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Google mobile services vs opengapps.org

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#4

@fp1_wo_sw_updates: thanks for this topic, I’ve been a little confused too (perhaps even more than you…)

This is probably a very stupidly phrased question, but I’m not sure how else to put it:

Is opengapps “as google as” the regular gapps/GMS?

Also, I understand the issue of GAPPS/no root vs. no GAPPS (but maybe opengapps)/root. But that issue aside: would there ever be a reason to choose opengapps over gapps, if I had the option of using either? If yes, what are the advantages of choosing opengapps?

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#5

The OpenGAPPS pieces are identical to the Google stuft. If I recall this correctly, they even will be updated by the Google update process (can someone confirm?)

What is really nice about OpebGAPPS: You can tailor the install to your needs. On my OPO I just installed the minimum services plus PlayStore, no Gmail/Photo/g+ etc.

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#6

Yep !

Nope, but I guess it would be the equivalent of stock (or full if you don’t want your AOSP apps to be replaced by Google apps)

Yes, OpenGapps just repackage the stuff into a flashable zip. I don’t know of any reason to use Google Apps anyway, so I can’t answer your last question.

The About page on opengapps.org mentions this :

Builds are generated every (European) night automatically (if there are any changes).

So no, they are generated from time to time.

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#7

Thank you for all your input. I still have lost of questions (what do Google Mobile Services do?), but I tried to write down what I learned today here:

Please fix if needed. Thank you!

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#8

What do you mean with:

It wouldn’t be legal if they contained software proprietary to Google, would it?

#9

I don’t know, it’s hard to find any hard info regarding the proprietary google apps. I have as much knowledge as you have :frowning:

"Open GApps is a Google Apps package completely developed by writing buildscripts which allow for the automated creation of new up-to-date packages automatically. The development process is completely open-source (GPLv3) and the goal is to have multiple contributors involved, to secure and reinforce the sustainability of Open GApps development. Builds are generated every (European) night automatically (if there are any changes) and uploaded to GitHub."

Source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/development/gapps-t3161271

The google apps “apks” are stored in the git directory sorted by architecture/screensize.

#10

Well there you have it. :smile:

#11

So that’s all wrong and the Open GApps are really the old abandoned Android Open Source Project apps from the time “before” google moved everything into the app store? I have to check the sources and the build scripts … now I’m confused again but the “open” would make more sense. But I really don’t know, that why I asked!

Why don’t have a useful FAQ page for that project that explains all that, I wonder?

“Frequently updated Google Apps: Packages are updated daily (if there are any updated google apps released) (…) *** All apps are untouched, we do not change or modify Googles’ applications but deliver them as-is*** (…)
That is why I have taken it upto myself to write some Linux shell scripts to automate the packaging and to share these efforts with the world with the goal to create a team to continue this package together under the name Open GApps.” Source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/pa-gapps-continuation-t3098071

If the opposite is true and they do contain open version of the apps, please correct. Right now I think the scripts to bundle the apps are GPLv3, the apps/apks are not. This is how I thought it works. But I don’t have time to check that right now. Does anyone else? If so, they really need a better homepage and a wikipedia entry. :wink:

#12

This was answered in my two previous posts :

So yes, OpenGapps is a set of FOSS scripts that repackage the proprietary Google Mobile Services APKs to your taste.

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Alternative Apps(tores): Living without Google (FP1)
#13

So is it OK to have a FP2 rooted and open GAPPS? If we install the future fairphone OS will we be able to install open GAPPS?

God this is so confusing…

#14

Yes that should be possible.

#15

Yes, but there is nothing “open” in Open GApps. They just install the the google apps scraped from other sources. They are just differently bundled. So people can choose to only install the google apps they need and don’t have to install the whole bunch on their (rooted and/or AOSP’ed) phones. But I guess they still have to accept underlying “services” that “support” the apps that will also get installed on their phones, I guess. It would be interesting to know if there is more info on this.

The scripts that do this scraping and bundling of the GAPPS are “open” and people can change those, the rest is not, it’s all stuff owned by Google.

The best way would be hotlinking the matching bundle. Google does not like them included in aosp roms, I think. But I don’t mind. One of main reasons to use an AOSP rom is to get rid of most or all of the GAPPS anyway.

So the name is misleading, “GAPPS scraping & bundling scripts” (gpl’ed) would be the right term. :wink:

#16

This basically sums it up[quote=“fp1_wo_sw_updates, post:15, topic:12214”]
So people can choose to only install the google apps they need and don’t have to install the whole bunch on their (rooted and/or AOSP’ed) phones. But I guess they still have to accept underlying “services” that “support” the apps that will also get installed on their phones, I guess.
[/quote]

So if you in general do not want to use GAPPS but still have a few apps that rely on some gservice you can specifically install that (for example I’m thinking about keeping maps, but will never need mail or hangouts). Of course for that you have to know which app needs which service.
As far as I understood the phone manufacturer has not many options if he wants to provide GAPPS on the phone officially but has to take bundle. He cannot say “I want that and that, but not this”. And most google stuff you cannot get rid of afterwards. So you can choose what you want, but as soon as there is one service running, is it of course not “better” or even different than the preinstalled service.

#17

Beside the privacy topic the gapps require system resources (memory, cpu, …). I tried once to go without gapps, but I needed to realize that isn’t so easy. E.g. google cloud messaging is required by some apps, e.g. Signal and maybe Whatsapp. Without it you won’t get notifications for messages.
So for me one of the small OpenGApps packages fits my needs, because I only want the Play store and GCM.

#18

Those Apps have options for alternatives to GCM.

See here for more tipps:

#19

I’m not sure for Whatsapp and others. But Signal still requires GCM: http://support.whispersystems.org/hc/en-us/articles/213190817-Why-do-I-need-Google-Play-installed-to-use-Signal-How-can-I-get-Signal-APK-
Woud be great to have an alternative here.

#20

There’s a fork of Signal (LibreSignal) that doesn’t require GCM. They have a F-droid repository you can use alongside F-droid.

2 Likes
#21

Thank you for the hint. That is great. Last time I searched for that, there was only the discussion about the WebSocket solution ongoing on github.
I’ll give it a try. Maybe a Google free phone is possible again :grin:

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#22

2 posts were merged into an existing topic: How do I install OpenGAPPS?

How do I install OpenGAPPS?
#23