There's life without GMS

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pesho00

Senior Member
Mar 8, 2008
229
33
I was hesitant to buy P40 Pro (I had P30 pro) because of a lack of GMS. But I am spontaneous and had a birthday... and both one ;)
My first observations:
+Great camera - especially zoom one!
+video is better
+Has double tap to wake up, boy how I missed this ;) I disabled it - too many self unlocks :(
+Fast!
+UFS 3 is a lot faster internal storage than 2 on P30 - downloading pictures is 2x faster over WiFi
-the screen is a bit darker than P30's?
-this huge cutout on a screen for useless (for me!) 3D camera :(
-has pre-applied screen protector :( I removed it and now is fine ;)
-The wide camera is 18mm instead of 16mm in P30 Pro :(
- battery last shorter time
more + and - will come as I use it from 5 h
Now about missing services - phone clone app is by far the best cloning solution I ever used - in 5 minutes I had an almost exact copy of my P30!!! Minus Google Chrome and something else, I can't remember ;) I miss Chrome but for now, with some minor hiccups, FireFox is filling the gap! Chrome is the best I installed it ;)
All apps I use are up and running for the moment - future updates I need to figure it out how to backup calendar? - The internal backup app is doing the job remain to be seen restore if needed ;)
In General, I am happy with it, only time can prove me wrong ;)
 
Last edited:

MajestyZ

Senior Member
May 24, 2012
214
55
Thanks for sharing your experiences! Still doubting to buy this phone. Chromecast and lack of Strava are the only things really holding me back at the moment.
Chrome I never use anyway (Firefox preview is nice!), I suppose Brave Browder doesn't work either? Or does it?
 

pesho00

Senior Member
Mar 8, 2008
229
33
Thanks for sharing your experiences! Still doubting to buy this phone. Chromecast and lack of Strava are the only things really holding me back at the moment.
Chrome I never use anyway (Firefox preview is nice!), I suppose Brave Browder doesn't work either? Or does it?
Today using apkmirror I instaled chrome and google gallery - they work thou cant make chrome sign in ;) with my account
 

MajestyZ

Senior Member
May 24, 2012
214
55
Aha alright. Have you tried APKPure already? This app keeps your apps up to date as well. Or AuroraStore, it's kind of similar I believe. Same goes for the Amazon AppStore, or AppGallery of course. I just hope developers will make apps for AppGallery as well, so we can enjoy Netflix in HD instead of SD, hehe.
 
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pesho00

Senior Member
Mar 8, 2008
229
33
Aha alright. Have you tried APKPure already? This app keeps your apps up to date as well. Or AuroraStore, it's kind of similar I believe. Same goes for the Amazon AppStore, or AppGallery of course. I just hope developers will make apps for AppGallery as well, so we can enjoy Netflix in HD instead of SD, hehe.

I tried APKPure installing google Duo but Duo can't connect for some reason (GMS? ;) )
 
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xnostra

Senior Member
Oct 25, 2011
343
64
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
I was hesitant to buy P40 Pro (I had P30 pro) because of a lack of GMS. But I am spontaneous and had a birthday... and both one ;)
My first observations:
+Great camera - especially zoom one!
+Has double tap to wake up, boy how I missed this ;)
+Fast!
-the screen is a bit darker than P30's?
-this huge cutout on a screen for useless (for me!) 3D camera :(
-has preaplied screen protector :(
-Wide camera is 18mm instead of 16mm in P30 Pro :(
more + and - will come as I use it from 5 h
Now about missing services - phone clone app is by far the best cloning solution I ever used - in 5 minutes I had almost exact copy of my P30!!! Minus Google Chrome and something else, I can't remember ;) I miss Chrome but for now, with some minor hiccups FireFox is filling the gap!
All apps I use are up and running for the moment - future updates I need to figure it out how to backup calendar?
In General I am happy with it, only time can prove me wrong ;)

check this guide https://xdaforums.com/huawei-p40-pr...s-live-gms-t4081351/post82258015#post82258015
you may be suprised how much more alternatives you can get and sometimes even much better
 

Huaweifans

Member
Apr 22, 2020
25
6
Aha alright. Have you tried APKPure already? This app keeps your apps up to date as well. Or AuroraStore, it's kind of similar I believe. Same goes for the Amazon AppStore, or AppGallery of course. I just hope developers will make apps for AppGallery as well, so we can enjoy Netflix in HD instead of SD, hehe.
As I know from my friend, Netflix can stream HD on P40 Pro. Check again please
 

NeidRider

Senior Member
Jan 26, 2009
98
9
Of about 120 apps there's only 1 that i really need which I can't get to run (parklio, they rely on google for the login it seems).
I can easily replace the weather apps that won't work without google, a couple of apps like Banking keep complaining about missing google play services but still work.
Somehow it feels really good to be able to get rid of google in one way or another.
 
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pesho00

Senior Member
Mar 8, 2008
229
33
After some time of usage - updating apps seems to be an issue - I played Clash of clans for some years (nursing children accounts too ;) ) and when moved to P40 everything seems to be ok BUT new version seems to be a problem - found the game in Amazon store - when tried to install it sais uninstall first :( - I'll lose all accounts :( after new version arrived tried again this time Amazon Instaled the game as e second version :( :( without accounts ....
 

propov

Senior Member
Dec 2, 2008
236
51
Frankfurt am Main
I have all my apps and games without GMS. Just Sparkasse Bank in Germany haven't but in the future I believe that it will be solved.
And I'm happy without GMS. And my Handy is also happy without Googles devil in my phone.
 

milqfxp

Member
Jun 5, 2013
5
0
Is there a chance to run the store and other applications without pop-up notifications? I have tried several articles but none of them remove notifications about the lack of certificates. After 30 minutes of attempts, google frimework id returns, I delete the old gsm application and install v2 but notifications like that are still there. Anyone have any idea or know the solution?
 

H-Emmanuel

Senior Member
Jul 22, 2010
62
35
The P40 Pro has been a blessing in disguise. Challenging at first, it has been a great exercise to eliminate my reliance on Google services. The only Google app that I have installed (other than Android lol) is YouTube Vanced. I just wanted the player instead of the website, and I'm not even logging into it.

I'm also using Waze which apparently is owned by Google, but it does not rely on GMS at all. I do miss Google Maps a little, especially my custom maps and pins everywhere. Time will tell if I really need to come up with a workaround, but I'd rather not pollute my phone :)

Using mainly APKPure and APKMirror, I got all my apps back. Some apps throw Play Services error when trying to access some features, but overall they've retained all the functionality that I care about. I was never much of a "digitally connected/synced" person to begin with. I don't like logging into apps left and right or having them store my activity online, so maybe this switch is easier for me than others. I also never really used GMail for anything but Android related stuff, and I stopped using Microsoft/Outlook accounts in favor of Protonmail, once again trying to reduce my reliance on the tech giants.
 
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roberthx

Member
Dec 5, 2010
9
4
Can we live without Google if they do not want us?

We can use the best phone without Google

My advise:
install Microsoft New Edge browser to notebook and sign in with your microsoft account. Do the same on P40 Pro. For Install, I use AppGallery, when app is not there I use APKPure. Some apps did not work if I used some other Store.

Install:
OneDrive - not only one of the best cloud drive, with this app you can upload photos to notebook and then forward to google photos from notebook.
Outlook - it can superb handle gmail AND google calendar. I have shared google calendars with my wife and kids. Outlook can do this. I do not know any other app that can do that.
Here we go - Excellent navigation. I have allways used Google Maps. It is the best. Period. But, as I daily drive 300+km, Maps often do not find the address. I then used app Here, wich did the job. We still can use Google Maps App, you only can not sign in to the app. In that case i have browser bookmark at home screen. So, with maps we are good covered. (there are more apps that are great, but this is enough)

Problem is with our Bank Apps.
I have accounts at 2 Banks, I am forced to have two, not big deal. My point here: One Bank work great over my browser. Confirmation number I get to SMS. It is not ideal, but it works.
Another bank use app that produce onetime code. There is not workaround with the browser.
I have solved that another way: my another Huawei (P smart Z). This phone can use GMS. I installed AirDroid to PsmartZ and all APPS that do not work on P40 Pro. Then, I installed AirMirror to P40 Pro. When needed, I can connect to P smart Z from anywhere, use that app and then close the connection.

Apps that do not work:
-Google apps where you have to sign in
-Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator
-SmartRemote Bosch (unbelivable)
-Lidl, Lidl Plus (unbelivable)
-ChargeMap, ABRP
-DEŽ - simple but great rain radar picture here in Slovenia

What we need fast is ability to pay wih phone. Huawei must do more here.
But my bank have send me email, they are working on their banking app to work with new Huawei Phones, YESSSS!! :)

I will write more, I have run out of tint :)


I still do not understand, why google do not sell GMS online?
Google can not work with Huawei, but can sell software to me, or not?
 

arsenal74

Senior Member
Nov 23, 2016
611
112
Google Pixel 8 Pro
I posted some of this elsewhere but this feels like a good thread to put useful non GPS info into. I got my P40 Pro yesterday and am hoping to avoid GPS as it seems to be quite a complicated process that does not always stick and needs repeating regularly. Also the opportunity to de-google is actually quite tempting. Here is what I have found so far:

- My Lastpass, PayPal and banking apps work totally fine as before. What is interesting though is I saw some info that said that these work ok if you transfer using Phone Clone but may stop working if you then update them using other sources. I have another droid so will likely manage updates for these by Phone Clone

- Outlook seems to work ok for notifications but I am not sure they come through as regular as they should. I think it would be good to start a list of apps that do not rely on GPS to push notifications. Sadly Newton mail does :(

- Google photos is the hardest to replace seamlessly, Amazon photos should be a good alternative (if you have prime) but just seems to crash constantly. I have OneDrive but am still considering if I want to carry on using Google photos as my main photo repo, such a shame that DropBox stopped carousel as that was great!

- Chrome actually seems to work, you just cannot login.

If there are any fellow non-GPS people out there shared experiences appreciated!
 
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  • 4
    I was hesitant to buy P40 Pro (I had P30 pro) because of a lack of GMS. But I am spontaneous and had a birthday... and both one ;)
    My first observations:
    +Great camera - especially zoom one!
    +video is better
    +Has double tap to wake up, boy how I missed this ;) I disabled it - too many self unlocks :(
    +Fast!
    +UFS 3 is a lot faster internal storage than 2 on P30 - downloading pictures is 2x faster over WiFi
    -the screen is a bit darker than P30's?
    -this huge cutout on a screen for useless (for me!) 3D camera :(
    -has pre-applied screen protector :( I removed it and now is fine ;)
    -The wide camera is 18mm instead of 16mm in P30 Pro :(
    - battery last shorter time
    more + and - will come as I use it from 5 h
    Now about missing services - phone clone app is by far the best cloning solution I ever used - in 5 minutes I had an almost exact copy of my P30!!! Minus Google Chrome and something else, I can't remember ;) I miss Chrome but for now, with some minor hiccups, FireFox is filling the gap! Chrome is the best I installed it ;)
    All apps I use are up and running for the moment - future updates I need to figure it out how to backup calendar? - The internal backup app is doing the job remain to be seen restore if needed ;)
    In General, I am happy with it, only time can prove me wrong ;)
    3
    my only issue with using HMS instead of GMS is that 90% of apps (at least the ones i use, like news and etc) use GCM/Firebase for push notifications. so without Google services no notifications would come through. am i correct?

    not sure if it is 90% .. but yea .. notifications are screwed in many apps .. some people are reporting that the notifications work, but when I test, they work but have delays etc.

    2 solutions:
    option A - playstore then freeze
    option B - microG

    microG solution is in here ...
    to setup microG ... https://xdaforums.com/huawei-p40-pro/how-to/nova-launcher-t4085577
    if notification are slow ... https://xdaforums.com/huawei-p40-pro/help/how-to-improve-notification-reliability-t4100277
    if no notifications are received, then you have to go to option A above.

    apparently huawei are developing a fix in this twitter image here (maybe page 3 or page 2) ....
    https://www.android-hilfe.de/forum/...ne-push-benachrichtigungen.944363-page-4.html
    hopefully in a few months, I can reset then avoid on microG and go naked HMS (not that microG causes any issues).
    2
    Outook is really great app. It can sync google contacts!!!!!!
    Good to know, If anybody need this.... I DO!!!!!
    2
    My only reason for sideloading GMS is app notifications / firebase because i rely alot on news notifications and etc. so if i can get those without GMS it would be amazing, i would be happy to use HMS and third party app stores.
    Can you please give me a link to the microg thread so i can go ahead and set it up?

    look in the thread on nova .. or here ..

    microG
    https://microg.org/

    1. Perform a factory reset of the phone.
    2. Install F-Droid app
    3. Go to microG website and get the url for the microG repo and add to F-Droid repos
    4. In F-Droid, then install MicroG Services Core.
    5. In F-Droid, then Install MicroG Services Framework Proxy.
    6. In F-Droid, then Install the MicroG FakeStore.
    6. Open the Microg Settings app. Grant it all permissions and disable battery optimizations.
    7. Add your Google account.
    8. Turn on Device Registration, Cloud Messaging and SafetyNet.
    9. Restart your phone.
    10. Open Microg Settings app, check the status under Cloud Messaging. If it says not connected enter the following in the phone app: *#*#2432546#*#* and restart your phone. Check the status again - it should say Connected. (I had to enter the phone string and restart my phone twice until it said connected).
    11. Install apps
    12. Check connection in microG app for Google Cloud Messaging

    All this will give you is push notifications with Google Cloud Messaging & Firebase.

    I also had notification issues with either or Huawei PowerGenie and Android Doze .. if the notifications work and then suddenly stop, then try these ..

    https://xdaforums.com/huawei-p40-pro/help/how-to-improve-notification-reliability-t4100277
    2
    Can we live without Google if they do not want us?

    We can use the best phone without Google

    My advise:
    install Microsoft New Edge browser to notebook and sign in with your microsoft account. Do the same on P40 Pro. For Install, I use AppGallery, when app is not there I use APKPure. Some apps did not work if I used some other Store.

    Install:
    OneDrive - not only one of the best cloud drive, with this app you can upload photos to notebook and then forward to google photos from notebook.
    Outlook - it can superb handle gmail AND google calendar. I have shared google calendars with my wife and kids. Outlook can do this. I do not know any other app that can do that.
    Here we go - Excellent navigation. I have allways used Google Maps. It is the best. Period. But, as I daily drive 300+km, Maps often do not find the address. I then used app Here, wich did the job. We still can use Google Maps App, you only can not sign in to the app. In that case i have browser bookmark at home screen. So, with maps we are good covered. (there are more apps that are great, but this is enough)

    Problem is with our Bank Apps.
    I have accounts at 2 Banks, I am forced to have two, not big deal. My point here: One Bank work great over my browser. Confirmation number I get to SMS. It is not ideal, but it works.
    Another bank use app that produce onetime code. There is not workaround with the browser.
    I have solved that another way: my another Huawei (P smart Z). This phone can use GMS. I installed AirDroid to PsmartZ and all APPS that do not work on P40 Pro. Then, I installed AirMirror to P40 Pro. When needed, I can connect to P smart Z from anywhere, use that app and then close the connection.

    Apps that do not work:
    -Google apps where you have to sign in
    -Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator
    -SmartRemote Bosch (unbelivable)
    -Lidl, Lidl Plus (unbelivable)
    -ChargeMap, ABRP
    -DEŽ - simple but great rain radar picture here in Slovenia

    What we need fast is ability to pay wih phone. Huawei must do more here.
    But my bank have send me email, they are working on their banking app to work with new Huawei Phones, YESSSS!! :)

    I will write more, I have run out of tint :)


    I still do not understand, why google do not sell GMS online?
    Google can not work with Huawei, but can sell software to me, or not?