking to to see if its getting the directions from an online server...
If not, it would be internal then
Like i said, just an idea.

theomajigga said:
what I would do, is get a map route in the US with WiFi, use wireshark to see where/who it's talking to to see if its getting the directions from an online server...
If not, it would be internal then
Like i said, just an idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already used Wireshark, and it's talking to a Google server. However, the exchange looks a lot like normal driving directions, except with the identifier "DriveAbout" instead of "GMM".
I'm working on routing all connections to this server through a proxy so that I can replace "DriveAbout" with "GMM", to see if that will make it work.

canadiancow said:
I've already used Wireshark, and it's talking to a Google server. However, the exchange looks a lot like normal driving directions, except with the identifier "DriveAbout" instead of "GMM".
I'm working on routing all connections to this server through a proxy so that I can replace "DriveAbout" with "GMM", to see if that will make it work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice work Mr Cow.
I get the same behaviour here in Oz where it gives me a nav map of where I am before pasting over it with a "nuh-ah, can't do that" message.
Something else to get it to start navigating without having to pick two locations in the US is to create a desktop shortcut to "Directions", select a location/contact, and ensure that "turn-by-turn navigation" is selected. Then when the shortcut is launched, a navigation splash screen loads, it says "getting driving directions" while showing my local map in the background, and then says "Navigation to your destination is not available."
In flight mode it tries to get directions for about 10 seconds, then speaks to me for the first time ever, saying "data connection lost".

Has anyone used the "mock location" setting? It might help with testing, if we can quickly switch into and out of US locations. I've done no dev, so I don't know how it works, but I read that it's possible to use XML files to specify a virtual location path. Might be a waste of time.
CCow: just for my interest, what do you think you might find with your proxy protocol hacks?

jezzaaaa said:
Has anyone used the "mock location" setting? It might help with testing, if we can quickly switch into and out of US locations. I've done no dev, so I don't know how it works, but I read that it's possible to use XML files to specify a virtual location path. Might be a waste of time.
CCow: just for my interest, what do you think you might find with your proxy protocol hacks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm doing most of my testing with an emulator, so I can send GPS "fixes" very easily.
When Google Maps Mobile contacts the Google server for directions, it reports itself as "GMM". The server returns a full set of directions, and it displays them.
When Google Maps Navigation contacts the Google server for directions, it reports itself as "DriveAbout". The server sends some data back, but not nearly as much when you're outside the USA.
I'm setting up a proxy so that whenever it contacts the server as "DriveAbout", the proxy will replace that with "GMM", so that the server will return the full set of directions.
If this works, it will still be a bit of a challenge to do this on the phone, but if I can get the emulator navigating in Canada, it's a great start.

Lots of others have complained that the new nav option goes away after up to 8 hours. Mine has stayed with me for just over 8 hours now. Any non-US users lost the nav option? Perhaps it's got something to do with using it.

jezzaaaa said:
Lots of others have complained that the new nav option goes away after up to 8 hours. Mine has stayed with me for just over 8 hours now. Any non-US users lost the nav option? Perhaps it's got something to do with using it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I read, that only happens to people who restore their original build.prop files.

Yeah, like me.

I'm having issues getting Maps to work at all through a proxy with the emulator. The browser is going through my proxy alright, but Maps sends one request, and then hangs.

canadiancow said:
I'm having issues getting Maps to work at all through a proxy with the emulator. The browser is going through my proxy alright, but Maps sends one request, and then hangs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it a transparent proxy, or are you somehow configuring Android to use a proxy?
As you can probably guess, I don't have a lot of dev experience with Android, but I do have lots of experience with proxies.

Well, I'm in Australia. I haven't been able to see the navigate option at all, although i did restore the original build.prop files and reboot. I have a dev phone; tried setting the locale to US with no joy. I'll be paying a close eye to this thread, and of course if anybody wants me to try anything i am more than willing.
Part of me suspects that Navigate might not even be technically possible outside of the US, until google changes something. There could be some navigate-specific data that is only currently available for US that is preventing it from even being able to work elsewhere.
.. I hope not though. I want navigate !
Edit: Some Research:\
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/10/announcing-google-maps-navigation-for.html
The first phone to have Google Maps Navigation and Android 2.0 is the Droid from Verizon. Google Maps Navigation is initially available in the United States. And like other Google Maps features, Navigation is free.
(This does offer me some relief, i've had a bad feeling that it might be droid-only. I want it for my Dev Phone!)

I hope that it is the same data and I think it possibly is...
Navigation works outside of US but with the Limitation that you have to click manually but in fact they are turn by turn instructions.
Because of that, it should somehow be possible to make it work and the point with modifying the packets seems interesting.
I don't know iptables that much but it has the option "-t mangle"... can this be used somehow?

[App] SwitchMe secure login manager needs Tab testers please!

Hi everyone. Im one of the developers of SwitchMe, and app that allows multiple secure logins into separate installations of android on a single device. The pr is after the break.
I really need a few people to check into some issues people on the original Tab have been experiencing. There are some warnings involved:
- testers must perform a full nandroid backup before using the app, it is not our responsibility if you start getting boot loops
- if you report results or bugs, please use the "Write to us" function in the app whenever possible, and always describe the issue in the header of the logs you send
- if you post here, be sure to include your device type and rom
- if you have apps installed on sd, be sure to mention that as well
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SwitchMe is a unique application for root users that allows you to log in and out of multiple installations of Android just as you would on a desktop computer.
The technology behind SwitchMe saves all of your applications and data, protects it and stores it as a file in memory. You can then log out of an
account and log into a fresh installation of Android or another account with its own unique content.
You may create as many profiles as the memory is capable of holding. Some of these may require very little free memory because they contain few apps,
others will be larger as they contain many applications and lots of cache and data.
Why is this functionality useful?
Privacy - the most obvious benefit is that you can securely share one device among multiple users, which gives you privacy and peace of mind.
Testing - if you are a developer, you can use profiles as clean sandboxes to test your applications and their interaction with the system.
Gaming – with multiple installations of Android on a single device, you can now play online MMOs as different characters.
Speed - the games your kids play slow down your tablet, but with SwitchMe you can easily create profiles without games or instant messengers.
Battery life - when the battery is low but there are important emails or documents to edit later, switch to a profile which only contains these essentials.
These of course are only suggestions - there are plenty of other uses for the functionality SwitchMe offers.
Market link:
https://market.android.com/details?id=fahrbot.apps.switchme
The Lite version allows the creation of two profiles, enough to test on.
Screens:

SwitchMe 1.2 has been rolled out and now includes a lockscreen replacement:
1.2
Added lock screen for logging in and out
More stable Fast switch implementation
Reworked UI colors
Now, its very important that we get some feedback on how this big new feature works, so please read up on it in the help and post your thoughts!

1.2.2 - HOTFIX 2
Reworked widget on qHD+ displays
Fixed widget text on HC and ICS
Fast switch improved on older devices

So guys any comments?

There is no way this app affects recovery whatever youre doing wrong its a user error.

Arobase40 said:
Sorry Man, but I haven't installed Superuser, as the ROM was prebuilt with Superuser and CWM, and was working fine since SwitchMe... ^^
No access to the Market as, AGAIN, no Google apps at all, and so no Market !
I just created the profiles as instructed BUT this apps did NOT copied the Samsung ROM correctly... Don't know what happens with Recovery ???
I've spent the whole night to find out a way to flash back my backup.
This is my report and I can't change it and since this is your first report with this device, I guess ???.
Then telling this is a user error, please explain what was my error except being your first beta tester with your app on this device ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant explain anything to you because your description of the issue makes no sense - all i can say is that its not possible for this app to modify the recovery partition. Its physically impossible.
The lack of gapps is probably because they were bot installed in /system. Same with superuser. Check your rom for more info.

Any issues to report?

Not working on Galaxy tab GT-P1000
Hi,
Exact same problem as Arobase40.
I Installed Switchme, added 2 accounts (one for actual user and a new user). Then rebooted. No more market (and google apps) nor SuperUser. SwitchMe and Cwm complain I didn't give root permission.
Is there a solution or do I have to flash rom with Odin ?
Chag

chagam said:
Hi,
Exact same problem as Arobase40.
I Installed Switchme, added 2 accounts (one for actual user and a new user). Then rebooted. No more market (and google apps) nor SuperUser. SwitchMe and Cwm complain I didn't give root permission.
Is there a solution or do I have to flash rom with Odin ?
Chag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That means there are symlinks to the /system or /data folders where the gapps and superuser are stored. That is the problem - the app does not and will never support these links.

Any issues with the new build?

No... I'm not willing to take into account individuals. I work with the lowest common denominator. Dont like it? Don't use it. Frankly, arguing with a dv really isn't going tointuce him to help you...
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium

1.5.3.5
Profile creation and cloning now restricted to admins
Fixed many device-specific issues from logs
Fixed rare crash on profile switch
Fixed Superuser footprint issue on some ICS tablets
Lots of small issues on the new x86 and MIPS architectures fixed as well

Yes, obviously. But the actual word is trolls - opinionated and easily offended, these creatures can often be found lurking in forums doing nothing much at all other than flaming others and bottom feeding.
A lot of them are in my GIANT ignore list. So long.

1.5.3.8
Fixed issue switching profiles (One X and others)
Fixed rare crash on adding/ removing profiles
Fixed many device specific issues from user logs

ftgg99 said:
That means there are symlinks to the /system or /data folders where the gapps and superuser are stored. That is the problem - the app does not and will never support these links.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does that mean all SGT P-1000 will have the same problem? I have no problem losing gapps, I can always download it from goo manager. I'm afraid I would lose superuser/root access like they did.
Will it work on ICS CM-9mod (MTD)?
It would be a killer app if this can work.

No of course not. It applies only to roms with symlinks.

Well I just moved from CM9 to AOKP and because I am not a dev, I wouldn't know if they use any symlinks or not when they make their custom ROM.
But I decided to go ahead install ur app and see if it will work. We'll find out soon.
Here goes nothing. I hope it will work.

Test Result
yappoe said:
Well I just moved from CM9 to AOKP and because I am not a dev, I wouldn't know if they use any symlinks or not when they make their custom ROM.
But I decided to go ahead install ur app and see if it will work. We'll find out soon.
Here goes nothing. I hope it will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey! So far it works! That means:
1. This apps works for SGT-P1000 with CM9 Rom, as well as AOKP rom
2. both AOKP and CM9 builds do not have symlink.
Here are the test cases I did
(You asked us to test just the compatibilityto P1000 not the functionality)
preps:
1. downloaded SwithMe from Google play. App automatically installed
2. Backed up everything in titanium backup
3. Reboot to Recovery and did nandroid backup
TC1. Startup SwitchMe app Result: App startup, displaying 2 warnings.
Warning 1. Preparation warning. 2. Apps on Sdcard warning
TC2. - Move allapps on SDcard back to internal sdcard, restart SwitchMe app
result: 1warning displayed.
- Confirm warning
result: Superuser asks for confirmation for access
- Confirm superuser access Result: App goes to empty page with "Add profile" button.
TC3 Create 2 profilea
Result: Both created.
TC4. Activate Profile, reboot.
Result: Tablet rebooted and started normally
TC5. Activate profile 2, Reboot
Result1: Tablet rebooted and started as a new untouched rom,
prompting user to initial wizard.
Result2: SwitchMe app available, while other user apps are not available.
Result3: gapps are still available.
I hope this helps.

Thank you. A pleasure to see someone actually help us out!

My pleasure.
Pointers for users:
1. Using different google accounts for different profiles will prevent you from downloading app from playstore (error message).
2. Do not select google backup when setting up second profile. If you select google backup, it will automatically install missing apps from google market, therefore you will have an exact clone with your main profile at the end.
Once you get used to it, it is a nice app to have.

[FIX] Google Maps / Navigation stops saying street names

I've had this frustrating problem for a while where Google Maps will stop saying street names while Navigating. I've had this issue on 2 different devices, different ROMS, etc. Sometimes it happened after I ran fix permissions, other times I don't know why it happened . I could fix the problem by FCing Maps and clearing it's app data. But that's annoying because I can't safely do that while I'm driving, and it also resets all the Maps preferences.
Googling for this problem shows that a lot of people have had this problem, and I assume there are a variety of problems at play (eg messed up TTS).
At least one cause of this problem is incorrect permissions for /data/data/com.google.android.apps.maps/app_da_speech and the .wav files within it. The directory needs to be rwx rwx -wx (773) and the files within need to be rw- rw- rw- (666).
If you know how to change permissions w/ chmod or a file manager program, then your set. You can also flash the attached .zip, which will give you an init.d script that fixes these permissions on every boot.

All my permissions seem to be correct but Navigation still periodically stops reciting street names and I have to clear cache and data in Maps to get it back. Really annoying.

That fixed it for me. I have a Tmo Note 2.
Thank you very much.
The zip, do we flash it in recovery ( TWRP) every time we fix permission, or just once?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

If you flash the .zip then it will place an init.d script in /system/etc/init.d . If your ROM/kernel supports init.d scripting, this will fix the Maps permission on every boot. If your ROM/kernel does not support init.d scripting, then flashing the .zip file will do nothing
premiatul, if your ROM/kernel supports init.d scripts, then you never have to flash this again. If you have a problem w/ Maps, just reboot your ROM and it will fix permissions on boot. Or you can use script manager to run /system/etc/init.d/99mapperm without the need to reboot. Or you could use any terminal emulator app to run the following commands:
Code:
su
chmod -R 666 /data/data/com.google.android.apps.maps/app_da_speech
chmod 773 /data/data/com.google.android.apps.maps/app_da_speech
clankfu if you flashed the .zip and your ROM supports init.d scripts, you should not have to clear data. You can do any of the above 3 steps and then restart google nav

Should this work even if you're using a 3rd party TTS like SVOX?

clankfu said:
Should this work even if you're using a 3rd party TTS like SVOX?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should. This fixes files that belong to the Google maps/nav program. If the problem is file permissions this will fix it.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app

Thank you so much :highfive:

CUBENSIS said:
At least one cause of this problem is incorrect permissions for /data/data/com.google.android.apps.maps/app_da_speech and the .wav files within it. The directory needs to be rwx rwx -wx (773) and the files within need to be rw- rw- rw- (666).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant! This worked perfectly. I'm glad I finally have a fix that doesn't involve clearing data (which didn't always work for me) or uninstalling updates (which did).

I have the problem that Google Maps doesn't use the selected TTS engine (SVOX Classic or Ivona) even if it has the same language as the global phone language specified in the system settings.
Does anyone know how to fix this?
Thanks

MaluNoPeleke said:
I have the problem that Google Maps doesn't use the selected TTS engine (SVOX Classic or Ivona) even if it has the same language as the global phone language specified in the system settings.
Does anyone know how to fix this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you still have this problem, download MoreLocales2 or Set Locale and Language from the Google Play store and set your locale as the appropriate language/country (English - US for me). This helped me to get different TTS engines working with Google Maps, including Ivona.

[SOLUTION] Maps saying street names
Hi everyone,
I have been reading a lot about this issue and many are stating different solutions and some work and some don't.
I would like to provide my solution.
Phone:
Bell (Canada) Galaxy S4 running 5.0.1 with root. Root is not required for this solution. Stock rom.
Google Maps version 9.7.1, anything in the 9.X.X has stopped saying street names for me.
Solution
Description:
Yes there is an issue with the language needing to match and there is a way to trick it, by changing to another language and then changing back to English (US).
This method requires clearing data, and also factors what you should do when you restart your phone, meaning shut down and power up.
Steps in order:
[#1 Change Language] go to - Settings > Language and Input > Language > set it to another language you can read, in my case French. NOTE: If you can't understand another language memorize all of the steps, menus and buttons that you need to click on.
[#2 Clear Data for Maps] go to - Settings > Application Manager > Maps > click Clear Data. Remember this must be done in another language.
[#3 Open Maps] Launch Google Maps > get passed all of the welcome, hints, and information screens > navigate to another location. You should now here street names in the other language.
[#4 Change Language] go to - Settings > Language and Input > Language > set it to English
[#5 Open Maps] Launch Google Maps > navigate to an address and you will hear street names in English again.
Notes:
If you ever restart/reboot/shutoff your phone, you will need to follow these instructions again, otherwise you will not here street names.
I have tried Samsung's TTS and Google's TTS, none of that makes a difference or seems to matter. I can have my system language as French and my TTS as English (US) and the street names are said in English. For some reason the TTS does not affect my Google Maps' ability to say street names.
I'm not sure if step 3 can be skipped, I can check when I have some free time or if someone can verify.
As mentioned above this could be an issue with permissions and using CHMOD to fix it, however the solution that I have provided will work but needs to be applied every time you boot the phone.
If you have any questions or concerns feel free post here.
Good luck and report back if this works for anyone else.
Cheers!

Thank you so much for sharing this! I finally have proper turn-by-turn directions with street names. It was frustrating not having it with a brand new s6 out of the box.

Well, it turns out that the fix is only temporary. Despite NOT rebooting/restarting the phone, Google maps reverts to generic directions. At least, this is the case with my phone, Samsung s6 edge. The good news is I have the process down to 30 seconds or less, so at least it's functioning, albeit not in an ideal way.

[APP][4.0.3+] ApkTrack 2.0.2 - Automatic update checks for devices without Play Store

Apktrack
ApkTrack is a simple Android application which periodically checks if your installed apps can be updated.
It was created for users who don't want to use the Google Play Store, but still need to know when new APKs are available for their apps. ApkTrack performs simple website scraping to grab the latest versions of packages present on the device.
This application is distributed under the terms of the GPL v3 License
Usage
See the attached screenshot for a preview of the application.
Click on an application to perform a manual version check.
The buttons at the top are used to respectively search the installed application list and perform a version check for all applications.
That's it!
Things to keep in mind:
Applications are *not* updated automatically. You still have to find a way to download the latest APKs and sideload them yourself. ApkTrack is simply here to tell you that the update is available.
The application will perform HTTP requests both on demand and silently. You can configure whether mobile data should be used for background checks in the settings.
ApkTrack uses regular expressions to scrape webpages, so it may cease to work without notice if the target websites are modified.
Although there is a background service checking for updates every day, it may get killed by the OS. Remember to check for updates manually in the application from time to time.
Changelog:
Code:
0-----------------------------------------------------------------------------0
| Changelog: |
0-----------------------------------------------------------------------------0
2.1.2:
------
* Features
- You can now configure a proxy in the settings. It will be used to check
for updates, but *NOT* for APK downloads and searches.
- Downloaded APKs can now be cleaned from the settings screen.
- Added an option to ignore apps for which no update source could be found.
* Update Sources & Search Engines
- Timeouts between version checks have been reduced, which makes the
process of checking all apps much faster.
- Updated the direct download regexp for F-Droid as their layout had
slightly changed.
- Added a new search engine, APK-DL.
* Translations
- Japanese translation contributed by Naofumi F. Thanks!
* Permissions
- A new permission (REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES) is required to be able to
install APKs on Oreo.
* Supported Devices
- ApkTrack should work on Android O.
* Bugfix
- Fixes a major bug caused by ProGuard in F-Droid builds which prevented
users from entering the setting.
2.1.1:
------
* UI
- The app's design was materialized by Tetsuo55.
- Icons have been vectorized (also by Tetsuo55).
- The last check date is now relative (i.e. "10 minutes ago").
* Update Sources
- Removed the Nightly (Firefox) update source, because their website keeps
changing and the app has built-in update capabilities anyway.
- Fixed the WhatsApp update source. Support has been added in the AppBrain
proxy and this source will be phased out in later versions.
* Version Checks:
- Version checks for Google Play Services now ignore the part of the
version number identifying the architecture and DPI of the device.
* Supported Devices:
- ApkTrack now works on Android N.
2.1.0:
------
* APK Downloads
- The OS' download service is now used directly instead of proxying
requests through the installed browser.
- Downloads respect the user's preference regarding which networks are
OK to use (WiFi / mobile data).
- Downloaded APKs can be installed directly from ApkTrack's UI.
* Permissions
- ApkTrack needs a new permission (WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE) to write
downloaded APKs to the sdcard.
* UI
- Fixed a longstanding issue where the last check date could overlap
the action icon (that one really bugged me).
* Settings
- Added options to ignore all system / Xposed apps in a single click.
A screen dedicated to managing ignored apps is still warranted.
- Added a preference allowing users who enabled background checks to
automatically download new APKs when they become available.
* Update Sources
- Merged the 9Folders update source (only used for com.ninefolders.hd3)
into the AppBrain proxy, because of new anti-scraping countermeasures.
2.0.4:
------
* Source detection
- ApkTrack will set the right update source for itself (upstream or
F-Droid) depending on who signed the APK.
- The source for all Xposed modules is now detected automatically.
- The F-Droid app is now correctly handled by the F-Droid source.
* Miscellaneous
- Moved the ApkTrack APKs to a server with more bandwidth.
- Version checks for ApkTrack now take place over HTTPS.
- Updated German translation.
* Bugfixes
- Fixed a widespread crash triggered during the initialization
of the app.
- Fixed a problem with icon resizing for devices with uncommon DPI.
- Minor bugfixes for crashes reported through ACRA.
2.0.3:
------
* Security
- Communications with the AppBrain proxy and crash report service now take
place over HTTPS.
- Certificates used by those websites are bundled with ApkTrack to prevent
man in the middle attacks.
* Translations
- Updated Polish translation.
- Added Italian translation.
* Bugfixes
- Resolved a race condition potentially leading to random crashes.
- The AppBrain update source returned a malformed result when it doesn't
have version information for particular apps (i.e. org.eff.actioncenter).
This is now handled gracefully so other update sources can be tried.
- Fixed the "currently updating" icon getting hidden because of screen
rotations.
2.0.2:
------
* Automated crash reports
- ACRA has been integrated to the app in order to submit stacktraces when
ApkTrack crashes (no data is sent without user consent).
- New settings were created to control whether bug reports should be sent.
- A privacy policy was written to describe how bug data and user data is
handled in general.
* Bugfixes
- Fixed a bug introduced in 2.0.1 triggered when trying to resize
non-square icons.
- Fixed a bug causing a crash with VectorDrawables for devices without
Lollipop.
- Fixed a bug where trying to determine the network type (WiFi / data) would
cause a crash.
2.0.1:
------
* Miscellaneous bugfixes
- Oversized icons no longer break the UI.
- Download URLs for Xposed apps are now obtained correctly.
- App uninstallations now also delete stored icons in the database.
2.0.0:
------
* Ignoring irrelevant apps
- When detecting apps present on the device, disabled apps are ignored by
default.
- Apps can be swiped to indicate that they should stop being displayed in
the UI and be ignored in subsequent update checks.
- An option was added in the settings to reset ignored apps.
* Detecting installed apps
- The full app detection is only done once, during the first launch. All
subsequent updates (packages added and/or removed from the system) are
now detected through Intents sent by the system.
- ApkTrack and its background services now communicate with the help of an
Event Bus, which allows complex information to be passed reliably. Model
modifications trigger notifications on this event bus, which tell the
applist which information should be refreshed. Thanks to this, there are
no more loadings when the model is updated.
- It shouldn't be possible for ApkTrack to miss apps that are installed,
removed or updated with this new design. So I'm removing the "Redetect
installed apps" button which wasn't very elegant nor user-friendly.
* Database overhaul
- ApkTrack now uses Sugar ORM to perform its database operations (branch
1.x contained a lot of manual SQL queries). The codebase is much cleaner
and easier to maintain now.
- Icons have been moved to a separate table, which allows ApkTrack to read
all the application info without eating up the device's RAM. From now on,
Icons are only loaded when they need to be displayed.
* Update sources
- ApkTrack can guess the default update source for some predetermined apps
based on their digital signature or their package name.
- The structure of sources.json has been changed. It is more complex now,
but it allows contributors to specify per-package regular expressions in
case the information for multiple apps is hosted on a single webpage.
Formerly, it would have been necessary to create an update source per
package in some cases.
- It is also possible to specify a regular expression to locate an APK
download link on the page. This will allow more direct downloads to be
provided.
- F-Droid, Mirakel, Xposed Stable / Beta now all provide direct APK
downloads.
* Misc
- Build system switched to Gradle to make third-party builds easier.
- ApkTrack will now remember across reboots whether you want to display
system apps or not.
- Searches are more flexible, and any part of the name or package name
can now be matched (not just the beginning as it was the case).
- Apps with vector icons are now displayed correctly on devices with an API
level >= 21.
- Manual changes to the update source are immediately reflected in the UI.
- The spinning icon which indicates that an app is currently being checked
isn't lost anymore when the app list is refreshed, sorted or updated.
- Notifications will not be displayed more than once for each updated app
(ApkTrack 1.1 would keep display notifications until the app was
upgraded).
Known issues:
-------------
* Swiping the app at position N, then scrolling down and up causes a blank
line to be displayed at position N-1.
* ApkTrack's APKs are still distributed over HTTP because the server uses a
self-signed certificate.
* If Greenify puts ApkTrack into hibernation, app installations, deletions
and upgrades will be missed. At the moment, the issue may be circumvented
by waking ApkTrack and performing the installation again, or deleting
ApkTrack's data to force a full re-detection.
Download
Source code
Stable APK (2.1.2)
Beta APK (2.1.2)
Let me know what you think!

Bu ne şimdi anlamadım
SM-N9005 cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi

Link??
Sent from my XT1068

I'm a new user, I can't post them!
Source code: github.com/JusticeRage/ApkTrack
APK: kwiatkowski.fr/apktrack/ApkTrack.apk

Just the app i needed, loving it, could be great with a sort feature in the future.

failbed said:
Just the app i needed, loving it, could be great with a sort feature in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad to see someone finds my app useful! Do you mean the possibility to sort applications depending on whether they can be updated or not? This is a great idea, I'll implement it!

JusticeRage said:
I'm glad to see someone finds my app useful! Do you mean the possibility to sort applications depending on whether they can be updated or not? This is a great idea, I'll implement it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah excatly something like that, when apktrack finds like an update to an app the apps that need go get updated gets sorted fo the top so you dont have to scroll through the list to find which apps that needs to get updated and so on.. Awesome ill be following this project bro.

The code and APK have been updated as suggested by your feedback!
Applications are now sorted by status (whether they have been updated or not) by default, but it is possible to switch back to alphabetical sort.

Parsing Package problem
Tablet PMT7787_3G Jelly Bean 4.2.2 It givse me parsing package error. Works fine on KitKat

it works
Thanks buddy for your work. it works in d802 (LG G2) cm-12-20150217-NIGHTLY-d802. But i can't update apps. it says there is a new version available. press the circle but nothing happens.

Are you only scraping google play or do you also check places like the amazon appstore and f-droid.org? If so, how do you handle app's that are in multiple locations? For example if I purchased an app at amazon appstore (or got it as the free app of the day) I can only use the latest version on that appstore even if google play has a newer version. Amazon appstore is usually always behind google play in versions. In some cases f-droid (open source app store) will have versions compiled without ads where google play may have versions with. (The simplest solution may be to let the user pick the location to check for each app?)
Forgot to mention if you used xposed framework the module updates might be worthy of tracking as well. http://repo.xposed.info/module-overview

[email protected] said:
Tablet PMT7787_3G Jelly Bean 4.2.2 It givse me parsing package error. Works fine on KitKat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you post a stacktrace? I assume this is because the required API version in the AndroidManifest.xml is 19 (4.4+). This is probably a very conservative choice, but I have no devices using anterior versions to run tests. I'll try to post an APK compatible with more Android versions soon.
bor51 said:
Thanks buddy for your work. it works in d802 (LG G2) cm-12-20150217-NIGHTLY-d802. But i can't update apps. it says there is a new version available. press the circle but nothing happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll quote my first post : "applications are *not* updated automatically. You still have to find a way to download the latest APKs and sideload them yourself. ApkTrack is simply here to tell you that the update is available."
Simply put, I finding the latest version of an APK reliably is not always easy (I usually have to do some googling myself).
framewolf said:
Are you only scraping google play or do you also check places like the amazon appstore and f-droid.org?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I scrape Google Play, then if I get a message like "Varies with device" I try appbrain.com.
Sadly, I don't track versions on an app store basis. ApkTrack was really made in mind with the idea of downloading APKs and installing them through adb. Doesn't the Amazon app store already notify you of available updates?
One of the features I would like to implement in the future would be custom web scraping though (let the user specify the webpage and regular expression). I'll look into F-Froid too.
And thanks for the Xposed modules idea, I'll definitely implement that!

Just the app I was looking for. Working on 4.4.4 Oneplus Mahdi

Reminds me of AppWatch, but without being limited to just the Play Store. Cool idea. I'm gonna try it out.

JusticeRage said:
I scrape Google Play, then if I get a message like "Varies with device" I try appbrain.com.
Sadly, I don't track versions on an app store basis. ApkTrack was really made in mind with the idea of downloading APKs and installing them through adb. Doesn't the Amazon app store already notify you of available updates?
One of the features I would like to implement in the future would be custom web scraping though (let the user specify the webpage and regular expression). I'll look into F-Froid too.
And thanks for the Xposed modules idea, I'll definitely implement that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using Greenify and Xprivacy my appstores don't notify me of anything until I actually run them. Have you considered taking the full app name and kicking it into a google (or better yet startpage.com since it anonymizes the search but uses same parms as google) search maybe with additional keywords like "apk" and "download"? This would point folks to where they might be able to download the updated module. A similar technique is used by windows software update checker "sumo" (software update monitor) A similar idea would be to do the same with an appstore search of where the update was located...minimal code is needed since you are just kicking an url to be opened to the browser via the "view" feature.

JusticeRage said:
Apktrack
ApkTrack is a simple Android application which periodically checks if your installed apps can be updated.
It was created for users who don't want to use the Google Play Store, but still need to know when new APKs are available for their apps. ApkTrack performs simple website scraping to grab the latest versions of packages present on the device.
This application is distributed under the terms of the GPL v3 License
The source code is available at github.com/JusticeRage/ApkTrack.
Usage
See the attached screenshot for a preview of the application.
Click on an application to perform a manual version check.
The buttons at the top are used to respectively refresh the installed application list and perform a version check for all applications.
That's it!
Things to keep in mind:
The application will perform HTTP requests both on demand and silently. It does not care whether you are using 3G, 4G or WiFi. Please do not install it if your mobile plan charges data at a premium.
Updates, installations and uninstallations are not detected automatically by the application. You have to press a button to refresh the installed apps.
ApkTrack uses regular expressions to scrape webpages, so it may cease to work without notice if the target websites are modified.
Applications are *not* updated automatically. You still have to find a way to download the latest APKs and sideload them yourself. ApkTrack is simply here to tell you that the update is available.
Although there is a background service checking for updates every day, it may get killed by the OS. Remember to check for updates manually in the application from time to time.
ApkTrack has no fancy icon Feel free to design one!
I am by no means an Android developper. This is a project I hacked quickly because I was tired of checking updates manually. If you are learning Android development, what you see in the code should definitely not be considered best practice. You're welcome to point out what I did wrong, though!
Download
A precompiled APK can be found on the GitHub page. I would post the link, but as a new user, I can't yet.
Source code: https://github.com/JusticeRage/ApkTrack
APK: http://kwiatkowski.fr/apktrack/ApkTrack.apk
Let me know what you think!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is fantastic! I use Raccoon to download apps to my computer before manually transferring them to my phone, and when i wanted to check if there was an update out for an app i'd have to check one by one the apps on Raccoon, This is going to be a huge time saver.

famewolf said:
Have you considered taking the full app name and kicking it into a google (or better yet startpage.com since it anonymizes the search but uses same parms as google) search maybe with additional keywords like "apk" and "download"? This would point folks to where they might be able to download the updated module. A similar technique is used by windows software update checker "sumo" (software update monitor) A similar idea would be to do the same with an appstore search of where the update was located...minimal code is needed since you are just kicking an url to be opened to the browser via the "view" feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's another great idea. I will work on that in the upcoming weeks!

Very interesting project!
Someone suggested sorting option. I'd go one step ahead and request you to implement a feature which could hide non play store apps

@JusticeRage, this project sounds promising, however when I tested that, some of the applications were saying they are not uptodate, like CM Browser (I'm in beta programm), Naked Browser (maybe there is some problem with APK version?), Google Drive and Google Camera etc.
Also time ago I posted this question : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2988051 ... Maybe this can be implemented with your application ? So in this case I would rather prefer to highlight such disappering aps. rather then filtering them out.
Another option to jump on app from to the list to GooglePlay or searching on web for apk or alternate repository (ApToide) would be really nice. ?

Working fine here. Now This is my ChangelogDroid replacement, because its not working on my device with MUI rom. Keep update this app & would be nice if you push it to playstore.

[ROM][CONDOR][5.1][STOCK][MOD]Extremely debloated/NoGApps ROM for XT1021

Introduction
This ROM is based on lost101's work you can find here. The aim of my modifications is to push debloating to the extreme and leave only what's really needed. Before you flash this ROM read all the informations below and make sure you still want to do it as some stuff you find essential might be missing. For privacy maniacs there's also "NoGApps" version available. This version doesn't contain any GApps and no Setup Wizard which means you won't be able to use Play Store or any other Google services that require GmsCore apps. You will also have to setup your device manually with ADB so make sure you have all the software and drivers needed. It's only a little price you need to pay for removing Google spying services, aka GmsCore.
Disclaimer
Even if everything works 100% fine for me I take no responsibility for anything that happens to anyone else's device after flashing my ROM. If you want to try it, do it on your own risk. Always backup your data.
Description
This is Retail EU 5.1 ROM (Optimized) v1.0 for XT1021 by lost101 with the following modifications:
ver 1.0 with GApps
Items removed from system/app:
- atfwd
- BasicDaydreams
- Calculator
- CalendarGoogle
- com.motorola.android.setting.diag_mdlog
- Exchange2
- FMRadioService
- FMRecordService
- GoogleContactsSyncAdapter
- LatinImeGoogle
- LiveWallpaprePicker
- PartnerBookmarksProvider
- PhotoTable
- Piktures
- PrintSpooler
- SoundRecorder
- UserDictionaryProvider
Items removed from system/priv-app:
- AudioEffects
- BackupRestoreConfirmation
- CalendarProvider
- CellBroadcastReceiver
- CQATest
- Email
- EmaraPhoneExtns
- GoogleBackupTransport
- MotCamera
- PreloadContacts
- StorageOptimizer
- WallpaperCropper
- WapPushSI
Items removed from system/etc/permissions:
- com.google.android.maps.xml
- com.google.android.media.effects.xml
- gom.google.android.widevine.software.drm.xml
- com.motorola.camera.xml
- com.motorola.context.xml
- com.motorola.gallery.xml
- com.motorola.software.fmradioservice.xml
- com.motorola.software.fmrecording.xml
- com.motorola.software.storageoptimizer.xml
Items removed from system/framework:
- com.google.android.maps.jar
- com.google.android.media.effects.jar
- com.google.widevine.software.drm.jar
- com.motorola.gallery.jar
Items removed from system/usr/srec/us-EN:
- all files
Files added to system/app:
- AnySoftKeyboard
- MiXplorer
Files added to system/bin:
- sqlite3
v 1.0 NoGApps
All of the above and the following:
Files removed from system/app:
- ConfigUpdater
Files removed from system/priv-app:
- GmsCore
- GoogleFeedback
- GoogleLoginService
- GoogleOneTimeInitializer
- GooglePartnerSetup
- GoogleServicesFramework
- MotoOneTimeInitializer
- Phonesky
- SetupWizard
- SetupWizardExt
Flashing
1. Boot into TWRP
(2. Backup)
3. Format data (Wipe>Format data>yes)
4. Transfer ROM to SD card/Local storage
5. Wipe>Factory reset
6. Install
7. Reboot
If you have installed GApps version your device is ready. Just go through Setup Wizard and set your device however you like. Please mind you need to install some very basic apps (like web browser) to make this ROM usable as a daily driver.
If you have installed NoGApps version you will find there's no Setup Wizard after initial boot and some basic functions of your device's UI are disabled (Home button and Quick Settings). This is normal. They are disabled by default to prevent user from escaping Setup Wizard with Home button or accessing phone's settings before you accept Ts & Cs and so on. Restoring UI in stock roms is handled by Setup WIzard and GmsCore services, but since they're not present in NoGapps version you have to do it manually:
1. Enable USB debugging on your device
2. Execute the following with ADB:
Code:
adb shell
su
sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db
insert into global (name, value) VALUES('device_provisioned', 1);
insert into secure (name, value) VALUES('user_setup_complete', 1);
.quit
reboot
Your device is now ready.
Setup suggestions
Here are some tips you might find useful if care about your privacy and battery/RAM/CPU saving:
1. Remove SIM card before initial boot. This is to avoid download of any automatic "updates" using your mobile data during initial setup of your device.
2. In Setup Wizard (GApps version only):
- skip connecting to Wifi network before you install some firewall
- on "About your privacy" screen go to Privacy settings and disable "Help improve Motorola products" and "Enchanced device support" options. They're basically about monitoring your device and collecting "anonymous" data
- Skip adding your name (at least your real one)
- On Goole services screen opt out from "Use Google's location service", "Help improve location services" and "Improve your Android experience" options. They're all about monitoring and "anonymous" data collection as well
3. When you're done with Setup Wizard go to Google Settings (GApps version only):
- "Ads" > Reset advertising ID > Opt out of interest-based ads
- "Security" > disable "Allow remote lock and erase", "Improve harmful app detection" and "Scan device for security threats" options (again, it's all about monitoring your device and getting "anonymous" stats and data)
4. Open dialer > menu (3 dots in top right corner) > Settings > Advanced > Nearby places > disable
5. Go to Settings:
- Wifi (when you're ready to enable it) > menu > Advanced > disable "Scanning always available" (if enabled) and turn "Keep wifi during sleep" to "Never"
- Sound & notification > Other sounds > disable all to save battery/RAM/CPU
- Security > enable PIN/Pattern/whatever you like. Disable "Make passwords visible" option
- Language & input > disable spell checker and setup Any Soft Keyboard not to learn your dictionary and access your contacts (you never know)
- Backup & reset > disable "Backup my data" (if enabled). If you care about backing up your contacts etc. do it locally
That's about it. The rest depends on you and 3rd party software you install.
Known issues
- FC of Language & input menu in Settings after going back from "Language", "Spell checker" and "Google Keyboard"
Life after Google
You can try using Micro GmsCore to access Play Store content, and here are some alternatives:
1. Interesting and useful apps in F-Droid store:
- Adaway (system-wide ad blocker)
- AFWall+ (very nice firewall. I use it in whitelist mode because it blocks internet access to all apps by default)
- Etar (calendar. Won't work without Google calendar service and account)
- K-9 mail (bit ugly but awesome mail client)
- Open camera (stock camera replacement)
- Wifi automatic (turns wifi off when you lock the screen which saves battery and improves security. Bugged a little and randomly disables wifi from time to time)
- SMSsecure (messaging app with encryption)
- 920 Editor (text editor)
- Document Viewer (self explanatory)
- Network Log (self explanatory)
2. Other interesting and useful apps around the web (mostly on XDA):
- ApkTrack (app updates tracker),
- Calc+ (calculator),
- CoolTool (CPU and RAM usage and other info display),
- DejaOffice (office app that looks a bit outdated, but it's the only calendar app to work without Google services I found so far),
- Disconnect.me (private web searches; the app FC right after starting it, probably due to lack of Google search services available)
- DriveDroid (turns the phone into Linux live USB),
- ES File Explorer (file explorer),
- Firefox (web browser),
- Gravity Screen (Turning screen off and on without using physical power button),
- Greenify (apps hibernator),
- KWGT (custom widget maker),
- LiveBoot (Chainfire's app that replaces boot animation with system log display),
- maps.me (open source google maps alternative),
- MiXPlorer (file explorer),
- MoboClean (permissions manager),
- Naked Browser (web browser),
- NetGuard (no-root firewall),
- NeutriNote (notes),
- Nova Launcher (launcher)
- Open Camera (same as F-Droid app),
- Parasol (community based permission manager),
- PryFi (WiFi security),
- QuickPic (gallery),
- Recently ("close all apps" button in recents window),
- Recordr (sound recording app),
- Servicely (services management. Think twice before installing and using it - developer's G+ site, developer's APKMirror downloads
- SD Maid (cleaning tool),
- Super Backup (apps, sms, call logs, etc. backup),
- Titanium Backup (data backup),
- True phone (dialer),
- VLC (media player),
- WifiKill (WiFi killer),
- Wifi Protector (WiFi security, anti-wifikill),
- Xposed
You can find more interesting apps and links on this XDA forum
3. Software that may help you secure your device - sufficientlysecure.org
4. More security software - Secure Mobile Apps
5. XDA Labs (alpha version of XDA app store)
6. Firefox browser add-on that lets you download apk files directly from google play store (without Google account connected to your device) in case you can't find desired app anywhere else.
7. Alternative app-stores, .apk mirrors, etc. - use at your own risk. So far I only tried Amazon's store - the pro is that it exists, the cons are that it requires tons of permissions, has very unfriendly interface, takes a lot of space, and the apps you download will only work as long as the store's app is installed.
Battery Life
When it comes to battery life Moto E's "budget" hardware becomes an advantage. Low resolution screen, its relatively weak backlight and low frequency CPU are the things that might make flagship users envious if you consider their power consumption. My wife is using Moto E as her daily driver and she literally charges it once a week. A the moment stock battery menu shows the device was up for 8 days and 9 hours since the last charge and it still has 18% of juice left, which means it can stay up in standby mode for another 1-2 days. It also shows 2 hrs of voice calls made and nearly 2 hrs SoT. The biggest drainer is mobile radio (38%) and Gravity Screen (13%) I had to install because my wife notoriously forgets to lock her screen - remove that and you have 1 more day of standby/calls. In deep sleep the drain is pretty much none.
Credits and thanks
Motorola for making such a good device
Google for supporting Android (but not for invading it withe their intrusive services)
lost101 - creator of original ROM
HootanParsa - creator of MIxplorer
Menny Even Danan and all creators of AnySoftKeyboard
All people behind TWRP
Sqlite3 developers
All the developers who share useful information and solutions in the web
Please let me know if I missed someone, I'll be happy to update this list
Download
xt1021_Retail_EU_51_Optimized_v1.0_debloat_mod_v1.0GApps - version WITH GApps
xt1021_Retail_EU_51_Optimized_v1.0_debloat_mod_v1.0NoGApps - version WITHOUT GApps

XT1022 versions are now available. They're based on lost101's Retail Dual-SIM (Asia | World) 5.1 ROM (Optimized) v1.1. Unfortunately I haven't got Dual Sim Moto E to test these ROMs so making a backup before trying them is more important than usually. I've done exactly the same changes as I've done to XT1021 versions, and double-checked them, but chances are I missed something. I believe in worst case your device will stuck on Android logo during initial boot and you'll just have to reboot it to Recovery and restore last working backup. Please report any problems.
Download
XT1022_Retail_DualSim_51_Optimized_v1.1_mod_v1.0GApps.zip version WITH GApps
XT1022_Retail_DualSim_51_Optimized_v1.1_mod_v1.0NoGApps.zip - version WITHOUT GApps

Nice Job!
Any XT1022 Version planned?
Inviato dal mio Moto E utilizzando Tapatalk

Cheez2553 said:
Nice Job!
Any XT1022 Version planned?
Inviato dal mio Moto E utilizzando Tapatalk
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I could try to make it, the problem is I haven't got xt1022 model to test the results.

Hi...thank you for your work i love rom with few apps...but i saw that the 2 versions of this rom have the same download link...so i can't download the version without gapps...i hope you will fix this...thank in advance

Cheez2553 said:
Nice Job!
Any XT1022 Version planned?
Inviato dal mio Moto E utilizzando Tapatalk
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Simomaster1 said:
Hi...thank you for your work i love rom with few apps...but i saw that the 2 versions of this rom have the same download link...so i can't download the version without gapps...i hope you will fix this...thank in advance
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Well spotted, sorry about that. The link is now updated, enjoy.

XT1022 versions are now available. Please read post #2 for details.

Thanks for this - someone wanted what they had (stock ROM upgraded to Lollipop) minus the stuff that's never ever used, and this does this.
It did take a while before the AnySoftKeyboard worked. Is there a reason for having such an old version?

lovingboth said:
Thanks for this - someone wanted what they had (stock ROM upgraded to Lollipop) minus the stuff that's never ever used, and this does this.
It did take a while before the AnySoftKeyboard worked. Is there a reason for having such an old version?
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It's the latest version available in F-Droid. IDK why they don't keep it up to date.

error in flashing
it does not work on xt1022 indian version ........

You mean this are like AOSP ROMs , Gonna try because of your added features

mudirajmayank said:
You mean this are like AOSP ROMs , Gonna try because of your added features
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They are based on stock ROM, but I removed a lot of stuff Google added to them, so they're quite close to AOSPin some sense.

minimale_ldz said:
It's the latest version available in F-Droid. IDK why they don't keep it up to date.
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I based it on Asia/World version of XT1022 stock ROM - is that what you normally use in India?

minimale_ldz said:
I based it on Asia/World version of XT1022 stock ROM - is that what you normally use in India?
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yup thats the model we use in india

ak_bagade said:
yup thats the model we use in india
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Like I said in description - I don't owe XT1022 to test it myself, so it's hard to say what could go wrong. Did you wipe data and factory reset before installation? What kind of problems you have with this ROM?

Calendar sync
Hello, first of all thank you for your work. How I can do to synchronize the calendar of google?

danissiete said:
Hello, first of all thank you for your work. How I can do to synchronize the calendar of google?
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Hi, there's no Google Calendar in these ROMs. You'd have to install it first, probably with Calendar Provider app, I'm not really sure to be honest.

minimale_ldz said:
Hi, there's no Google Calendar in these ROMs. You'd have to install it first, probably with Calendar Provider app, I'm not really sure to be honest.
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He had tried, but when going to add a calendar event me a message to enable synchronization and the application is closed, and will not let me activate the synchronization...

danissiete said:
He had tried, but when going to add a calendar event me a message to enable synchronization and the application is closed, and will not let me activate the synchronization...
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This could be due to Google Backup Transport missing - if you didn't recover it the syncing won't work

Updated - battery usage information added to OP.