Issues with Signal Messenger without Google Apps

Help Fairphone 1
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Signal Messenger tells me since a few days that it is outdated and will stop working in a few days, and that I have to update it. When trying to do so, Google Play tells me the app is no longer supported on my device.

For that reason I upgraded my FP1 FE to Android KitKat (4.4.4) for FP1. So far it works but there are some problems, the phone doesn’t seem to be stable any more:

  • Phone function stopped working (reception/SIM card vanished) until factory reset
  • Rebooted itself
  • Hard froze (had to remove battery)

For now, I have not installed Google Apps and since Signal requires Google Play, I am using it with Yalp. Sending and receiving messages works, but Signal complains about permanent connection loss after each restart of the phone, and notifications about new messages don’t seem to work. I think I’ll try installing Google Apps now, had it before the upgrade anyway…

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Installing Open GApps worked like a charm and like others have reported already, Signal Messenger works just fine now.

So I have Google Apps back now but okay, for me its worth being able to use Signal.

No more stability issues so far, maybe the last recent battery removal helped somehow?

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You can also use Signal without GAPPS, if you use this https://signal.org/android/apk. The version offered here is using WebSockets and no Google API. I’m happy with that for quite a while (appart from sometimes laggy message delivery… well that seems to be the price for not supporting Google ^^).

Singu

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According to my research, Signal detects whether the Google services are installed and automatically switches to WebSockets if they are unavailable. This detection can fail if e. g. microG is installed. The recommendation is to uninstall that, to start Signal and to install it afterwards. Also, Signal fails if Google services are disabled/uninstalled after the first start; a re-installation is needed in this case.

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Well that’s my preferred solution then (just removed Open GApps and installed that Signal “website universal release”) - I don’t mind if a message arrives later if the phone can be Google-free then :slight_smile:

Thanks for letting me know! I didn’t expect that there is a release of Signal that works without Play Services. Should always check the WWW first, there is a solution for almost everything…

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i do not use google at all on my fairphone, and signal works fine. i installed it either from pakpure or f-droid (can’t remember which) & have had no problems. its icon does not show up as a recently used app, so every time i have to go into the apps to open it. probably i could find something to change that, but it doesn’t really bother me.

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F-Droid doesn’t provide Signal, so it has to be ‘pakpure’. Btw I think you mean apkpure.

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At least the Signal “website universal release” works very well for me too without Google Apps. I don’t even have the impression that incoming messages are delayed.

Do you use the Fairphone Launcher? For me too Signal does not show up in “Recently Used”, but in “Most Used”. Didn’t even notice so far, since I just start Signal from an Icon on the home screen.

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whoops yes, that was a typo :slight_smile:

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i don’t have any delays receiving messages, or not that i notice. & i don’t use the fairphone launcher. i do get a message telling me that the latest features of signal won’t work unless i upgrade android - i’m on a fairphone 1 & have android 4.2.2. but signal is giving me all the features i need so in no rush to upgrade.

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