- cross-posted to:
- android@lemdro.id
- android@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- android@lemdro.id
- android@lemmy.world
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Honestly, Custom ROMs have been in decline of usage since few years. There are also Other ROMS like Pixel Experience, PixyOS, Havoc, evolutionX, PixelOS, Paranoid, Derpfest, CrDroid and lot more.
The reason for the drop is due to a combination of reasons like better OEM UI, unpublished Kernel code (Chinese OEMs, Mediatek), locked bootloaders and Safetynet issues.
I’m currently rocking CrDroid it has currently ~85K active devices (https://stats.crdroid.net/).
Do custom ROMs still have issues with some apps not allowing them? It’s been an eternity since I tried one and I don’t know if it’s a hard requirement, but at least when I did try it, I had (?) to root my device and my bank apps refused to work after that.
Many applications especially banks require Google Safetynet to be functional, even without root. I am running DivestOS, a hardened version of LineageOS without gapps, and I can’t have access on my bank because I chose freedom. Democracy at its finest…
I haven’t encountered such a thing yet (been using for 5 months).
There are lot of methods to bypass those checks even now, and often many ROMs do this by default. (LineageOS doesn’t do that afaik)
Some banking or payment apps can detect root and won’t let you use them.
When I used to run Custom ROMs I just used magisk to hide the root and these apps would work fine afterwards.
Safetynet issues
Fun part of this is that it relies entirelly on Googles tracking framework.
Before i got my Pixel 6 Pro, i’ve been running Custom Roms on everything. The Pixel 6 Pro is probably the first device, i’m actually okay running Stock. It just does what it should. And i’ll be honest, the hassle of getting it to work properly (Banking, Netflix, etc) is just too much for my everyday phone…Google really did a number on that one, both positive and negative. I kind of hate it…
Ironically that’s one of the only phones that you have the choice of not running stock
Not it isn’t. Plenty of OEMs let you unlock the bootloader.
That isn’t the only factor though. Take OnePlus, for example. You can still unlock their bootloaders, but if you check out XDA you’ll see that their hasn’t been any custom roms for a OnePlus flagship since the 9 pro because they stopped publishing the MSM tool, so the risk of bricking the phone is too great.
I guess the same thing is happened with samsung after the s10 series. No new roms for the newer ones apart from 1 or 2 oneui based roms.
better OEM UI
Very subjective.
Unpublished kernel code
Don’t use those phones.
Locked bootloaders
Plenty of OEMs allow bootloader unlocking, stop buying Samsung.
Safetynet issues
It’s Google Play Integrity checking now, and as someone who has been using LinageOS on unrooted phones for a while, I’ve never had these issues. Not to say people out there aren’t having them, but it’s not as bleak as people seem to believe it is.
I have one phone that’s rooted, and I have to use magisk to hide it, and that occasionally has issues, but not the non-rooted ones running custom roms.
Where are these OEMs that allow proper bootloader unlocking on most of their range?
Google, Sony …? Huawei stopped doing it, Oppo & Samsung doesn’t last I checked.
OnePlus has a pretty good track record for this
Xiaomi Does albeit with some wait time.
I still remember the good old days when there was no waiting time.
Fairphone
It’s Google Play Integrity checking now, and as someone who has been using LinageOS on unrooted phones for a while, I’ve never had these issues. Not to say people out there aren’t having them, but it’s not as bleak as people seem to believe it is
Maybe a week ago they borked the integrity of custom ROMs. GPay/Wallet doesn’t work anymore with Magisk shenanigans. Happened to every ROM I checked.
Now try to use most of Banking applications (even McDonalds app lol) Most of these application require Google Play Integrity. So practically, you are enforced to use Google Play Services or buy a second device to run android with gapps and then power it off (that’s what I did)
I’m talking from a general user perspective who often can’t even differentiate between chipsets let alone look for such details.
People used to got to Custom ROMs because OEMs were really doing shit job, that’s not the case now given now.
People used to got to Custom ROMs because OEMs were really doing shit job, that’s not the case now given now.
Yep. I used to use custom (ROMs, kernels, etc) for the extra features and playing with my phone like a shiny new toy. Now I use GrapheneOS because OEMs and Google don’t do security and privacy anywhere near as good as GOS. And I can live with the minor inconvenience of apps that use Play Integrity API, though I do encourage the app devs to switch to hardware backed attestation because: “Android’s hardware attestation API provides a much stronger form of attestation than the Play Integrity API with the ability to whitelist the keys of alternate operating systems. It also avoids an unnecessary dependency on Google Play services and Google’s Play Integrity servers.” https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-guide
I’m obstinate as fuck, and I have a downright unhealthy resentment of having software capabilities taken away. As long as there’s a single setting or feature that I can get from a custom ROM that I can’t get on stock, I will use them.
Many versions ago, Google removed the “hold back button to kill foreground app” functionality, and I’ll use LineageOS soley to keep that (but there’s plenty of other reasons). The ability to restore useful features that Google and OEMs take away is an absolute necessity for me.
It’s almost enjoyable; I get a kick out of telling Google to fuck itself and restoring my device’s capabilities.
I feel the same way, though on LineageOS, I wasn’t able to get the double-click-power-for-camera to ever work properly. Do you happen to have/use that feature?
Here you can take a look at popularity by device
And it could’ve even been useful, had they not chosen to show the code names instead of the make and model…
I second this. Definitely not gonna be looking up for each entry.
Lineage OS is really great, I recommend the forked version with MicroG bundled to use google apps.
Depends on how pure you want to be. If you are a purest, that is a bad thing to do.
Well yes you are right, but being completely pure is borderline impossible IMO, and most people transition slowly.
True. I have been using Lineage with no gapps package for a bit over 4 years now. I no longer even have a google account as of almost 2 years ago.
I want to move away from GSF, how is MicroG working nowadays? I used it some years ago but it was buggy with any app related to mapping, and some other quirks.
It works perfectly in my case can’t say for others. You should check their issues page in github about your device.
Works perfectly fine for me. I’ve also used an app that used Google Maps in it and it worked perfectly fine. Instead of Google Maps it displayed the map on OpenStreetMap.
Is it equal to a regular android? Will the usual banking apps work on it, for example?
They work in the browser;)
For now
Nowadays with SafetyNet hardware checks it’s a dangerous game to rely on that.
With the right Magisk modules I got my banking apps working
The Sparkasse (german bank) app works perfectly fine. I use LineageOS with microG and I’m not logged in with a Google account or anything.
No. Banking won’t work and you can’t lock bootloader. As far as I know there’s no Recovery password so someone could just adb and pull data. If you want to use banking apps you could use magisk to pass safety net but that will make your phone less secure. Personally I have no banking app so I don’t give a shit
Banking apps work for me. And you cant pull data over adb without the password. The data is encrypted by default since a few Android versions
Or, just skip that step altogether
If you aren’t sure if you can fully degoogle then it a great offer. Unfortunately many apps depend on GSF so its understandable.
Lineage os is great
There are DOZENS OF US! DOZENS!!
1hr 45mins?!
Damn, Sweet Brown. Ain’t seen her in forever!
It’s a podcast. Most people listen to it while doing other things and don’t watch it in a single sitting.
If you don’t want to watch it, then don’t, but it really is a great podcast.
Will be +1 when have official support for the poco X5 pro. (If I can pay with mobile)
🤓
(If I can pay with mobile)
Correct me if I’m wrong, but so long as you root with Magisk and configure the denylist, installing the SafetyNet Fix and changing the Props if you need to spoof a device ID, then you’ll always be able to use Google Pay/contactless, regardless of whether on Lineage or another custom ROM.
How did they measure this?
I don’t know the exact modus operandi, but usually this is achieved by using some “phone home” mechanism which sends a device identifier (to ensure uniqueness) along with an OS version (and maybe some other fingerprints to ensure integrity of the data - like a hash of CPU hardware, etc).
I wish I could install lineage on my s10+ snapdragon. I just got this phone and now I just ordered a pixel to get grapheneos. I was willing to pay this guy on telegram to unlock my phone so I could try to get lineage to work or at least a custom rom, but my bootloader is one update off, I have v6 but he only supports up to v5. I hate ordering new devices when my current ones are still functional. I also am getting rid of my fitbit I also just got and replacing it with the amazon band 5 since it can connect to gadgetbridge. Degoogling is expensive, it shouldn’t be this bad just to get privacy. I’m not sure what to do with my devices I am replacing, but I hate that they had to be replaced in the first place. I also switched from google services to proton mail/drive/vpn.
Keep them forever like I do! Just start collecting smartphones because it’s better for the environment. I have like 10 of them never going into a landfill. Maybe find people who actually need phones idk.
I’m thinking about selling my old phones on eBay. It’s better if someone can get any use out of them instead of them just laying around in my room.
Yeah you should probably do that instead. Or be like me and switch phones everyday for some reason. Go insane use an iPhone and then an android phone than a phone from 2016 you have to custom rom to get working again because it’s last update was from 2018 and you have to replace the battery.
do banking apps work on it again?
It’s a constant cat and mouse game with Google. You can use Magisk with Zygisk enabled, Shamiko, and Play Integrity Fix (there’s also a few other combos that work) to get baking apps to work. I have no issues on my rooted Pixel 8 Pro, but it’s always a gamble if Google updates their end and then you get locked out of Google Wallet for a day once you update your fixes (not banking apps).
Depends on your bank. My bank’s app (Sparkasse) has always worked, even when I had Magisk installed.
You talking to me?
Unfortunately GPay / Google Wallet has been borked on most ROMs since the recent Google shenanigans about a week ago. Even those not rooted. I got hit by that, running ArrowOS and not being rooted.
My bank’s app works though so eh, lost some convenience but can get things done.
I’ve changed thanks to not having any update on my Moto G7 Power since 2021.
And some applications still refuse to launch on it, preferring an outdated version of Android because Google does not send its security updates after 3 years.
I had LineageOS on my Nexus 4. Every damn phone I’ve had since hasn’t had any custom ROM available (and one couldn’t even be rooted; fuck Samsung). I want it back.
Wow, I thought it was more than that. I guess among other things that shows how much less shitty stock OEM Android ROMs have gotten.
