Discussion
Thanks for sharing...Google (and Google Play Services) are dystopian.
Love the idea of #Fedi (https://www.fedi.xyz/) but can't support them as they require Google Play Services...
Hope Graphene can put pressure on them...
you can download the apk directly from their github
The app required GPS...so even though the APK is available (good decision there) it's still Google spyware if it requires GPS.
even if I don't have a google or apple phone ?
If you use Google Play Services, then Google is tracking you (no matter what phone manufacturer you have).
Easiest place for me to check on the Aurora Store to see if an app has a Google Play store dependency.
Once you have Aurora installed, open the app (I use "Anonymous" mode), the select the app you'd like to check.
Then click on "More about app" and scroll down to "Dependencies" - there you'll see whether Google Play Services are required.
Another great site is Exodus:
https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/
Here you can see what permissions any app is requiring (and I'm expecting you'll be surprised in many cases--instagram for example requires 65 different permissions on your phone).
It's pretty disturbing once you start realizing how much you're being tracked.
yes, thank you for this :) I also use aurora and exodus. I don't use g play store. I wanted to make sure I understood what you meant. there's also 'app lounge' which integrates exodus.
Just to be clear--if you download an app using Aurora, and it requires Google Play Services, it'll still be sending info to Google (no matter where you may have found the APK).
I see. so, finding apps on github would be best ? what is your method ?
No--it's not where you find the APK - it's how the app is programmed. If the devs say it needs Google Play Services, then it needs GPS, and it doesn't matter where it comes from.
Make sense?
absolutely. I get it now, thanks.
If you're looking for apps without GPS, then I'd start with F-droid (get the reference for the APK and then us Obtanium to get the apk from git-hub).
You can also search the Graphene community to find apps the community uses and recommends.
For games, I use an old Android phone without a SIM and use WiFi, and only use it ONLY for games. If Google wants to know what games I'm playing, they're welcome to that information.
Thanks a lot Banjo !!