microG is fixed in /e/ OS ROM and is updated via /e/ OS Update by the /e/ Build Team.
Although the microG features can be disabled or the components can even be uninstalled manually, not every user who wants to use /e/ OS without microG is comfortable with this.
It would be a great thing if /e/ OS would be released as minimal eOS with a reduced number of apps and also as /e/ OS “Signature Spoofing microG ready” version in the future.
»This app tests the signature spoofing capability of your Android OS as required by the microG Project. It attempts to fake its own signature and reports whether it succeeds.«
You can find more information about signature spoofinghere.
I think a minimal version is already on his way. I don’t know if it will have signature spoofing enabled though. I guess if MicroG isn’t installed it’s better not to enable signature spoofing (I don’t really know what a bad app could do with signature spoofing.)
Why do you want a ROM with signature spoofing and without MicroG ?
“I don’t know” aren’t facts, but I appreciate them all the more.
With “Signature Spoofing microG ready” I’ve the option to use the /e/ OS ROM without microG similar to Havoc-OS or pure LineageOS.
At the same time I’ve the guarantee that I can easily upgrade microG without any tricks & patches, for example with NanoDroid-fdroid, and also uninstall it again without any residues. This modular structure of /e/ OS ROM simply offers more flexibility.
I find the whole microg/signature spoofing thing rather confusing. My device (SM-G900F, aka klte) has /e/ and the MicroG self-check says signature spoofing is supported, permitted and working. However, the signature spoofing checker app linked to above says it’s disabled. I think something’s wrong because of this inconsistency. A recent update to Signal (which I believe has some reliance on signature spoofing on /e/) now also doesn’t download messages until the app is opened. It used to be OK. Does anyone have any idea what I might look at to try and fix things? Thanks.
I have patched my /framework/base with the pie patch. The next 2 builds are both failing on errors
error: invalid file path ‘frameworks/base/core/res/res/values/config.xml.orig’.
error: invalid file path ‘frameworks/base/core/res/res/values/config.xml.rej’.
error: invalid file path ‘frameworks/base/core/res/res/values/strings.xml.orig’.
My Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F, aka klte) with freshly installed Havoc-OS ASOP 10 has the privilege “signature spoofing” by default and is therefore “microG ready”.
My Galaxy S7 Edge “hero2lte” with freshly installed unofficial LineageOS 17.1 has the privilege “signature spoofing” by default and is therefore “microG ready”.
“microG ready” means that the custom ROM is prepared in source code so that the microG components (Services Core, Services Framework Proxy, Store (FakeStore release) , DroidGuard Helper, UnifiedNlp) can be easily installed later, if useful.
Although mircoG is a useful replacement for the G°°gle Play Services (GPS), it does not fully contribute to privacy and system security. Therefore I can imagine the use of /e/ OS very well without these “mobile services”. I also use GrapheneOS and that works without microG or GPS - with all its limitations.
Now I’m even more confused. I have an official /e/ build. MicroG says signature spoofing is working. So far, so good. Then I applied an update to Signal and found that I now have to open the app in order to receive messages. Then I found this thread, clicked a link above about signature spoofing and wondered if this had anything to do the problem with Signal. I then tried the app linked to above which reported that signature spoofing is not working (contradicting what MicroG says.) So now I don’t know if it’s working or not, nor do I know if this has anything to do with the problem with Signal.
The Signal Messenger also works without G°°gle Play Services and therefore also without mircoG. I use Signal on GrapheneOS. But their problem has nothing to do with the topic I opened.
@Vaughan, if you need help with /e/ OS and Signal Messenger - please open a thread in the appropriate section. There you will surely get help.
the push messaging is a different thing. It has nothing to do with signature spoofing. For push messaging the app must be registered in MicroG. Best you are check the link @georgie_abitbol has posted above
Signal provides their own official version of the app without GCM but the normal one was working before the update. Anyway thanks to you all for teaching me that this has nothing to do with signature spoofing. Maybe I’ll try reinstalling. Ciao.
I’m in the same situation, no permanent notification and no background process (I don’t use MicroG) since 3 updates. I already tried to reinstall but I just receive notifications when the phone starts. After that, Signal is dead again.
Sadly I can’t downgrade the app because the backup can’t be restored on older versions.
The idea of an /e/OS lite without microG but with sigspoofing support still available sounds good. Having a ROM that’s part of the /e/cosystem while allowimg a certain amount of freedom to go in any direction one may choose.
Add microG if needed for some Google compatibility, just use UnifiedNlp (for location services), or nothing at all.
I prefer and use mostly ROMs that have sigspoofing built in. Preferable to patching or using mods (Xposed FakeGApps).
The thing with LineageOS for microG and /e/ is that the sigspoofing is just there. Whatever needs it will have it. Well, seems that way on the surface.
With other ROMs you either have the ability to toggle on/off spoofing globally (crDroid f.i.) or to explicitly grant permissions for an app to use the spoofing (finer control). I would like to see something like either of those.
