From 6a9259c4eb37bfc74c2c1d4391f2b1441201d772 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Leonard von Witzleben Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2021 08:24:15 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add new file --- messenger_without_PlayStore.md | 17 +++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+) create mode 100644 messenger_without_PlayStore.md diff --git a/messenger_without_PlayStore.md b/messenger_without_PlayStore.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bfea2e0 --- /dev/null +++ b/messenger_without_PlayStore.md @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +## How to bypass GooglePlay Store and use your messenger of choice + +Without a minimal google installation package (like GApps) it is no more possible to use the GooglePlay Store. This doesn't mean that you can't use its popular apps.\ +One of the most important apps for most of the users is the messenger of choice. We proposed the Open-Source based **F-Droid App Store**, but unfortunately there you can only directly download the **Telegram** messenger, although Signal is also FOSS (Free and open-source software) it is not yet available ([more information][signal]) in the F-Droid store. + +But there are many workarounds, e.g. if you want to use **Signal** you can just download the apk [here][signalapk] (either install it directly on the smartphone or through your computer). Even if you still want to use WhatsApp you can go to the official WhatsApp [page][whatsapp] and the same will work there. The only disadvantage is that the backup functionality won't work because it's based on GoogleDrive. + +Another easy way to install apps like Signal, Threema, DeltaChat and almost **any other app** from GooglePlay Store is to use the **Aurora App Store**. The Aurora Store is available in the F-Droid Store and you can easily download APKs from the PlayStore without a GooglePlay account, but nevertheless supports important security updates. Furthermore, Aurora gives you information about in-app trackers and many more. + +Before you ungoogle your smartphone, it might be a good idea to backup your chats from your phone. Therefore you just have to store a backup file on your computer and after the installation you can copy this backup file back to your phone and restore your chats. + + + + +[signalapk]: https://signal.org/android/apk/ +[whatsapp]: https://www.whatsapp.com/download/ +[signal]: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/281#issuecomment-21762482