I have a few question about my FP5 with /e/os that I can’t seem to figure out just by looking in the settings.
Here they are:
How can I turn off one-handed mode? When I go to its page in the settings, the toggle seems to be greyed out but in the ON position, and I can’t toggle it off.
How can I disable the back button (using 3-button navigation) from opening the accessibility settings from the home screen? This really annoys me as I have MaxLock set up to restrict access to some apps, and it requires the settings to be locked as well. This means if I accidentally hit the back button from the home screen, I then need to unlock the accessibility settings just so that I can close them.
Why does Aurora store tell me there is an update to Google Play Services (even though only GAPPS appears in my apps list, no mention of Google Play Services), but when I try to update it, it tells me there is a conflicting package existing. Is it safe to remove this? If I do, will any apps I have installed switch to using GAPPS for their play services needs? If this was installed by an app as a dependency for example, how can I determine which apps will exhibit this behaviour of installing stuff on their own prior to installing them so that I know to either avoid it or remove Play Services after? Here is a screenshot of the Aurora store notification:
As for the gapps its really weird. I swear i had it installed from murena, but now when i search for it in the apps (system apps showing) it doesnt appear, but neither does google play services.
The methods to differentiate 2 button, 3 button, and Gesture navigation may vary with Android version. These may the key words to solve your dilemma. As far as I understand One handed mode comes out of Gestures, but there is a complicating factor of a shortcut to One handed mode out of Accessibility.
As said by @mihi Aurora store will attempt to interfere. Check in App Info that Google Play Services was installed from STORE, Aurora, if yes uninstall it for sure.
Hmmm I just had a look through the settings of the forums with the goal of adding my version/build/phone model to my signature to make it easier in the future for such situations, but I couldnt find anything. Is this feature missing from these forums?
In any case, here is my info:
/e/os version: 2.9-t-20250321478215-official-FP5
Build number: e_FP5-user 13 TQ3A.230901.001 eng.root.20250321.151936
Device: Fairphone 5
As for the play services, i think it might be something with my understanding of how it works on /e/os with microG (please clarify it for me if im wrong), but from the aurora store when i go to the Google Play Services App Info:
Why did you even install Aurora in the first place? A lot of people recommend it blindly if you ask me, without explaining some implications. Then the typical user opens a new post without searching for it on the Forum (I think it is a pain sometimes to find stuff), but with persistance you find it. I also use Aurora but I researched a lot back then to understand into what am I getting into, since it isn’t the ‘Stock’ app
If you long press on the update line you can add it to the block list. Do it as I suggsted you before. For me it doesn’t sound as if you have flashed GAPPS.
You don’t go to the trouble of getting a degoogled phone to get involved with search some Google element which you introduced
Please search and understand microG better – loosely speaking microG “fakes” Google Play Services and keeps Google at a distance from the device. microG looks sufficiently like Google Play Services, that Aurora attempts (and in your case we are assuming succeeded) to “update” A with B.
… don`t do that, do as I suggested …
Edit. You do not even need to do this last part, but it is so you “see for yourself” before uninstalling the app.
Im aware of what microG is and does, just was confused because it appears as “Google Play Services” in Aurora. I tried uninstalling it from there and I get a notification that"Uninstalling microG Services unsuccessful". So heres what I think the situation is:
Only microG is installed but in Aurora it appears with a different name, and there is a separate issue preventing it from updating (im thinking possibly the detected update is for the Google Play Services instead of microG or something like that).
In terms of blocking updates for specific apps from Aurora (someone else mentioned blocking Magic Earth Navigation & Maps as well), how can I do that? I didnt find any option from the app page for that
Ok, its finally cleared up. Just for any future people stumbling on this post, theres an easier way than manually checking each app in the blacklist manager. In Auroras Settings → Updates theres a toggle to only update apps installed by Aurora. This effectively checks all of them in the blacklist manager and “locks” them so you cant uncheck it.
As for my OPs point 1 and 2, it seems its something with my version of /e/os which is strange because its the official one and my updater in the settings tells me im on the latest version. If anyone can confirm that would be nice
Yes that’s a caveat with Aurora store, rather then list apps that you’ve actually installed with Aurora, it lists all apps on the phone it can detect. By default it updates everything. You have to tell it not to do that. I imagine it could mangle your /e/os instance if you just let it update everything it detects.
I’m still on 2.8 so I don’t know if App Lounge has been improved, but I was having a lot of problems with it. App Lounge was suffering hangs and blank screens and then it stopped providing privacy ratings, pretty much unusable. I disabled it and went to Aurora and F-droid. Aurora works flawlessly, even lets me buy apps when I’m logged into my Google account. That’s something App Lounge can’t do.
Yeap thats what stumped me. Since youre on 2.8 and im on 2.9, do you mind terribly posting a screenshot of your settings window for the one handed mode, and also if the back button behaves the same way on the home screen for you please? I’d like to see if its a difference between these versions
I am also getting a notification to update Google Play Services in Aurora.
I have read the above, I have toggled Aurora’s Settings/Updates:
‘Aurora Store apps only. Only check updates for apps installed by Aurora Store’.
I understand I also need to blacklist Google Play Services, I long pressed on Google Play Services in the Updates window, and selected ‘add to blacklist’, Google Play Services then disappeared from the Updates window list.
However after doing this I cannot now see it listed within Aurora’s blacklist manager, what am I missing here.
I am using Shelter, and have Aurora Store in both the ‘main’ and ‘shelter’ profile, again I cannot see Google Play Services with a tick next to it in the blacklist manager.
Im not sure what your situation is nor what shelter is, but for me it was enough to simply enable the setting to only update apps installed by aurora, there was no need to also manually blacklist it. If it helps, I dont see it in the blacklist manager either though.
A lot of people recommend it blindly if you ask me, without explaining some implications. Then the typical user opens a new post without searching for it on the Forum (I think it is a pain sometimes to find stuff), but with persistance you find it. I also use Aurora but I researched a lot back then to understand into what am I getting into, since it isn’t the ‘Stock’ app