I've been trying to get the GAPPs off my Z3C one by one. I root the phone, I start removing GAPPS, eventually I remove something that causes a bootloop and I have to restore the system partition and start trying again. Is there any existing ROM for Z3C which is the basic Sony ROM (as in the camera works, etc) but without GAPPS?
Thanks!
I'd also like to know this, without reinstalling or risk of bootloops if possible.
Would actually like to use features of the phone without google calling back home with timestamped records of every network ever connected on, every app used and apps calling back through gapps api so google can squirrel away location and wifi memory to your google identity forever. Maps would be useful.
Theseum said:
I'd also like to know this, without reinstalling or risk of bootloops if possible.
Would actually like to use features of the phone without google calling back home with timestamped records of every network ever connected on, every app used and apps calling back through gapps api so google can squirrel away location and wifi memory to your google identity forever. Maps would be useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can disable a lot of this stuff (assuming you have root) using AFWall+ and in the Apps Manager settings, I leave google play services disabled. This mostly works. Where I'm having an issue is that I'd like to install micro gms core https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-microg-gmscore-floss-play-services-t3217616 as a replacement for some of these things, but to do that I need to get a clean rom without GAPPS.
Another big issue for me is that, like you, I don't really want Google continually phoning home and such. For me, battery life and simply controlling my own network activity is my main motivation. But anyway, I would be almost really happy to live with google play services simply disabled, and then re-enabling it every once in a while when it's useful (a lot like how I use location), but the issue is that if you try to disable google play services then you get "would you like to remove any updates and go back to the default"? If you click "yes", then reenabling that service means that you have to redownload the updates. I'd be equally happy to live with google play services if I could enable and disable them at will without having to reupdate/uninstall updates every cycle. As it stands, I just live with them disabled. Since I have them disabled, I'd love to go ahead and remove them and try a substitute, thus my question in the OP.
Hey guys, long time lurker around xda and after purposely getting a huawei gms-less phone to see how it would go I ran into some frustrations learning that apks from the playstore whether from downloads or aurora store app etc, nothing would deliver notifications. My huawei is a nova7se but I had a friend test this on his and it is working as well so I presume it works for all huawei/googleless devices to a point.
The goal of this was to find a way to get notifications from playstore apps such as discord, outlook email , banking apps etc. This is not a replacement for google services apis needed for games or google apps which rely on services framework to operate in general.
A few things
-MUST BE CLEAN GOOGLE-LESS PHONE**
-Does not need root/bootloader unlocked
-Does not need sketchy downloads from random sites formatting recovery/ota/hisuite backups etc
-Mostly all open source
-Easily reversible and minimal risk
-All done through phone without additional mods or adb
-Not all apps will work for notification services for this depending on how the original developer team wrote the app to handle this situations. For example: discord, outlook, capital one bank, chase bank, apps work but protonmail did not want to connect to microg for notifications and I have not been able to successfully trick it to connect to it yet)
- APKS MUST BE FROM PLAY STORE ORIGINALLY. Using fdroid variants or personal stuff probably wont work since those packages did not rely on google notification services. I know some apps have a standalone apk you can download externally from the source but it may differ in its functionality.
-THIS IS NOT GOOGLE PLAY SERVICES AND WILL NOT MAKE GOOGLE APPS WORK. The reason it is not working for your google apps and games is because it was never supposed to. Dx
**By "google-less" phone I am referring to not having any leftover packages from attempting to install gms on the device. Google packages conflict with microG and will not be compatible. If you have used lzplay or other methods to attempt to get some form of playstore working, then you will most likely have google packages installed somewhere even if it failed to get GMS working perfectly. Keep this in mind if you get installation issues. Ideally if you are not using the phone as a daily, factory reset it to original settings if possible to ensure cleanest install if you want to pursue this.
STEP 1)
Download microG apps.
-microG services core
(optional)
- **microG services framework proxy
- **microG droidguard helper (? no idea if this is needed but was in my downloads for microg testing)
**the services framework proxy and droidguardhelper were part of the original experiment but later on I managed to get notifications running without needed either one of these.
Easiest way is to use fdroid store app and to add in microg repo found here.
https://f-droid.org/
https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki/Downloads
Step 2)
Open microg settings app - self check
-Signature spoofing will not work because we have no access to anything on the phone system wise
-Installed packages should have "playservices gms core installed" and "services framework installed" checked only (see picture)
-Grant permissions and select to ignore battery optimization (so the service is not closed in background)
Step 3)
MicroG settings main menu
-Turn on google device registration
-Turn on google cloud messaging
-Turn on google safetynet (probably is not actually doing anything but turn it on for good measure)
-Add google account (Does not appear to be needed since it did not do anything specific relating to notifs)
Step 4)
Download aurora store.
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.aurora.store/
or
https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AuroraStore
Fdroid route is easiest if you used it to install microg apps.
(Why aurorastore? Why not? The main reason is because it accesses google play store apps which inturn are the apks which are known to use google play services for notifications. Downloading an apk from another origin might not be the playstore version making it not really work with this process)
Step 5)
Download apps as needed with aurora store,
In phone settings, make sure you disable auto management of background apps.
Settings-battery-applaunch. Set apps like outlook, discord etc to manual and turn all settings to on (auto launch/run in background/secondary lauch).
Optional step 6) In aurora store settings , add microg apps to blacklist so aurora store does not try to update microg with play services which will erase micro g and give you a systemless apk of play services which does absolutely nothing.
Thats basically it. I was so caught up on trying to find ways to break into my nova 7se's bootloader and attempted to sideload microg for authentic playstore functionality and playservices but as long as notifications are working, aurora store + notifs is all the functionality I need.
No offense to those offering other ways to add in gms to huawei phones but as a security minded individual, it seems like too much of a risk to use randomly hosted internet files overwriting system functionality.
If you go into microg settings and under "google cloud messaging" you can see which apps are being monitored for notifications. Once I restarted my device, its status turned to disconnected but still catches notifications for outlook and discord as I tested. This is not using microg as a replacement for playservices because again this is ONLY FOR NOTIFICATION USAGE in this implementation.
Hope this helps anyone who wants to be able to use some google play apps but had notification issues.
It is not working as i kept getting error to install microG Services Core due to "Failed to install due to an unknown error" on my Huawei P40 Pro
zoold3vil said:
It is not working as i kept getting error to install microG Services Core due to "Failed to install due to an unknown error" on my Huawei P40 Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have any google core packages installed (even as regular systemless apps) or leftovers from previous attempts at getting gms installed then it will conflict with microg installation since it sees it as a conflicting app. This requires a clean almost factory emui without any remnants of google installation attempts. Ill update the initial post for that bit of info.
This is only for notifications, right?
I mean, this doesn't allow you to use YouTube, Gmail, Keep etc...?
i did played with microG Services as well befire... but ended up in still having the original play services installed, did tested now again with microG services and now, outlook, whatsapp, Microsoft Authenticator and Launcher only force closes... what ah mess
futureshock said:
i did played with microG Services as well befire... but ended up in still having the original play services installed, did tested now again with microG services and now, outlook, whatsapp, Microsoft Authenticator and Launcher only force closes... what ah mess
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry, you just have to reinstall every app that force closes.
sheikgr said:
This is only for notifications, right?
I mean, this doesn't allow you to use YouTube, Gmail, Keep etc...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. I stumbled upon this accidentally while trying to figure out a way to enable 'oem unlock' in my nova7se since huawei blocked even adb shell sysprop access to change the setting. Its not a full implementation of microG and probably is not intended to be used this way but it gets notifications through which is a plus when pulling apks from play store. Theres no xda forum for the nova7se but figured Id share it here D:
futureshock said:
i did played with microG Services as well befire... but ended up in still having the original play services installed, did tested now again with microG services and now, outlook, whatsapp, Microsoft Authenticator and Launcher only force closes... what ah mess
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea unfortunatly any attempts with getting original play services installed sort of messes with this. Preferably a clean install/phone reset is ideal starting point. App wise you might have to clear cache and data so it 'resets' which is almost the same as uninstalling and reinstalling the apps. You will still get the message that "this app wont function without play services" since you cant spoof it entirely and on some you might have to find the setting to turn notifications off and back on in the app themselves. If it shows up on microG's setting under 'google cloud messaging' option, it is working. Ive been using the nova7se for a couple days now testing it as a daily user, restarted it occasionally and things are functioning similar to regular android phones(notification wise). Just be sure to allow the app to run in background so the system battery saver/app launch process does not turn it off.
as i say'd i did played a little bit with microG services, but for example, even when reinstalling the apps afterwards, whatsapp does start, and you need to relogin, but on the restore backup screen nothing more happens, only loading forever, when microG Services are installed..
another interessting i found out right now, when the apps force closes, when putting the phone into airplane mode, the apps does open normally!
futureshock said:
as i say'd i did played a little bit with microG services, but for example, even when reinstalling the apps afterwards, whatsapp does start, and you need to relogin, but on the restore backup screen nothing more happens, only loading forever, when microG Services are installed..
another interessting i found out right now, when the apps force closes, when putting the phone into airplane mode, the apps does open normally!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ok I get what you are talking about now. Backup functionality (for whatsapp) I believe uses google drive account which microG in this sense is not going to provide. Just a friendly reminder that this process is for push notifications only and not google api usage. provided by play services
futureshock said:
as i say'd i did played a little bit with microG services, but for example, even when reinstalling the apps afterwards, whatsapp does start, and you need to relogin, but on the restore backup screen nothing more happens, only loading forever, when microG Services are installed..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe i found there a bug of whatsapp... as whatsapp trys to find google drive... but does not work correctly it loads forever... for some reason it looks like it ah hidden error message or something like this... i hit back a couple of times, and closed whatsapp and reopend, and suddenly i saw the no backup found page... anyway still all this is BS, i really hate huawei for not unlocking the bootloader, and let us just do what we like to do... there wouldn't even be an issue with GMS anymore as we simply could flash openGapps
So, you did found a new way, GMS + HMS enabled with no notification error? Am i right?
hayals said:
So, you did found a new way, GMS + HMS enabled with no notification error? Am i right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the statement is a bit misleading, this is not really GMS but its a way to use 3rd party play store apps that would not give notifications because of play services missing. This will only cover the notification portion of apps/apks originally found in the playstore that require notifications through play services push notifications. I have not touched HMS or anything else but this basically inserts a listener under microG to monitor push notifications and deliver them as needed. Again this does not resolve the issue of missing google APIs found in the full GMS package and is not intended to do so. Strictly notification wise for apps that need them.
Personally I used aurora store to get apks from playstore without needing playstore installed (because playstore version apps are looking to use googles push notification services) but how those apps function is another story. For example: Youtube/maps/google pay etc will not work as they need google apis. But 3rd party apps like discord, outlook email, and banking apps like capital one etc do work. Games might not because they might want play games api which is not present here since this is not GMS. (Tried to fun cytus 2 and a few other games and it wouldnt start since license check fails by default)
To my knowledge this will not work with any other GMS procedure attempted so you cannot combine this with a working GMS hacked install since you will have a version of play services and gsf framework active. Think of this as another alternative entirely in a way if you want to not risk questionable modifications and want to stay on default HMS software. Idk what the future holds as huawei seems to block ways to get GMS on phones after they become popular so I see this as an alternative to the unknown with pulled playstore apks functioning as they should.
GMS and this fix won't cooperate.
I've been using this for a while, but sadly not apps are giving me notifications. Reddit for example is not sending anything to my phone.
I did a factory reset on my P40 Pro followed the guide and when you wrote to add an account I do so, I press Agree and then it stays on
Just a sec
Your device is contacting Google to
save information on your account
This can take a couple of minutes
Sorry
There was a problem communicating with Google Servers
Try again later.
And anything like games that use google to login it fails too
GrimTech said:
I did a factory reset on my P40 Pro followed the guide and when you wrote to add an account I do so, I press Agree and then it stays on
Just a sec
Your device is contacting Google to
save information on your account
This can take a couple of minutes
Sorry
There was a problem communicating with Google Servers
Try again later.
And anything like games that use google to login it fails too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunatly for something like that theres too many factors at play to trouble shoot that from my end. I would say to try a different default browser/vpn it etc as it could be any number of reasons why google servers arent connecting for it. Games that use google wont work because this is not google play services replacement. This was only intended for getting notifications working with most* apps that rely on a simple push notification service through google play services. Unfortunatly this isnt a guarentee depending on the app itself and where its pulled from . This was why I use/suggest aurora store since its pulling the playstore version of the app which almost always relies on google services for notifications.
Some apps like discord, outlook etc have a manner of continuous notification scanning in the background processes to try to get itself to connect to a push service even if they give you the error that "the device does not have google services and might not work properly". I can confirm those are working as are my banking and authenticator apps. I had an issue with proton mail specifically where it wouldnt attempt another push notification check to register with microg like the previous apps and wont recieve notifications. Its not a magic bullet but helps where it works.
Vexusia said:
If you have any google core packages installed (even as regular systemless apps) or leftovers from previous attempts at getting gms installed then it will conflict with microg installation since it sees it as a conflicting app. This requires a clean almost factory emui without any remnants of google installation attempts. Ill update the initial post for that bit of info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info
I still can't open google related apps like youtube or google app itself... Even with Vanced youtube, it is hard to keep up because I can't log in, so i can't have my subscriptions and updates. Also certain games can't be played because the data are connected to my Google Play
Bump...
..So does the MicroG method still work in 2021 or with the latest version of the OS?
arsenal74 said:
Bump...
..So does the MicroG method still work in 2021 or with the latest version of the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it does work with EMUI11.
Only advantage it's easier to install and Get push Notification and not mush else.
Now This is the only way you can install with Vanced Manager
I have rooted my s20 Ultra on Android 10 and 11. In both cases, Google Maps have stopped tracking my gps movements in the Timeline, it keeps thinking I am at home. It works fine providing me navigational directions, its just not recording in the Timeline. The only module I have installed is Energized Ultimate adblocker.
I gave Google Maps full permission, my phone is detected and managed in the Google accounts device management. I am not sure what else I am missing.
Android 11
Magisk 21.1
Manager 8.0.3
That sounds like the hosts file Energized is using is blocking whatever address Timeline is using. To verify you can disable the module, reboot and try again. If that's the case you can figure out what address it is and whitelist it.
Didgeridoohan said:
That sounds like the hosts file Energized is using is blocking whatever address Timeline is using. To verify you can disable the module, reboot and try again. If that's the case you can figure out what address it is and whitelist it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wiped my phone and didn't install any magisk modules this time. I drove around for 30 minutes and Google Maps still show me as being at home in the timeline. Another weird thing is that everytime I reset my phone, Google keeps track of the current device. Should Google being deleting the duplicates?
Update-trying to flash again
That was the best guess I had... Every time you reset your device it'll get a new ID, and you'll have to remove the duplicates yourself in Google's settings.
Some (yours truly included) would consider it a good thing that Google doesn't track your whereabouts too much... But, I hope you get things sorted the way you want them.