I want as little Google as possible on my Fairphone 4!

I am running also into issues with storage. Mainly, apps complaining about not having a documents app available (activity not found: android.intent.action.OPEN_DOCUMENT).
I think this might be linked to me removing com.google.android.documentsui.

Unfortunately, I forgot to save the apps on Stanzis list. How can I reinstall this app without doing a factory reset?

EDIT: I have managed to mitigate the issue by installing Material Files. It seems that Simple File Browser did not properly set itself as a default file browser. Now most apps seem to work fine.

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Try "adb shell cmd package install-existing "

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@darioce : I found the “Material Files” (thanks to your comment) worked on my phone. Finally my last backup was installed. FP4 working fine (… well IMDB is not working 100%)… nearly.

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Is it possible to remove GBoard and have password? I tried with AnySoftKeyboard and Simple Keyboard from F-Droid. When I turn on the phone I can’t type the password and have to factory reset.

I use Openboard on my FP2 without issues

Edit after reading better, as well as Volkers post, I use PIN not password…

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It is the same on the FP3:

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This is a bad trade-off IMHO, since having a strong password to unlock your phone is key to having proper privacy and security. PIN and patterns are knowingly less secure.

I wouldn’t say so. How many times did someone take your phone and tried to get into it? For me, it was zero times. The software you (don’t) have on your phone is much more important for privacy than your password.

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Just so you know, it happened! I was using patterns login, and it was a child that entered my phone!! After that I moved to passwords. I wouldn’t neglect that fact, even Android shows the levels of security when you create a lock (pattern is middle protection, PIN is middle-high and password is considered strong - of course if you use a good password). By the way, I am a security IT professional for more than 10 years now.

Your phone password is the entrance for all the rest of your files, apps, etc. I can argue this is THE MOST important security and privacy measure to protect you. I don’t say you are wrong about the software you run being also very important, but your overall security is as strong as your weakest point =)

But this is becoming too off-topic, I will try to see if I find a solution on other places.

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I think the auto factory reset is a good option to get higher security while still using a PIN code. When someone steals my phone it is very unlikely that they guess my PIN with less than 15 tries.

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If I look at my standard-keyboard, it has the authority to start by boot, maybe this is possible by adb commands also for AnySoftKeyboard…

So what? Did that child copy all of your contacts and track your location? No. Do Google apps do that? Yes.

That might be true, but in a situation where you are forced to give your phone away so someone can seize it, a password won’t help much, and in any other situation, the person unlocking your phone can’t do any real harm. Even if you lose your phone, a normal person wouldn’t try to get into it and if a criminal found it, they would get access to it either way.

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Interesting, where do you see that? I went to app permissions and didn’t see this listed.

first, sry for my bad english… right now I’m using not a Fairphone, my Fairphone will come during the next days, at my old Phone with LineageOS i can go to apps → all apps, I search for AOSP or android-keyboard → permissions and than its a little hidden on the top right the three dots → all permissions

Stanzi, thanks for this great list BTW.

I was trying your whole list and have some questions:

com.fp.camera (previous com.android.fpcamera3) - Camera app
com.fairphone.myfairphone ... My Fairphone app

These were not deleted. I deleted here and all work fine. Any thoughts on not adding them?

com.google.android.overlay.modules.ext.services
com.google.mainline.telemetry

Are marked as unsafe as UAD. So I got cautious about them, do you know why they are marked as unsafe or any comments on that?

com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.common
com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.gsa
com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.photos
com.google.android.overlay.modules.documentsui
com.google.android.overlay.modules.modulemetadata.forframework

All those com.google.android.overlay.* packages are marked as “Expert”. Do you know if we have to care specifically for something regarding them?

Not being able to enter the password at boot with alternative keyboards isn’t a FPOS Problem, keyboards have to implement that functionality.

Relevant (open) issues / pull requests for various FOSS keyboards:

  • AnySoftKeyboard: not implemented, see #1710, #2445, #2525, #2880

  • FlorisBoard: implemented with #1021

  • OpenBoard: implemented with #346, not released, see #454

  • Simple Keyboard: implemented with daae07b, see #85 for discussion

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They are not from Google, so I saw no reason for removing them.

2.&3.: Like I said in my original post, I’m not an Android expert or anything. I just used adb on everything until it broke the phone, then I went back some steps, repeated something, reflashed the phone because it didn’t boot anymore and so on. I went through about 5 bricks until I figured that I pretty much found everything that sounds like spyware and is not a core component, but my list is absolutely not complete or anything. It’s just a list from a nerd who has too much time to fool around with console commands

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Fair enough, it is a great starting point anyhow.

Update: did more tests with keyboards only one working is FlorisBoard and works like charm. You don’t need any trick, it just works (installed latest stable from F-Droid)!
It is also much more maintained than AnySoftKeyboard.

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Hmm, I don’t find FlorisBoard in the store. Does it have arrows like AnySoftKeyboard? This ist very important to me. FP2 is a rather tiny screen, so I prefer to use arrows instead of target with the finger tip when I have to cerrect a text.

BTW: I never had any problem whatsoever with AnySoftMeyboard.