I am traveling to China as a tourist for couple of weeks soon. Reading some info on net, it seems that access to Google services is blocked there. My android phone will become a dumb phone since majority of what I will need to have on hand will be inaccessible. (Gmail, Search, Translate, Maps, etc.).
Supposedly even VPNs are blocked, which was something I hoped to utilize.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...e-internet-censors-tighten-grip-10013537.html
Can anyone with experience recommend proven solution?
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Hello everybody,
I am opening here a talk that concern people that cannot have access to a full version of google play or all other google services.
I wanted to talk about this, because since this morning and my update to android 4.4, i have notice that i cannot have anymore access to google now because of a region restriction. I have been an android user for a longtime and i have suffered of the lack of apps in my country google play since day one. But i was always finding a warkaround (via VPN's or third-party Marketplaces), that was doing the job, but still a warkaround. Now i don't want that anymore, and i know that there's a lot of people that are in my case. So i wanted to discuss about this and maybe, who knows make enough noise, so google can hear us and find a definitive worktrough.
WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO ANDROID?
Background:
Running a Samsung Galaxy J3v sm-337v (cheapest smartphone Verizon sells outright $168!) If anyone has info on rooting this phone LMK (told impossible)
My last phone was an unlock Blu (crap spy company)
Verizon doesn't allow unlocked non-verizon phones-VoLTE not authorized
The want to lock us in to thier bloatware/spyware.
I am on per-gig plan.
My phone is configured to allow as few permissions as possible. Default for most preinstall apps is to "allow modify system and allow draw over apps" yikes!
Disabled auto sync on all gmail, play, everything is manual sync.
Disabled all advertising and tracking options. (**** OFF i pay big $ for internet access)
Do not sync my stuff to google only email
NOW: Been out of the rooting game fir a min, installed No Root Firewall (wonderful)
W T F !?
Why are these effing companies sending so much information back and forth from my device COnSTANTLY!?
I expect google play transport services to be doing a little back and forth [every time I pwr my screen lol]
But Samsung Home Experience
Samsung Keyboard
Gallery!
MY Files (explorer)!
Game optimizing service (not a single game on this phone)
Chrome (never use)
Google Translate (hardly use)
Verizon "Security and Privacy" (ha)
Play Store (over and over)-disabled -i can get apk from web
A blank and unknown app 'balancing service' to "yandex.com" (russia)
And more
All of these are pinging servers 2-20 times a day when I am not using my phone even.
Do not tell me these are regular updates.
How deep down the rabbit hole do I want to go.
From an outside look it would seem they are litterally leaching info on all my pictures, files, possibly keystrokes, ect.
Again WTF?
Am I the only one?
P.s I am not a wanted criminal or doing anything illegal other than the occasional MJ joint.
It makes me mad AF tho.
Android (and apple i assume) have become vampires.
My phone should only do one notified updated and only access servers when i prompt it too!
This **** seems like it has gone too far
Any explanations, comments?
Ps. These ****ing image verifications are damn ridiculous!
Down with alphabet skynet!?
Does anybody have?
I would purchase any phone that has a BLANK (not even play store) Android and can still use Volte and CDMA on Verizon USA bands.
I could care so little to say goodbye to every Google app and service. The satellite imagery maps are thier only GOOD thing.
Facebook should have to pay 500 billion if you ask me, bankrupt 'em.
I tried to do this with the BLU tank on T-blowbile ,but no matter the patches the volte wouldnt stick.
If a device/platform exists I want to be the first to know.
I want to take back my digital ownership.
I got a P40 Lite 5G in the last couple of days, and didn't think or know about the Huawei / Google issues. I'm not from the US, so it was something I heard in the news, but wasn't sure if it would affect us.
I'm probably fine without having google services on my phone for personal use, the alternatives should be fine - never been a big fan of getting tracked like that anyways.
BUT, we use GSuite at work and I need Google Chat on my phone ... so it's a pretty hard stop for me
I'm not opposed to rooting the phone and installing a custom rom, but:
1. Does this solve all the problems, does google apps/services work fine on a rooted phone and custom rom? Or does google block it based on the hardware? (Is that what the spoofing circumvents, or would it still not work?)
2. Doesn't seem like there are any custom roms available even?
I searched through the forum here and did not see anything that looked like it works, I did try Googlefier, MicroG, etc - none worked so far. (My EMUI is already updated, which I understood you shouldn't do - didn't know).
That said, most of these posts were from a few months back, not sure if anything has changed by now?
Any help/advice appreciated, please
wb90 said:
I got a P40 Lite 5G in the last couple of days, and didn't think or know about the Huawei / Google issues. I'm not from the US, so it was something I heard in the news, but wasn't sure if it would affect us.
I'm probably fine without having google services on my phone for personal use, the alternatives should be fine - never been a big fan of getting tracked like that anyways.
BUT, we use GSuite at work and I need Google Chat on my phone ... so it's a pretty hard stop for me
I'm not opposed to rooting the phone and installing a custom rom, but:
1. Does this solve all the problems, does google apps/services work fine on a rooted phone and custom rom? Or does google block it based on the hardware? (Is that what the spoofing circumvents, or would it still not work?)
2. Doesn't seem like there are any custom roms available even?
I searched through the forum here and did not see anything that looked like it works, I did try Googlefier, MicroG, etc - none worked so far. (My EMUI is already updated, which I understood you shouldn't do - didn't know).
That said, most of these posts were from a few months back, not sure if anything has changed by now?
Any help/advice appreciated, please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know we can't root the phone.
The best work around I've found is using vmos to create a sandbox for Google login. It's not perfect but it does the job I need.
If I'm not wrong, you can still use the web browser version, like Doc, Sheet, Slide, Keep, Calendar and etc. So most probably you can still use Google Chat in your mobile browser without problem.
Yeah, but google chat doesn't have a mobile web version ... you can put Chrome into "Desktop Site" mode, but it's not a great experience.
Also, the important part for having it on my mobile is the notifications of new messages if there's any issues...
I thought id highjack to ask my own questons about the p40 lite 5g in relation to the dualspace method
how often do i have to reinstall dualspace?
Is the process of upgrading google apps any more complicated than stock android?
Are there any google apps that cant be installed?
are there any apps that have only partial functionality?
Do the apps crash any more often?
do the google apps have ads in them?
are the ads intrusive?
does it need to be rooted?
How does dualspace affect the phones and apps performance?
I didn't find any functionality of DualSpace ... on Mate40 pro.
Maps isn't working ok, banking apps isn't working (security warnings) ... Nothing new for me.
The Google Maps app before sometime in 2020 or early 2021 used to recalculate without a problem if you missed a turn, if you had the maps of the area downloaded and the app set to "Wifi only".
But for well over a year now, Google Maps simply refuses to recalculate if you miss a turn any more, even if you've made sure to take all the steps I've mentioned.
If you miss a turn, you have to stop and manually enter the route again, or else have data turned on and then it will recalculate as it used to. So if you run out of data, as people on set data plans often do, then Google Maps becomes essentially useless as a reliable car sat nav even if you have the maps you need downloaded offline.
So I guess this is a Google decision to force their users to use more data, maybe they don't like people using their app economically in that way? Perhaps they resent people trying to save money and are trying to force you to spend more money on data?
Why are tech companies always determined to make things worse? They always needlessly remove functionality from their products that just make the users' lives more difficult.
I did read speculation online that this is just a "bug" and Google plan to fix it, but I don't believe that. The Google Maps app has behaved in this way for so long now that I can't see how it is anything other than a deliberate move on the part of Google. I don't understand why Google Maps still pretends to offer offline functionality when the reality is it does not any longer and hasn't for a long while now.
Report Google your issue.
What's the point? There are threads on their support forums where people have reported it, they clearly don't care as it's been this way for over 2 years now. I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to why Google have decided to do this, or what exactly they have changed in their app.
I guess a lot of people just dismiss my views on this as me being a cheapskate who should just pay for the data to use Google Maps, but what about when you go to a foreign country and have no roaming agreement? Just pay the rip off data fees per MB?
Maybe people think I should just buy a new sim card in each country, and just pay pay pay all the time rather than being able to download maps and navigate offline? Maybe that's the answer and I'm in the wrong?
triangulumair said:
The Google Maps app before sometime in 2020 or early 2021 used to recalculate without a problem if you missed a turn, if you had the maps of the area downloaded and the app set to "Wifi only".
But for well over a year now, Google Maps simply refuses to recalculate if you miss a turn any more, even if you've made sure to take all the steps I've mentioned.
If you miss a turn, you have to stop and manually enter the route again, or else have data turned on and then it will recalculate as it used to. So if you run out of data, as people on set data plans often do, then Google Maps becomes essentially useless as a reliable car sat nav even if you have the maps you need downloaded offline.
So I guess this is a Google decision to force their users to use more data, maybe they don't like people using their app economically in that way? Perhaps they resent people trying to save money and are trying to force you to spend more money on data?
Why are tech companies always determined to make things worse? They always needlessly remove functionality from their products that just make the users' lives more difficult.
I did read speculation online that this is just a "bug" and Google plan to fix it, but I don't believe that. The Google Maps app has behaved in this way for so long now that I can't see how it is anything other than a deliberate move on the part of Google. I don't understand why Google Maps still pretends to offer offline functionality when the reality is it does not any longer and hasn't for a long while now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried clearing cache and data for Google Maps?
Maybe Google made changes to Google Maps to improve accuracy, changes that require data to be enabled to more accurately pinpoint your actual location while navigating.
triangulumair said:
What's the point? There are threads on their support forums where people have reported it, they clearly don't care as it's been this way for over 2 years now. I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to why Google have decided to do this, or what exactly they have changed in their app.
I guess a lot of people just dismiss my views on this as me being a cheapskate who should just pay for the data to use Google Maps, but what about when you go to a foreign country and have no roaming agreement? Just pay the rip off data fees per MB?
Maybe people think I should just buy a new sim card in each country, and just pay pay pay all the time rather than being able to download maps and navigate offline? Maybe that's the answer and I'm in the wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using OsmAnd+ offline with OpenStreetMap, and I'm very satisfied. Actually, I don't use anything by Google, no Google Play Services by microG.
OsmAnd~ | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
Global Mobile Map Viewing & Navigation for Offline and Online OSM Maps
f-droid.org
Got my OnePlus 9 Pro today, before I start flashing LOS I wanted to ask a couple questions about my Google choices.
Is it possible to not have any Google apps/services on the phone but still have access to the Play Store? I've seen Aurora store mentioned a couple times, but it doesn't seem like it works that well on my current device (searching for apps that I know are there but get no results, etc.). Those apps would likely still rely on Google services and break without them, correct?
Is it possible to use Mozilla's location services instead of Google's?
If no to the above, can I use Google's location services through a proxy?
What are the differences between OpenGApps/MindTheGapps/microG? I'm considering the latter (microG) but it looks like there hasn't been much progress on it and I don't know how functional it will be.
I want as little Google on my phone as possible while still having access to GPS, apps that rely on Google having bare minimum functionality, and privacy. What is the best way to do this?
1. You have access to the web of Play Store. play.google.com