Urgent: COVID-19 tracking app not working - Google Play Services not updated

Using /e/OS Applications
#1

Hi to all!
First of all I want to thank you for your amazing work, I really like your OS!

Unfortunatly today I came across a very important issue which made me VERY VERY mad, not at you, but at my own government.
I already filed an issue on your Gitlab on this (and on the app Github), I couldn’t find any better prject into which report it so I opened it under FakeStore, let me know if I should change it. It’s this.

This is of special interest for italian citizens now, but might be important in the future when such new apps will be popping out in other countries.

“The italian government is finally rolling a test of the so called “Immuni” app, which should (theoretically) be in conformity with the European PEPP-PT project for COVID tracing apps. Its source is available here. I have downloaded it today and it has an issue with microg, it says Play Services is not updated and thus the app will not work, and it doesn’t let me start the app and do whatsoever.”

Now, is there any way to fis this? In my opinion a simple update of microg version to match the new Play Services one could work, I guess the app just checks the version and there is no real new “function” which the app needs, but I am no expert and have no clue of how to check this. If someone could guide me on how to do it I could even try it myself.

Thank you for your help and keep up the great work.

1 Like
Tracking App im OS eingebaut
Immuni - Italian Covid-19 tracking app
#2

I think all these tracking apps won’t work, because they will need 100 goolag play services.

And from my side of view I’m happy about that. If I have to use such a tracking app, I will go back to my old Nokia mobil phone. I don’t want be tracked from any person, health organization, government or any else

8 Likes
#3

Exactly!
Actually, this the main principle behind the /e/ OS.
For me it does not make any sense anyone to use /e/ if they want the mainstream apps.
They would be better served with LOS or official Android.
My two cents, ok? Not meaning to disrispect anyone’s opinion.

7 Likes
#4

Agree. The problem is these apps are mandatory in some countries. In India there is an app which is supposed to be installed if you have to travel. I am sure it will not work on /e/, Luckily I do not have to travel :slight_smile:

5 Likes
#5

I do understand and share your views, but we are not talking about entertainment apps, this is a public health issue and I want to protect me and my social circle. Moreover such apps are mandatory in some countries.

If /e/ OS wants to be a reliable alternative, in this particular case it should provide a way to make tracing apps work, if they are open source of course, which it is the case.
Since it might simply be a microg versioning issue I was raising the issue to see if they could fix this in an easy way. Of course I know is not their fault at all.

3 Likes
#6

Are you sure a micro G update will fix this issue because if it does raise it as a bug and I can request the team to push it in the next build

#7

Yep. I understand that people want to use this kind of app.
You may be aware of the restrictions this kind of apps are facing throughout the world because exactly the monitoring aspect. But that would be a different discussion not a “technical” one.
The thing, I believe, is that it’s not feasable to adjust an entire echosystem because of one app and one that goes in the opposite direction which is, exactly, avoid monitoring.
Well, anyway, techincally speaking it should work either way. Probably it’s a bug that can be fixed.

4 Likes
#8

I think we shouldn’t discuss it here. Alot of people does have different thoughts about it.

2 Likes
#9

The only reason I am saying we can look into this is because Covid-19 is something that has changed the way we live. Governments are making use of this and pushing out apps which monitor us 24x7. If we as citizens are forced to use it there is no way we can avoid it. A user having to change his / her phone because one app does not work is asking a bit too much. Anyway that is my personal view. If there is a new version of MicroG that anyway will get pushed.

3 Likes
#10

Hi Manoj!
Thanks for reaching out. I filed a bug on the Github page of the app and was reading through some discussion about it, and my assumption that it could be fixed with just a versioning change might me wrong. It seems it is a new framework developed by a collaboration between Apple and Google.
Anyway I will fill a bug on your Gitlab to see if you could make some tests. Unfortunately I’m no expert so I probably cannot be of great help with it, I would if I could.

As stated here: "For those phones, Google intends to publish a framework that those companies could use to replicate the secure, anonymous tracking system developed by Google and Apple. "

So maybe this could be implemented when (and if!) they will publish the freakin’ framework?

About your view I completely agree with it. Of course /e/ OS was born right to avoid tracking, but this is a whole different issue. While in my country, Italy, the app is not yet mandatory, it might be in the future, and in other countries it is already. And since it is a health issue I think /e/ OS should give the possibility to use such tools to its users. I, personally, would like to use the app if it might prove helpful to protect my people. Of course we could debate of its real effectivness, but this is not the point and no one can know until some months (if not years) pass. In my opinion if /e/ OS wants to be a reliable alternative to the main OSes it is very important that apps developed for such particular cases work on it.

1 Like
#11

these tracking apps use the newly integrated tracing API which comes with Google services, as it was introduced just a month ago i m quite sure that microG didnt implement it yet :slight_smile:

1 Like
#12

maybe rather address it to google to provide the API outside of their proprietary services…

2 Likes
#14

As soon as this tracking framework will be implemented in eOS I will leave it. I don’t want to be tracked.

EDIT: But I think an eOS without MicroG will stop this tracking via new goolag framework. :slight_smile:

5 Likes
#15

Yes, I guess the change made by Apple and Google for this framework might make the simple versioning of microg not enough to have it working. Probably we’ll just have to wait until they release that framework as they said (if they ever will!). I will try push on their channels to see if I get some reply (I don’t believe I will get any result). Anyway I find it absurd that governments decided to rely on this framework being completly dependant on Google and Apple for making this app. I think this once again shows how impmortant it is to break this distorted balance in the IT world and the importance of projects such as /e/ OS, microg and similar.

4 Likes
#16

I really 100% agree with you.

This kind of tracking app is bullsh…
A false pretext.

7 Likes
#17

I have a few questions. Is there a MicroG update required or is there a different framework to be added. Is framework already implemented in MicroG ?

#18

i don t think it is or will be added, but that depends on microG but the main framework is implemented in Google Services only for now…

#19

I think I read somewhere Gael Duval wouldn’t like to implement any framework for Apple/Google tracker app, so it must be same for this french app. I hope !

3 Likes
#20

I just checked the MicroG site the latest version is already there on our ROM - 0.2.10.19420.
There will be no google framework added to /e/. If the app does not work on this version of MicroG then it may not work on /e/

4 Likes
#21

That is right. There will be no google framework implementation. What works with MicroG is all that we get. If it does not work with the latest versions of MicroG then it cannot be implemented.