Alternative Apps(tores): Living without Google (FP1)

I guessed it was due to such a reason, thanks for the good explanation! It’s nice to read tech stuff on this forum for people like me who don’t know much about development.

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Does anyone know a good calendar app (no widget!) Previously I had the “aCalendar” https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.withouthat.acalendar, the month view was exactly what I wanted. Does anyone know what comparable for Android without Googles Play Store?

aCalendar - month view:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IWVjf20QufO8QraOB6ryUMgEziGGOm4qAJgclNOxK7djKl5hVAoY2iICs2RGOV3UyA=h900

Hace you searched F-Droid for “calendar”? There are some standalone calendars available.

@Enzi1984
You can also use Yalp (from F-Droid) to install Guhgel Apps, e.g. acalendar. However, some apps might require the Guhgel backbone, so the app might not work in FP Open.

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From F-Droid i installed ETAR and found it to be worth a try on the first view. Didn’t test it intensively yet, though.

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@BeMiGro
Etar is not available for the FP1U as it requires Android 4.4 (FP1U has 4.2). Thanks anyway! :slight_smile:

@Stefan
Yes, have tested about 7 …

@DietmarP
yeah, works great! Thanks!!

Oh, yeah, sorry. Etar wasn’t greyed out here (I’m testing the alpha #kitkat ).

I am using acalendar on my FP2 open OS without Google playstore. Probably I have installed it via apkpure. I don’t know wether acalendar runs on the FP1.

That may sound like a good idea but it’s really probably best to go to the distributor and insist that they have a .apk on their website (don’t most of them?), or provide a repo url you can add in to FDroid.

It’s surprising how many companies think it’s a good idea to have apps on GP, next to all the spyware and adware and other junkware of dubious quality.

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The problem is that Gxxgle exploits their competitive advantage through Android Studio (link to Wikipedia | the Android-IDE). In there they make it very easy to include their APIs, be it G Maps or G Pay, etc. Many developers don’t bother to fall back on FLOSS APIs (e.g. Open Street Map rather than G Maps).

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Exactly. Plus Android developer documentation is mixed with Gxxgle APIs and the Gxxgle Play ecosystem.
In addition, to install an APK file, the user needs to enable an option which they generally announce as a huge and terrorific security hole because you are dumb and don’t know who to trust.

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@Enzi1984
I just discovered Etar in F-Droid, based on the AOSP Calendar but with a much better month view than the Guhgel calendar. Maybe that’s an alternative to acalendar? Free software and no ads!

Problem is that it doesn’t work below Android KitKat… :upside_down:

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I thought KitKat is coming to the Fairphone 1 soon. Or do you (or one of your acquaintances [German: Bekannten]) use another “old” smartphone which is below KitKat?

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Yeah, but at the moment Etar is not an option for FP1 owners.

Hello, I’m thinking of switching to FP Open OS because I, too, want to get rid of google spying on my life! I’ve read the thread and I’m really happy that there are so many alternative apps. However, there are a few apps that I use that I would like to keep and that don’t have an alternative (such as facebook, facebook messenger, instagram, banking apps, public transport apps, telecom provider app, etc.). My question is if there is a way to get these apps without the google play store (and if yes, how? Is this what these raccoon and yalp thingies are for?), and what does it entail security/privacy-wise. Thank you in advance for your replies!

exactly. I recommend yalp. You get access to all free (as in free beer) apps and updates on the play store directly from your phone, but without having to use a (real) G%§$e account.

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@Juulll: [quote=“Juulll, post:218, topic:535”]
However, there are a few apps that I use that I would like to keep and that don’t have an alternative (such as facebook, facebook messenger, instagram, banking apps, public transport apps, telecom provider app, etc.).
[/quote]
afaik there are alternative apps for facebook. I’m not sure if the original facebook app works without google services, but up to my knowledge, having the facebook app installed causes FPOS to expose all different kinds of issues, including random reboots and battery drain. Are those problems fixed these days?
Banking apps often refuse to work on non-standard operating systems. YMMV, I guess you have to try for your case to find out if it works.

@paulakreuzer, yalp & raccoon are not restricted to free apps only. You can also download any paid app that got added to your profile beforehand (e.g. those purchased when logged in through the google play web interface).
What doesn’t work at all is in-app purchases.

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Hi Stefan, thank you for your reply. I am a bit confused, I’m not very familiar with technical terms and I was wondering if you could tell me what FPOS stands for? Anyhow my FP is getting repaired at the moment, I will get back at you after getting it back and switching to FP Open OS on whether the problems persist.

FPOS is Fairphone Operating System, so the standard OS that the fairphone comes with (with dic:gapps installed).
But the facebook issue is not limited to FPOS. It also happens on FPOOS (#software:fp-open) and probably all Android-based OSes.