Database Develop

[Q] Secure Android ROMS for Milestone

Maybe this has come up earlier, but I cannot find much about it.
It's on the news more and more lately, Google and Apple having access to everything we talk about daily, mail about, IM about, where we are, where we took our pictures, etc.
All through our smartphones.
I personally really don't like this idea. I really care a lot about my privacy.
Besides that I still love my Milestone and would really like to keep using it.
So now my question is, are there any Android roms that focus on privacy, disabling all these trackers and tracers, syncs and whatever? I just want a phone that I can use to browse the internet, call and SMS, nothing more. I know providers also have the ability to track phones through their network, but you can't do much about that I think?
Regards,
Panzermeister

provider
you cant do anything about providers tracking you. (but afaik providers arent allowed to go shopping with your location data)
google
when you first enable your phone you can choose if google is allowed to save your location - i dont know where to disable this afterwards (im currently in between mods and my phone is not usable) -- and of course dont use latitude ect.
3rd party apps
as far as 3rd party apps are using your data - you're on your own - keep an eye on the permissions of the apps you install. there are a lot of apps that can access your location!

[Q] HTC One as a business phone - advice / thoughts (ex BB Curve user)

Hi All
First post, had a look at the search and couldn't find an appropriate post already so here it goes:
I am so close to ordering the HTC One (Tmo) as a significant upgrade from a cruddy old BB Curve. Although the BB is anitquated, it does some things very well like email exchange (multiple accounts) and contacts, calendars etc.
Will I find the HTC to be as good in these aspects?
What about microsoft tools etc?
I have seen a slick 'portfolio' style app for iphone (yuck) to display projects on to potential clients etc - is there something similar for Android?
I heard the bluetooth is a weaker antennae - is this true?
Any particulalrly good features about HTC One that I can capitalize on as a business user?
I would like to use it as a hot spot for my next purchase (a tablet) - can I keep everything else stock and easily ensure FREE hotspot usage and avoid nasty TMo charges - if so where do I go to learn about that?
Finally - I am getting a tablet to go with it, again for a lot of business use (and a lot of personal use) but the tablet will be a BYOD so can be a bit more expqerimental with tweaking it with the goodies on this fourm - so what would be a better pairing - a Kindle Fire HD, or possibly the next Nexus - the specs for it sound amazing. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance

I'm a heavy business user but have only ever used Android as my main device. The company issues BB devices but I refused to take one & more and more other people I know I moving away from BB.
As a Business Device I find it very satisfactory. I have receive my Exchange Email on it and I have to say I quite like the Email app (I keep my personal email separate and receive that through the dedicated Gmail app).
Previously I had used Pure Calendar as a widget for quick access to my calendar as I seem to have more and more meetings and need to keep track of things. Since getting the HTC One I use mainly the dedicated HTC Calendar App which I find very good.
I don't really use Bluetooth significantly expect for in my car so can't really comment on any issues with it.
Working for a company with offices in many different locations, I also find the quick access to Dropbox and ease to share documents, CAD files, PDF's through it excellent.
As well as the HTC One, I also have a Galaxy Nexus 10 - this is an absolutely beast of a tablet. Again I have my Exchange Email on it, Dropbox for sharing files etc. I also have Quick Office Pro (Polaris is also good) for opening any Office documents. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by a 'Portfolio' App but when giving presentations I always load the PowerPoint onto my tablet as well so I can have a side-meeting if required with the presentation easy to flick through. As a frequent traveller also, the Nexus 10 is a great Multimedia device to just watch a movie or TV show while hanging around airports.
I would also say that the ability to easily 'drop' files onto either device using the traditional drag and drop method when connected to my desktop is a massive time saver. I find the iPhone absolutely terrible in this regard.
Hope this helps.
squire

Awesome feedback, thank you Squire!
The portfolio app is a very impressive way to demonstrate your past projects using slide show format, but on the home screen, it has your entire 'portfolio' arranged by project/industry or whatever you need so you can quickly go to that type of project depending on the type of client you bump in to/present to. I have to do a lot of business development as well as my day job so this is quite important but not a deal breaker for the phone. More likley I will have it on the tablet anyway.
The drag and drop of files between devices /PCs etc is absolutely critical for me too - I need it to be quick, easy and painless , which it is not on the IPhone/Pad to PC as you rightly say. I noticed that you also deal with CAD files means that base is covered, do you have a CAD viewer also? Is it an expensive app to get?
Does the HTC calendar app and contacts sycn with Outlook or will I have to migrate to a new system?
I think if these two things are seamlessy integrated into Outlook, I think I am going to take the plunge and place the order today.

Can you point me in the direction of that Portfolio app - it sounds interesting.
adams.an.android said:
I noticed that you also deal with CAD files means that base is covered, do you have a CAD viewer also? Is it an expensive app to get?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an official AutoDesk app called AutoCAD 360 which is free on Google Play.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.autodesk.autocadws
adams.an.android said:
Does the HTC calendar app and contacts sycn with Outlook or will I have to migrate to a new system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Contacts & calendar sync perfectly with Exchange (i.e. Outlook). I essentially have 3 sets of contacts on my phone - current work contacts from Exchange, personal contacts from my private Gmail and old work contacts from what I call my "professional" Gmail (i.e. the one I don't mind telling people I work with about). I also have 5 different Calendars syncing - Exchange, 2 x Gmail, Tripit & another internet calendar which gives me local Religious holidays.
Just another note - in general I find editing Office files on the tablet very cumbersome. This goes for both Nexus 10 and iPad (my gf has one). What I find it most useful for is quickly accessing email attachments and commenting on them. You're certainly not going to be writing a Technical Report or Business Proposal on it.
These are generally the 'work-related' apps I use
AutoCAD 360
Box (similar to Dropbox)
Dropbox
File Station Tablet (best Windows Explorer like File Explorer for an Android Tablet)
Gmail
Google Keep (I'm not a great lover of Evernote; this is basically Google's version of it)
iSyncr for iTunes - PC (essential for syncing your iTunes Library to your Android device)
Maps (living in the Middle East, you often have to rely on Maps to find places rather than incomprehensible directions)
OfficeSuite Pro 7 (PDF & HD)
Sendspace (for 'public' sharing of large files to my Client)
Skype
Thumb Keyboard
Tripit (absolutely indispensable app to organise your traveling life)
Plus various news readers etc.....

Just figured out the thanks/karma thing so have given props - thank you for the info and the links. I will definitely load them up when my phone comes!
You seem to have extremely similar usage profile to me, several calendars, several address books, do a lot of business travel and receive a ton of attachments that you need to be able to call up on the fly.
Re the portfolio app: I haven't broken my 10 post limit yet however, if you add the http you should get to the following page
//ipadportfolioapp.com
I have seen it in action on the IPad only so far, but the splash page is cool - put your company logo as the backdrop, and your projects load up below that. The reviews of Android equivalents haven't been overly positive, but I haven't hunted down every single similar app yet - and still need to conduct my own test for my particular needs.

[Q] Send texts from browser? (like DeskSMS for Androids but a windows version).

Good evening gentlemen,
Thanks for taking a look at my problem.
Basically I need something like DeskSMS for Android but for my windows phone (Nokia Lumia 820). The reason is the mother of my son (ex) is being a pain in the ass and "doesn't have an email" but I need to be able to record and send communications and be able to save them. Also thumbing my phone for hours trying to type out an email (via SMS texts) is a huge pain in the ass.
The solution would be a nice little app like DeskSMS or whatever else... instead of fighting her I could just type things out fast with that and after a few texts I'm sure she'd come around to my way of thinking without having to debate it (i.e. texts are not for formal conversations).
So... now I've let you into my strange little world perhaps you could help me? How to send texts from a browser (through my Windows phone)... any suggestions? I'm open to solutions!

Many mobile operators used to (and possibly still do) allow you to send email to an address that's something like <phonenumber>@<carriername>.com or similar. Not elegant, and I'm not sure how well it handles larger messages, but it used to work.
Otherwise, you may be in a bit of difficulty... I believe third-party WP8 apps are not permitted to send SMS directly (because of the risk of malware texting premium services, one of several popular tactics for Android malware). It's quaint and antiquated, but does she have fax? Otherwise, there's always the option of recorded telephone calls, though those can be a pain to transcribe.

TYVM
GoodDayToDie said:
Many mobile operators used to (and possibly still do) allow you to send email to an address that's something like <phonenumber>@<carriername>.com or similar. Not elegant, and I'm not sure how well it handles larger messages, but it used to work.
Otherwise, you may be in a bit of difficulty... I believe third-party WP8 apps are not permitted to send SMS directly (because of the risk of malware texting premium services, one of several popular tactics for Android malware). It's quaint and antiquated, but does she have fax? Otherwise, there's always the option of recorded telephone calls, though those can be a pain to transcribe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some good thinking here especially about emailing her to her phone using <phonenumber>@<carriername>.com which I'll have a look into. I think she uses an iPhone too so seems ludicrous that she doesn't use her email (I don't know but guess you probably have to have one to have an apple account).
As you have guessed though I was hoping for something slick and polished and didn't realise third-party WP8 apps aren't permitted to send SMS directly. Thank you for helping me.
Frustrating really because I don't feel it's reasonable to demand she use a form of communication if she doesn't want to (this is hypothetical I think she must use email! maybe she really doesn't... she never was very tech... who doesn't use email?). I guess I'll have to think about writing an old fashioned letter maybe... god? has it come to this!
EDIT - just noticed I could email a conversation from whatsapp so maybe that's the answer.

The Experiment: Android without Google

Hey folks,
after reading the Article on xda about using Android without google, i instantly fell in Love with the idea. I decided yesterday, that i'll take the plunge and give it a try.
First off, why?
For me, there are a couple of reasons. First of, i generally think, the less a company like google knows about me, the better. So keeping the Data on my phone away from google might help with that. If this experiment goes well i might stop using Google for Calendar and Contacts.
Second reason for me is Battery. The Google Framework and Play Services are always on the Top of my list of Battery consumption. I'd like to see how leaving these away might improve Battery life.
And third, i'm curious if it's possible. The reason i'm on xda is because i'm a tinkerer. So pushing the boundaries and trying new things is what i really like about Android. You have the choice to do whatever you want with your phone.
So, how do i go about it? Well, a bit of pre work needs to be done. First of, you might need a google Account to set things up. WhatsApp or Outlook are simply only available from the official Playstore. Since i start with my daily driver, all was set up already.
I use the 5.0.1 Variant of Nameless Rom. Debloated, Nova Launcher, rooted and stock apart from that. I might go CM later on, but i always find CM draining the Battery more then Stock Roms. We'll see.
What am i going to use instead of all the nice google things?
Play Store: F-Droid
I'll give F-Droid a try. it's obtainable as an apk, so if you only need apps that are available there, you won't need google at all. The Interface and search is not as nice as the Play Store, but the selection is really good, Installation of apps is hassle free (no manually downloading apks and installing them by hand) and it does check for updates daily.
Gmail:
I already moved away from gmail to outlook.com a few months ago. Not because MS is better in keeping your data private (actually they might be as they make money through selling software, not your data) but because i wanted to spread my info. Mail on outlook, contacts on google, Calendar on Strato... The Outlook app was already installed and set up, so no work to be done here.
Contacts:
Here it's getting a bit tricky. Google doesn't want you to move your contacts away form them. So there is no way to directly sync your google Contacts to your phone. As soon as you deactivate the play services, all you contacts will be gone.
For me, i used the Web Version of Google Contacts, exported them all to vcf and imported them to my phones storage. I'm not going to set up a personal sync for now. I'm fine with my contacts on my Phone only for now. I might end up going the OwnCloud route later on, but don't find it necessary currently.
Calendar:
my Calendar is already done through outlook and start (my webhoster). I installed Etar from F-Droid (a open source variant of googles calendar app). All my Calendars were already in on first launch (imported from the phones Accounts). No hassle, everything looks as always.
Chrome:
I've never been happy with chrome anyways. Loading pages is slow, scrolling is nowhere near smooth. I currently compare Firefox and Fenec. Both from F-Droid. Firefox will be discontinued on F-Droid soon as they implemented none OS proprietary add ons. Fenec is a OS alternative to Firefox compiled from Source without Proprietary add ons. Both work well but Fenec is a bit unstable as a daily driver for most people.
Camera is Focal now. Apart from being OS it's also much more capable than samsung camera. Plus easier to use. Whats not to like here?
After setting everything up, i went into the settings and disabled most google stuff (Play Store, Play Services, Calendar, Mail, Chrome). I'm still trying to find out what other Google Services i may disable without braking android. I'll keep this updated here.
I'm not completely done yet. I still use apps that are only available through the Playstore. Maybe you know alternatives, that i should check out:
WhatsApp. I don't see an alternative here. Moving to another service is not really an option. I tried Telegram and liked it, but a nice app is nothing when nobody uses it...
Ebay and Amazon. Both have a good mobile website which should work. But a standalone App is much easier and convenient to use.
Nova Launcher. It's simply the best. I haven't found a OS alternative that has anywhere near the features.
Tapatalk. Again, one App all Forums on hand. Simply the best app for that. Any XDA compatible OS alternatives to it?
Outlook. A OS mail client which supports Outlook, Material Design and is easy to use? I've yet to come up with one...
Over all, the switch went really smooth. After getting F-Droid as a Playstore alternative i was able to do all this in 1 hour. I'll have to see how Batterylife works out. I feel it's better, but the numbers will tell after some days of use. I feel really good to have found a way around google so far. It's nice to rethink things you've been using for years. Even if you're not opting out of google completely, there might be a alternative to something you use, that you'd otherwise never consider.
Let me know what you think. You're alternatives to some proprietary apps. How do you feel about google being in all the parts of your mobile life? Is Android without google something you'd consider?
For further reading, here are the XDA Articles, that inspired me to start this journey:
Setting up Marshmallow without Google
The "Say Sayonara to Google" Series
Have a nice start into the week.

I'll keep my replacement Apps in this Post for Tracking what i've used and what my Pros and Cons are over time.
PlayStore: F-Droid
F-Droid is THE FOSS Android community. A good selection of Apps, easy install and Updates plus a community thats interested in whats happening behind the scenes of apps. Firefox for example will soon not be supported anymore because they now are using proprietary none FOSS compatible sources. For most, this attempt might not be the easy one (they never claim to want to go the easy route), but it sure is the most straight ahead if you want Open Source Apps that are tracked for what they do on your phone.
Outlook: K-9
I replaced Outlook with K-9 for now. It's not as polished or easy to use, but it works, is OS and Outlook was constantly connected without me being able to change that. I only need sync every 30 minutes and outlook doesn't have a setting for that. Lets see how K-9 works out, stability and battery wise...
Google Maps: OsmAnd
OsmAnd seems to be the alternative here. As a plus it allows offline sync of Maps. The Interface is nowhere near as intuitive as GMaps, i've found no traffic information until now and entering a address is a hassle. The Search feature and easy Adress Input has always been a strong point for GMaps. We'll see how the turn-by-turn Navigation Turns out. Also OsmAnd works with plugins, so maybe i'm missing some features here and there.
Facebook: Tinfoil
Tinfoil for Facebook seems to be the App of Choice. In the end it's the Mobile website displayed in an "App". On the Plus site, you don't need that horrifically annoying Messenger. Facebook chat just works from the App, which is great. Sadly, since its a webpage, Notifications are none existant. Since i'm debating leaving Facebook completely anyways it's not a problem for me. Less distraction during the day, which is always welcome nowadays...
Deezer: Tomahawk
When I thought about replacing my Deezer app I did not have high hopes since most streaming services use proprietary api's. I was impressed to find not only a Deezer alternative that's open source, but tomahawk does much more. It combines most streaming services plus some other online music services plus your local music.
One downside for me: you are not able to save Deezer music offline. Tomahawk itself is completely open source. If the Deezer plug in is OS as well I couldn't find out for sure...
Titanium Backup: Oandbackup
Oandbackup works much the same way Titanium does, but with some less options. If you want just a good Backup App, i prefer Oandbackup since it's much less cluttered and options are easier to find. It served me well when i last switched from TW to CM.

I didn't read your what i can only call a thesis on Ungooglying Android write-up, it's an effort that I implore and admire your courage. I too worry about the data that google has monopolised on, it's time we broke this and find alternative ways. I salute you sir in your endeavours.
I will drop by time to time to see how you're prodding along.
Regards
F
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I backp all my contacts using outlook. I still use playstore. I have also disabled as much of Samsung as I can, and im sure there is more I could disable of both. I want my phone set up the way I want it set up, not with what google and samsung say I should. Also use Nova
Sent from my SM-P900 using XDA Free mobile app

I added Tomahawk as a Deezer/Spotify OS alternative In Post #2
Gesendet von meinem SM-N910F mit Tapatalk

I've yet to find a good alternative to the play store personally.
I don't use google services on my Note 4. I use Here Maps and disabled Google Maps, I use Nine for Email, I've disabled contacts and calendar sync, I've disabled every google program like books, games, gmail (I have a google account linked to a generic outlook addy for G services), music, hangouts, G+, etc. I keep my contacts backed up on my own personal .com server via exchange along with the calendar. I also like the Samsung browser, so Chrome is disabled as well. Don't use Now, have all the google account settings set to not target me for advertising, not keep track of location, etc... All the regular privacy concerns taken care of there.
My battery life is about a !% loss every two hours in standby. I wish I could get it better. My old GSIII would lose 1% over an 8 hour time frame at night while I was asleep. The Note 4 loses about 4%.
Oddly, no matter how much I restrict my access to google services, the people section of the play store still links me to a ton of people I know. Some that I have not had contact with since High School. Very strange. The only thing I can think is people I do know have me in their contacts so it assumes I know these people correctly. The phone is obviously reading my phone number without me entering it into my google account. :shrug:
I look forward to reading how it goes for you. (I broke down and signed up for Google Music the other day out of curiosity, but I'll get some of my anonymity back when I cancel my google account and create a new one.)

Alright,
some Updates:
I switched to the official CM12 build yesterday. It seems to run fairly well. My Radio was not able to register in the Network once, but activating and deactivating flight mode fixed that. Reception seems to be better than on TW rom. Concerning Battery i see no major difference for now.
CM is Open Source. I'm not 100% sure that every preinstalled app is 100% open source. During the Weekend i'll review the code and do a build on my own, just to be sure. Also, theres a pure AOSP build coming, which i'll be testing.
This time i didn't even Install Gapps. I did not log in to cm accounts or anything. I installed F-Droid from my SD Card and went from there. One thing i'll have to keep in mind, is, that factory reset means loosing my contacts, so i'll have to do a backup the next time.
Also i switched from Titanium to Oandbackup. I works much the same way and served me well during the switch from TW to CM. For me the relevant options are much easier to find (Safe Backups to external SD...).
Since Battery endurance is one of my concerns, i do some changes to improve that:
- Since the N4 has an AMOLED Display, using Black Background and Dark Apps helps quite a bit. I'm using Dark Material Beta through CM Theme Engine. Its Black (i like solid Black, not Gray or something like that) and white and does theme quite a lot of Apps (WhatsApp as an important one).
- I deactivated AudioFX, All Live Backgrounds, Stock Browser, CM-Backgrounds, Calendar and NFC Tags
- for cLock (Lockscreen Clock) i deleted all permissions to access location and Data. It's been trying to update weather all the time, which you can't seem to disable
I'd really like a simple white Icon theme, but getting most themes for CM depends on the Play Store. There are not many good themes that are available outside of the Playstore... Any help here is appreciated :good:

bbeelzebub said:
...My battery life is about a !% loss every two hours in standby. I wish I could get it better. My old GSIII would lose 1% over an 8 hour time frame at night while I was asleep. The Note 4 loses about 4%...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Over the last night i lost 2% over 7.5 hours. With 4G, WiFi, BT, Mail Sync (once per hour). Quite good, but i think theres a bit in it. K-9 (Mail) and Whatsapp keep the Mobile Network active. K-9 does so relatively long although i should only Sync once per hour. I'll configure some kind of "Whatsapp do not disturde" over night, this should bring down Standby draw a bit...

domsch1988 said:
Over the last night i lost 2% over 7.5 hours. With 4G, WiFi, BT, Mail Sync (once per hour). Quite good, but i think theres a bit in it. K-9 (Mail) and Whatsapp keep the Mobile Network active. K-9 does so relatively long although i should only Sync once per hour. I'll configure some kind of "Whatsapp do not disturde" over night, this should bring down Standby draw a bit...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I leave 4G, WiFi, BT and Mail on all the time as well. It doesn't make any difference when I turn them off that I've noticed. I use ActiveSync for my email / calendars / contacts and it really is no difference from when I used to use google for the calendar / contacts and a pop 3 account. As long as I don't use the stock email app which kills the battery on exchange or Activesync.
There are a few Samsung apps that I can't disable that I would like to. (I'm on a non rootable US model), I think I'll take the time tomorrow and see if I can use debloater to shut them down. Now that I think about it, there were less Samsung things running all the time on my old phone and I'm sure that makes a slight difference.

You can download Whats App from their site without going through Google since its attached to your phone number.
https://www.whatsapp.com/android/

...There is no way Focal is more capable than the Samsung Camera app. How do you figure this?

jetbruceli said:
You can download Whats App from their site without going through Google since its attached to your phone number.
https://www.whatsapp.com/android/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't use whatsapp at all considering they are owned by facebook and every message you send is being tracked. Telegram is the better option.

Toss3 said:
Wouldn't use whatsapp at all considering they are owned by facebook and every message you send is being tracked. Telegram is the better option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the dumbest reason to not use Whats App. It was bought to protect FB from losing ground. Telegram has all your messages on a server to where as Whats app is peer to peer. There is no reason to worry about big Facebook looking at your every message. Also, i would rather have FB, Google or MS looking at my stuff than some unknown company.
---------- Post added at 10:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 AM ----------
freeza said:
...There is no way Focal is more capable than the Samsung Camera app. How do you figure this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont get that either, also stock camera doenst need google play services to be used.

jetbruceli said:
That is the dumbest reason to not use Whats App. It was bought to protect FB from losing ground. Telegram has all your messages on a server to where as Whats app is peer to peer. There is no reason to worry about big Facebook looking at your every message. Also, i would rather have FB, Google or MS looking at my stuff than some unknown company.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Telegram does not save your messages on a server when you use private chats. They are also encrypted.
Oh and: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/whatsapp-ranked-worst-for-users-data-privacy-in-internet-snooping-report-10328539.html http://time.com/3928503/whatsapp-privacy-watchdog/
This shows how "secure" WhatsApp really is: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33152898

Toss3 said:
Telegram does not save your messages on a server when you use private chats. They are also encrypted.
Oh and: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/whatsapp-ranked-worst-for-users-data-privacy-in-internet-snooping-report-10328539.html http://time.com/3928503/whatsapp-privacy-watchdog/
This shows how "secure" WhatsApp really is: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33152898
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure there are security holes in everything we use but it doesnt change the fact that Whats App is better for most people. This isnt a whats app vs telegram thread and also, I am not sure if you can install telegram on its own without google or other app stores like you can with whats app

ROM without Google

Hello,
I am interested in the Mi 9 and want to buy it.
The bad news is, that Lineage just started to support the Mi 8 version, so Mi 9 support will take 1 year, too maybe.
I read all threads here, but I dont see any users who are interested in a ROM without Google.
Can someone tell me if there are other ROMs without Google which will maybe support the Mi 9 in the future?
And one question to the Google users: Why do you use ROMs with Google?
Thanks!

hi!
Room without google is chinese MIUI
I personally use google ROMs, as I use some of their services, mail, calendar, youtube to name a few

Well, the device came out two weeks ago and - not as usually Xiaomi do - has already the sources out too (usually they come out around 6 months later)!
So, a ROM like Lineage (unofficial) will probably come from the dev community very soon when someone with the right skills will invest some of his/her time (and then we will have to thank that person massively ).
Anyway if you ahve already the bootloader unlocked, you can try with some of the Treble ROMs (https://forum.xda-developers.com/project-treble)... It can be that some of them works already, even if with some bugs If I remember right phhusson bought a Mi9 too (am I wrong?)! So probably Phh-Treble ROM should sooner or later work for the Mi9
P.S. MIUI China is without Google but with so much more bloat
P.P.S. Well, I like Android for its integration with the Google ecosystem that I use widely in my real life (like probably most of the users... Gmail, Maps, Calendar, Youtube, etc...). If probably I wouldn't have needed it, I would have look to some of the other (few) OS alternatives in the market

mr-mauro said:
Well, the device came out two weeks ago and - not as usually Xiaomi do - has already the sources out too (usually they come out around 6 months later)!
So, a ROM like Lineage (unofficial) will probably come from the dev community very soon when someone with the right skills will invest some of his/her time (and that then we will need to thank massively ).
Anyway if you ahve already the bootloader unlocked and you can even try with some of the Treble ROMs (https://forum.xda-developers.com/project-treble)... It can be that some of the works already even if with some bugs If I remember right phhusson bought a Mi9 (am I wrong?) so probably Phh-Treble ROM should sooner or later work for sure on Mi9
P.S. MIUI China is without Google but with so much more bloat
P.P.S. Well, I like Android for its integration with the Google ecosystem that I use widely in my real life (like probably most of the users... Gmail, Maps, Calendar, Youtube, etc...). If probably I wouldn't have needed it, I would have look to some of the other (few) OS alternatives in the market
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your answer, very helpful.

Why use a ROM with Google services in it?
Because Gmail is one of the better free email services out there. Google Music is far better than Spotify. Games saves my progress when I change to a new phone. Contact sync is extremely easy when it is saved to your gmail anyway. Play Store is the best app store on Android by far. Google's customized news feed lets me stay updated on things far easier than visiting other sites individually or manually setting up new feeds with third party apps that also take your data anyway. Google Photos+Drive is a great way to easily and automatically save your photos and sync them to new phones and without even taking up extra space on your new phone because they are really still in the cloud. Calendar is fine simply because it comes with the rest of the apps and dont have to bother with going and finding a third party app.

EniGmA1987 said:
Why use a ROM with Google services in it?
Because Gmail is one of the better free email services out there. Google Music is far better than Spotify. Games saves my progress when I change to a new phone. Contact sync is extremely easy when it is saved to your gmail anyway. Play Store is the best app store on Android by far. Google's customized news feed lets me stay updated on things far easier than visiting other sites individually or manually setting up new feeds with third party apps that also take your data anyway. Google Photos+Drive is a great way to easily and automatically save your photos and sync them to new phones and without even taking up extra space on your new phone because they are really still in the cloud. Calendar is fine simply because it comes with the rest of the apps and dont have to bother with going and finding a third party app.
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You forget one thing: It is Google.
I understand people who want to use Google, because they are rich and enough capacities to develope the best UIs.
I understand that some of you don't care about the data you leaves - but please don't forget that a monopoly is not good in any case, and we are talking about a monopoly with huge financial interest.
And yes, Google services are very good, but just the UI. The thing behind is just bad - they are a way better alternative services.
Keep in mind, that there are so many Android phones and on most of them is running a Google service, a monopoly with financial interest.
It is your decision if you stay with Google or not. But someone who care about the future and about his data should go away from Google.

xeDroidz said:
You forget one thing: It is Google.
I understand people who want to use Google, because they are rich and enough capacities to develope the best UIs.
I understand that some of you don't care about the data you leaves - but please don't forget that a monopoly is not good in any case, and we are talking about a monopoly with huge financial interest.
And yes, Google services are very good, but just the UI. The thing behind is just bad - they are a way better alternative services.
Keep in mind, that there are so many Android phones and on most of them is running a Google service, a monopoly with financial interest.
It is your decision if you stay with Google or not. But someone who care about the future and about his data should go away from Google.
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Click to collapse
lol. So you can give your data instead to all the other 3rd party companies who want to eak out every Dollar they can since they have so fewer users? Nothing is different except Google, Apple, MS, Amazon has to maintain far more responsibility. By handing your data to unknown persons from various smaller companies you have no idea whether your data is being used responsibly or not or even if it is safegaurded well (which it isnt). At least with Google or Apple you know exactly what it is used for and where it is stored (which in the case of Apple, it is stored with Google anyway).

EniGmA1987 said:
lol. So you can give your data instead to all the other 3rd party companies who want to eak out every Dollar they can since they have so fewer users? Nothing is different except Google, Apple, MS, Amazon has to maintain far more responsibility. By handing your data to unknown persons from various smaller companies you have no idea whether your data is being used responsibly or not or even if it is safegaurded well (which it isnt). At least with Google or Apple you know exactly what it is used for and where it is stored (which in the case of Apple, it is stored with Google anyway).
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GMail is not open source for example. Why should I trust a closed source more then a open source service?
And I prefer services where I pay with my money and not with my data. And the monopoly fact is still there.
I know it is not easy to prevent all data leaks, but it is possible to 99%.
At the moment it is not easy, because there are so much money interested companys, which will collect your data.
For example: Why do you use WhatsApp, when you are using eMail? This make no sense, because eMail is decentral and WhatsApp not.
So you suceed to use a decentral message service like eMail, but failed to do the same with your IM.
The french goverment understand this, thats why they switched to an good new IM open source protocol.
But is is your decision. You need to understand the whole thing. I can't decide it for you.
If you want you can send me your browser history via PM, thank you.

xeDroidz said:
But someone who care about the future and about his data should go away from Google.
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Click to collapse
Then you shouldn't be using a Xiaomi phone with MIUI, read their Privacy Policy. Miui even has you accept different
privacy policies and user agreements for different BUILT-IN apps. It's ridiculous.
More on point; mostly every android based custom ROMs have you install Open GApps to use Google functions,
so simply don't do this. When setting up your device don't sign in with a google account. Then root your phone and
strip any leftover (if any, I'm not sure) packages from your device. I think this is the most non-Google you will get.
LineageOS would be the go-to ROM for you (and me).
Here is some more info for you: link

The Dutchman said:
Then you shouldn't be using a Xiaomi phone with MIUI, read their Privacy Policy. Miui even has you accept different
privacy policies and user agreements for different BUILT-IN apps. It's ridiculous.
More on point; mostly every android based custom ROMs have you install Open GApps to use Google functions,
so simply don't do this. When setting up your device don't sign in with a google account. Then root your phone and
strip any leftover (if any, I'm not sure) packages from your device. I think this is the most non-Google you will get.
LineageOS would be the go-to ROM for you (and me).
Here is some more info for you: link
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your answer.
Which ROM do you use atm? There is not Lineage Support for the Mi 9 atm.

I have same. I dont want Google framework and services in my phone when Android is open source system. Its very difficult have good translated rom with MIUI and havent Google. I testing remove Google from MIUI.EU rom long time but all my tests failed and China rom is bad for losing translations, have bloatware and more.

I'm interested too, I've long dreamed of a Roma without Google services as it was not enough they also added covid-19 if you find a solution let me know, thanks.