NHS Covid-19 app won't work unless I update Google Play Services

I’ve said it before but clearly not everyone reads the whole thread before they post. The UK app is open source and the code is available on GitHub. If anyone has concerns about what this app is doing, please read the code and then report back here if any concerns remain with a detailed explanation of why. Unsubstantiated claims of spying do nobody any favours.

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What’s the point of this question?
Apparently people want to install Apps by the large data collectors or any other tracker-infested Apps, too, if they choose so. And microG included in /e/ gives them that choice, compatibility of microG with the respective App of choice allowing.
/e/ deliberately provides this choice to its users, like it or not. And /e/ would get exactly nowhere denying this choice … death by App gap.

Now microG can additionally emulate the groundwork for COVID-19 Apps, along with the other Google services it can emulate. Big deal (notice the irony tags).
It’s still your choice to install an App which uses this, or not.

There are corona Apps out there data privacy and security experts found to be ok in connection with the API.
If you’ve got issues with a corona App, take that up with the App in question. There’s a difference between an App and the API an App may use.

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Those links are nothing to do with the app. They are about the “pen & paper” contract tracing system. As for the rest, it’s a bunch of misdirection and emotional claptrap. You clearly didn’t look at the code or you would have pointed to lines in the source files which are of concern.

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Oh, it seems you are another Leifrod. Completely impervious to logic and reason. My interaction with you on this subject ends here.

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All please get back on the topic …No personal attacks or political statements on this forum.

BTW the update is we expect to implement the Covid detection framework in microG by end of Oct in the /e/ OS. It will be disabled by default and does not work by itself …needs installation of applications specific to your country.

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Sorry if I ask, but how does this solution differ from just integrating updated microG which could have been done (and was originally planned and promised) in the last update?
It was said that /e/ would come up with a much more sophisticated solution.

That is what the team is working on and causing this delay. I can share details once I have it and also once we test it works.

I said I wouldn’t engage with you again on this subject but it seems a clarification is in order. I posted something which breached community standards. I received an email from the moderation team alerting me to this fact. As I felt some regret for this, I removed the offending section of the post. I have not reported you for any reason, nor will I. I have no idea who did, but the fact that somebody did might give you cause to reconsider your attitude. My IQ is unknown to you but if you wish to infer it from anything I posted, please go ahead. I hope you are more considerate of available evidence than you are in respect of the discussion on the nature of Covid-19 phone apps. I shall ignore you now.

OK, but just implementing updated microG would do exactly this.

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Hello @Manoj, thank you for update! Just to double check, will the microG, which includes the tracing API, be default part of /e/ operating system? I guess not because that would beat the principle of deGoogled phone, but I rather ask. :slight_smile:
And will there be then a microG without the API also available? Not that I would need it. I’m just nosy. :wink:

We will be publishing an explanation on the way microG works and how the covid framework is implemented …the explanation comes from none other than the man who created it - Marvin Wißfeld. It should be published early next week.

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I’m also interested how other microG features work, and what data is send through Google, can that be explained also?

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What you need to know about microG you can get from them and other places.

microG website
microG GitHub
microG overview at Wikipedia

I like to know what data is exchanged between Google and microG, how it’s better then the Google implementation? i don’t see this on the website, only an abstract explaination. And github… that would take a lot of time… So still like some details on this stuff.

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I think this is really a fault in the app. It should not have this requirement if it is supposed to be usable by as many people as possible.

A few screenshots instead of long words …

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What device is that? Does the venue check-in work too?

Yes.
Samsung Galaxy S5 (klte) with aPixelExperience 9.0 customROM - incl. module venue check-in.



No.
The new UK NHS Covid-19 app version 3.7.2 (85).85 from 14.10.2020 works for me with microG Services Core version 0.2.12.203315 on @harvery186’s Q-GSI ROM, …

uk_nhs_covid-19-oct20

… but not the module ‘venue check-in’. This is probably very device dependent …

The same is true for me, using the same version of microG Services Core on my Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact (sadly not yet running an /e/ ROM, as there isn’t an up-to-date, working version for this device yet :frowning: )

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