Google sabotages Open Source Android and Custom ROMs by deprecating Open Source built in Dialer and Messaging Apps

[AlTech]

Summary

Google has decided  that if you want to use a Dialer app or Messaging App on Android then you need to use Google's Proprietary DIaler and Messaging app and not the open source apps. They have decided that they are getting rid of the Open Source Dialer and Messaging Apps from AOSP. Custom ROMs will need to provide their own equivalent to allow users to continue using a non proprietary Dialer or Messager.

 

Proprietary Google equivalents will continue to be supported.

 

If you make a custom ROM, you now need to develop your own phone dialer application and your own text messaging application.

 

Quotes

Quote

The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is the foundation of Android today, being an open-source version of the platform that’s maintained by Google. This version of Android also ships with a variety of open-source apps, but it turns out that Google is killing support for two of these apps.

 

Quote

However, this does mean upstart mobile brands can’t use the older, open-source apps. Instead, they’ll need to license Google’s new apps or invest in creating their own apps.

 

Quote

This news serves as perhaps further evidence of AOSP’s reduced significance, as Google seeks to tie more and more previously open-source features behind its own proprietary frameworks and services.

 

My thoughts

This is not the first time Google has robbed, cheated, and stolen things from AOSP Android,  plundered the Open Source loot, and taken it back to their proprietary Google Play Services libraries and Google Services Frameworks.

 

Google is no longer happy that Android is open source and they would like to make it proprietary as they have been doing slowly but surely over the past almost 15 years.

 

If there is no backlash then this will keep on happening until eventually none of Android will be open source at all.

 

The beatings will continue until morale improves. Google will own your phone and all your devices. You will own nothing and you will be happy. Daddy Google would like to remind you that they are in charge and you will submit to them.

 

Sources

 

https://www.androidauthority.com/google-kill-android-aosp-dialer-messages-app-3334980/

[TrigrH]

Only google would manage to kill the "phone" component of a phone OS  

[porina]

AOSP existing at all is probably that Google need to provide source for open source parts they have used and modified. There is no obligation to support anything beyond that, especially if they're not using it themselves going forward. If the dialler/messaging parts are also open source, someone else could pick up support if they want to keep using it.

[da na]

>Buys open source phone OS

>makes the PHONE part closed source

[OhioYJ]

Bad week for open source....

 

RHEL: "We're going to paywall our source code..."

 

Google: "Hold my beer..."

 

Quote

This project will be removed from the source manifest sometime in the future.

 

Can we get a Linux phone yet? Yes I know there are a couple, but no 5G ones that I know of. Second, basically none that actually work that well here in the US.

[AlTech]

1 minute ago, OhioYJ said:

Bad week for open source....

 

RHEL: "We're going to paywall our source code..."

 

Google: "Hold my beer..."

 

 

Can we get a Linux phone yet? Yes I know there are a couple, but no 5G ones that I know of. Second, basically none that actually work that well here in the US.

Librem 5 has decent US support. Pinephone (Regular and Pro) works wells enough on GSM networks.

 

I doubt a 5G Linux phone will be coming anytime soon considering mmWave 5G is detrimental to one's privacy with its beam forming tech. A Linux phone with 5G would be antithetical to privacy unless it was restricted to only using Sub 6GHz for 5G.

 

LTE isn't going away so there's not a strong need for 5G Linux phones anyways.

 

 

[OhioYJ]

3 hours ago, AlTech said:

Librem 5 has decent US support. Pinephone (Regular and Pro) works wells enough on GSM networks.

So I understand these are pretty niche products... But Librem 5 US, is $2k, or $1.2k and wait literally a year?

 

I've looked into the Pinephone (both) a couple times, and carrier support in the US really just look pretty much like a headache. Many people got calls working on many carriers, but then SMS was a maybe, MMS was a complete roll of the die depending on your carrier.

 

Every device I have runs Lineage, so I'm willing to accept a bit of tinkering, but so far from what I'm reading / seeing both those devices, don't quite seem to be daily driver ready yet.

 

I will say that Pinephone Pro though is looking tempting though now that it's dropped in price, it's been a while since I've looked at it.

[AlTech]

2 minutes ago, OhioYJ said:

So I understand these are pretty nitch products... But Librem 5 US, is $2k, or $1.2k and wait literally a year?

It was previously $699 for the standard version but they were selling them too cheaply and too quickly. There are some rumours of financial mismanagement at the company who makes the Librem 5.

2 minutes ago, OhioYJ said:

I've looked into the Pinephone (both) a couple times, and carrier support in the US really just look pretty much like a headache. Many people got calls working on many carriers, but then SMS was a maybe, MMS was a complete roll of the die depending on your carrier.

 

Every device I have runs Lineage, so I'm willing to accept a bit of tinkering, but so far from what I'm reading / seeing both those devices, don't quite seem to be daily driver ready yet.

 

I will say that Pinephone Pro though is looking tempting though now that it's dropped in price, it's been a while since I've looked at it.

It hasn't dropped in price tho? It's still $399.

[OhioYJ]

10 minutes ago, AlTech said:

It hasn't dropped in price tho? It's still $399.

I thought back when it released it was the $599 they have crossed out. However, I could be remembering wrong. Could just seem cheap, now that phones have gotten to be so expensive.

[AlTech]

15 minutes ago, OhioYJ said:

I thought back when it released it was the $599 they have crossed out. However, I could be remembering wrong. Could just seem cheap, now that phones have gotten to be so expensive.

Their crossed out prices are the MSRPs for resellers who offer Support and longer warranty behind the product compared to the limited support and warranty provided by them.

[williamcll]

6 hours ago, OhioYJ said:

Bad week for open source....

 

RHEL: "We're going to paywall our source code..."

 

Google: "Hold my beer..."

 

 

Can we get a Linux phone yet? Yes I know there are a couple, but no 5G ones that I know of. Second, basically none that actually work that well here in the US.

Because any phone that has 5G and not under US software would be sanctioned by the US.

[HenrySalayne]

Maybe it's time Android is taken away from Google and put into its own foundation honouring the open-source character and financed by donations and a small license fee. Android turning into Windows after it was widely adopted is the worst thing that could happen to the mobile phone market.

[RejZoR]

Typical. Give all the shit away for free so you hook up the user base and then you start converting to close source and paid for stuff. It's why I'm warning why Chrome and all the Chrome browser forks are death to the internet. And Manifest v3 is a proof of where Google is heading. They'll hook everyone up on their browser and shape the way internet can be used and push out everyone else and in the end they'll be dictating how internet works and is used. Considering they are essentially an advertising company first, that should be worrying... But hey, everyone rushes to use stupid Chrome. And Android...

[jagdtigger]

35 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

And Android...

Because the other option is even worse..... iOS is just irritatingly neutered.

[Doobeedoo]

Next is clock.

Yet they still lack in certain features for Pixel phone as well as longer OS support. Pathetic.

[HenrySalayne]

9 hours ago, RejZoR said:

But hey, everyone rushes to use stupid Chrome. And Android.

And everybody rushed to use Windows. Guess why? Because it was at one point way better than the competition. And they always start with the enshittification after the userbase is locked in and the competition is gone.

You need regulatory bodies breaking these monopolies before it's too late, but it's not the fault of the users.

[RejZoR]

1 hour ago, HenrySalayne said:

And everybody rushed to use Windows. Guess why? Because it was at one point way better than the competition. And they always start with the enshittification after the userbase is locked in and the competition is gone.

You need regulatory bodies breaking these monopolies before it's too late, but it's not the fault of the users.

I mean, it kinda is user's fault in case of Chrome. It's not even good, yet it has 80% market share. Like, why? Because you can be logged into all Google services with it? It's like people don't know it's the same shit with use of cookies in other browsers.

 

Regulators move so slowly you can't even see them moving and by the time they react it's already too late. They should just demand that AOSP Dialer app has ALL the features of the closed source one, sans the proprietary closed source features that probably include Ai shenanigans, voice recognition, calls on hold stuff and so on. They cannot omit basic functionality in the open source version intentionally just to shill their "advanced" version. Google should simply be forced to provide both versions or not be allowed to license Android to anyone. Who will order this, no one knows, probably no one. Regulators have been lagging behind horribly in recent years.

[rcmaehl]

Oh boy

 

This (likely) breaks Emergency calls on all CyanogenMod/LineageOS based ROMs AGAIN.

 

[jagdtigger]

1 hour ago, RejZoR said:

It's not even good, yet it has 80% market share. Like, why?

At one point it was good and now its burned into ppl's memory......

[AlTech]

6 minutes ago, jagdtigger said:

At one point it was good and now its burned into ppl's memory......

Or if you're a normie and you go to a store to buy a laptop: most of the laptops come with Windows. If you know about Apple and macOS those might be an option if you've got deep pockets.

 

But there's no mainstream alternative for normies. People buy Windows laptops because there are Windows laptops for people to buy. And the feedback loop it causes means there will always be windows laptops in places people buy laptops (excluding some 3rd party manufacturers or distributors) because people will buy them.

 

The same is more or less true with Android phones. There will always be android phones because people buy them and people will buy them because they will always exist.

[jagdtigger]

3 minutes ago, AlTech said:

Or if you're a normie and you go to a store to buy a laptop: most of the laptops come with Windows.

RejZor was talking about chrome......

[AlTech]

1 hour ago, jagdtigger said:

RejZor was talking about chrome......

Regardless, most normies are not aware or do not care about the choices on the market in either case. Chrome has become the default for many people.