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[-] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 374 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Before anyone gets too excited, the headline is clickbait. The bigger Chinese phone brands are looking into de-googled Android. They are still going to use Android.

several prominent Chinese smartphone manufacturers, including Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus, are exploring the possibility of developing versions of the Android operating system that do not rely on Google Mobile Services.

Chinese laptop makers are also in search of an OS that isn't Windows. Queue a race to prop Linux with Android support on that side of things.

[-] LMurch@thelemmy.club 145 points 2 months ago

de-Googled android sounds even better. The story is cooler than the title!

[-] eco_game@discuss.tchncs.de 104 points 2 months ago

I like your spirit, but I don't think a Chinese equivalent to Google Play Services would be more desirable

[-] timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

All I want is unified push really. Then you just choose your server or host your own.

Or just Linux. Like furios or phosh, etc.

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[-] Ulrich@feddit.org 36 points 2 months ago

I mean they just replace Google with their own Chinese data-mining services so, no, not cool.

[-] nasi_goreng@lemmy.zip 11 points 2 months ago

Exactly what happened with Indonesian release of Huawei.

Also, more ads everywhere. Even your lock screen.

[-] woelkchen@lemmy.world 31 points 2 months ago

de-Googled android sounds even better.

They are already degoogled for the Chinese market. What the Chinese Android variants to not have is a shared replacement for Play Services and a shared app store because everyone is doing their own thing for maps API, payment, ...

[-] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

I run that already with CalyxOS. I dig it.

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[-] agitated_judge@sh.itjust.works 35 points 2 months ago

It also says:

It is currently unknown whether these companies would aim for compatibility with existing Android apps or follow the path of Huawei's latest HarmonyOS NEXT, which removes Android app support entirely

So, it's not clear yet.

[-] knighthawk0811@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 months ago

de-googled Android you say?

ISeeThisAsAnAbsoluteWin.jpg

[-] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 8 points 2 months ago

Too bad that what you want in a Google-free Android distro isn't what the manufacturers want.

[-] troed@fedia.io 9 points 2 months ago

Waydroid is pretty nice, integrating the Android apps as regular apps in the Linux UI.

[-] network_switch@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 months ago

Waydroid is very close to greatness. My major hope there is Valve contributions to Waydroid for probable Steam Deck integration will make it incredibly seamless. There’s also the Android Translation Layer being developed

https://gitlab.com/android_translation_layer/android_translation_layer

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[-] steal_your_face@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 months ago

I thought android in China was already de-googled

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[-] ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 42 points 2 months ago
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[-] flop_leash_973@lemmy.world 30 points 2 months ago

We are going to move away from Google, by basing our new future on AOSP, which is also primary maintained by Google.......I smell another FireOS level product on the horizon. Still Android, but worse.

[-] libra00@lemmy.world 26 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You probably should've led with the fact that this is Chinese phones, not like Samsung and shit.

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[-] gencha@lemm.ee 23 points 2 months ago

A rumor of plans??! Tell me everything!!!

[-] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 14 points 2 months ago

Gurl let me spill the tea, there's word floating round in China that some bde powa playas be considering maybe kinda putting something together.

[-] vermaterc@lemmy.ml 21 points 2 months ago

Please, do not post clickbait

[-] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 21 points 2 months ago

If it's not proper linux I don't care

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[-] kepix@lemmy.world 20 points 2 months ago

arent there mods on the sub to delete clickbait crap like this?

[-] als 17 points 2 months ago

PostmarketOS for everyone!

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[-] altphoto@lemmy.today 13 points 2 months ago

Google meet Zune!

[-] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 8 points 2 months ago

How easy is it to degoogle Android? Don't currently use Android or iOS but dumb phone options are getting pretty limited these days.

If I got an Android phone I would probably be looking at something second hand because fuck paying 3 figures on a phone. I know I wouldn't use data at all, call/SMS SIM only. I guess another option is not needing to degoogle it as it will never talk to google once I have finished downloading maps of the country for OSMand and a few other apps. Then it can be on Wi-Fi to allow communication with my PC over LAN but don't allow it access to the internet.

If it never touches the internet after setup I guess outdated OS doesn't matter too much.

[-] dogs0n@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

If you're looking at getting a new (used) phone, I would suggest GrapheneOS (the most secure/private de-googled rom afaik).

You need a Pixel phone, the newer you get the longer you will keep getting software updates for the future (if you keep the phone past these many years of support, then I believe switching to a other rom will be required for security patches etc. Each phone is supported until Google stops supporting them I believe). You said you don't care about updates because you can keep it from connecting to the internet, but it's a plus anyways.

If you plan on never touching a google service, GrapheneOS allows for that (nothing google by default), but on the other hand, if you need google play, etc for banking apps or whatnot, they have that covered with Sandboxed Google Services (which you can run solely in another user profile on your phone for added privacy).

Anyways, I think GrapheneOS in a great option & their website has much more info if you'd like to continue hearing about it:

https://grapheneos.org/

p.s. you can check their website for how long different pixels will have continued support before (if) you get one (incase anyone else is reading this).

[-] oo1@lemmings.world 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You have to be careful to get a phone and model supported by one of the projects. Check all compatibility and install instructions before buying a phone. And if you need a manufacturer supplied unlock code, make sure the manufacturer still gives them out . Some will discontinue that service after a few years.

For graphene os you need one of the gogle devices - i've never tried it but i think its the one most people like.

lineageos supports more devices usually older.

I recently got lineageos working on sony experia xa2 - very happy with it. But to get there i had to go try like 6 computers before one of them sucessfully sent the bootloader unlock code over the ADB. For some reason usb is temperamental when doing stuff like that

It is a lot easier on really old stuff like samsung galaxy s3 or s4 if you can tolerate something that old. Maybe you'll lso end upon an old version of lineage.

Once you get the bootloader unlocked it is generally straightforward. but modern phones make that fist part awkward.

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[-] Maxxie 7 points 2 months ago

Ironically, pixels are best for de-googling (stock android that can be easily un- and re-locked)

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[-] network_switch@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 months ago

Anything closer to supporting regular Linux applications the better. Though I’d expect anything like this to just be Android with well funded alternatives to Google applications/services. Whatever happens will be good for non-Google/Apple/Microsoft directed platforms

[-] Randelung@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

What ever happened to that other OS that was named after a color

[-] Overshoot2648@lemm.ee 6 points 2 months ago

Fuschia? That was a Google alternative to Linux that never panned out. It was weird with streams instead of files.

[-] ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 6 points 2 months ago
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this post was submitted on 02 May 2025
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