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	{{Use dmy dates\|date=January 2020}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=January 2020}}
	{{short description\|Free and open-source alternative to Google Android libraries}}		{{short description\|Free and open-source alternative to Google Android libraries}}
			{{about\|the open source library\|science\|microgravity}}
	{{stack\|		{{stack\|
	{{Infobox software		{{Infobox software
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	\| logo_size = 100px		\| logo_size = 100px
	\| screenshot = MicroG Settings.png		\| screenshot = MicroG Settings.png
			\| latest release version= {{LSR/wikidata}}
			\| latest preview version= {{wikidata\|property\|references\|linked\|edit\|P348\|P548=Q3295609}}
	\| screenshot size = 250px		\| screenshot size = 250px
	\| caption = microG Settings app		\| caption = microG Settings app
	\| developer = ~~Marvin Wißfeld<ref name="Vice1" />~~		\| developer = {{wikidata\|property\|references\|linked\|edit\|P126}}
			\| released = {{wikidata\|property\|references\|linked\|edit\|P577}}
	\| released = {{Start date and age\|2015\|10\|4\|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.01\|title=Release v0.01 · microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore\|date=4 October 2015\|access-date=17 January 2020\|website=]\|author=mar-v-in}}</ref>
			\| programming language = {{wikidata\|property\|linked\|references\|edit\|P277}}
	\| repo = {{URL\|https://github.com/microg}}
			\| operating system = {{wikidata\|property\|linked\|references\|edit\|P306}}
	\| programming language = ]
		⚫	\| license = ]
	\| operating system = ]
⚫	\| license = ]
	}}		}}
⚫	{{Portal\|Free and open-source software}}
	}}		}}

	'''MicroG''' (typically styled as '''microG''') is a ] implementation of ] ] ] that serves as a replacement for ] on the ] operating system. It is maintained by ] developer Marvin Wißfeld.<ref name="Vice1" /> ~~MicroG allows mobile device users to access ] with less ] of their device activity compared to Google Play Services. In a presentation, Wißfeld~~ ~~described~~ microG as "the ] (libraries, ], ]) to create a fully-compatible ] without any proprietary Google components".<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.sfscon.it/talks/microg-what-it-is-and-where-its-going/\|title=MicroG - what it is and where it's going\|first=Marvin\|last=W.\|website=SFSCon\|language=en-US\|date=16 November 2019\|access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref>		'''MicroG''' (typically styled as '''microG''') is a ] implementation of ] ] ] that serves as a replacement for ] on the ] operating system. It is maintained by the German developer Marvin Wißfeld.<ref name="Vice1" /> He describes microG as "the ] (libraries, ], ]) to create a fully-compatible ] without any proprietary Google components".<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.sfscon.it/talks/microg-what-it-is-and-where-its-going/\|title=MicroG - what it is and where it's going\|first=Marvin\|last=W.\|website=SFSCon\|language=en-US\|date=16 November 2019\|access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref>

	== Background ==		== Background ==
	Although ] initially released the ] operating system as ] in 2007, the company gradually replaced some of Android's open-source components with ] as Android grew in popularity.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary\|title=Google's iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary\|first=Ron\|last=Amadeo\|date=21 October 2013\|website=]\|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref> ~~Marvin~~ Wißfeld~~,<ref name="Vice1" /> a German software developer,~~ created the NOGAPPS project in 2012 as a ] ] for ], Google's closed-source ] that has been ] on almost all Android devices. The NOGAPPS project became MicroG by 2016.<ref name="LWN">{{Cite web\|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/681758/\|title=Replacing Google with microG\|last=Willis\|first=Nathan\|date=30 March 2016\|website=]\|access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref>		Although ] initially released the ] operating system as ] in 2007, the company gradually replaced some of Android's open-source components with ] as Android grew in popularity.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary\|title=Google's iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary\|first=Ron\|last=Amadeo\|date=21 October 2013\|website=]\|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref> Wißfeld created the NOGAPPS project in 2012 as a ] ] for ], Google's closed-source ] that has been ] on almost all Android devices. The NOGAPPS project became MicroG by 2016.<ref name="LWN">{{Cite web\|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/681758/\|title=Replacing Google with microG\|last=Willis\|first=Nathan\|date=30 March 2016\|website=]\|access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref>

	== Features ==		== Features ==
	MicroG allows Android apps to access replica ] (APIs) that are provided by Google Play Services, including the APIs associated with ], ], and Google's ] and messaging features.<ref name="Vice1" /><ref name="ZDNet" /><ref>{{Cite web\|date=2020-09-10\|title=Release v0.2.12.203315\|url=https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.2.12.203315\|access-date=2020-10-27\|website=GitHub\|language=en}}</ref> Unlike Google Play Services, MicroG does not ] on the device, and users can selectively enable and disable specific API features.<ref name="Vice1" />		MicroG allows Android apps to access replica ] (APIs) that are provided by Google Play Services, including the APIs associated with ], ], and Google's ] and messaging features.<ref name="Vice1" /><ref name="ZDNet">{{Cite web \|last=Vaughan-Nichols \|first=Steven J. \|date=12 November 2019 \|title=The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android phone runs well -- for a beta \|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-e-google-free-pro-privacy-android-phone-runs-well-for-a-beta/ \|access-date=21 November 2019 \|website=] \|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|date=2020-09-10\|title=Release v0.2.12.203315\|url=https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.2.12.203315\|access-date=2020-10-27\|website=GitHub\|language=en}}</ref> Unlike Google Play Services, MicroG does not ] on the device, and users can selectively enable and disable specific API features.<ref name="Vice1" /> Depending what apps are installed by users, user activity may still be tracked by Google.{{Citation needed\|date=May 2022}}

	== LineageOS for MicroG ==		== LineageOS for MicroG ==
	{{see also\|LineageOS}}		{{see also\|LineageOS}}
	] for MicroG]]		]
	In 2017, microG released "] for microG", a ] of LineageOS – a free and open-source Android-based operating system – that includes both MicroG and the ] app store as pre-installed software. LineageOS for MicroG was created after LineageOS developers declined to integrate MicroG into LineageOS; the developers cited MicroG's need to ] ]s as a security concern.<ref name="Heise.de1" /><ref name="LineageOS2" /> To enable MicroG's functionality, LineageOS for MicroG includes limited support for signature spoofing.<ref name="Heise.de1" />		In 2017, microG released "LineageOS for microG", a ] of LineageOS – a free and open-source Android-based operating system – that includes both MicroG and the ] app store as pre-installed software. LineageOS for MicroG was created after LineageOS developers declined to integrate MicroG into LineageOS; the developers cited MicroG's need to ] ]s as a security concern.<ref name="Heise.de1" /><ref name="LineageOS2" /> To enable MicroG's functionality, LineageOS for MicroG includes limited support for signature spoofing.<ref name="Heise.de1" />

	MicroG developers claim that older smartphones consume less battery power using LineageOS for MicroG compared to operating systems that use Google Play Services.<ref name="Heise.de1" /> LineageOS for MicroG supported 39 device models in 2017,<ref name="Heise.de1" /> and now supports the same device models as LineageOS.<ref name="lineage.microg.org" /> Devices receive newer versions of LineageOS for MicroG through ~~weekly~~ ] updates.<ref name="lineage.microg.org" />		MicroG developers claim that older smartphones consume less battery power using LineageOS for MicroG compared to operating systems that use Google Play Services.<ref name="Heise.de1" /> LineageOS for MicroG supported 39 device models in 2017,<ref name="Heise.de1" /> and now supports the same device models as LineageOS.<ref name="lineage.microg.org" /> Devices receive newer versions of LineageOS for MicroG through semi-monthly ] updates.<ref name="lineage.microg.org" />
	{{clear\|left}}		{{clear\|left}}

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	For a 2018 paper on Android app privacy, security researchers from ] used MicroG to bypass Google's SafetyNet security mechanism on an ] ]. The researchers altered Android's ] and implemented signature spoofing to enable MicroG on the emulator.<ref name="Springer1">{{Cite conference\|last1=Ito\|first1=Katsutaka\|last2=Hasegawa\|first2=Hirokazu\|last3=Yamaguchi\|first3=Yukiko\|last4=Shimada\|first4=Hajime\|date=8 August 2018\|title=Advances in Information and Computer Security\|conference=13th International Workshop on Security, IWSEC 2018, ], Japan, 3–5 September 2018\|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science\|publisher=]\|pages=143, 150–151\|isbn=9783319979168\|access-date=19 January 2020\|via=]\|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kl1oDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA150\|editor-first2=Kan\|editor-last2=Yasuda\|editor-first1=Atsuo\|chapter=Detecting Privacy Information Abuse by Android Apps from API Call Logs\|editor-last1=Inomata}}</ref>		For a 2018 paper on Android app privacy, security researchers from ] used MicroG to bypass Google's SafetyNet security mechanism on an ] ]. The researchers altered Android's ] and implemented signature spoofing to enable MicroG on the emulator.<ref name="Springer1">{{Cite conference\|last1=Ito\|first1=Katsutaka\|last2=Hasegawa\|first2=Hirokazu\|last3=Yamaguchi\|first3=Yukiko\|last4=Shimada\|first4=Hajime\|date=8 August 2018\|title=Advances in Information and Computer Security\|conference=13th International Workshop on Security, IWSEC 2018, ], Japan, 3–5 September 2018\|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science\|publisher=]\|pages=143, 150–151\|isbn=9783319979168\|access-date=19 January 2020\|via=]\|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kl1oDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA150\|editor-first2=Kan\|editor-last2=Yasuda\|editor-first1=Atsuo\|chapter=Detecting Privacy Information Abuse by Android Apps from API Call Logs\|editor-last1=Inomata}}</ref>

			] includes options for using MicroG as a privacy enhanced replacement for some of the functionality in ].<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Degoogled Phone {{!}} Definitive Guide to CalyxOS & Micro G \|url=https://gofoss.net/calyxos/ \|access-date=2022-08-01 \|website=gofoss.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|title=microG \|url=https://calyxos.org/docs/guide/microg/ \|access-date=2022-08-01 \|website=calyxos.org}}</ref>
	The ] operating system, a privacy-oriented fork of LineageOS, includes MicroG instead of Google Play Services.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.bgr.in/news/meet-eelo-an-android-based-operating-system-that-doesnt-use-google-services/\|title=Meet eelo: An Android-based operating system that doesn't use Google services\|date=3 January 2018\|website=]\|language=en-US\|access-date=19 January 2020}}</ref><ref name="fossbytes1" /> In 2019, /e/ began selling ] smartphones with MicroG pre-installed.<ref name="ZDNet">{{Cite web\|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-e-google-free-pro-privacy-android-phone-runs-well-for-a-beta/\|title=The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android phone runs well -- for a beta\|last=Vaughan-Nichols\|first=Steven J.\|website=]\|language=en\|date=12 November 2019\|access-date=21 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="AndroidPolice2" />

			], a LineageOS soft fork, chose ''not'' to support MicroG or other ways of installing or running proprietary Google apps.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Broken - DivestOS Mobile \|url=https://divestos.org/index.php?page=broken#unsupported \|access-date=2022-08-23 \|website=divestos.org}}</ref> Since July 2023, DivestOS allows installing MicroG after enabling it in system settings, but does not recommend doing so and still considers this feature unsupported.<ref>{{Cite web\|title=Faq - DivestOS Mobile \|url=https://divestos.org/pages/faq#microgEnable \|access-date=2023-12-21 \|website=divestos.org}}</ref>
⚫	]' "Project Gem" smartphone, previously in development, used a fork of Android that eschews Google Play Services in favor of MicroG, according to Essential's ] to the Android ] in late 2019.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/10/essentials-new-smartphone-has-the-aspect-ratio-of-a-tv-remote/\|title=Essential's new smartphone has the aspect ratio of a TV remote\|last=Amadeo\|first=Ron\|date=9 October 2019\|website=]\|language=en-us\|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.xda-developers.com/essential-next-device-early-testing/\|title=Essential Confirms its Next Device is in Early Testing\|date=23 September 2019\|website=]\|first=Mishaal\|last=Rahman\|language=en-US\|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> Essential Products shut down in February 2020.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/essential-led-by-android-founder-andy-rubin-is-shutting-down/\|title=Essential, led by Android founder Andy Rubin, is shutting down\|last=Nieva\|first=Richard\|website=CNET\|language=en\|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/13/essential_products_closed/\|title=After just one phone, Essential Products ascends to the great venture capitalist in the sky\|last=Hughes\|first=Matthew\|date=13 Feb 2020\|website=www.theregister.co.uk\|language=en\|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news\|~~last~~=Wakabayashi\|~~first~~=Daisuke\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/technology/andy-rubin-essential-shutdown.html\|title=Andy ~~Rubin’s~~ Start-Up, Essential Products, Shuts Down\|date=2020-02-12\|work=The New York Times\|access-date=2020-02-14\|last2=Griffith\|first2=Erin\|language=en-US\|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

		⚫	]' "Project Gem" smartphone, previously in development, used a fork of Android that eschews Google Play Services in favor of MicroG, according to Essential's ] to the Android ] in late 2019.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/10/essentials-new-smartphone-has-the-aspect-ratio-of-a-tv-remote/\|title=Essential's new smartphone has the aspect ratio of a TV remote\|last=Amadeo\|first=Ron\|date=9 October 2019\|website=]\|language=en-us\|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.xda-developers.com/essential-next-device-early-testing/\|title=Essential Confirms its Next Device is in Early Testing\|date=23 September 2019\|website=]\|first=Mishaal\|last=Rahman\|language=en-US\|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> Essential Products shut down in February 2020.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/essential-led-by-android-founder-andy-rubin-is-shutting-down/\|title=Essential, led by Android founder Andy Rubin, is shutting down\|last=Nieva\|first=Richard\|website=CNET\|language=en\|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/13/essential_products_closed/\|title=After just one phone, Essential Products ascends to the great venture capitalist in the sky\|last=Hughes\|first=Matthew\|date=13 Feb 2020\|website=www.theregister.co.uk\|language=en\|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news\|last1=Wakabayashi\|first1=Daisuke\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/technology/andy-rubin-essential-shutdown.html\|title=Andy Rubin's Start-Up, Essential Products, Shuts Down\|date=2020-02-12\|work=The New York Times\|access-date=2020-02-14\|last2=Griffith\|first2=Erin\|language=en-US\|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

			] includes MicroG.<ref>{{Citation \|title=Introduction \|date=2022-08-22 \|url=https://github.com/iodeOS/ota \|publisher=iodeOS \|access-date=2022-08-23}}</ref>

			As of May 2022, Murena company is selling a few phones including MicroG with the ] operating system, a privacy-oriented fork of LineageOS, with Google Services "mostly removed".<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web \|date=3 January 2018 \|title=Meet eelo: An Android-based operating system that doesn't use Google services \|url=https://www.bgr.in/news/meet-eelo-an-android-based-operating-system-that-doesnt-use-google-services/ \|access-date=19 January 2020 \|website=] \|language=en-US \|archive-date=3 January 2018 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103120602/https://www.bgr.in/news/meet-eelo-an-android-based-operating-system-that-doesnt-use-google-services/ \|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="fossbytes1" /> In 2019, companies associated with /e/ began selling ] smartphones with MicroG pre-installed.<ref name="ZDNet" /><ref name="AndroidPolice2" />

	In 2020, ] began providing builds including MicroG built in for certain devices.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://omnirom.org/#blog\|title=OmniROM\|website=omnirom.org\|date=2020-03-10\|access-date=2020-09-12}}</ref>		In 2020, ] began providing builds including MicroG built in for certain devices.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://omnirom.org/#blog\|title=OmniROM\|website=omnirom.org\|date=2020-03-10\|access-date=2020-09-12}}</ref>
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	In 2016, Nathan Willis of ] expected MicroG to be a "welcome addition" for users of alternative Android-based projects, including ], ], and ]. Willis suggested that MicroG could increase its adoption by collaborating with these projects.<ref name="LWN" />		In 2016, Nathan Willis of ] expected MicroG to be a "welcome addition" for users of alternative Android-based projects, including ], ], and ]. Willis suggested that MicroG could increase its adoption by collaborating with these projects.<ref name="LWN" />

	Corbin Davenport, writing for Android Police in April 2018, installed LineageOS for MicroG on a ] smartphone using the ] image in an experiment in which he exclusively used open-source software on Android. Davenport~~, pretextuosly, said that he~~ was unable to log in to his ] through MicroG and ~~so he wrongly~~ concluded that "Going all open-source isn't feasible", despite the high quality of open-source Android apps ~~(whose installation doesn't need a google account at all) installable, for example, via~~ ].<ref name="AndroidPolice1">{{Cite web \|url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/04/29/like-using-open-source-software-android/ \|title=This is what it's like using only open-source software on Android \|first=Corbin \|last=Davenport \|date=29 April 2018 \|website=Android Police \|publisher=Illogical Robot \|access-date=19 January 2020}}</ref> '']''{{'}}s Brendan Hesse recommended MicroG in his November 2018 tutorial to ]. Hesse saw MicroG as a "promising" alternative to Google Play Services that was "incomplete and still in development", but said that it was "usable" and "runs pretty well".<ref name="LifeHacker1" />		Corbin Davenport, writing for Android Police in April 2018, installed LineageOS for MicroG on a ] smartphone using the ] image in an experiment in which he exclusively used open-source software on Android. Davenport was unable to log in to his ] through MicroG and concluded that "Going all open-source isn't feasible", despite the high quality of some open-source Android apps from ].<ref name="AndroidPolice1">{{Cite web \|url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/04/29/like-using-open-source-software-android/ \|title=This is what it's like using only open-source software on Android \|first=Corbin \|last=Davenport \|date=29 April 2018 \|website=Android Police \|publisher=Illogical Robot \|access-date=19 January 2020}}</ref> '']''{{'}}s Brendan Hesse recommended MicroG in his November 2018 tutorial to ]. Hesse saw MicroG as a "promising" alternative to Google Play Services that was "incomplete and still in development", but said that it was "usable" and "runs pretty well".<ref name="LifeHacker1" />

	Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, in a 2019 ] review of a refurbished ] smartphone from /e/, determined that applications which were more closely integrated with ] were less likely to function properly with ~~ΜicroG~~. During his device test, Vaughan-Nichols was able to use ], ], ], and other Android apps with no problems, while ] and ] operated less reliably; Vaughan-Nichols was not able to run Google Maps or ] at all, concluding, "applications can be a pain" and "installing /e/ is a monster of a job."<ref name="ZDNet" />		Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, in a 2019 ] review of a refurbished ] smartphone from /e/, determined that applications which were more closely integrated with ] were less likely to function properly with MicroG. During his device test, Vaughan-Nichols was able to use ], ], ], and other Android apps with no problems, while ] and ] operated less reliably; Vaughan-Nichols was not able to run Google Maps or ] at all, concluding, "applications can be a pain" and "installing /e/ is a monster of a job."<ref name="ZDNet" /> In May 2022, Vaughan-Nichols in ZDNet wrote "in the /e/OS, most (but not all) Google services have been removed and replaced with MicroG services."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web \|title=Murena, the privacy-first Android smartphone, arrives \|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/murena-the-privacy-first-android-smartphone-arrives/ \|access-date=2022-08-19 \|website=ZDNET \|language=en}}</ref>

	== References ==		== References ==
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	== External links ==		== External links ==
		⚫	{{Portal\|Free and open-source software}}
	* {{Official website}}		* {{Official website}}
	*		*
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	]		]
	]		]
	]		]
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Latest revision as of 07:41, 16 December 2024

Free and open-source alternative to Google Android libraries This article is about the open source library. For science, see microgravity.

microG

microG Settings app
Developer(s)	Marvin Wißfeld
Initial release	4 October 2015

Stable release	v0.3.6.244735 (23 December 2024; 15 days ago (23 December 2024))
Preview release	v0.3.5.240913

Repository	github.com/microg
Written in	Java
Operating system	Android
License	Apache License 2.0
Website	microg.org

MicroG (typically styled as microG) is a free and open-source implementation of proprietary Google libraries that serves as a replacement for Google Play Services on the Android operating system. It is maintained by the German developer Marvin Wißfeld. He describes microG as "the framework (libraries, services, patches) to create a fully-compatible Android distribution without any proprietary Google components".

Background

Although Google initially released the Android operating system as open-source software in 2007, the company gradually replaced some of Android's open-source components with proprietary software as Android grew in popularity. Wißfeld created the NOGAPPS project in 2012 as a free and open-source drop-in replacement for Google Play Services, Google's closed-source system software that has been pre-installed on almost all Android devices. The NOGAPPS project became MicroG by 2016.

Features

MicroG allows Android apps to access replica application programming interfaces (APIs) that are provided by Google Play Services, including the APIs associated with Google Play, Google Maps, and Google's geolocation and messaging features. Unlike Google Play Services, MicroG does not track user activity on the device, and users can selectively enable and disable specific API features. Depending what apps are installed by users, user activity may still be tracked by Google.

LineageOS for MicroG

Adoption

For a 2018 paper on Android app privacy, security researchers from Nagoya University used MicroG to bypass Google's SafetyNet security mechanism on an Android Marshmallow emulator. The researchers altered Android's package manager and implemented signature spoofing to enable MicroG on the emulator.

CalyxOS includes options for using MicroG as a privacy enhanced replacement for some of the functionality in Google Play Services.

DivestOS, a LineageOS soft fork, chose not to support MicroG or other ways of installing or running proprietary Google apps. Since July 2023, DivestOS allows installing MicroG after enabling it in system settings, but does not recommend doing so and still considers this feature unsupported.

Essential Products' "Project Gem" smartphone, previously in development, used a fork of Android that eschews Google Play Services in favor of MicroG, according to Essential's commits to the Android codebase in late 2019. Essential Products shut down in February 2020.

IodéOS includes MicroG.

As of May 2022, Murena company is selling a few phones including MicroG with the /e/ operating system, a privacy-oriented fork of LineageOS, with Google Services "mostly removed". In 2019, companies associated with /e/ began selling refurbished smartphones with MicroG pre-installed.

In 2020, OmniROM began providing builds including MicroG built in for certain devices.

Reception

In 2016, Nathan Willis of LWN.net expected MicroG to be a "welcome addition" for users of alternative Android-based projects, including CyanogenMod, Replicant, and Blackphone. Willis suggested that MicroG could increase its adoption by collaborating with these projects.

Corbin Davenport, writing for Android Police in April 2018, installed LineageOS for MicroG on a Xiaomi Mi 4c smartphone using the Team Win Recovery Project image in an experiment in which he exclusively used open-source software on Android. Davenport was unable to log in to his Google Account through MicroG and concluded that "Going all open-source isn't feasible", despite the high quality of some open-source Android apps from F-Droid. Lifehacker's Brendan Hesse recommended MicroG in his November 2018 tutorial to "quitting Google". Hesse saw MicroG as a "promising" alternative to Google Play Services that was "incomplete and still in development", but said that it was "usable" and "runs pretty well".

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, in a 2019 ZDNet review of a refurbished Samsung Galaxy S9+ smartphone from /e/, determined that applications which were more closely integrated with Google Mobile Services were less likely to function properly with MicroG. During his device test, Vaughan-Nichols was able to use Signal, Telegram, Facebook, and other Android apps with no problems, while Lyft and Uber operated less reliably; Vaughan-Nichols was not able to run Google Maps or Twitter at all, concluding, "applications can be a pain" and "installing /e/ is a monster of a job." In May 2022, Vaughan-Nichols in ZDNet wrote "in the /e/OS, most (but not all) Google services have been removed and replaced with MicroG services."

References

Arielle Gordon (7 June 2019). "The Open Source Project That Keeps Google's Hands Off Your Android Data". VICE.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
"v0.01". Retrieved 1 February 2021.
https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/releases/tag/v0.3.6.244735. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
"Releases · microg/GmsCore". Retrieved 14 December 2024.
^ Gordon, Arielle (7 June 2019). "The Open Source Project That Keeps Google's Hands Off Your Android Data". Vice. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
W., Marvin (16 November 2019). "MicroG - what it is and where it's going". SFSCon. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
Amadeo, Ron (21 October 2013). "Google's iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary". Ars Technica. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
^ Willis, Nathan (30 March 2016). "Replacing Google with microG". LWN.net. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
^ Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. (12 November 2019). "The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android phone runs well -- for a beta". ZDNet. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
"Release v0.2.12.203315". GitHub. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
^ Leemhuis, Thorsten (4 November 2017). "LineageOS-Ableger vermeidet Google-Code" [LineageOS offshoot avoids Google code]. Heise Online (in German). Retrieved 19 January 2020.
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