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Effectively Using Android Without Google Play Services with Gplayweb in Docker

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Re: Effectively Using Android Without Google Play Services with Gplayweb in Docker

#3
post #2

What is the worst thing about G Play Services you can't turn off?

Probably the fact that Google Play Services can update itself without your approval or consent, so Google can push any antiprivacy feature to your phone they want without your knowledge at any time.

Play Services meets basically every definition of malware.

Re: Effectively Using Android Without Google Play Services with Gplayweb in Docker

#4
There really isn't that much on google play store worth installing (except games I guess? even that's not so great and most cost money) that doesn't have some open source counterpart. The only exceptions are things like kik (and those don't run well, if at all, without google play services.)

Re: Effectively Using Android Without Google Play Services with Gplayweb in Docker

#6
post #2

What is the worst thing about G Play Services you can't turn off?

Probably the fact that Google Play Services can update itself without your approval or consent, so Google can push any antiprivacy feature to your phone they want without your knowledge at any time. Play Services meets basically every definition of malware.

Hyperbole much?

Re: Effectively Using Android Without Google Play Services with Gplayweb in Docker

#7
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably the fact that Google Play Services can update itself without your approval or consent, so Google can push any antiprivacy feature to your phone they want without your knowledge at any time. Play Services meets basically every definition of malware.

Hyperbole much?

Not really. Strictly speaking Google Play Services is a rootkit. One that can be used remotely. And it contains heaps of invasive user tracking code. Is is pretty much malware.

Re: Effectively Using Android Without Google Play Services with Gplayweb in Docker

#8
Time to mention https://microg.org/ / https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12864429 again. It's a FLOSS re-implementation of Google Play Services. It offers e.g.:

* Optional completely offline geo location service via an on-phone database which often preserves battery and even works when no internet access is available. Online backends using e.g. Mozilla Location Service are also available

* The often unavoidable Push notifications via Google Cloud Messaging while only sending minimal identifying data

* The Analytics (tracking) and Ad parts are simple stubs which avoid app crashes but do nothing else

Re: Effectively Using Android Without Google Play Services with Gplayweb in Docker

#9
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hyperbole much?

Not really. Strictly speaking Google Play Services is a rootkit. One that can be used remotely. And it contains heaps of invasive user tracking code. Is is pretty much malware.

Yet on geek kingdom, bad Microsoft pushing W10 telemetry on us, but Google is cool and doesn't do no evil.
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