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This website helps you quickly find and install FOSS alternatives to Google apps
If you're not a fan of Google's apps and want an easy way to find free and open source alternatives, you can try this website with FOSS apps.
If you've flashed a new ROM on your device, I'm sure you follow it up by flashing Google apps or a GApps package. That's mainly because a Custom ROM can be barebones without your usual set of apps that are required to use your phone. However, what if you don't like Google's set of apps? Or you just don't want to be stuck into the Google app ecosystem and want to break out of it? That's where FOSS apps come into the picture. FOSS stands for Free and Open Source and is essentially a set of apps that are free to use as well as open-source. These can be used as replacements to your usual set of apps like Google dialer, Google messages, YouTube, etc. If this sounds interesting to you, there's a new website that lets you find and install FOSS alternatives to Google apps in a quick and easy manner.
Google plans to revamp its iPhone and iPad apps soon
After years of following Android's Material Design language on Apple platforms, Google is finally revamping its iPhone and iPad apps.
When it comes to Google apps on iOS and iPadOS, almost all users notice one thing when first launching them — how similar they look to the ones on Android. For the longest time, there have been complaints regarding how their user interface (UI) doesn't match that of iOS. Switches, banners, and other buttons all follow Google's Material Design language from Android. However, it seems like Google is now finally planning to revamp its iPhone and iPad apps to match Apple's design language.
OpenGApps releases its first Google app packages for Android 11 custom ROMs
The team behind the OpenGApps project has released its first Google app packages that are compatible with Android 11 custom ROMs.
Not many people are willing to use an Android phone without access to the Google Play Store and other Google apps, which is why most Android phones come with Google apps preinstalled. Because Google apps are proprietary, though, many custom ROM developers don't bundle them with their builds, so they instead tell users to flash community-made Google app bundles commonly referred to as "GApps" packages. One of the most popular GApps packages on XDA is called OpenGApps, and the team behind the project now offers Google app packages compatible with Android 11 custom ROMs.
New workaround gets Google apps running on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Huawei Mate 30 Pro users can now sideload Google apps by restoring a backup from a phone that managed to get GApps through Google Services Assistant/LZPlay.
The world set its eyes upon the release of the Huawei Mate 30 series, searching for an answer to the question: "What happens when you take away Google from Android on one of the most widely anticipated phones of the year?" And as we feared and expected, the Huawei Mate 30 and its siblings appeared on stage without Google services pre-installed, relying solely on Huawei's AppGallery as the primary medium of app distribution. This situation was shortlived though, as a "workaround" was spotted in the form of Google Services Assistant, an app that allowed users to sideload Google Play Services and accompanying components on Huawei's EMUI and the Mate 30 series as well as on the Honor 9X Pro. The Google Services Assistant app was hosted on a website called LZPlay.net, so the method commonly became known as LZPlay.
There are nearly 16,000 Google Play Certified Android devices
According to the latest statistics from the Google Play Developer Console, there are nearly 16,000 Google Play Certified Android devices on the market. This number likely vastly underestimates how many Android devices are out there, though!
The Android operating system is often compared to Microsoft Windows because of how ubiquitous it is. While Windows continues to dominate on the desktop, Android has been dominating on smartphones for years. At Google I/O 2017, Google announced that Android was installed on over 2 billion devices. That's a staggering number to consider, and it's a testament to just how successful Google's business model with Android has been. Most of us are familiar with Android devices from large brands like Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, LG, Sony, Oppo, OnePlus, Motorola, and more, but there are actually a ton of devices from manufacturers you've never heard of. Just how many? There are a little over 16,000 Google Play Certified devices, and even that number likely vastly underrepresents the true number of Android devices that have ever been made!
How to Check if a Phone or Tablet is Certified Android Before Buying
Looking to buy a new Android smartphone or tablet, but worried that it won't support the Google Play Store and Google apps like Gmail, Google Photos, Google Maps, and more? Here's how to check if your device is Certified Android BEFORE you buy it!
So you want to buy an Android smartphone or tablet. There are so many devices out there that it can be a real headache trying to decide what to get. If you can afford it, you could shell out hundreds of dollars for flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S9, Huawei P20 Pro, or Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium. You could alternatively go for a mid-range device like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, Honor 9 Lite, or Motorola Moto X4. Budget phones like the Nokia 1 or ZTE Tempo Go are also options. Despite vastly different specifications, features, and pricing, all of these devices have a few things in common: they're made by major Android OEMs and are Certified Android devices so they can support the Google Play Store.
Google Removes the 100 Device Registration Limit from the Uncertified Device Page
We recently learned that Google would begin blocking any uncertified device from accessing Google Play apps and services. We now have new information: the whitelist that users can sign up for now no longer has a 100 device registration limit!
Good news for the Android community today: Google has heard our concerns. When we first broke the news that Google would begin blocking Google Play uncertified devices from accessing Google apps and services, there was a lot of confusion about what this would mean for users. At first, it seemed like the webpage wasn't working at all, and then it worked with IMEI values, and then we were told it accepted the Google Play Service Framework Device ID (but only in decimal format). One last thing that users, especially developers, were concerned about is the fact that the page seemingly only allowed for 100 IDs to be whitelisted. However, a Google representative has confirmed that they are removing this limit from the uncertified device registration page and that the webpage now accepts GSF IDs in their original hexadecimal format.
How to Fix the "Device is not Certified by Google" Error
Are you having trouble with signing in to your Google account? Can't access the Google Play Store or use Google apps like Gmail, Maps, Play Music, or Photos? Seeing a "device is not certified by Google" error? Here's how to fix that.
A few days ago, we reported that Google is starting to block uncertified Android devices from accessing Google Play apps and services. That means that any device that isn't certified by Google will no longer be able to download and use apps like Gmail, Google Maps, Google Play Music, Google Photos, and more. There's a huge market for devices that don't ship with Google apps out of the box, ranging from name-brands such as Amazon all the way to less recognized Chinese brands. If you buy an Android device and you see the "device is not certified by Google" warning, what can you do about it? You don't have many choices, but we'll run down the list of available options so you can maybe unblock Google apps on your uncertified Android device.
It's no secret that battery life on smartphones these days are not the best. Most will consider it mostly a hardware issue, seeing companies trading battery size for aesthetic design. But that's not the entire reason, with a large part being attributed to the software used on our phones.
[APK] Google Email 6.3 Now Available through the Play Store
Google Email is now available on the Play Store for Nexus and Google Play edition devices, and we've mirrored the APK for your sideloading pleasure!
Earlier today, Google gave us yet another "Update Wednesday" with new versions of Chrome Beta, Drive, Hangouts, My Tracks, and Translate. Seemingly not content with simply updating the above, Google has now given us one more: Google Email---no, not Gmail.
Yesterday, we had all the makings of a classic Google Update Wednesday. In the morning, we first saw a rather significant update to Google Camera to version 2.2, which brought us 16:9 capture, self-timer support, and two new panorama modes (fisheye and wide-angle). And then a few hours later, we were greeted by several updates to Chrome, Chrome Beta, Goggles, Docs, Sheets, Device Manager, and Books.
About a month and a half ago, Google launched their Google Camera app in the Play Store. The app brought many new features such as a faux depth-of-field blur feature similar to what we've seen in the HTC's Duo Camera System, but without the need for a separate sensor. While innovative, Google Camera was far from perfect, something that can be expected from any new application release. However, Google quickly filled in some of the gaps by releasing an update earlier this month that brought back the ability to take snapshots while recording video.
You may recall that early last month, Chrome Beta for Android gained better fullscreen video support, as well as the ability to undo closed tabs when it was updated to version 35.0.191634. Now one and a half months later, this feature has made it out of beta and into the 35.0.1916.122 stable build.
Google's first party application updates have been coming a bit out of band over the past few weeks. Rather than the typical "Google Update Wednesdays" that we've become accustomed to seeing, it's now not uncommon to see these Gapps updates appear seemingly at random.
Earlier today, Hell froze over just a little bit when Google announced that PayPal payment support was on its way to the Google Play Store. At the time of the announcement, Google stated that this feature was going to be available starting today. And folks, they weren't kidding. Google Play Store 4.8.19 has now begun making its rounds to consumer devices.
It's become quite common for Google to update many of its first party Android apps on Wednesdays. While today isn't exactly a large-scale Update Wednesday like we've seen in the past, Google has just launched a couple of extremely tasty treats for Android users everywhere.