• Atemu@lemmy.ml
        15·
        3 days ago

        They are but they won’t have the desired functionality. You won’t get push notifications for instance.

        • Ephera@lemmy.mlEnglish
          5·
          3 days ago

          I think, what @muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee means with “integrated”, is that they’re wholly part of the app and don’t depend on Googley software being installed into the OS. And to my knowledge, that is not the case.

          So, there’s a client library which you include into your app code. That talks with the Google Play Services on your phone. And that then talks with some Google server.
          I assume, that client library itself is already proprietary and that’s why the F-Droid team strictly needs to have it removed. Ideally, it would be replaced by an open-source alternative, but the code could also be modified to not include this library and you’d ‘only’ lose e.g. push notifications. Depending on how the app is implemented, you might not get notifications at all then, though.

          But they don’t go lightly about modifying the code of an app. If the developer doesn’t want this, they can pull all kinds of shenanigans to make this more difficult or impossible for the F-Droid team…

          • F04118F@feddit.nl
            1·
            3 days ago

            Won’t something like MicroG allow you to use the full features without Google on your phone?

            • Brad Boimler@startrek.websiteEnglish
              21·
              3 days ago

              Yes but it’s just as bad Micro G is still installed as a root app in the system and still uses proprietary Google code required for MicroG to work so micro G may limit the data the get but the are still getting it. I use proton mail on GOS with no sandboxed Google Play and just notifications are broke and that’s fine by me.

              • paradox2011@lemmy.ml
                5·
                3 days ago

                I think saying it’s just as bad is an overstatement. MicroG sends fake data or no data in the majority of data calls from Google servers and only interacts with Google when it needs to in order to make a given app function. Sending drastically less data to Google is a win and fits many people’s threat model just fine.

                • Brad Boimler@startrek.websiteEnglish
                  2·
                  3 days ago

                  As long as micro G is a system app in my opinion it is the same why not run it as a sandboxed app. There is probably a reason why it can’t just think it would be more privacy first approach to sandbox it but that is just my opinion everyone’s threat model is different I don’t use Google at all anymore so non issue for me. Still better than stock Google Play true just think micro G could do more.