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Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

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Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#31

Post by megagpt1 »

joekrill wrote: post #18
pyrophane wrote: post #8

GrapheneOS actually recommends against using Aurora and instead just using the Play Store, so this shouldn't really hurt users. For extra privacy, you can sign into the Play Store with a Google Account that isn't tied to anything else.

> a Google Account that isn't tied to anything else. Isn't that pretty much impossible? You need a phone number for verification, which effectively ties it to that phone number.

You can create an account with no phone number during Android device setup.

You can also just get a burner phone number for a few bucks.

Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#32

Post by iririririr »

armadyl wrote: post #25
joekrill wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a Google Account that isn't tied to anything else. Isn't that pretty much impossible? You need a phone number for verification, which effectively ties it to that phone number.

Accounts created on stock Pixels don’t require phone numbers.

that haven't been true since pixel 4. it just picks your phone in the background.

a burner sim, like a literal criminal, is the only way today.

Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#33

Post by DaSHacka »

troyvit wrote: post #14

I use Aurora on GOS. I get that they say sandboxed Play is more secure than Aurora, but I prefer it for its lack of toxicity and absence of shitty dark patterns. I think the increased popularity of GOS is going to draw in more users like me who picked it for reasons adjacent to Graphene's original purpose, and I hope it's not too annoying for their community.

I actually think there's already a lot of us in the 'community' as-is. I personally describe it as 'Valuing Privacy/Freedom over Security'. One pretty clear example of this is how they don't recommend using FireFox Mobile and F-Droid, both of which I use regardless because I'm not willing to put up with worse privacy/usability tradeoffs in the name of (imo 'hyper-')security.

I think it's fine the mission of the project isn't directly aligned with some of us, though I can tell we often get on the core contributor's nerves lol

Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#34

Post by gruez »

talon8635 wrote: post #26
armadyl wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you create it on a stock Pixel device the phone requirement gets dropped.

It’s undoubtedly tied to the phone with is tied to the owner

People report that it works even on grapheneos with sandboxed google play. My guess there's some fingerprinting going on, not necessarily that they're tying the account to some account id.

Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#35

Post by ranger_danger »

iAMkenough wrote: post #7
erikvanoosten wrote: post #2

[flagged]

AuroraStore uses a pool of burner Google Play Store accounts to facilitate anonymous downloads. This is what happens when those burner accounts get flagged.

How does one even create a new google account in $current_year without requiring phone verification or worse?

Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#36

Post by megagpt2 »

kotaKat wrote: post #11

Didn't Epic get some kind of magic injunction saying that Google had to allow open access to the entire Play Store catalogue or something?

But not for everyone for free. What it means is Epic, or anyone like Epic, will be able to write to Google, send a nominal amount of money, and get some API key and bare documentation which is only allowed to be used in Epic. It's a B2B commercial transaction under court-ordered terms, not an open API. Same as the Apple browser API. If you want, you can register a company "Kotakat App Store Inc" and get access to the same terms but you'll probably need to sue Google to make them give you access. Apple hasn't approved any browsers, either.

Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#37

Post by goodmythical »

iririririr wrote: post #32
armadyl wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Accounts created on stock Pixels don’t require phone numbers.

that haven't been true since pixel 4. it just picks your phone in the background. a burner sim, like a literal criminal, is the only way today.

assuming the number you get hasn't previously been assigned to a google account

Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#39

Post by megagpt2 »

himata4113 wrote: post #5
dxjxjdjsssb wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Play store works just fine on GrapheneOS. All of play services run in a sandbox. You can install the Play store from the GrapheneOS App Store. In fact I'm pretty sure the GrapheneOS folks advise against Aurora Store, etc.

The entire point is so you don't have to have a google account. Aurora actually works fine if you do sign in. This is just blocking anon downloads.

Market price for a Google account is about $1.50, you can also buy a burner SIM to set up the maximum number of accounts Google will let you with the same phone number.

Re: Play Store blocks AuroraStore, hurting GrapheneOS users

#40

Post by megagpt2 »

ranger_danger wrote: post #35
iAMkenough wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AuroraStore uses a pool of burner Google Play Store accounts to facilitate anonymous downloads. This is what happens when those burner accounts get flagged.

How does one even create a new google account in $current_year without requiring phone verification or worse?

You could suck it up and do the phone number verification, it usually costs around $5 for a phone number.

Or you could go through the android phone sign-up process which doesn't require one. Buy a cheap android phone and keep resetting it and making a new account each time.

Or you could buy an account on the grey web from someone who already did this. Should be under $2.

If you are really into this you could become a phone company and own a whole block of phone numbers.

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