[APP] microG GmsCore - lightweight free software clone of Google Play Services

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tinybear2

Member
Dec 30, 2016
16
3
Is there any way to install GAPPS only to Shelter(Work Profile)? I want to have microG in the main profile, but I have a couple apps that need and aren't compatible with microG, and need normal GAPPS.
 

n0me

Member
Sep 13, 2010
18
5
Europe
Anyone knows what's going on with MicroG? There's a new version for GmsCore (https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.2.18.204714) for 14 days now, but GmsCore has vanished from F-Droid (yes, my repos are up to date)?! Other components are there (Fakestore, Services Framework), but not GmsCore. So it's not auto-updating. Is the v0.2.18.204714 faulty and got removed from F-Droid?

Can I just use the apk from Github (https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.2.18.204714) and update it maually? Thanks!
 

kurtn

Senior Member
Anyone knows what's going on with MicroG? There's a new version for GmsCore (https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.2.18.204714) for 14 days now, but GmsCore has vanished from F-Droid (yes, my repos are up to date)?! Other components are there (Fakestore, Services Framework), but not GmsCore. So it's not auto-updating. Is the v0.2.18.204714 faulty and got removed from F-Droid?

Can I just use the apk from Github (https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.2.18.204714) and update it maually? Thanks!
Yes, i updated manually and it works. In microG.org it still shows the status "preview"? I think that's the reason for f-droid not updating.
 

Oswald Boelcke

Senior Moderator / Moderator Committee
Staff member
Anyone knows what's going on with MicroG? There's a new version for GmsCore (https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.2.18.204714) for 14 days now, but GmsCore has vanished from F-Droid (yes, my repos are up to date)?! Other components are there (Fakestore, Services Framework), but not GmsCore. So it's not auto-updating. Is the v0.2.18.204714 faulty and got removed from F-Droid?

Can I just use the apk from Github (https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.2.18.204714) and update it maually? Thanks!
I downloaded this version on 5th March, and ar least for me it's still available on F-Droid (via the µG F-Droid repo); please refer to attached screenshots.
But anyway you can certainly download the apk from Github and install it manually.
Screenshot_20210318-172735_microG_Services_Core.pngScreenshot_20210318-172804_F-Droid.png
 
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starbright_

Senior Member
Apr 11, 2010
1,467
262
While push notificatiion works in general (thanks to the dev!) I sometime see a delay. That is not a big thing for messages but for calls - that will be missed.

I guess some deep sleep might responsible for that? I already set the apps to "not optimzed", but it doesn't help.
I found in microG/Cloud messaging/extended settings there are times that can be adjusted for each kind of network. It is set to automatic and in Wifi this is 30min.
What exactly does it does?
Can this help to solve the problem of missing calls?
 

kurtn

Senior Member

Oswald Boelcke

Senior Moderator / Moderator Committee
Staff member

n0me

Member
Sep 13, 2010
18
5
Europe
Yes, i updated manually and it works. In microG.org it still shows the status "preview"? I think that's the reason for f-droid not updating.

I downloaded this version on 5th March, and ar least for me it's still available on F-Droid (via the µG F-Droid repo); please refer to attached screenshots.
But anyway you can certainly download the apk from Github and install it manually.
View attachment 5253389View attachment 5253387
Thanks for your replies. I will try updating it manually. Still, I don't know why GmsCore is not listed in my F-Droid anymore while the other microG components are still there. It doesn't even show me that GmsCore is installed inside F-Droid under installed apps.

No one else is having this problem?
 

Bracher

Senior Member
Sep 18, 2009
223
52
I have updated miroG via F-Droid to version 0.2.18.24714 (LOS 17.1) the patched Playstore Version is 20.9.20-all [0] [PR] 320416846. Nanodroid MicroG 23.1.2.20210117.
Strange thing when I open some apps a message pops up I should update playstore in order to work better with this app. Otherwise nothing happens the app works well. I stopped via Warden the tracking apps of google Playstore, in playstore settings I cancelled all notifications as well as automatic uddates. so nothing happens but it's a bit annoying
 

Bracher

Senior Member
Sep 18, 2009
223
52
Unfortunately I had to update my tablet to 18.1. But in theis version most applicatrions can't get the permission to access background location - only during use. I tried your proposal "for Android 10 and newer, additionally: pm grant com.google.android.gms android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION" but nothing changed. As for the commands "pm grant com.google.android.gms android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" I got the message /system/bin/sh: pm.grant: inaccessible or not found
 

starbright_

Senior Member
Apr 11, 2010
1,467
262
I update my LOS18.1 and (not sure why) apps like SatStat or OSMAnd doesn't show me "coarse/rough" location (that one from local gsm location). Selfcheck looks fine. I even see a location in microG/location modules/ module for gsm based location), but it seems not to be passed though to apps.
Is this a general Android 11 or LOS18.1 issue?
I am pretty sure I have seen that before.
Permissions look fine so far, but I never used shell commands as mentioned above.

Anyone can give me a hint?

Let me add that fake traveller works. In SatStat it's position is shown blue - coarse. (Red is GPS, fine).

I notices that in opposite to previous time the "cycling" is different and better. Before the coarse pos was valid for around 5s after 25s (don't remember exact number) of no position. Now it is like 5s to 5s - so much better.
 
Last edited:

starbright_

Senior Member
Apr 11, 2010
1,467
262
Something stranges happened.
I get messages (Signal) (tranlated): Enduring error Signal communication - google play services are required, not supported on your device.

(Satellite simular): won't rund without google play services, which are nit supported by your device.

BUT: microG selfcheck tells all is green? HELP!
 

joshthemajor

Senior Member
Jul 20, 2015
92
9
Hi guys, I flashed yesterday a new ROM (AOSP Extended -Android 11) for my Lenovo P2.

At the beginning I had some issues to have the MigroG Self-Check all working (basically I missed the permission to have the location running in the background, solved installing the app both as system and updating it as user).

Now I have all self checks marked correctly but still I can't get a GPS signal.

my location modules are

GMS Location Service
Mozilla Location service 2
Nominatim

in GPSTest I can see a bunch of satellites but none from my zone (Europe) and I rarely get connection, and if I do, it stays "red".


Any idea?
 

kurtn

Senior Member
Hi guys, I flashed yesterday a new ROM (AOSP Extended -Android 11) for my Lenovo P2.

At the beginning I had some issues to have the MigroG Self-Check all working (basically I missed the permission to have the location running in the background, solved installing the app both as system and updating it as user).

Now I have all self checks marked correctly but still I can't get a GPS signal.

my location modules are

GMS Location Service
Mozilla Location service 2
Nominatim

in GPSTest I can see a bunch of satellites but none from my zone (Europe) and I rarely get connection, and if I do, it stays "red".


Any idea?
Go outdoors. MicroG has nothing to do with GPS.
 

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    hXY4lcC.png

    Introduction
    microG GmsCore is a FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software) framework to allow applications designed for Google Play Services to run on systems, where Play Services is not available. If you use your phone without GAPPS this might become a useful tool for you.
    microG GmsCore is one of the two core components of the microG project.
    More up-to-date descriptions and instructions might be available on the wiki

    Instructions
    Preparation:
    1. You need a 4/5/6 ROM that is GAPPS-free. Either don't install them or remove them, if your ROM ships them. Please note that microG GmsCore might run on a cleaned stock ROM, but it might also brick it or cause random bugs. Be aware that only latest Android versions (4.4+) are regularly tested and thus prioritized over older versions when issues occur.
    2. You need a ROM that supports signature faking. Some custom ROMs are patched to support signature faking out of the box, including all OmniROM-based ones. Stock CyanogenMod denied the inclusion, as the possibility of third-party play services implementations is considered a security issue (read here about why it's not). Please ask your ROM developer if unsure. The latest version of signature spoofing for Android < 6.0 has to be enabled at the bottom of the developer settings first. If your ROM does not support signature faking, but you use Xposed, you can grab a Xposed module here.
      If you are a ROM developer or just do custom builds for whatever reason, you can download and include the patch from here and here for Android 5.1 or here for Android 6.0.
    3. Remove UnifiedNlp. In case you installed it before. You can keep your backend modules installed, microG Services will be able to use them later and provide the same feature set (to be precise, microG Services includes UnifiedNlp).

    Installation:
    The installation does not require any modification of the /system partition. All installations should be done using the default app installer included with Android or using `adb install`. This means you need to enable third-party sources or developer mode first.
    1. Install GmsCore.apk as provided in the download section below.
    2. If you want to use Google Cloud Messaging ("Push-Notifications"), Install GsfProxy.apk as provided in the download section below. The GsfProxy version does not need to match the GmsCore.apk version.
      • If you have BlankStore installed, continue with the next step.
      • If you want to be able to access the Play Store, install BlankStore from its thread. It is not a requirement that you set it up correctly and this is not covered by this instructions. If you need help ask in the original thread.
      • If you don't care about Play Store access, Install FakeStore.apk as provided in the download section below.
    3. Open the microG Settings, which are available in the launcher now. If you want to use any Google services (Log-In, Cloud Messaging), tick both checkboxes for background services. This is the only supported setup, but you are free to disable them if you like playing with fire. You can also open the UnifiedNlp settings to enable the location backends of your choice. If you don't have any yet, check out F-Droid. For further questions and concerns regarding UnifiedNlp, use its corresponding thread.
    4. Reboot your device. If you skip this step, everything unwanted is possible.

    Using it:
    • You can test Google Cloud Messaging using this test application. Push notifications do not require account registration.
    • You can add an account through the system settings. Some applications might ask you to do so, if you don't.
    • Use your applications as you like. But note that apps that use Cloud Messaging must be installed after GmsCore, else they will not work. Some hint of applications that can run due to microG GmsCore: TextSecure/Signal, Play Music, YouTube
    • When using AdAway make sure to put mtalk.google.com on your whitelist, else problems are likely to occur when using Google Cloud Messaging. Thanks @benstyle1 for the hint.

    Downloads
    See this wiki page for Downloads. You can find details on the F-Droid repository on https://microg.org/fdroid/.

    Signing key
    The NOGAPPS and microG Project use a shared signing key. Apps and the F-Droid repository are signed using this key. You can verify app signatures using the Checkey app (not when signature spoofing is enabled) and the F-Droid key in F-Droid repository details.
    The SHA-256 hash of the key is:
    9B D0 67 27 E6 27 96 C0 13 0E B6 DA B3 9B 73 15 74 51 58 2C BD 13 8E 86 C4 68 AC C3 95 D1 41 65

    Current implementation progress
    Please check this wiki page for up to date implementation progress.

    Please report bugs
    This project is still rather unstable. Please report bugs as they occur. Whenever you report a bug, please tell us what application caused the bug, including its exact version. If you're the developer, name the play services library you are using. Please do not bother the original app author when it might be related to microG services. If the problem is related to geolocation with UnifiedNlp, report it in the UnifiedNlp thread, even if you're using it through GmsCore.

    Thanks
    Big thanks to everyone who continuously supported me doing this, by donating, pull-requests or just feedback.

    XDA:DevDB Information
    microG GmsCore, App for all devices (see above for details)

    Contributors
    MaR-V-iN
    Source Code: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore


    Version Information
    Status: Beta
    Current Beta Version: v0.2.13.203915
    Beta Release Date: 2020-10-19

    Created 2015-10-04
    Last Updated 2020-10-20
    56
    I am still alive, but just super busy.

    Starting end of February, I set aside 20 hours a week to work solely on microG.

    But please don't expect any update earlier than that, I have to ensure that there are no loose ends before I remove myself from some of the obligations I have right now, so probably will be even busier than before.

    Thanks for your ongoing support everyone.
    28
    Nice! Even original Play Store started to work with this! Not fully, but now you can login, search for apps and see already installed ones. Just download doesn't work yet. Keep up good work! Original GMSCore is android cancer.
    26
    Thanks for your feedback @emandt. I appreciate it, although it's impossible for me to not agree with @Ultramanoid that it feels like trolling. I will try to answer to all your concerns.

    It's true that Google API change. This project has some history and still uses some code from 2013. In the meantime, I saw some API changes, but most APIs stay stable. This is because not all play services users update directly and Google does not want important system features to break. I know that Google is aware of this project (or atleast some Google employees are) longer than you are and atleast one change in the web service implementation was targeting a third party software, with microG being the only one I know that fits into that. So yes, I agree that Google is unlikely to be happy with this project. But as Ingress players know, even the mighty Google is not able to block users out that really want to do something with their services. We will always find a way.

    This project is all about privacy. As mentioned above it existed long before I posted it here on XDA and it was reviewed by several people. I also know that at least one "Android company" is working with it. The source code is still fairly simple to follow, and if you want you can check every future commit (and those from the past) one-by-one. It should also be noted that I built privacy related tools for Android the last years, some of them being published here on XDA as well or being integrated in e.g. OmniROM.
    As I don't want users credentials to end up in wrong hands, microG GmsCore doesn't even safe or access your google account password, the login is done through Google's OAuth based website.

    You complained that not "any warning/advice about privacy, credential or critical actions" was stated on the first post. As you mentioned that you're a XDA user for ten years, this can only be trolling: I never saw a ROM or Patched WhatsApp or darkened Play Store or anything else on XDA state something like this in the first post. And most of them were not open source. I expect users to be able to think theirself that, if you enter confidential data, random things might happen with that. I actually pointed that out by mentioning that "This is currently alpha-grade Software. Don't use it if you're not aware of possible consequences." in red letters :)

    I agree that payments are crucial and it is important that they work fluidly. Until now I did not implement anything related to payments for that reason. Inside Play Store, payments are not directed through Play Services, so this is nothing to fear about (this is all about microG GmsCore now, not about a future implementation of the Play Store). On the other hand, as already pointed out by others, payments should be managed server side. It should NEVER be possible to pay more than needed.

    Reducing the enormous size and bloat in Play Services is one of the goals of the project. And I'm quiet sure that this will be possible, because some things inside Play Services just don't need to be there or can be made a lot simpler. The majority of the size until now actually do not really belong to the project (but is the map rendering library used in the backend and the android-support libraries). I did not use proguard until now, I have a single release for all major instruction set (play services use multiple) and 500KB of assets that can also be reduced in size. Although i did not try it yet, I am quiet sure the size final packages size will stay below 10MB. I am not going into details why play services is so huge here, if you're interested in that, ask me when we meet in person.

    And finally I wanted to point out that most Google applications do not user Play Services intensively. Play Store is using it primarily for Auth and checkin, as well as some smaller things like advertisement id. Only Google Plus related apps (Google+, Hangouts) use Play Services a lot. This is not really a surprise considering that Play Services was originally invented for Google+ and OAuth 2 APIs.

    Finally, I'd like to thank you for the insights in your feelings about this project. I guess these answers will not sufficiently satisfy you, but there is not a lot more I can do. Trust me or don't - it's up to you.

    Puh, what a post...
    26
    what is the best way to download this these days? little confused by all the different updates and forks.

    is f droid repo a good place to install from still?

    Here's what I know:

    NanoDroid is an app pack that contains, among other things, MicroG. It also replaces system apps and is compatible with Magisk overlays. It is configured with a text file that can be generated using a zip installer with Aroma. It is currently using @Setialpha's fork of microG. There are also basic subset packs for just MicroG or just system app replacements. It comes with a patched version of Play Store that allows for IAP, but can also install FakeStore.
    @ale5000's zip I think was the first of the unofficial zips and AFAIK just installs official MicroG and related dependencies, as well as removing conflicting apps (important for location services), which NanoDroid does as well. I'm not following the thread for this zip for some reason, and probably should find it so I can follow it. AFAIK, there is no simple configuration for this zip.

    My zips are built by downloading the latest MicroG apps by parsing the F-Droid repo's index file for URLs and thus only follows official releases. There are separate zips for installing with FakeStore, official Play Store, and the NanoDroid patched Play Store. There are also separate NoGapps packs that mirror OpenGapps but with apps from F-Droid (and no MicroG, as that's in a separate installer). Configuration is done at build time, but I provide my build tool and build recipes for easy modification.

    The NoGoolag installer I think is most similar to NanoDroid in that it installs its own fork of MicroG as well as F-Droid system app replacements. I'm least familiar with it, but it's in pretty active development, for what that's worth. I don't know much more about it than that, though.

    All of the above zips AFAIK will ensure best compatibility with your device by uninstalling system apps that will interfere, e.g. with location services; extracting libraries from apps that get installed to /system (Android generally can't find the libraries otherwise); and similar things. This tends to provide a better/easier experience than installing straight from F-Droid, though that is still a valid option. Also, if you use an installer that uses the official MicroG, you can get updates from that F-Droid repo.

    TL;DR: Which installer you use will depend on what you're looking for from it. I will almost always recommend mine, but I am opinionated on the subject. It may be worth you looking deeper into what each does and does not provide and if you need that thing, then make a decision. I would highly recommend using one of the zip installers though, even if it's not mine.