You can blame the courts for this one. They basically ruled "Apple isn't a monopoly, because they don't even LET other people compete in the first place". (which is about a bass-ackwards as it gets but whatever)

Google saw this and went "shit..." so they're rushing to implement the same thing.

If you see a Googler, spit in its face

You would wish Google would turn into Apple. AAPL at least has the decency of respecting some privacy.

Google, on the other hand, is an advertising company (not a tech company), selling all the people pocket size advertisement billboards named “Android” for years, and they’re taking the last step of seizing full control over it.

This. Every day there is a new legitimate dataset of ids for sale on the internet. I have seen enough never to trust ids anymore

I (for the moment) use stock android without a google account without any issues.
Then again i don't use banking apps on a smartphone.
My gov provides ID apps and they work fine - then again, GPS is installed of course.
Fuck McDonnalds.

I'll have to check app support on Linage or PostMarketOS in the near future.

I've never had an issue with the three banking apps I tried on LineageOS, and I didn't even know there was a McDonald's app or pokemon games.

If this list for /e/os roughly applies to LineageOS (with microG), I wouldn't call it "only for secondary devices", more "won't work for some people"

Did I miss something? AFAIK google is requiring devs to ID, not to use SafetyNet or whatever the "only-runs-on-certified-phones" thing is called

Counterpoint: I use the McDonald's app where it belongs - on a giant greasy ordering kiosk.

But seriously, banks have websites. Everyone and everything has a website.

I don't need Android apps at the cost of my privacy or at the cost of control of my devices.

I use GrapheneOS as my only phone, and I have done so for years.

Whatever the topic, I don't need an app for that.

Exactly, trying to find software alternative for what ultimately going to be locked down hardware is never going to be a sustainable solution.

Alternative OS means nothing if there's no widely supported open hardware with unlocked bootloader to run such OS long term, and Google is got all mainstream phone manufactures cornered legally and commercially with this and their requirement for manufecturer authorization for shipping GMS suite with their products.

The only way out is this ridiculous decision of Google getting push backs from legislation, because there's nothing manufecturers can do and without them there's nothing FOSS developers can do to push back long term, and Google isn't stopping themselves from doing Evil™.

I assume this is the same with GrapheneOS?

Would you recommend a B-2 Spirit solution or not yet?

Already today using LineageOS means give up on banking apps, ID apps, and even McDonald’s and some games like Pokemon.

Yeah because Google with play intergrity now demands valid keys that gets invalidated as soon Google detect they are used for such usage. The cat and mouse game suddenly got much harder to beat.

But if I'm already using LineageOS without GApps, this wouldn't make any difference, right?

Edit: Also - thanks for all your work!

I remember when internet banking meant installing some shitty "security" software on Windows before it would let you access the proper page on your browser.

Seriously? Open computing is dead to you because you can't order fast food or play games? I don't even have Google Play on this GOS device. And, by the way, my banking app works fine on LineageOS. Not that I need it, since I use a hardware TAN generator.

Some friends and I were talking about the feasibility of that earlier today.

It's possible, assuming that you never need to use your phone as an MFA method, never need to scan a QR code, or never need to use an app for something because they lack a web version.

I hear you. My wife has also requested that I not deprecate certain proprietary apps until I can provide a good alternative that works on both Android and Apple. Last time was when we were traveling and wanted to share locations with each other in real time. I had to give WhatsApp location perms 🤮

My wife will hate it, but so be it.

Pretty sure you can build and self-host an SMS-whatever-she-is-using (e.g. Signal, DeltaChat, etc) bridge if somehow SMS isn't enough.

Except that it is still an option to only buy phones that allow bootloader unlocking and root? That's been a requirement for me since my first smartphone.