How to add system apps (priv-app) on Fairphone 3 (FP3)?

This is an attempt to shift the focus to a more relevant question based on what I found out in my previous thread. As far as I can gather, /e/ on a Fairphone 3 is set up in such a way that modifications to the system partition (/dev/block/by-name/system_a or /dev/block/by-name/system_b) will be ignored (i. e. will not show up in /system/ after booting normally) with the unmodified /e/ boot.img image. This is a problem, though, if one wants to add additional system apps to /system/priv-app/, which seems to be all but impossible with /e/ on this system.

However, as I discovered, this can be circumvented by installing Magisk:

After installing Magisk, F-Droid and its Privileged Extension, which were still left over from an earlier installation attempt, magically appeared alongside the newly-installed Magisk Manager app! Does that mean that the standard /e/ boot image somehow ensures that the OS only sees an unmodified system partition, but now that it’s been replaced by Magisk, this mechanism is disabled and the modifications to the system partition have become visible?

My issue is that I really don’t want to permanently install Magisk on the phone. I want to keep all the security and integrity checks in place, and only add a single system app to the /e/ installation. Is that not possible at all?

You have to modify tge /vendor/lineage/common.mk

Have you created s new folder in /prebuilds/prebuildsapks/ with all needed 3 files in it?

Than the app should be available in your new build.
I’m building most time with my own apks. But keep in mind. Systems are not upgrade able. You have to build with new apk to get it upgraded

I didn’t explicitly state this here, but losing OTA system upgrades really makes this option unacceptable. Are you saying that there is no other way?

Sorry, I thought you are talking about a selfbuild eOS version.

So if you are talking about an existing / installed version, than I have to ask which app do you want as system app and why ?

I’m trying to install the F-Droid Privileged Extension, which obviously only works as a system app.

OK, to get it working your phone has to be rooted for ever. Otherwise the extension can’t do his job

EDIT: All apps which should install apps / updates automatically are needing root access. So you phone MUST be rooted

I have no problem with the phone being rooted, but I don’t want to install Magisk, which replaces boot.img. My question is how to do this.

If you root your phone, it will always replace your boot.img, because it makes changes on it

I guess we have different definitions of “rooted”. What you’re referring to is what I would call “system-less rooting”.

Magisk or Su is for rooting your device to run several root commands. That what you want to to is rooting a device because you want an app running commands with system access. Therefore it is needed to change something on boot.img.

The other rooting is to unlock bootloader. And that’s we are NOT talking about.

There are only these 2 ‘rootings’ on Android devices

Well, originally the term “rooting” refers to the ability to execute programs on Linux as the privileged user “root”. A priori, I don’t see how either a boot image nor unlocking a bootloader are related to this, except as preconditions without which the software might prevent root execution by the user.

In any case, it seems to me that you’re suggesting that what I’m asking for is not possible, making this a deficiency of /e/, which I have reported on the GitLab issue tracker.

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OK, I give up. Android is not Linux and rooting has on Android a different meaning. As I have written, root must be enabled in boot.img because there is a lot of security access defined. And it has absolute nothing to do with eOS it ANDROID general.

Of course Android is Linux, it runs on a Linux kernel. (It’s not GNU/Linux, which I never mentioned.) And of course it has something to do with /e/ OS, because /e/ doesn’t provide a secure mechanism (or any mechanism, really) for users to add additional app stores such as F-Droid, which is certainly possible on a technical level.

totally wrong !!! Try it on ANY other custom rom. You will get the same result.

But as I have written before, I’m now out of this topic. I can write what I want and explain how much I want, you will it see different.

EDIT: a kernel is not a OS. Because only the OS is using a Linux Kernel, it isn’t Linux. Otherwise you would be able to run Linux pograms on Android OS.

This is obviously a can of worms to open, because there is no absolute truth here, only interpretation and subjective definition. For the sake of argument …

https://www.fossmint.com/difference-between-android-and-linux/

“Android is not a GNU/Linux distro but its Kernel (its powerhouse) is Linux and since it is the convention that a collection of software put together around the Linux Kernel is referred to as Linux, Android is Linux.”

cool, so we all are holding Linux devices in our hands !!! Great. I will now install Thunderbird or any other deb or rpm or pacman package on my device !! yeah, that’s it

The article also says
“I hope this article has helped you understand the relationship between Android and Linux and why although Android is Linux, it is not a Linux distribution”

You obviously don’t agree to this differentiation, and that’s fine, but there are other opinions out there, and they are as valid as yours.

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did you ever try to install it over recover at boot up. In the article of that frdroid privilege thing it states to do that. I did not try it because I dont want to have any automated install thing except the ones I allow and I clean my partitions from time to time.

Hmm well i guess it’s pointless to even think about pushing more the discussion. Sorry @AnotherElk

@harvey186 It’s not nice for me to have to mention this, but this is on you, and it seems to be quite frequent. Power comes with responsability and humility is very much needed.

That ‘/e/ support’ tag dont give you the right to be agressive and lecture people the way you’re doing it way too often, while not being able to even make a valid point.

Thanks in advance.
@Manoj

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I don’t see any aggressive comment from me.
Please show me where I was aggressive.

EDIT: I have just read the complete thread once more from beginning on. And I really see no aggressive comment from me.