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Comment by jnovek | Hacker News Reader

Yes, but there are issues.

You can’t use stuff like banking apps on a modified device and losing access to normal android devices would be a big blow to the momentum of the F-Droid community. GrapheneOS might not be a big enough community to sustain work on the projects delivered by F-Droid.

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>You can’t use stuff like banking apps on a modified device

IME such apps are few and far between. The most trouble I ran into is play store refusing to show apps because they claim the app isn't compatible with the device, but that can be worked around with aurora store.

They really aren't. The number of apps requiring Play Integrity grows every day, my own bank's app hasn't worked in years and I've long given up on it, I just use it on a second stock device now.

And Google has an answer to the "just install the APK from somewhere else" workaround, too. Many apps now integrate a check that prevents them from running if they're not properly linked to the Play Store.

Are banking apps much more useful than banking websites, anyway?

Depends highly on the bank and what part of the world you're in. Some banks have only a website and no app. Some banks have only an app and no website. Some require an app to access the website. The landscape is widely varied.

Don't know what the landscape is like in the US, but here in Europe, many banks require the app for any sort of online payment. There is no alternative. If your phone isn't stock, you're screwed.

I think parent is talking about Play Integrity being integrated into banking apps. It's a hit or miss depending on the bank, some will be fine without, some with integrate it but not rely on it to directly refuse login, some will require a lower integrity level, and some will actually require the highest integrity level leading to issues on custom ROMs.

My Android is running Lineage without Google Play Services (no microg either).

I had an app that I needed to use, and the only available log-in method was via firebase's SMS. Firebase flat out refused to allow me to login because of Google Play Integrity, and there was no web only option.

I ended up having to use my spouse's iPhone...

>My Android is running Lineage without Google Play Services (no microg either).

>Firebase flat out refused to allow me to login because of Google Play Integrity

Sounds like the issue is that you don't have play services installed, rather than play integrity specifically.

> losing access to normal android devices would be a big blow to the momentum of the F-Droid community.

For me it seems the opposite - if these "normal" (GMS spyware) Android devices lose the access to F-Droid and it will only be possible to install malware/adware from Google Play, then maybe that will push more people to value unlocking the bootloader..

I wonder then if the workaround for THAT (losing access to Banking / "Google trust-deriving apps") is to get a second device, wifi-only no-SIM G-Android.

Cumbersome, but any other deterring reasons why "not a good workaround"?

I know this isn't the case with all banks, but for whatever my anecdata is worth I've been using a number of banking apps on mine for years, so it's incorrect to say that banking apps can't be used.

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