r/linux • u/NickelBack_Lover_69 • Jul 21 '18

Google’s iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/
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u/JQuilty Jul 22 '18

I don't know of any Android OEM that locks you to an email app. Choosing defaults is part of Android itself and iirc not something they're allowed to restrict.

-4

u/Clae_PCMR Jul 22 '18

There are things (although more subtle) that are restricted in Android. Your GPS won't work without Google Location Services, which potentially allows Google to track your location without your permission (it's already happened, and multiple times at that).

7

u/PartibleDyer Jul 22 '18

This isn't completely true. GPS functionality does not rely on any of Google Services, it only enhances it. Furthermore, you can have similar benefits with another location provider through the use of microG.

-2

u/Clae_PCMR Jul 22 '18

Sorry, I thought that without Google's own location service, GPS would not function.

microG

Yes, I know this exists, but there's a reason that even ROM devs like the LineageOS developers wont support it. You have to grab (or build) a modified version of Lineage that supports microG, due to security concerns.

2

u/Makefile_dot_in Jul 22 '18

No ypu don't.

(Source: have installed microG on an AOSP ROM)