This guide shows how to install LineageOS without GApps with the help of signature spoofing and microG, so that you can have Push Notifications, Location Services and the like, without needing to have Google Play Services installed (without Google-anything for that matter).
It was made possible by the hard work of creators, maintainers and community around LineageOS, microG, XPosedFramework, F-Droid, Yalp Store and many others.
Exactly what it says on the tin.
And installs microG for Push, so it’s “without Google”?
Good effort though.
/PS: Locations services (aka GPS) work even without microG, not sure why state otherwise.
Edited 2018-06-03 23:55 UTC
I don’t think you know anything about microG. From their website:
It’s a drop-in replacement for Google’s closed source APIs, allowing one to run a fully open source Android device with no connections to Google whatsoever.
While it’s true they are working on a way to install apps via the Google Play Store without installing the Play Store, that feature is far from complete and is optional anyway.
Edited 2018-06-04 01:37 UTC
there is an app called Yalp store available on f-droid which uses provided credentials of a 3rd party to fetch apps from play store. so you don’t need to have ANY google account configured.
the app update process is a bit clunky, but it works fine.
the absolute killer feature of it – optional filtering out apps with in-app purchases and ads in search results.
Edited 2018-06-04 10:48 UTC
> I don’t think you know anything about microG.
Even if I know nothing about it, even if I did not run it on my devices for years, the whole point of “running Android WITHOUT Google” is lost when you link your device with a continuous connection to Google servers for Push.
But that’s just me…
Also, the writer does not explain WHY s/he needs that, what app can’t live without Push exactly?
Exactly. You don’t have to turn on the Push feature, microG is fully modular so if you want zero contact with Google while still enjoying the ability to spoof Google Play Services to keep popular apps running, you can do so.
You really should read about the project before making blind assumptions about what is and isn’t required for it to work.
Or you could, you know, eschew Android devices altogether if you’re that paranoid about it. That’s what I did, I’ve used a mix of iPhones and Windows Phones for the past four years. No platform is without its issues, but unless you settle for a basic non-smartphone or something esoteric like the Jolla phone, you have to decide which Big Evil Corporation you distrust the least, hold your nose, and go with it.
Been running the microG build of lineage for about 9 months now, it works surprisingly well
Very occasionally the Play Service version number that MicroG reports to apps will fall behind and I start getting “update play services” errors until they do up that number in an update
But other than that it works well and there are alternative apps for most of Google’s suite
Use as much Open Source as possible from F-Droid and then plug any gaps with Yalp
Obviously I’d prefer a fully open source smartphone OS, but until that becomes a reality, this is probably the best one can hope for and still have a practical daily driver
MicroG might also have a role in future in providing service for android emulation layer
It’d be nice if it was possible to self host a notification server and be able to configure microG to use that
Maybe one day
i have been running it for a year now and it’s wonderful.
microg frees up a ton of system resources by being a lightweight google services api replacement – the entire thing is maybe 500kb in size, compared to google’s monstrous ~100mb package that runs a lot of services, many of which are always on and trigger practically at any point.
the only hassle is setting up the localization service, which mostly means having to fetch and process the public celltower data (which may take some time), but the process is well configured.
Edited 2018-06-04 10:51 UTC
battery life so much better, haven’t even felt the need for microG
did it years ago and glad I did…
http://bedroomcoders.co.uk/divorcing-google/