Does this mean it will work with older microG versions too? Or does it still require a certain microG version?
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I am assuming it will require the latest version of micorG with which it has been tested. Not sure anyone has tested it with previous microG versions. Will check with the team and get back on this.
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The update is that the apk requires App Store to be installed. Which would mean that the ROM will have to be the latest version – this ROM build should come OTA once we are done with the testing.
That being said users with development skills should be able to download the apk from our gitlab page and use it in their custom or unofficial builds. We will share the gitlab location with all users.
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That sounds like a lot of extra stuff on top of the standard EN (Exposure Notification) implementation of microG.
Especially given that microG already supports disabling EN for those who don’t want it.
EN is disabled by default in microG and won’t be enabled without asking.
This sounds quite secure and privacy protecting for me.
So why the extra work to do an additional app instead of delivering the standard microG implementation?
Don’t get me wrong. If there’s something problematic about the standard microG EN implementation I’m curious to learn about it.
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In the hope of not opening that can of worms again now that the /e/ implementation is almost here … get yourself some popcorn and search for topics discussing the keywords corona and tracking. I won’t spoil it for you 
.
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The extra layer of enabling has been added on purpose. This is to force users to take that extra step to enable covid tracing on /e/OS.
We have two distinct group of /e/ users. One group absolutely hates Google and everything it stands for and the other group dislikes Google but still have to use specific parts of its services like the mail or standard social media apps.
Covid-19 impacts everyone irrespective of age , race, geographic location etc. We want to provide all our users a safe way to choose how to implement the tracing framework without compromising their personal beliefs or preferences. We want our users to choose how they implement it on their phone.
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Thanks for the hard work!
Without installing a COVID app you are not able to turn it on in the default microG implementation. Its like adding another switch to turn on the light bulb, it makes no sense at all unless the first switch is not working correct, is that the case?
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This is my understanding too, so in case you think the “second switch” will be implemented solely as a very time-intensive token of emotional support, I fear you are not wrong.
I really (and no sarcasm should be read into this) hope, it was worth it to keep the /e/ project going, considering the urgency of the pandemic.
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Exactly so it is. e now breaks the user interface with unnecessary queries. When the user installs the app, he has made a very conscious decision.
One of the problems which have surfaced was that the decisive difference between the API framework and the Apps which use it is a technicality some users don’t get or ignore because it doesn’t fit into their agenda.
/e/ have done the right thing for appealing to as many users as possible, sadly this took additional time.
The work should have been done months ago. There was a lot of time now spent on broken builds and what I consider less important work like breaking the user interface.
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Hi,
I’m a very new user of /e/OS. I’m not so technical and I would love to use Italian Corona App.
At the moment I’ve installed it on my FFP3+ via A store but it doesn’t work (the warming I get from the app at the end of setting is “Google play services are not ready yet to set exposure notifications”) even if actual running MicroG version is 0.2.13 (I updated it via Aurora store without knowing that it could be affect Corona apps running).
How will we get informed about the availabilty of this important update? have I to follow this threath or a notification will come on the phone?
Will the new update restore my unvolountary MicroG wrong update?
As far as I know, you can’t update microG as a user without root access, bc. microG is implemented as system app.
This is IMHO misinformation: The extended version (“Exposure Notification >>>Express<<<” doesn’t need an app for tracing, just Google working together with the authorities. xda-developers google-apple-exposure-notifications-express-covid-19-contact-tracing
The fact, that the Exposure Notification API implementation isn’t open source (just the specification) should make people investigating deeper. All we want is being able to decide if this implementation gets installed on our device or not: everybody should decide this on their own.
Lets not confuse things here. I think your comment is misleading and want to clarify.
On Stock Android with Google Play Services:
Google provides Exposure Notification API which is indeed proprietary code but open specification. Still you have to download an App to activate it. The article reports that Google decided to help governments writing this app by making a template. This template is configured with state specific settings like when to alert and what to recommend in that case. This app will not be forced on you, you will get a notification to download it (One may argue if this is bad practice). Only if you decide to do so, Exposure Notification API will be active. This is what is described in the article you linked.
On /e/ OS with microG:
There is an open source implementation of the open source specification of the Exposure Notification API. This would not be activated without you installing a tracing app even if /e/ had the standard microG version. To please people who don’t even want to have the inactive API on their devices (which IMHO is funny because big parts of microG are interfaces to privacy unfriendly google services, which are disabled until they are enabled by the user, so what’s that special with this one?) /e/ OS took extra steps with the explicit user install of this component.
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Thanks, @ljahn for the information! I checked the information and - despite iOS -, at the moment, for Android the download of an - automatically generated - app seems to be necessary (https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-apple-google/google-apple-roll-out-built-in-covid-19-exposure-notifications-to-phones-idUKKBN25S5LE).
This gives me some relief 
>so what’s that special with this one?)
For iOS, it’s quite clear: contact tracing via a proprietary interface can be misused. In Germany, the information people had to leave for “health reasons” was (mis)used for criminal investigations. Think criminal investigation → prosecution of government-critical people. Then think about this large scale, based on mobile devices.
>big parts of microG are interfaces to privacy unfriendly google services
If you don’t mind - could you please share which parts you’re thinking of?
/e/ OS took extra steps with the explicit user install of this component
Thanks, I understood it this way that this component is supposed to be installed with 0.13? As I’m an e noob, I’d be very grateful being pointed to the relevant information.
Thanks anyway!
Where do you have such information from.
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I guess he refers to that:
https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000119128962/deutsche-polizei-nutzt-corona-kontaktlisten-zur-strafverfolgung
https://www.golem.de/news/bayern-hamburg-rheinland-pfalz-polizei-nutzt-corona-kontaktlisten-in-mehreren-bundeslaendern-2008-150004.html
OK, thanks. Oh, thanks. I read that, too. I got your post wrong. I thought you meant that the German police had misused the Corona App for this.