My bank (Triodos UK) has shifted to a mobile secure key, and I’ve been trying to activate it for a while, but it always throws an error when it comes to uploading a video of my face for verification. Recently, it showed that I need to download Google Play Services, which I guess is why I’ve been getting the error. Is there any way to get around this, I can’t find Google Play Services on Aurora (v4.1.41), if I get Google Play Services off another Android phone via a sharing app will this work? Or should I tell my bank to re-work their app so it works without Google Play Services??
No.
/e/OS includes microG already, which poses as Google Play Services, but it’s of course not a 100% exact replacement, and you can’t replace it in /e/OS with the genuine Google stuff. Many Google-dependent Apps work just fine with microG at a point in time, some don’t.
You can do that, and then you can have a good laugh about it together with your bank, I suppose .
Which /e/OS version on which Fairphone are you running? Please refer to this here …
Thanks, I thought it wouldn’t but don’t really know too much of the background tech stuff (about microG) and just wanted to check.
Could at least try haha, they’re supposed to be an ethical bank though I suppose their ethics wouldn’t extend to FOSS and de-Googling…
Apologies, should have made it clear. I’m using FP3+ (I think, or it might be FP3), /e/OS 0.14-2021012698290. Okay I’m realising now that my /e/OS version is rather outdated, maybe if I give it an update to 1.7 (the latest? or 1.5?) the bank app might work…?
Yeah, the bank app worked fine until they required this mobile secure key and it still works fine apart form this mobile secure key thing.
it’s not uncommon though, for other digital banks like Monzo, uploading a video of your face to match your identity documents is common practice.
One could hope I guess, but I think it’s unlikely. Google does make life easier for most people, for whom privacy or hegemony is not an issue, and who don’t know/understand this kinda tech stuff. I barely have a grasp of how it works (& my work is mostly computational)…
Yes, there’s a chance it might work, because the included microG gets updated along with the OS, and a current microG should be the best chance for App compatibility. If the current /e/OS 1.7 is on offer for you, I’d go with that.
I’ve installed and rebooted to v1.5, but sadly the bank app still tells me to install Google Play Services to proceed. This is rather frustrating, I’ll try taking it up with the bank and see what they say…
My bad (please bear with me while I get my etiquette up to scratch), but you are right, I have the /e/OS Q (Android10) DEV version: 1.5-q-20221031230909-dev-FP3
Currently the /e/OS dev release channel prior to Android 12 (S) has no chance to pass Google SafetyNet by default, which is a requirement with many banking Apps.
Adding this to the /e/OS dev builds (and breaking a different feature in exchange) prior to Android 12 (S) is currently in discussion here … and you can vote …
there’s no entry yet at microg issue tracker for “com.triodos.bankinguk”.
You could observe adb logcat (see howto) output while you interact and try to either take the photo or when sending it off. It will - in dozens of lines and sometimes rather convoluted - tell you what exactly it is failing on. This would be the basis of a report to microg if it is at issue.
Over time there is a chance it is addressed while implementing parts of play services.
Maybe a stable version of /e/ could work with your bank app, as it pass safetynet detection.
If not, or if you choose to stay with dev, “universal safetynet fix” module of the “magisk” app should do the trick. [Howto] install magisk and hide that OS have been modified
I would advise the same, also because v1.5 for Q on FP3 is the last release and so you will have to upgrade to R anyway if you want to keep receiving future updates.
I run LienageOS for MicroG, and I get the same response. I just logged into my online banking account via a web browser and sent the following message:
Subject: Mobile app
Message:
I am trying to set up the mobile app on the Android phone, which runs
the LineageOS for microG operating system[1] - a privacy-respecting
phone custom ROM providing “The full Android experience without
Google Apps.”
When I reach the point where the app wants to record a video of my
face, the video screen appears briefly, then I see a screen saying
“Please install Google Play Services to continue”, and I am unable to
progress any further. The phone OS does not include Google Play
Services, and they cannot be installed.
Please let me know how I can use the app *without Google Play
Services.
.
it’s not uncommon though, for other digital banks like Monzo, uploading a video of your face to match your identity documents is common practice.