Hi all.
I am new with my first Fairphone, a FP2.
I have charged it and started it up, guess what?
It is asking me for my Google account otherwise I can’t install app’s.
Is this serious? Do I have to make a Google account to change the world?
Please tell me I am wrong. What am I missing?
The most obvious option for you is to install Fairphone Open OS, Fairphone’s Google-free OS:
3 Likes
Thank you for your quick response!
If you don’t want to create a Google account, you have to install the APKs manually (from the site of the developer or apkmirror.com) or use an alternative app store (like F-Droid or Amazon).
3 Likes
Welcome to the world of hazzles:
My Dutch is not too well but it seems you don’t have enough rights to execute the file.
I’m not familiar with MacOS, but I guess there must be some way to “run [the file] as administrator”.
This is exactly why the EU is suing Google, and I hope they keep jabbing them all the way into freeing the Android platform, as it was originally intended to be.
3 Likes
Your Dutch is excellent 
Funny fact is that I am logged in as admin. Anyway this goes of topic.
I will check for a workaround before bothering you all.
However it has created a new challenge: after the required fast booting to install FF OPEN (using Vol- with on/off) the screen shows FAIRPHONE and I can’t switch the device off anymore with the on/off button… Any help here?
You probably need to make the file executable. In a Terminal type
chmod +x filename
Where filename is the path and name of the file you’re executing.
3 Likes
IIRC in fastboot mode you have to press and hold the poweroff button for either 5s or 10s. And maybe it will just reboot instead of powering the device off, I forgot.
1 Like
I’m using LineageOS (14.1 atm) without a Google account. I don’t miss anything, I’m using F-Droid for most Apps and Yalp can download apps that aren’t open source without a Google account from the Playstore.
A friend of mine is using MicroG because some apps (carsharing?) apparently don’t work witout Playservices.
2 Likes
Nah, oh my dear! You are so blunt in this concern. I can´t believe what you´re saying. It sounds horrific…
bwahahaaa 
1 Like
Even though it seems like a little bit of a hassle, it is way easier to achieve a google-less smartphone than it is with any Samsung, Sony or the like. To me, this was actually one of the selling points that drove me to the FP2.
Just a few quick notes for the next steps after you have successfully installed Fairphone Open:
- you need to “root” the phone to install f-droid. With Fairphone Open this amounts to a click in the developer section of the settings. – change “Root access” from “disabled” to “Apps only”.
- use the built-in www browser to go to https://f-droid.org/ and download the installer of this independent app shop. The browser will offer to install f-droid right away.
- With f-droid now being part of your “system” you may switch off root access for software security reasons. The setting was required to enable f-droid to do its task, that is, install further apps.
- locate f-droid in the selection of locally installed apps, open it, navigate to the catalogue and install your favourite free and open source apps.
- If you desire an application that is exclusively on google play, you can still access it without a google account via “yalp”. This is an app that uses public, anonymous credentials to download apps from google play. There is a caveat, though: Fairphone OS does not include a set of low level applications collectively known as “Google play Service Framework” (GSF). These could be installed manually. But since this is part of the google play store, you get the whole google package including the necessity of a google account and all. So I did not go down that road.
You can use the filter utility in yalp to only show apps that do not require GSF.
Hope, these hints help,
4 Likes
Hi there,
from my point of view the best Google free option for the FP2 ist Lineage microg. It comes with Google Messaging Services replacement (named “microg”) and – best oft all – F-Droid comes preinstalled which means all Apps from F-Droid are updated automatically. 
Additional I need to mention that version 15.1 (Oreo) is out since this week.
I’m very happy with Lineage right from the first time I got my FP2.
Kind regards
Christian
2 Likes
You can download nearly all the apps without a google account from alternatives stores like apkpure or aptoid for the free (as a free beer) ones, or amazon appstore for those you have to buy (download these stores from the web).
If you aim for a Google free system, you won’t install Amazon store either, right? 
Btw: you can install Play Store Apps using Aurora (F-Droid).
I recently purchased a FP2 to replace my trusty old FP1. Since my personal opinion is that Google is essentially evil, I happily used my FP1 for many years without giving any information at all to Google.
I have not, as yet, been able to configure my FP2.
How can I get it to work without Google?
Hi Frieda, I moved your post here, I think you might find just what you were looking for above.
1 Like
I also would recommend to go for Lineage microg. I did run 14.1 for some month and have now moved to 15.1. Really amazing and battery-saving…
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.