I want to find the best medium between privacy and useability for my main phone (OnePlus 7 Pro).
I need some apps that I paid for (bought and/or In App Purchases) from the Play Store.
I also need to use Google apps such as Maps and Google Pay.
And I require my banking apps working, I’m not sure if /e/OS could cause problems.
I do not trust my phone’s stock OS. I debloated it and I’m using TrackerControl and SuperFreezZ to control as much of it and other apps as possible.
Could /e/OS allow me to do those things? From my understanding, MicroG and Aurora Store would be pretty limited for my use case. Otherwise I’m clueless about which ROMs I could rely upon.
I’ve had e/os for a week now and must say I’m very pleased. Not only is my FP3+ more responsive but my Irish banking app has stopped having issues which it persistently had with stock ROM with google play services. I’ve got banking apps from 4 different European countries which all work (downloaded using Aptoide store). Google Pay does not work and I guess shouldn’t work on a de-googled device.
@CapoFantasma97
The idea behind /e/OS is to not compromise privacy and security. Google violates both by it’s very nature. Google services and apps collect data on and about you. However I will attempt to answer your concerns as best I can.
You can use Google apps, like Maps, if you sign into MicroG which is located in the settings, with your Google account. Then go to /e/ App lounge and install Google maps. Google maps will run fine. YouTube and others as well. With Aurora store you will have to sign in with your Google account if you are saving your personal map data. This will also give you access to your paid apps. You also have to be sure you are signed into MicroG as well. Again, apps will work.
You should have no issue with most bank apps on /e/. Tracker control works great on /e/ as well.
The more alternatives to paid or proprietary apps you can find and use, the better. That will only increase Privacy and Security for you.
One such suggestion would be to use /e/OS maps app which is essentially Magic Earth. It offers you a lot more, to include downloading maps to your phone. If you happen to lose connection, you would still be able to have navigation. You can even import your points of interest from Google Maps into Magic Earth. I linked the ‘Tips and Tricks’ page to Magic Earth below.
Another suggestion is NewPipe. This YouTube client is great. It requires no account.
It might not, but it absolutely could cause problems.
/e/OS doesn’t have the underlying Google services which Google-dependent Apps rely on, /e/OS instead uses microG to mimic them.
This works rather well overall, but nobody can guarantee you that a Google-dependent App you really, really need will work for you at a certain point in time.
You might want to consider using LineageOS, installing the Google Apps and services you need via Open GApps (which doesn’t work with /e/OS with microG not being removable) and, if you want to use your Google account, to use Google’s device registration for the use of Google Apps and services on non-certified Android OSes, to not endanger your Google account … https://www.google.com/android/uncertified/
You can install and use maps without signing in with your Google account in either microG or Aurora Store. I installed Google Maps from Aurora Store using the usual anonymous login, and I don’t need to save my journeys so I just run the app. It displays a notification saying Maps won’t run unless you update Google Play Services, but you can ignore / dismiss it: the app works fine anyway
Some bank apps work fine with microG, others will refuse to install or run because you are not running your phone’s stock OS. Check this thread for more information about which apps do or do not work. Many /e/OS users find that accessing their bank’s internet banking in a web browser works well enough, even if their bank’s app won’t run