Since 2020, /e/ Foundation supports the development of microG. Development is in early stage and there is no usable application yet. Store (Phonesky) is a frontend application providing access to the Google Play Store to download and update applications.Maps API (mapsv1) is a system library, providing the same functionality as now deprecated Google Maps API (v1). It is included in GmsCore but can also run independently on most Android systems. Unified Network Location Provider (UnifiedNlp) is a library that provides Wi-Fi- and Cell-tower-based geolocation to applications that use Google’s network location provider. Services Framework Proxy (GsfProxy) is a small helper utility to allow apps developed for Google Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) to use the compatible Google Cloud Messaging service included with GmsCore. More details and installation instructions Service Core (GmsCore) is a library app, providing the functionality required to run apps that use Google Play Services or Google Maps Android API (v2). MicroG is not only used on real devices, but also replaces Google tools in test emulators and is even used in virtual mobile infrastructure. Privacy-caring users can reduce or monitor data that is sent to Google and especially older phones can expect some battery life improvements. Free software users got extended application support, Increasing demand in the free software community in addition to severe problems in Google’s proprietary software discovered by the Android modding community, have led to the development of a free software clone of Google’s proprietary core libraries and applications - the microG Project was born.Īlthough most microG components are far from complete, users are amazed by the results. For these reasons Android is described as being a “ look but don’t touch” kind of open.Īt this point, several popular open-source applications already require some of Google’s proprietary libraries to be installed.

It gets worse: More and more libraries and APIs are only available on phones that run various Google apps pre-installed,Įffectively locking third-party apps to the Google ecosystem. While the core operating system is still released as part of the Android Open Source Project, the majority of core apps are not.

It’s also on the way to becoming a proprietary operating system. The linux-based open-source mobile operating system Android is not only the most popular mobile operating system in the world,

Project A free-as-in-freedom re-implementation of Google’s proprietary Android user space apps and libraries.

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