Hello,
I've gone to some effort to install LineageOS on my phone and remove all Google accounts. The UK Covid 19 app is unlikely I would think to ever be OSS and available on Fdroid (obvs it should, other countries have make OSS apps). So would anyone with a conventional Android phone who intends to install the app be prepared to make an APK file for me to sideload?
** Phil Thane phil@pthane.co.uk [2020-09-24 17:37]:
I've gone to some effort to install LineageOS on my phone and remove all Google accounts. The UK Covid 19 app is unlikely I would think to ever be OSS and available on Fdroid (obvs it should, other countries have make OSS apps). So would anyone with a conventional Android phone who intends to install the app be prepared to make an APK file for me to sideload?
** end quote [Phil Thane]
I've not tried it, but I think this will allow you to download it:
https://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/?id=uk.nhs.covid19.production
I've not tried the site before, but found it when trying to work out how to get the apk off my phone.
That link takes you to a page where you can generate the download link from the Google Play store, so you can get any apk you want - just to let you know it isn't a straight download or (as far as I know) linking to anything nasty!
Hi,
If you are set up for Android development, the source code is actually public and can be built from source:
https://github.com/nhsx/covid19-app-system-public https://github.com/nhsx/covid-19-app-android-ag-public
However, with requirements like "Google/Apple exposure notification API", you might not have a lot of luck getting it to work in the absence of things like GCM and the Play Services libraries (where Google has craftily moved all the useful stuff out of AOSP over the years), or a Google account (required for push messaging, if that's how it works).
Simon
On 24/09/2020 17:37, Phil Thane wrote:
Hello,
I've gone to some effort to install LineageOS on my phone and remove all Google accounts. The UK Covid 19 app is unlikely I would think to ever be OSS and available on Fdroid (obvs it should, other countries have make OSS apps). So would anyone with a conventional Android phone who intends to install the app be prepared to make an APK file for me to sideload?
On Thu, 24 Sep 2020 18:24:23 +0100 Simon Ransome simon@nosher.net wrote:
However, with requirements like "Google/Apple exposure notification API", you might not have a lot of luck getting it to work in the absence of things like GCM and the Play Services libraries (where Google has craftily moved all the useful stuff out of AOSP over the years), or a Google account (required for push messaging, if that's how it works).
That's my understanding too. Unless you've got the Exposure Notifications things showing in your Settings, then I doubt it would work - but I'd love to know for sure if anyone tests it on Lineage or similar and what it does.
However, there are still problems like bluetooth really isn't designed for distance measurement (amongst other fun, it will underestimate distances outdoors which is the opposite of what's needed for covid) and that seems to mean the app effectively uses a different definition of "close contact" where being within "4m" of an infected person for 30mins will get you told to quarantine, leading to a false quarantine rate of between 30 and 45% in tests. So I'm really unsure that this app is a good thing, especially if people start taking it as gospel that no alert means no problem and no need to take care.
Regards,
It is open source MIT licence
https://github.com/nhsx/covid-19-app-android-ag-public/blob/master/LICENSE
You would need to be running Google Play Services for the Google Apple Exposure Notification API (which is optional) but removing the Play Store probably wouldn't break it (although you would get no updates).
You could keep an eye on https://microg.org/ to see if they add this API. Also https://pathcheck.org/a-new-open-source-solution-for-the-google-apple-exposu... looks interesting.
I'm running it on Lineageos with Play Store and Google Services installed.
S
On Thu, 24 Sep 2020, 21:47 MJ Ray, mjr@phonecoop.coop wrote:
On Thu, 24 Sep 2020 18:24:23 +0100 Simon Ransome simon@nosher.net wrote:
However, with requirements like "Google/Apple exposure notification API", you might not have a lot of luck getting it to work in the absence of things like GCM and the Play Services libraries (where Google has craftily moved all the useful stuff out of AOSP over the years), or a Google account (required for push messaging, if that's how it works).
That's my understanding too. Unless you've got the Exposure Notifications things showing in your Settings, then I doubt it would work - but I'd love to know for sure if anyone tests it on Lineage or similar and what it does.
However, there are still problems like bluetooth really isn't designed for distance measurement (amongst other fun, it will underestimate distances outdoors which is the opposite of what's needed for covid) and that seems to mean the app effectively uses a different definition of "close contact" where being within "4m" of an infected person for 30mins will get you told to quarantine, leading to a false quarantine rate of between 30 and 45% in tests. So I'm really unsure that this app is a good thing, especially if people start taking it as gospel that no alert means no problem and no need to take care.
Regards,
MJR http://mjr.towers.org.uk/ Member of http://www.software.coop/ (but this email is my personal view only)
main@lists.alug.org.uk http://www.alug.org.uk/ https://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/main Unsubscribe? See message headers or the web site above!
The big disappointment for me with this is that I cannot find a way to determine what hits it records. If I meet someone, I'd like afterwards to be able to see a new contact recorded.
The information is inside my phone. Anyone know how I can extract it ?
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Christopher Dawkins -
MJ Ray -
Paul Tansom -
Phil Thane -
Simon Ransome -
Steve Mynott