# MicroG > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/MicroG > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/MicroG.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroG > Source revision: 1344778251 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Free and open-source alternative to Google Android libraries}} {{About|the open source library|the physical force environment|microgravity|other uses|Microg (disambiguation){{!}}Microg}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox software | name = microG | logo = MicroG.png | logo_size = 100px | screenshot = MicroG Settings app.png | latest release version = {{LSR/wikidata}} | latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|references|linked|edit|P348|P548=Q3295609}} | screenshot size = 250px | caption = microG Settings app | developer = {{wikidata|property|references|linked|edit|P126}} | released = {{wikidata|property|references|linked|edit|P577}} | programming language = {{wikidata|property|linked|references|edit|P277}} | operating system = {{wikidata|property|linked|references|edit|P306}} | license = [Apache License 2.0](/source/Apache_License_2.0) | website = https://microg.org/ }} '''MicroG''' (typically styled as '''microG''') is a [free and open-source](/source/free_and_open-source) implementation of [proprietary](/source/Proprietary_software) [Google](/source/Google) [libraries](/source/Library_(computing)) that serves as a replacement for [Google Play Services](/source/Google_Play_Services) on the [Android](/source/Android_(operating_system)) operating system. It is maintained by the German developer Marvin Wißfeld. He describes microG as "the [framework](/source/Software_framework) (libraries, [services](/source/Service_(systems_architecture)), [patches](/source/Patch_(computing))) to create a fully-compatible [Android distribution](/source/Android_distribution) without any proprietary Google components".{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfscon.it/talks/microg-what-it-is-and-where-its-going/|title=MicroG - what it is and where it's going|first=Marvin|last=W.|website=SFSCon|language=en-US|date=16 November 2019|access-date=21 December 2019}} == Background == Although [Google](/source/Google) initially released the [Android](/source/Android_(operating_system)) operating system as [open-source software](/source/open-source_software) in 2007, the company gradually replaced some of Android's open-source components with [proprietary software](/source/proprietary_software) as Android grew in popularity.{{Cite web|url=http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary|title=Google's iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary|first=Ron|last=Amadeo|date=21 October 2013|website=[Ars Technica](/source/Ars_Technica)|access-date=31 December 2019}} Wißfeld created the NOGAPPS project in 2012 as a [free and open-source](/source/free_and_open-source) drop-in replacement for [Google Play Services](/source/Google_Play_Services), Google's closed-source [system software](/source/system_software) that has been [pre-installed](/source/pre-installed) on almost all Android devices. The NOGAPPS project became MicroG by 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/681758/|title=Replacing Google with microG|last=Willis|first=Nathan|date=30 March 2016|website=[LWN.net](/source/LWN.net)|access-date=6 January 2020}} == Features == MicroG allows Android apps to access replica [application programming interfaces](/source/application_programming_interfaces) (APIs) that are provided by Google Play Services, including the APIs associated with [Google Play](/source/Google_Play), [Google Maps](/source/Google_Maps), and Google's [geolocation](/source/geolocation) and messaging features.{{Cite web |last=Vaughan-Nichols |first=Steven J. |date=12 November 2019 |title=The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android phone runs well -- for a beta |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-e-google-free-pro-privacy-android-phone-runs-well-for-a-beta/ |access-date=21 November 2019 |website=[ZDNet](/source/ZDNet) |language=en}} Unlike Google Play Services, MicroG does not [track user activity](/source/Web_tracking) on the device, and users can selectively enable and disable specific API features. Depending on which apps are installed, Google may still track user activity through apps that integrate Google trackers.{{cite book |last1=Binns |first1=Reuben |title=Proceedings of the 10th ACM Conference on Web Science |date=2018-10-18 |arxiv=1804.03603 |last2=Lyngs |first2=Ulrik |last3=Kleek |first3=Max Van |last4=Zhao |first4=Jun |last5=Libert |first5=Timothy |last6=Shadbolt |first6=Nigel |chapter=Third Party Tracking in the Mobile Ecosystem |pages=23–31 |doi=10.1145/3201064.3201089 |isbn=978-1-4503-5563-6 }} == LineageOS for MicroG == {{see also|LineageOS}} thumb|left|Logo of LineageOS for MicroG In 2017, microG released "LineageOS for microG", a [fork](/source/Fork_(software_development)) of LineageOS – a free and open-source Android-based operating system – that includes both MicroG and the [F-Droid](/source/F-Droid) app store as pre-installed software. LineageOS for MicroG was created after LineageOS developers declined to integrate MicroG into LineageOS; the developers cited MicroG's need to [spoof](/source/%3Awikt%3Aspoof) [code signature](/source/code_signature)s as a security concern. To enable MicroG's functionality, LineageOS for MicroG includes limited support for signature spoofing. MicroG developers claim that older smartphones consume less battery power using LineageOS for MicroG compared to operating systems that use Google Play Services. LineageOS for MicroG supported 39 device models in 2017, and {{As of|2025|lc=y}} states that it aims to make regular ROM builds for all devices supported officially by LineageOS. Devices receive newer versions of LineageOS for MicroG through [over-the-air](/source/Over-the-air_programming) updates. {{clear|left}} == Adoption == For a 2018 paper on Android app privacy, security researchers from [Nagoya University](/source/Nagoya_University) used MicroG to bypass Google's SafetyNet security mechanism on an [Android Marshmallow](/source/Android_Marshmallow) [emulator](/source/Android_emulator). The researchers altered Android's [package manager](/source/package_manager) and implemented signature spoofing to enable MicroG on the emulator.{{Cite conference|last1=Ito|first1=Katsutaka|last2=Hasegawa|first2=Hirokazu|last3=Yamaguchi|first3=Yukiko|last4=Shimada|first4=Hajime|date=8 August 2018|title=Advances in Information and Computer Security|conference=13th International Workshop on Security, IWSEC 2018, [Sendai](/source/Sendai), Japan, 3–5 September 2018|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science|publisher=[Springer](/source/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media)|pages=143, 150–151|isbn=9783319979168|access-date=19 January 2020|via=[Google Books](/source/Google_Books)|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kl1oDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA150|editor-first2=Kan|editor-last2=Yasuda|editor-first1=Atsuo|chapter=Detecting Privacy Information Abuse by Android Apps from API Call Logs|editor-last1=Inomata}} [Essential Products](/source/Essential_Products)' "Project Gem" smartphone, previously in development, used a fork of Android that eschews Google Play Services in favor of MicroG, according to Essential's [commits](/source/Commit_(version_control)) to the Android [codebase](/source/codebase) in late 2019.{{Cite web |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=9 October 2019 |title=Essential's new smartphone has the aspect ratio of a TV remote |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/10/essentials-new-smartphone-has-the-aspect-ratio-of-a-tv-remote/ |access-date=14 October 2019 |website=[Ars Technica](/source/Ars_Technica) |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |last=Rahman |first=Mishaal |date=23 September 2019 |title=Essential Confirms its Next Device is in Early Testing |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/essential-next-device-early-testing/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510143225/https://www.xda-developers.com/essential-next-device-early-testing/ |archive-date=10 May 2021 |access-date=14 October 2019 |website=[XDA Developers](/source/XDA_Developers) |language=en-US}} Essential Products shut down in February 2020.{{Cite web |last=Nieva |first=Richard |title=Essential, led by Android founder Andy Rubin, is shutting down |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/essential-led-by-android-founder-andy-rubin-is-shutting-down/ |access-date=2020-02-14 |website=CNET |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Matthew |date=13 Feb 2020 |title=After just one phone, Essential Products ascends to the great venture capitalist in the sky |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/13/essential_products_closed/ |access-date=2020-02-14 |website=www.theregister.co.uk |language=en}}{{Cite news |last1=Wakabayashi |first1=Daisuke |last2=Griffith |first2=Erin |date=2020-02-12 |title=Andy Rubin's Start-Up, Essential Products, Shuts Down |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/technology/andy-rubin-essential-shutdown.html |access-date=2020-02-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} In 2020, [OmniROM](/source/OmniROM) began providing builds including MicroG built in for certain devices.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-10 |title=OmniROM |url=https://omnirom.org/#blog |access-date=2020-09-12 |website=omnirom.org}} [CalyxOS](/source/CalyxOS) includes options for using MicroG as a privacy enhanced replacement for some of the functionality in [Google Play Services](/source/Google_Play_Services).{{Cite web |title=Degoogled Phone {{!}} Definitive Guide to CalyxOS & Micro G |url=https://gofoss.net/calyxos/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=gofoss.net}}{{Cite web |title=microG |url=https://calyxos.org/docs/guide/microg/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=calyxos.org}} Since 2022, [IodéOS](/source/Iod%C3%A9OS) includes MicroG.{{Citation |title=Introduction |date=2022-08-22 |url=https://github.com/iodeOS/ota |access-date=2022-08-23 |publisher=iodeOS}}{{Cite web |title= |url=https://iode.tech/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/iodeOS.pdf |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20221122145938/https://iode.tech/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/iodeOS.pdf |archive-date=2022-11-22 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=iode.tech}} As of May 2022, Murena company is selling a few phones including MicroG with the [/e/](/source/%2Fe%2F_(operating_system)) operating system, a privacy-oriented fork of LineageOS, with Google Services "mostly removed".{{Cite web |date=3 January 2018 |title=Meet eelo: An Android-based operating system that doesn't use Google services |url=https://www.bgr.in/news/meet-eelo-an-android-based-operating-system-that-doesnt-use-google-services/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103120602/https://www.bgr.in/news/meet-eelo-an-android-based-operating-system-that-doesnt-use-google-services/ |archive-date=3 January 2018 |access-date=19 January 2020 |website=[BGR India](/source/Boy_Genius_Report) |language=en-US}} In 2019, companies associated with /e/ began selling [refurbished](/source/Refurbishment_(electronics)) smartphones with MicroG pre-installed. [DivestOS](/source/DivestOS), a LineageOS soft fork, chose ''not'' to support MicroG or other ways of installing or running proprietary Google apps.{{Cite web |title=Broken - DivestOS Mobile |url=https://divestos.org/index.php?page=broken#unsupported |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=divestos.org |archive-date=23 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823162636/https://divestos.org/index.php?page=broken#unsupported |url-status=dead }} Since July 2023, DivestOS allows installing MicroG after enabling it in system settings, but does not recommend doing so and still considers this feature unsupported.{{Cite web |title=Faq - DivestOS Mobile |url=https://divestos.org/pages/faq#microgEnable |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=divestos.org |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213201024/https://divestos.org/pages/faq#microgEnable |url-status=dead }} == Reception == In 2016, Nathan Willis of [LWN.net](/source/LWN.net) expected MicroG to be a "welcome addition" for users of alternative Android-based projects, including [CyanogenMod](/source/CyanogenMod), [Replicant](/source/Replicant_(operating_system)), and [Blackphone](/source/Blackphone). Willis suggested that MicroG could increase its adoption by collaborating with these projects. Corbin Davenport, writing for Android Police in April 2018, installed LineageOS for MicroG on a [Xiaomi Mi 4c](/source/Xiaomi_Mi_4c) smartphone using the [Team Win Recovery Project](/source/Team_Win_Recovery_Project) image in an experiment in which he exclusively used open-source software on Android. Davenport was unable to log in to his [Google Account](/source/Google_Account) through MicroG and concluded that "Going all open-source isn't feasible", despite the high quality of some open-source Android apps from [F-Droid](/source/F-Droid).{{Cite web |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/04/29/like-using-open-source-software-android/ |title=This is what it's like using only open-source software on Android |first=Corbin |last=Davenport |date=29 April 2018 |website=Android Police |publisher=Illogical Robot |access-date=19 January 2020}} ''[Lifehacker](/source/Lifehacker)''{{'}}s Brendan Hesse recommended MicroG in his November 2018 tutorial to ["quitting Google"](/source/De-Google). Hesse saw MicroG as a "promising" alternative to Google Play Services that was "incomplete and still in development", but said that it was "usable" and "runs pretty well". Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, in a 2019 [ZDNet](/source/ZDNet) review of a refurbished [Samsung Galaxy S9+](/source/Samsung_Galaxy_S9%2B) smartphone from /e/, determined that applications which were more closely integrated with [Google Mobile Services](/source/Google_Mobile_Services) were less likely to function properly with MicroG. During his device test, Vaughan-Nichols was able to use [Signal](/source/Signal_(messaging_app)), [Telegram](/source/Telegram_(software)), [Facebook](/source/Facebook), and other Android apps with no problems, while [Lyft](/source/Lyft) and [Uber](/source/Uber) operated less reliably; Vaughan-Nichols was not able to run Google Maps or [Twitter](/source/Twitter) at all, concluding, "applications can be a pain" and "installing /e/ is a monster of a job." In May 2022, Vaughan-Nichols in ZDNet wrote "in the /e/OS, most (but not all) Google services have been removed and replaced with MicroG services."{{Cite web |title=Murena, the privacy-first Android smartphone, arrives |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/murena-the-privacy-first-android-smartphone-arrives/ |access-date=2022-08-19 |website=ZDNET |language=en}} == See also == {{Portal|Free and open-source software}} * [DeGoogle](/source/DeGoogle) == References == {{Cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-open-source-project-that-keeps-googles-hands-off-your-android-data/ |title=The Open Source Project That Keeps Google's Hands Off Your Android Data |last=Gordon |first=Arielle |date=7 June 2019 |website=[Vice](/source/Vice_(magazine))|access-date=19 January 2020}} {{Cite web |url=https://lifehacker.com/the-comprehensive-guide-to-quitting-google-1830001964 |title=The Comprehensive Guide to Quitting Google |last=Hesse |first=Brendan |date=8 November 2018 |website=[Lifehacker](/source/Lifehacker)|access-date=19 January 2020}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/LineageOS-Ableger-vermeidet-Google-Code-3879358.html |title=LineageOS-Ableger vermeidet Google-Code |last=Leemhuis |first=Thorsten |date=4 November 2017 |website=[Heise Online](/source/Heise_Online) |trans-title=LineageOS offshoot avoids Google code |language=de |access-date=19 January 2020}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/15/this-company-will-sell-refurbished-android-phones-with-all-of-googles-services-removed/ |title=This company will sell refurbished Android phones with all of Google's services removed |first=Jules |last=Wang |date=15 May 2019 |website=Android Police |publisher=Illogical Robot| access-date=19 January 2020}} {{Cite web |url=https://fossbytes.com/privacy-focused-e-smartphone-os-gets-support-for-more-devices/ |title=Privacy-focused /e/ Smartphone OS Gets Support For More Devices |last=Singh |first=Charanjeet |date=25 November 2018 |website=Fossbytes |access-date=19 January 2020}} {{Cite web |url=https://review.lineageos.org/c/LineageOS/android_frameworks_base/+/195284 |title=195284: [RFC] Add signature spoofing permission |date=10 December 2017 |website=[LineageOS](/source/LineageOS) [Gerrit](/source/Gerrit_(software))|access-date=19 January 2020}} {{Citation |mode=cs1 |url=https://lineage.microg.org/#faq |title=LineageOS for microG|website=LineageOS for MicroG|access-date=22 October 2025}} == External links == * {{Official website}} * [https://lineage.microg.org LineageOS for microG] * [https://github.com/lineageos4microg/docker-lineage-cicd LineageOS for microG repository] on [GitHub](/source/GitHub) {{Android}} {{Linux-distro}} {{Mobile operating systems}} Category:Free mobile software Category:Free computer libraries --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [MicroG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroG) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroG?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.