Related
Hello ;0)
I noticed a strange behaviour on my Nexus 5 (or maybe Google changed something?):
On my Nexus 4 I had an option in the settings of Google Now to activate some apps that I could search "within" the Google Search. All I had to do was to activate them and then, on the bottom of the search results, I would swipe the small bar to the right till I got to the phone entry and it would show me search results from the specified apps and I could open the app from there and it would take me to the result within the app.
For example: A search for "Sarah Miche" would pop up as "Sarah Michelle Gellar" with an imdb and a wikipedia icon, I clicked that and the wikipedia/imdb app would start and open the page about Sarah Michelle Gellar.
I quite liked that and used it a lot...
On my Nexus 5 however the option is gone. The settings are still there. In Google Now under settings-phone search but it just enables me to search apps/Chrome Beta/Contacts/Play Movies. And "apps" will just allow me to search for apps I installed on my phone not to search "inside" those apps. (See screenshots)
So I thought "Meeehhhhh, f****. They removed a feature I really liked. Guess I have to live with that..."
Now for the strange part:
I installed google search and GEL on my tablet (running Android 4.3) an the option is still there (but it´s called "tablet-search" and "tablet")
AND IT´S WORKING... (See screenshots) Same freaking Google-Search build, same freaking GEL-build....
Am I doing something wrong ?!?!? Does my phone hate me ? What´s up with that ?
Any help would be appreciated ;0)
Thanks ...
P.s.: Sorry my phone and my tablet are in german but you should get the picture ;0)
Same here, I don't even have "Chrome Beta" in the list.
But therein probably lies the answer: Google changed the way how Apps can "apply" to be shown in this list and not even the latest stock Chrome version has this feature yet (but the newer Beta does).
Also it seems to be a problem for the new GEL only, the list still works properly on my N10 with Google Search 3.1.8.x.
I've read mention of a new API for this functionality and that devs need to apply it to their apps. Just weird that Google itself hasn't applied it to all their apps.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
And that it still works on my tablet... ;0(
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk
patrickem said:
I've read mention of a new API for this functionality and that devs need to apply it to their apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think you can find more info on that? As a developer I'd like to know, as my app uses the global search feature and it stopped working recently.
Daniel.Stevens said:
And that it still works on my tablet... ;0(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any news on this?
On a side note, I created a question on Stackoverflow with the same issue.
On my nexus 7 2012 I installed the 3.1 from the Nexus 5 a few weeks ago. After a reset of Google Search data the tablet search broke like on your Nexus 5...but I only noticed it when I upgraded to kitkat. I obviously thought it was kitkat the problem until today.
The problem is how Google Search 3.x handles the list. There must be a bug of some sort.
Here's why:
On my htc one s with cm10.2 (4.3) I reset the data of Search 3.1.8 to try something only to discover that the Phone Search list was almost empty like on my tablet!
I uninstalled it and the 2.6.7 version was restored from /system/app. The phone search list was full now, even after I updated to 3.1.8.
So, basically, if you open Google Search 2.x and then you update to 3.x the list will be there like it always did.
Who updated to kitkat without resetting the data won't have any problems (or whoever update to 3.1.8 on any phone\tablet without data reset)
lbrfabio said:
On my nexus 7 2012 I installed the 3.1 from the Nexus 5 a few weeks ago. After a reset of Google Search data the tablet search broke like on your Nexus 5...but I only noticed it when I upgraded to kitkat. I obviously thought it was kitkat the problem until today.
The problem is how Google Search 3.x handles the list. There must be a bug of some sort.
Here's why:
On my htc one s with cm10.2 (4.3) I reset the data of Search 3.1.8 to try something only to discover that the Phone Search list was almost empty like on my tablet!
I uninstalled it and the 2.6.7 version was restored from /system/app. The phone search list was full now, even after I updated to 3.1.8.
So, basically, if you open Google Search 2.x and then you update to 3.x the list will be there like it always did.
Who updated to kitkat without resetting the data won't have any problems (or whoever update to 3.1.8 on any phone\tablet without data reset)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found this commit in AOSP, which might be related:
https : // android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/QuickSearchBox/+/ecf356c15143ab0583c64682de16d94a57f7dd1c
The commit message tells us that this feature was removed due to performance reasons (which might or might not be true, given that it references an internal ticket id and I didn't find a public issue here about this).
Since this part of the quicksearchbox is included in the ROM and released with Android 4.4, it doesn't matter which version of Google-Search you have installed. As long as you have updated to Android Kitkat 4.4 or newer, you won't be able to search the contentproviders of installed apps.
Nevertheless, I found this nifty, but ugly and ad-driven little app, which mimics device-search:
https : // play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.startapp.quicksearchbox
You should decline the initial request and ignore its Android 2.x-ugliness, though.
It takes some getting used to, but it works.
StingerAJ said:
I found this commit in AOSP, which might be related:
https : // android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/QuickSearchBox/+/ecf356c15143ab0583c64682de16d94a57f7dd1c
The commit message tells us that this feature was removed due to performance reasons (which might or might not be true, given that it references an internal ticket id and I didn't find a public issue here about this).
Since this part of the quicksearchbox is included in the ROM and released with Android 4.4, it doesn't matter which version of Google-Search you have installed. As long as you have updated to Android Kitkat 4.4 or newer, you won't be able to search the contentproviders of installed apps.
Nevertheless, I found this nifty, but ugly and ad-driven little app, which mimics device-search:
https : // play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.startapp.quicksearchbox
You should decline the initial request and ignore its Android 2.x-ugliness, though.
It takes some getting used to, but it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
was a very usefull option :crying::crying::crying:
Hello I have installed Archidroid 2.5 ROM, but I have a problem with the research on the phone.
When I enter in the settings of google and now I open the page "search on the phone" there is no app is completely empty.
So I can not look in the app Email.
I think this problem is related to the app Google now.
So there is no way to make it work on the Cyano rom based?
Possible solution
Try to uninstall Google Search and do a update from Google Play. Worked for me.
Anyone with the ADT-1, do you have full access to the play store or is it a curated list of apps?
For my uses I'm really going to want to have access to a VPN application like Anyconnect or OpenConnect, is that a possibility with the Player?
Right now, since it's only a preview with a preview of the Play Store, the app base is very limited to choose from. Like 20-30. So far though, I have been able to sideload many APKs just fine (root explorer, XBMC, XBMC Updater, etc.). I still haven't gotten the OTA that was released yesterday though, so I don't know if the experience will change; however, I'm willing to bet there will be some kind of curated experience.
Update: Found the OTA package for Molly to LPX13D. Updating now (after master resetting by mistake - lol). Will follow up with what the updated experience looks like.
Update 2: So, I'm on the new build. The overall experience is pretty much the same, with some minor UI/UX changes. The Play Store no longer says preview on it; however, I still only have the small list of apps. More specifically: 4 Android TV apps; 3 TV Remote Games; and about 15-20 Gamepad Games.
Mi|enko said:
Right now, since it's only a preview with a preview of the Play Store, the app base is very limited to choose from. Like 20-30. So far though, I have been able to sideload many APKs just fine (root explorer, XBMC, XBMC Updater, etc.). I still haven't gotten the OTA that was released yesterday though, so I don't know if the experience will change; however, I'm willing to bet there will be some kind of curated experience.
Update: Found the OTA package for Molly to LPX13D. Updating now (after master resetting by mistake - lol). Will follow up with what the updated experience looks like.
Update 2: So, I'm on the new build. The overall experience is pretty much the same, with some minor UI/UX changes. The Play Store no longer says preview on it; however, I still only have the small list of apps. More specifically: 4 Android TV apps; 3 TV Remote Games; and about 15-20 Gamepad Games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where can I find the LPX13D build for ADT-1?
jimmyjamesbob said:
Where can I find the LPX13D build for ADT-1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link to the OTA is http://android.clients.google.com/p...a.signed-molly-LPX13D-from-LPW39.92b93576.zip
If you have rooted the device you will have to fix the update-script to remove checks of install-recovery.sh and build.prop as well as installing a custom recovery for the modified build to install.
Two questions related to apps from the Play Store...
a) Do I need to root in order to sideload apps? Or can I do it similar to a phone/tablet where I just have to allow "unknown sources"?
b) The three apps that will be my "killer apps" will be the DirecTV app, Amazon Prime, and HockeyStreams (HSDroid in the play store). Any reason to believe any/all of these will not work if side loaded?
Thanks in advance... this will likely drive my decision to buy a Nexus Player!
sloheim said:
Two questions related to apps from the Play Store...
a) Do I need to root in order to sideload apps? Or can I do it similar to a phone/tablet where I just have to allow "unknown sources"?
b) The three apps that will be my "killer apps" will be the DirecTV app, Amazon Prime, and HockeyStreams (HSDroid in the play store). Any reason to believe any/all of these will not work if side loaded?
Thanks in advance... this will likely drive my decision to buy a Nexus Player!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As of right now you can adb install any application (or at least on the ADT-1).
sloheim said:
Two questions related to apps from the Play Store...
a) Do I need to root in order to sideload apps? Or can I do it similar to a phone/tablet where I just have to allow "unknown sources"?
b) The three apps that will be my "killer apps" will be the DirecTV app, Amazon Prime, and HockeyStreams (HSDroid in the play store). Any reason to believe any/all of these will not work if side loaded?
Thanks in advance... this will likely drive my decision to buy a Nexus Player!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some apps have compatibility issues with ADT-1. I've tried the Comcast VOD app and HBO Go. They load, but are missing elements for navigation and don't function properly.
smiley2billion said:
For my uses I'm really going to want to have access to a VPN application like Anyconnect or OpenConnect, is that a possibility with the Player?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering this as well. I know that Android has native support for PPTP and L2TP/IPsec protocols and that I can set up a VPN on my Nexus 5 with no additional software. Does the Nexus Player / ADT-1 have this functionality, or has it (as I suspect) been removed?
Thanks.
Hi ... I'm a n00b when it comes to phone hacks but not technology so please don't dumb your answers down on account of me.
We bought two Tmobile Samsung Avants a cpl days ago (one to use and one as a spare) because the price was right and I'm leaving a WM device for Android. HOWEVER I don't like the idea that Google, who has no personal or business relationship with me, has access to all my personal information just because I'm using a phone they've branded. So I'm looking for an Android ROM that doesn't have Google tentacles in it.
I've been researching this since we got the phones but I'm not clear on what ROMS are avail for my phone ... it doesn't look like cyanogenmod has one (although they have one for my gf's old Exhibit T599!! ) - is there a repository, website or thread I haven't found that has a list of what's out there? am I stuck rooting the phone and MANUALLY removing everything? The phones have Kitkat installed.
I saw a youtube vid where they've ported Lollipop to the Avant - would that come de-Googled?
Do Android ROMs from Android come without a Google footprint? Some users have posted that Android as an independent company is not necessarily Google and their OS is NOT a Google product so my thoughts are you can have one without the other.
Any help / info is appreciated. thanks!
master-richie said:
Hi ... I'm a n00b when it comes to phone hacks but not technology so please don't dumb your answers down on account of me.
We bought two Tmobile Samsung Avants a cpl days ago (one to use and one as a spare) because the price was right and I'm leaving a WM device for Android. HOWEVER I don't like the idea that Google, who has no personal or business relationship with me, has access to all my personal information just because I'm using a phone they've branded. So I'm looking for an Android ROM that doesn't have Google tentacles in it.
I've been researching this since we got the phones but I'm not clear on what ROMS are avail for my phone ... it doesn't look like cyanogenmod has one (although they have one for my gf's old Exhibit T599!! ) - is there a repository, website or thread I haven't found that has a list of what's out there? am I stuck rooting the phone and MANUALLY removing everything? The phones have Kitkat installed.
I saw a youtube vid where they've ported Lollipop to the Avant - would that come de-Googled?
Do Android ROMs from Android come without a Google footprint? Some users have posted that Android as an independent company is not necessarily Google and their OS is NOT a Google product so my thoughts are you can have one without the other.
Any help / info is appreciated. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a project that doesnt have google stuff but you lose alot. Like no app store and things like that. Also Android is a google project. Like WP is by microsoft.
No there is no site like you are looking for.
Android is not a company but an OS like IOS, Windows, Linux and such.
The issue is mainly that if your device is not widely used then there may not be anything available for it. You also need to find out if the bootloader is locked or not and if kernel source is available for the device.
Google doesnt brand phones persay. The android operating system is theirs.
master-richie said:
Hi ... I'm a n00b when it comes to phone hacks but not technology so please don't dumb your answers down on account of me.
We bought two Tmobile Samsung Avants a cpl days ago (one to use and one as a spare) because the price was right and I'm leaving a WM device for Android. HOWEVER I don't like the idea that Google, who has no personal or business relationship with me, has access to all my personal information just because I'm using a phone they've branded. So I'm looking for an Android ROM that doesn't have Google tentacles in it.
I've been researching this since we got the phones but I'm not clear on what ROMS are avail for my phone ... it doesn't look like cyanogenmod has one (although they have one for my gf's old Exhibit T599!! ) - is there a repository, website or thread I haven't found that has a list of what's out there? am I stuck rooting the phone and MANUALLY removing everything? The phones have Kitkat installed.
I saw a youtube vid where they've ported Lollipop to the Avant - would that come de-Googled?
Do Android ROMs from Android come without a Google footprint? Some users have posted that Android as an independent company is not necessarily Google and their OS is NOT a Google product so my thoughts are you can have one without the other.
Any help / info is appreciated. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google has not shown itself to be a malicious company. Is it a little creepy that they know everything about you? Yes. Will it make your user experience better? Probably. When you flash a custom ROM it removes all of the Google apps but the Google apps are really useful. Play Store, Maps, Gmail (can store all your contacts so if you get a new phone you can just import them), etc. are all very useful in my opinion. I don't personally need Google Music for example so I deleted that. All of my music comes through Spotify and Bandcamp downloads. But I can't imagine my phone without the Play Store and Gmail. It would make the experience very annoying. Cyanogen Inc. is looking into pushing their ROMs on to retail Android phones so the phone would come with Cyanogenmod and have their own equivalent to GApps. But, that won't happen for a while. The best bet to get Google out of your hair is to root it and delete the apps you don't need, or use SlimRom.
Edit: Make sure your phone is the same model as the ones that SlimRom is created for.
dictatorkara said:
Google has not shown itself to be a malicious company. Is it a little creepy that they know everything about you? Yes. Will it make your user experience better? Probably. When you flash a custom ROM it removes all of the Google apps but the Google apps are really useful. Play Store, Maps, Gmail (can store all your contacts so if you get a new phone you can just import them), etc. are all very useful in my opinion. I don't personally need Google Music for example so I deleted that. All of my music comes through Spotify and Bandcamp downloads. But I can't imagine my phone without the Play Store and Gmail. It would make the experience very annoying. Cyanogen Inc. is looking into pushing their ROMs on to retail Android phones so the phone would come with Cyanogenmod and have their own equivalent to GApps. But, that won't happen for a while. The best bet to get Google out of your hair is to root it and delete the apps you don't need, or use SlimRom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not true. Even without gapps there are still many google base system files that are built into the system. There is only one Google-less project that is being worked on but they do have issues as the OS is not built to run without them. Even Slim Rom still use alot of googles stuff.
zelendel said:
This is not true. Even without gapps there are still many google base system files that are built into the system. There is only one Google-less project that is being worked on but they do have issues as the OS is not built to run without them. Even Slim Rom still use alot of googles stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't say you can completely de-Google an Android device. But, you can make it appear to be de-Googled, although the system files you mentioned will still be there. But you can completely opt out of Gmail and the like.
dictatorkara said:
I didn't say you can completely de-Google an Android device. But, you can make it appear to be de-Googled, although the system files you mentioned will still be there. But you can completely opt out of Gmail and the like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to have an IT company not too long ago and I run a bunch of commercial grade servers in my house - My needs aren't the same as the typical phone user with respect to data redundancy, cloud computing, etc - I have that capability already. I pretty much use my phone to snap photos, internet browsing, texting, making calls and sometimes use the gps when driving. What I don't need is a copy of all my activity, contacts, calls, texts and browsing history stored on google servers to be sold or given to entities that I a. wouldn't consent to b. have no clue it's happening.
I don't really care if there is a Google footprint left in the phone, I just want to remove Google's ability to mine my personal data from my phone which also includes registering my device via a google+ account.
With respect to playstore, isn't Aptoid a suitable alternative?
What is SlimROM? where can I get more info on it? I saw the post you had linked to originally which prompted me to post my OP because I couldn't find any other info on it
master-richie said:
I used to have an IT company not too long ago and I run a bunch of commercial grade servers in my house - My needs aren't the same as the typical phone user with respect to data redundancy, cloud computing, etc - I have that capability already. I pretty much use my phone to snap photos, internet browsing, texting, making calls and sometimes use the gps when driving. What I don't need is a copy of all my activity, contacts, calls, texts and browsing history stored on google servers to be sold or given to entities that I a. wouldn't consent to b. have no clue it's happening.
I don't really care if there is a Google footprint left in the phone, I just want to remove Google's ability to mine my personal data from my phone which also includes registering my device via a google+ account.
With respect to playstore, isn't Aptoid a suitable alternative?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Dont use that. They are all warez and are known for including data miners, Keyloggers and screen recorders.
Ill be honest. You picked the wrong OS for that then. GPS itself uses google software to connect to the satalites.
This is your best option
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1715375
Hi everyone,
I have been researching and I've compiled a list of all the options available to use an Android device with Cyanogenmod without a Google account and I was wondering if anyone has a better solution considering the options I've found are all lacking.
Here is what I found including the issues for each option:
- Amazon web store (Not every app is available)
- Third party repositories, like apkmirror (Security implications of running apk that anyone can upload)
- F-Droid (Not every app is available)
- Getting the apps I need from the play store once and then backup the apks with a file manager (No updates) or I am going to need a different phone with a Google account and the play store.
Moral of the story, it's not easy to run an android phone without a google account.
Ps. A solution that I think could work (but I wasn't able to find a project that works) is an open source apk downloader (maybe on github) that get the apps straight from google via command line but all the projects I've seen are either out of date or not working...
Any suggestion is really appreciated! Thank you all!
Keep an android device with google play installed, then move the apks of things i really want, or bought already.
But honestly, after some choices I've made (running my own dropbox-like service on my server) I could definitely live with just F-Droid. Of course I'm not using some stuff like facebook or snapchat, so my needs in terms of apps isn't as extensive as others. Sometimes it does feel like i'm hamstrung when the next new fad comes and goes, but I'll live without them.
surfinpika said:
Keep an android device with google play installed, then move the apks of things i really want, or bought already.
But honestly, after some choices I've made (running my own dropbox-like service on my server) I could definitely live with just F-Droid. Of course I'm not using some stuff like facebook or snapchat, so my needs in terms of apps isn't as extensive as others. Sometimes it does feel like i'm hamstrung when the next new fad comes and goes, but I'll live without them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi surfinpika,
thanks for your input, I am starting to feel like your solution (of having a separate device with just the google account setup) is the cleanest option.
I am not into facebook or snapchat or the next fad either... but f-droid wouldn't cut it for me, stuff like keepass2android or some of the other apps I use are definitely not there. I wonder what are the security implications of using F-Droid compared to getting the apks from apkmirror. Considering my level of paranoia I wouldn't feel safe with either option.
_polymar said:
Hi surfinpika,
thanks for your input, I am starting to feel like your solution (of having a separate device with just the google account setup) is the cleanest option.
I am not into facebook or snapchat or the next fad either... but f-droid wouldn't cut it for me, stuff like keepass2android or some of the other apps I use are definitely not there. I wonder what are the security implications of using F-Droid compared to getting the apks from apkmirror. Considering my level of paranoia I wouldn't feel safe with either option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One issue I can think of with this approach is that both the device with google play store and the device where the apps are going to be installed will require the same CPU architecture.
Won't be able to download the apk on a cheap android (most likely ARM) and install it on ARM64...
_polymar said:
One issue I can think of with this approach is that both the device with google play store and the device where the apps are going to be installed will require the same CPU architecture.
Won't be able to download the apk on a cheap android (most likely ARM) and install it on ARM64...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, luckily my back up is the same architecture as my non-gapps phone.
And there are also ways of getting some of the apks straight from the sources, like keepass2android from the project's website. but even if it is google, they sort of give a sense of security in that the apk won't be messed with.
It's such a mess though otherwise, hard to separate the google from the android, and no other viable OSs are any better. hope some competition at least makes a nice little niche to get away from the big G.
Hello,
(not sure if this should be posted here, or in Q&A forum)
I've been using alternative Android ROMs on my Linux phones for the last 10+ years (mostly CM/LOS). Recently, after watching some YT videos, I found that the concept of fully de-Googled is more than a concept these days. Since I don't really use Google's apps other than Play Store, and everything else should be taken care of by microG (which if I understand correctly is FOSS implementation of Play Services, that should also supposedly pass SafetyNet check), I decided to give it a go.
As far as I can tell, the most popular de-Googled / privacy-focused ROMs are GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, and /e/. In my case, /e/ is the only one I can officially use on my target Poco F1 device.
The issue is, that I still have to get apps from somewhere (and I'm not that much into FOSS, to use just F-Droid apps). Here the main choices are:
1, App Lounge (FOSS, built-into /e/ ROM, downloads apps from both Play Store and F-Droid) --> https://doc.e.foundation/app-lounge
2. Aurora Store (FOSS, downloads apps from Play Store only) --> https://auroraoss.com/
3. F-Droid (FOSS, dedicated for F-Droid apps only) --> https://f-droid.org/
The problem is, that it is really difficult to find any credible resource that would compare those; I'm especially interested with security aspects of those solutions (first 2 ones in particular). I mean don't get me wrong, I don't think that FOSS app can just inject malicious code without anybody noticing it (especially the one ones that are up in public for t hat amount of time with so many potential eyes on it), but I'm more afraid of external resources they may or may not be using (more on that later) or some incidental bugs. Just to be clear, I can live with certain app being updated a little later, but I find being completely locked out of updates for eg. my baking app (!) or downloading it from unknown/malicious source (!!!) to be completely unacceptable. In other words, I'd like to get apps from Play Store from as-official source as possible, with as minimal in-the-middle tampering as possible, any third-party user-based manual apk upload (like APKMirror) is out of the question. For FOSS apps, I can continue using F-Droid (having 2 stores for 2 separate app sources on one phone is not an issue for me).
That said, here's what I was able to determine so far; note, that I'm not a dev or security expert, just an enthusiast, so feel free to correct any misconceptions.
App Lounge
At first glance, this is a perfect choice for me, it supports both sources (Play Store and F-Droid). However it seems to be using something called `CleanApk` to obtain them, and here's when things become really confusing to me:
- The official doc claims that it is a source for closed-source apps. It even mentions the possibility to create store page for your app (!) as well as it asks users to report malicious apps (!!!). Call me paranoid, but to me it looks like anybody can just create scam banking/Facebook/whatever app and get it published (as there is 0 mention of any verification process, be that automatic or manual). Also, I don't see any info as to where those closed-source apps actually come from, and the entire info page really lacks any detailed info. Not to mention, that source / motivation / community / author / anything about this API is a mystery to me.
- When it comes to official App Lounge's doc, it seems like it does NOT in fact use `CleanApk` for Play Store apps (?), but if that is the case then I'm confused as to why they are using it for F-Droid ones:
- This part from official App Lounge doc also kind of confuses me, because it mentions that verifying app's signature is not easy when it comes to Play Store, but it is under the `CleanApk` question, which should not be used for Play Store apps (?); on the bright side, it seems like they working towards ditching `CleanApk` altogether, but AFAIK it hasn't happened yet.
- There is a lengthy 2-part article (actually the only external piece about App Lounge I could find), which doesn't exactly inspire me with confidence to App Lounge (actually /e/ rom in general...) --> https://nervuri.net/e/apps ; the upside is, it shows some progress over time in general, but the fact that anybody at any point thought that using shady API (that might supposedly be using `APKPure.com` as a source...) makes me really worried; note that even though it is written by "somebody from the internet" his concerns make sense to me (though again, I'm not any sort of expert). Also I don't want to have to read change-log or analysis after every system update to potentially find out that they flipped and started using something different again.
Aurora Store
The upside of Aurora Store is, that it is older, was posted on XDA and github couple years before App Lounge; it is based off some other project, that is even older. It is also independent from /e/, in fact it has been used in other ROMs (eg. CalyxOS), so I think it may be more stable and tested. However, here the issues are:
- As opposed to questionable resources/doc for App Lounge, there is basically almost no info about Aurora Store. The page itself has only download links, there is also a Github page, that links you to FAQ, that doesn't exist, and to XDA page that seems to be outdated. Generally, every official resource seems to be inconsistent in some way (like XDA page mentions work in progress when it comes to some features of V3, when 4.x.x was released years ago), so it's hard to determine how it actually works. I am about 99% sure, that it uses Google Play API as a source (which is mentioned on YalpStore page which Aurora is forked from) but I haven't found it explicitly stated anywhere in Aurora Store (the best we get is that it is "FOSS client to Google's Play Store"). That said, I hope this is just my nitpick, as it is FOSS and is used by some other ROMs, so I hope that somebody read this code.
- Last commit is from 2021, so it seems not to be in active development. It is fine with me, as long as it is safe and works, but I'm afraid it might be abandoned, and break in case of any changes to Play Store API (as opposed to App Lounge, which seems to be in active development alongside /e/ ROM itself).
- Since this app is completely independent from /e/, I wonder how would system apps in /e/ itself get updated without App Lounge active.
Practical tests
I have decided to use my secondary cheapo Pixel 3a as a playground for /e/ ROM, installed Aurora and F-Droid on the top of pre-existing App Lounge, and started comparing the behavior. Since both are supposedly using Google Play Store (though again, not 100% sure), you would think, that results for "closed" apps will be the same. Well, mostly yes, but there seem to be some edge-cases / exceptions.
Notes:
1. I'm not promoting any of those apps, those are just examples.
2. All tests done on the same physical device (Google Pixel 3a), around the same time, using the same network.
3. Device rebooted, and all apps force-closed right before the tests.
4. F-Droid: 1.16.3; App Lounge: 2.4.8; Aurora Store 4.1.1.
5. Checked version and sometimes update date, I wasn't interested in description, comments, etc.
6. Obviously I haven't checked every possible app, just some examples that I though might be problematic.
Results were:
1. First I tried a few "big" apps, no surprise here, the all seem to return the same version (checked FB, YT, Netflix, FB, Steam etc. not that I use all of them). For example, Steam returned 3.5 (2023-02-24) in both clients.
2. The only exception that I was able to find, was actually TikTok, 28.9.4 in App Lounge, and 29.0.3 in Aurora Store; maybe this has something to do with ban or source of this app, but again, I'm checking on exact same phone using the same network.
3. I decided to check some lesser-known but frequently-updated app, and the only one I could think of, that would fit that criteria was FairEmail. This example is also interesting, because it is hosted in both Play Store and F-Droid. It turned out, that both Aurora Store and F-Droid featured the same version (1.2060), but App Lounge had only 1.2052. I should also point out, that this app gets very frequent updates sometimes, so it is strange that App Lounge seems to have missed probably ~8 versions (albeit over short period of time).
4. I started checking some Poland-specific apps (though quite popular ones), and I was able to find at least one irregularity being Allegro app: 8.11.1 (2023-03-21) in App Lounge and 8.13.1 (2023-04-05) in Aurora Store.
5. I also checked some older and lesser-known apps, and for example Cyberlords game exists in both stores in the same 1.0.8 version (last updated in 2020).
6. On the other hand, quite ancient ADW Launcher (last updated in 2018) does not exist in App Lounge at all (it cannot be found), but can be installed from Aurora, I also confirmed that it actually still exists in Play Store.
7. I also checked some very niche Polish-specific app Semafor, it exists in both stores, can be found, the same version.
8. I was also able to find that one of the old games Move the Box by Exponenta (last updated in 2017) exists in Aurora Store, but is nowhere to be found in App Lounge.
9. The same goes for Rss Reader by Svyatoslav Vasilev, which is not even that old (and includes commercial/donate version) exists in Aurora Store, and is missing from App Lounge.
Link to screenshots -->
https://imgur.com/a/v6BquUG
Conclusion/questions
1. Which store would you recommend based on everything I provided? From my side, I'm leaning towards either Aurora Store, or coming back to Google Play Store.
2. Where do those apks come from in the end, am I understanding correctly that in the end they should come from Play Store API in both cases?
3. When it comes to my tests: am I missing something here? If the official descriptions (or rather my assumptions) are correct, and both of those clients are using official Play Store apks accessed using likely the very same API, them how would that disparity in versions or visibility would even be possible?
4. Any other Play Store alternatives, that I missed?
Small pushup topic
I am very suprised that no one has any comment about this topic. Specially when it is very wellwritten and documented.
I've been using App Lounge with e/OS but I am not able to answer to your question although as you well say, App Lounge unite very well both F-Droid and Play store App.
Great topic, thanks. For the last few years, I use a combination of Aurora Droid + Aurora Store for open source and normal apps. The big downside is that paid apps aren't supported with an anon login through Aurora.
Right now I'm on a stock ROM, but with no google account. Previously I did a more hard-core degoogling with a custom rom wirh no google play services and MicroG. I found it to be too flaky for me (for example, I need uber to work on my phone 100% reliably). So this level of just not having a google account but still leaving play services installed seems like the right middle ground.
Also, Aurora Store is under relatively active development, not sure where you see no updates since 2021. It's at https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AuroraStore
Note that just in the last few days there's been a breaking issue where the pool of anon accounts needs to be rebuilt, so until that gets fixed you probably won't be able to get started with Aurora Store.