you are viewing a single comment's thread.

view the rest of the comments →

[–]Mnemonic 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

refurbished Android which support Replicant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicant_(operating_system)) or other Google free OSes are numerous also!

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

A used S3 would be good but they don't support many phones: https://replicant.us/supported-devices.php

I wish Google free was more numerous.

[–]Mnemonic 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

With Yalp store and F-Droid (or G-Droid {alternative GUI}) and deletion of play services and other system apps with system-mover (IIRC) {So you can move 'google system' apps to normal apps and remove them} you can transform a stockROM into a google free one, while getting the rom updates.

Though I think linux ROMs will do better in the future of taking over android phones. It's just that people somehow prefer fancy gui interaction bloat over minimal usefull apps. Google already has gotton a few fines from the EU for their Microsoft like practices (microsoft having IE per default etc.).

There is hope once the 'fanciness' hype wears off, but the MSM isn't helping in the promo side of things.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Oh system mover for deleting Google apps sounds cool, I might give that a go. My phone is too janky for LineageOS. I have heard that location reporting is a core OS feature, as part of the Play store, but any step in the right direction is a good one.

Yeah damn those fancy apps all full of ads and slowness. Hopefully 2019 will be the Linux phone breakout year with Purism setting the trend. They've got like 50 apps ready to roll.

[–]Mnemonic 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

My phone is too janky for LineageOS.

Got the same prolem, S5 'Neo' isn't supported and the unoffial Linage ROMs for it seem to have bad connection.

I have heard that location reporting is a core OS feature, as part of the Play store

I believe it's Play services, but you can delete the playstore andplay services and then use Yalp instead of the play store while blacklisting the downgraded playstore (so it won't update again and install play services).

Some apps will complain that play services is missing but usually will work fine anyhow (Just set their 'messages' to off, so it doesn't up up everyday). {You can use Google maps, it will complain on startup about the 'play services' missing [Probably because that is the ALWAYS ON connection to google] }

You can do this without rooting and without using the system-app remover. Just disable the 'apps' (like play store/services) by deleting them, stopping them and blacklisting them in Yalp so Yalp doesn't download 'updates' for them.

  • Disclaimer: I'm not sure about newer phone provided with newer preinstalled playstores (removing it makes it revert to the ROM's default version, so maybe newer phone it gets more dificult.

[–]crypt 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

How does LineageOS with microg compare to Repiclant. Does replicant keep up with the security patches or is completely separate.

Do you use replicant and are you happy with it? Any drawbacks?

[–]Mnemonic 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I only run it on a galaxy (the original) and had to get the firmware for the wireless communication (wifi, I guess Bluetooth) from a cyanogen mod.

I've never had updates from it, but it transformed an old phone in a great portable media player.