[Andoid OS] Can I turn a smartphone into dumbphone?

[rukspuks]

I am thinking of doing something like removing the app store and package installer after rooting. In the past I have tried a lot of distraction removal apps but I found loopholes to get through them somehow. So I want a permanent solution now.

 

I have some questions though! How would app update work now? Can I do it with adb after day 4 to 6 months?

 

I don't see any other option. I have found ways through all other apps.

 

Please change the forum section if this is not the right section.

[pythonmegapixel]

Is simply buying a dumb phone not an option for you? They're really not expensive at all these days and they have many advantages over de-Googling an Android device, most notably battery life.

[rukspuks]

1 minute ago, Grand Admiral Thrawn said:

So you are basically thinking of something like de-Googling your phone right?

There is an adb command for that. Although I cannot guarantee that your phone will boot normally if you delete some built in apps, but some like Google's should not damage anything.

 

You can also look into the world of Custom ROMs like LineageOS which come without Google apps at all.

No! I want to remove package installer as well so I cant install any new apps besides the few that I want to keep on my device (maps, pacer etc)

 

I can install F-Droid to de-google my phone but still I can watch YouTube from open source apps. I just don't want to use my phone for things that waste my time.

[rukspuks]

Just now, pythonmegapixel said:

Is simply buying a dumb phone not an option for you? They're really not expensive at all these days and they have many advantages over de-Googling an Android device, most notably battery life.

It's not. I have to pay through NFC sometimes and keeping cash is a problem.

[Eigenvektor]

Just now, rukspuks said:

No! I want to remove package installer as well so I cant install any new apps besides the few that I want to keep on my device (maps, pacer etc)

 

I can install F-Droid to de-google my phone but still I can watch YouTube from open source apps. I just don't want to use my phone for things that waste my time.

You could enroll your phone with an MDM (e.g. Android Enterprise fully managed) use it to only allow the apps that you want and then set a random password on the MDM so you can never modify it ever again

[rukspuks]

Just now, Grand Admiral Thrawn said:

Then do not?

 

Forcing yourself out will do no good thing just like making something illegal does.

I cant control myself. These things are wasting my life. And, I do think I am not alone

[pythonmegapixel]

5 minutes ago, rukspuks said:

It's not. I have to pay through NFC sometimes and keeping cash is a problem.

Unfortunately any mechanism which removes the pre-installed Google software is likely to also break the NFC payment functionality.

 

Your bank may be able to offer you a contactless payment card.

[WaggishOhio383]

5 minutes ago, rukspuks said:

It's not. I have to pay through NFC sometimes and keeping cash is a problem.

Debit and credit cards still exist...

[rukspuks]

1 minute ago, pythonmegapixel said:

Unfortunately any mechanism which removes the pre-installed Google software is likely to also break the NFC payment functionality.

In india we use the UPI system for NFC and there are posts that with magisk it could work

https://androinterest.com/2020/04/23/run-banking-upi-apps-in-rooted-android/

[Nayr438]

If you remove the App Store then you will need to sideload App updates.

The Package installer is a core part of Android and is tied to various other functionality of the device, such as application permissions. There is a good chance your phone wont boot without it.

 

The closest you will get to what your after is a AOSP Rom without Google Services such as LineageOS. Some Applications may however depend on these Google Services. An alternate solution would be to build a custom AOSP Rom that fits your needs with various functionality disabled, however your getting into ROM development at that point.

[rukspuks]

1 minute ago, Nayr438 said:

If you remove the App Store then you will need to sideload App updates.

The Package installer is a core part of Android and is tied to various other functionality of the device, such as application permissions. There is a good chance your phone wont boot without it.

 

The closest you will get to what your after is a AOSP Rom without Google Services such as LineageOS. Some Applications may however depend on these Google Services. An alternate solution would be to build a custom AOSP Rom that fits your needs with various functionality disabled, however your getting into ROM development at that point.

Yes thats what I was talking about. The harder is gets, the less likelier I would attempt it

[pythonmegapixel]

2 minutes ago, rukspuks said:

Yes thats what I was talking about. The harder is gets, the less likelier I would attempt it

Honestly the absolute best scenario would be to get a contactless payment card from your bank and then simply buy a dumb phone and get rid of your smartphone.

 

However, you've already said that's not an option for you. What model is your Android phone? This can make a difference in how easily rootable it is.

[guitargirl15]

I actually did this to an old Android a while ago just to see if it was doable, with the same goal of turning it into a dumbphone, and I can confirm that it did indeed boot and all the apps I left on did work properly. However, I am not sure how much this would apply to newer versions of Android, and I never tried updating the apps once I did this (I don't even think there are updates available for that phone anymore). 

[rukspuks]

Just now, pythonmegapixel said:

Honestly the absolute best scenario would be to get a contactless payment card from your bank and then simply buy a dumb phone and get rid of your smartphone.

 

However, you've already said that's not an option for you. What model is your Android phone? This can make a difference in how easily rootable it is.

As I said, those things don't work here. Shops here don't accept cards but UPI is prevalent quite similar to how weibo works in china.

 

And, I want to add some apps like pacer, myfitnesspal which would not work on a dumb phone not even on the new nokias. 

 

I am using the Realme 5 Pro. 

[Sauron]

16 minutes ago, rukspuks said:

still I can watch YouTube from open source apps. I just don't want to use my phone for things that waste my time.

Do you want a browser on your phone? Because that alone would give you access to youtube and a lot more...

 

Also bear in mind that almost anything you can do through ADB is reversible though ADB. You can't fool yourself. The only way I see to get around this would be setting up parental blocks and then having someone else type in a password you don't know.

[rukspuks]

1 minute ago, Sauron said:

Do you want a browser on your phone? Because that alone would give you access to youtube and a lot more...

 

Also bear in mind that almost anything you can do through ADB is reversible though ADB. You can't fool yourself. The only way I see to get around this would be setting up parental blocks and then having someone else type in a password you don't know.

No! I will not install a browser as that mutes the whole purpose of doing this.

 

Yes, I understand but if there is a gap between desire and accessibility, I would have problems doing it. I have understood that from psychological books like the ones from BJ Fogg

[jaslion]

I mean the jiophone exists it can do nfc payments too so that would seem like the ideal solution here.

[rukspuks]

Just now, jaslion said:

I mean the jiophone exists it can do nfc payments too so that would seem like the ideal solution here.

Doesnt have pacer, myfitnesspal etc. Also doesnt have a good camera for photos.

[guitargirl15]

As for updating an app through adb, this post from the Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange explains how to do it.

[pythonmegapixel]

1 minute ago, rukspuks said:

Doesnt have pacer, myfitnesspal etc. Also doesnt have a good camera for photos.

The problem is that the apps you want to install are likely to depend on Google Play Services. On the stock Android installation, it's not possible to remove the web browser, the Play Store or any other pre-installed applications to the extent that you couldn't easily re-enable it. If you install a custom ROM, you can get rid of those usually, but then you're stuck without Google Play Services so your preferred apps won't work unless you sideload the Google apps, at which point you have the Play Store back on your phone and so are back to square one.

 

I can't really see any easy way to avoid this predicament unfortunately.

[rukspuks]

10 minutes ago, pythonmegapixel said:

The problem is that the apps you want to install are likely to depend on Google Play Services. On the stock Android installation, it's not possible to remove the web browser, the Play Store or any other pre-installed applications to the extent that you couldn't easily re-enable it. If you install a custom ROM, you can get rid of those usually, but then you're stuck without Google Play Services so your preferred apps won't work unless you sideload the Google apps, at which point you have the Play Store back on your phone and so are back to square one.

 

I can't really see any easy way to avoid this predicament unfortunately.

What if I just remove play store and browser and keep services? Removing package installer and keeping playstore can be another option?

[guitargirl15]

4 minutes ago, pythonmegapixel said:

The problem is that the apps you want to install are likely to depend on Google Play Services.

You don't have to completely de-google the device, you can just uninstall the Play Store while leaving Google Play Services available for the apps that rely on it. However, some apps may not work without the Play Store installed, even if Google Play Services are still around, so...

 

[pythonmegapixel]

1 minute ago, rukspuks said:

What if I just remove play store and browser and keep services? 

I think you can probably do that - the question is whether your phone will let you.

 

Things might be possible over the ADB that aren't possible using the UI; I'm not sure exactly how that works though and I assumed that it wouldn't allow you to remove system apps by that method.

[guitargirl15]

You can uninstall play store, YouTube, browser, Google Play books/music, etc. over ADB, at least on Android 4.3.  

You might need root access though, so you would need to do at least a temporary root first.

[pythonmegapixel]

Just now, guitargirl15 said:

You can uninstall play store, YouTube, browser, Google Play books/music, etc. over ADB, at least on Android 4.3.  

Cool, I stand corrected. That seems like it would probably be the best bet for OP then

 

I don't know if the apps OP wants to use are deeply enough integrated with the Play Store that they won't run correctly afterwards - I guess the only way to find out is to try.