Database Users

Permissions

Will omniroms system apps have the same unnecessary and abusive permissions as stock roms and cyanogen mode roms have?
I'm quite concerned about privacy and whatever rom I use, be it stock, cyanogen mode or aosp, I have to restrict dozens of privacy related permissions.
And of course the device still works, which means that those perms weren't needed.
For example, I don't see why some system apps (I mean, not Google apps cuz I get rid of them but apps like systemui, settings, android system etc.) want to access my location, my contacts, my logs, my imei, my id, my serial number, my phone number, my provider, the list of accounts on the phone etc. eventhough they don't need it to work properly.
I guess that cyanogen mode doesn't have any other choice but to include what is to my opinion little more than spyware in the source, cuz if they didn't Google wouldn't allow them to use its material.
So what about omni roms? Will they be free from Google spyware or will they be enfeoffed to it?

unclefab said:
Will omniroms system apps have the same unnecessary and abusive permissions as stock roms and cyanogen mode roms have?
I'm quite concerned about privacy and whatever rom I use, be it stock, cyanogen mode or aosp, I have to restrict dozens of privacy related permissions.
And of course the device still works, which means that those perms weren't needed.
For example, I don't see why some system apps (I mean, not Google apps cuz I get rid of them but apps like systemui, settings, android system etc.) want to access my location, my contacts, my logs, my imei, my id, my serial number, my phone number, my provider, the list of accounts on the phone etc. eventhough they don't need it to work properly.
I guess that cyanogen mode doesn't have any other choice but to include what is to my opinion little more than spyware in the source, cuz if they didn't Google wouldn't allow them to use its material.
So what about omni roms? Will they be free from Google spyware or will they be enfeoffed to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those permissions are there so they can interact with other things in the system.

unclefab said:
Will omniroms system apps have the same unnecessary and abusive permissions as stock roms and cyanogen mode roms have?
I'm quite concerned about privacy and whatever rom I use, be it stock, cyanogen mode or aosp, I have to restrict dozens of privacy related permissions.
And of course the device still works, which means that those perms weren't needed.
For example, I don't see why some system apps (I mean, not Google apps cuz I get rid of them but apps like systemui, settings, android system etc.) want to access my location, my contacts, my logs, my imei, my id, my serial number, my phone number, my provider, the list of accounts on the phone etc. eventhough they don't need it to work properly.
I guess that cyanogen mode doesn't have any other choice but to include what is to my opinion little more than spyware in the source, cuz if they didn't Google wouldn't allow them to use its material.
So what about omni roms? Will they be free from Google spyware or will they be enfeoffed to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of the box, there's no "spyware" that anyone is aware of in Android. If you install Google Apps, you are giving those apps these permissions obviously.
If you don't use Gapps (like me), then you should be fine - you can check what each app does in its own source code.
I am also looking into ways to help protect against spying third party software you install (ie. apps a user installs), for those who want added protection.
I work as a security researcher, so yes, I do care quite a bit about security, and excessive permissions is a life-long hate of mine There are no gapps when you install Omni, so you'll be safe. For those who want them, they can flash them.

What I meant with spyware is not what one usually calls spyware, but I didn't have any other term to refer to it.
What I wanted to say it's that system apps (not Google apps like gmail or gtalk but system apps like phone, android system, systemui etc.) have intrusive, and unnecessary, permissions. When I say unnecessary I mean it, cuz I block or spoof them without my phone to have any problem. I know it's not the devs' fault but Google's, who likes to know what we do, who and where we are, and thus releases android updates full of spying system apps.
So then I wanted to know if Omni's system apps will be free from such perms, since the source comes from Google.
Until cm7 it was possible to block perms directly from the app manager, but I guess Google got annoyed at it and obliged the cm team to remove that function.
Whatever rom we use now, we are left with system apps spying on us, and that's why I call them spyware.
Cuz for me apps that want to know where I am, what contacts I have, what numbers I have called, my phone number, my imei etc, eventhough they don't need it, are in a way spywares. For instance look at the framework-res.apk (android system), every time we connect to the internet it calls home (I've checked, the address is Google inc, mountain view, CA). Look at the perms the systemui or the phone apk have, it's insane! Not to mention all the other system apps that want to access the /proc folder, our serial number and the like. Oh yeah, I nearly forgot fusedlocation.apk, Google's latest spyware since 4.2.2, that one can't uninstall or freeze or block.
I do not use Google apps, and I do use apps like Xprivacy or af+wall, but still, it annoys me to always have to play cat and mouse, and it annoys me that the android system always calls Google when I connect to the internet. Not that I'm an internationally wanted terrorist, but hey, privacy is privacy!
The thing is that future android updates will be more and more filled with such spyware (above mentioned fusedlocation.apk being the perfect example), and I hope that devs will find a way to bypass it.
That's why when I saw an announcement about Omnia I came to see if it will be better than cm privacy wise, and to give some suggestions about privacy and permissions...

unclefab said:
What I meant with spyware is not what one usually calls spyware, but I didn't have any other term to refer to it.
What I wanted to say it's that system apps (not Google apps like gmail or gtalk but system apps like phone, android system, systemui etc.) have intrusive, and unnecessary, permissions. When I say unnecessary I mean it, cuz I block or spoof them without my phone to have any problem. I know it's not the devs' fault but Google's, who likes to know what we do, who and where we are, and thus releases android updates full of spying system apps.
So then I wanted to know if Omni's system apps will be free from such perms, since the source comes from Google.
Until cm7 it was possible to block perms directly from the app manager, but I guess Google got annoyed at it and obliged the cm team to remove that function.
Whatever rom we use now, we are left with system apps spying on us, and that's why I call them spyware.
Cuz for me apps that want to know where I am, what contacts I have, what numbers I have called, my phone number, my imei etc, eventhough they don't need it, are in a way spywares. For instance look at the framework-res.apk (android system), every time we connect to the internet it calls home (I've checked, the address is Google inc, mountain view, CA). Look at the perms the systemui or the phone apk have, it's insane! Not to mention all the other system apps that want to access the /proc folder, our serial number and the like. Oh yeah, I nearly forgot fusedlocation.apk, Google's latest spyware since 4.2.2, that one can't uninstall or freeze or block.
I do not use Google apps, and I do use apps like Xprivacy or af+wall, but still, it annoys me to always have to play cat and mouse, and it annoys me that the android system always calls Google when I connect to the internet. Not that I'm an internationally wanted terrorist, but hey, privacy is privacy!
The thing is that future android updates will be more and more filled with such spyware (above mentioned fusedlocation.apk being the perfect example), and I hope that devs will find a way to bypass it.
That's why when I saw an announcement about Omnia I came to see if it will be better than cm privacy wise, and to give some suggestions about privacy and permissions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there's anything that you've found like "call home" routines, please let us know - they will be looked at and removed if necessary.
Totally agree with you on privacy though here. It's very important. I have some ideas to go further than CM, but it's all ideas for now.

pulser_g2 said:
Out of the box, there's no "spyware" that anyone is aware of in Android. If you install Google Apps, you are giving those apps these permissions obviously.
If you don't use Gapps (like me), then you should be fine - you can check what each app does in its own source code.
I am also looking into ways to help protect against spying third party software you install (ie. apps a user installs), for those who want added protection.
I work as a security researcher, so yes, I do care quite a bit about security, and excessive permissions is a life-long hate of mine There are no gapps when you install Omni, so you'll be safe. For those who want them, they can flash them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Question here, if you do not use gapp what exactly do you use? I mean you need ways to download apps right? so you only install the playstore and call it a day or what?

mgbotoe said:
Question here, if you do not use gapp what exactly do you use? I mean you need ways to download apps right? so you only install the playstore and call it a day or what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to keep only the play store you can, but you will have to keep the Google service framework as well, and maybe the Google log in.
@pulser_g2
my phone is very well protected, and skinned to the extreme (like only 20 or so remaining system apps), so for now the only app that performs a call home routine is the android system. But if I disable all the protections then the wlan test, the settings and the settings storage do call home as well. I guess other system apps would do it as well, but since I've uninstalled more than 150 of them I can't tell which ones.
One can check by oneself using this:
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/monitor-your-devices-network-connections/
and this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...dium=organic&utm_term=network+log+google+play
Regarding android system's home call routine, could you please point me at a tutorial explaining how to disable it (I searched the web but couldn't find anything)? I'm not a dev, but I'm not bad at modding
I'm happy to see that you are more privacy concerned than cm, and when Omnia gets released I think I will try to make a build for my galaxy grand i9082 (cuz there's not much development going on for that device)...

[Q] Nexus 4 (or Android in general) Privacy from Google

Hi,
Is it possible to completely stop information leakage to google from my telephone, such as contacts or even aps purchased?

Oxy20 said:
Hi,
Is it possible to completely stop information leakage to google from my telephone, such as contacts or even aps purchased?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
some options:
work without google apps! most custom roms come without it! GApps package is a additional zip!
many custom roms included privacy manager from cm. you define what the app is allowed to. for example read contacts yes or no
In AOSP Android (I think since 4.3 or 4.2) is app ops included. It's like privacy manager with detailed options.
hope it hepls. What rom you are using?

carepack said:
some options:
work without google apps! most custom roms come without it! GApps package is a additional zip!
many custom roms included privacy manager from cm. you define what the app is allowed to. for example read contacts yes or no
In AOSP Android (I think since 4.3 or 4.2) is app ops included. It's like privacy manager with detailed options.
hope it hepls. What rom you are using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on 4.3 stock ROM. The phone is unlocked and rooted.
I tried CM Rom as part of 2 way call recording patch trial but had to revert back to ROM due to stability problems. But the problems were due to the trial nature of the patched ROM http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=45730852&postcount=47 I tried rather then general CM problems. So I suppose could try a stable, up to date version of CM ROM.
I suppose without Google Play I can not have paid apps like skvalex call recorder? If I have to leak some info to Google can I ensure no call details, contacts, calendar etc are shared / backed up etc to Google?

Oxy20 said:
I am on 4.3 stock ROM. The phone is unlocked and rooted.
I tried CM Rom as part of 2 way call recording patch trial but had to revert back to ROM due to stability problems. But the problems were due to the trial nature of the patched ROM http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=45730852&postcount=47 I tried rather then general CM problems. So I suppose could try a stable, up to date version of CM ROM.
I suppose without Google Play I can not have paid apps like skvalex call recorder? If I have to leak some info to Google can I ensure no call details, contacts, calendar etc are shared / backed up etc to Google?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try a look at here:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/0...ager-control-permissions-for-individual-apps/

Technically yes, but practically no. Even if you stop now, you probably have used Google services in the past and they already have those info. Even if you do not use Google apps, there are lots of way for your phone to connect to Google server (various core Google apks). Lots of apps and websites use Google Analytic as well, although that info is supposed to be anonymous, or apps that utilize Google services in some way or purchased apps that required verification. You basically have to micromanage the permission of every app and this isn't exactly easy and is time consuming, slips up are easy too.
My recommends are:
Most effective: Be lke Richard Stallman, stop using internet completely, except for devices that isn't your. Don't use telephone at all. Have no WiFi running in your house and remove your address from Google Maps, then move to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Less effective: Don't use 'gapps' and Google apps at all. You can use Amazon AppStore to download apps. Or use Firefox OS or Ubuntu Touch instead.
Less effective alternative: Use permission management. There are many ways to do this. Android 4.3 have AppOps and there are shortcut apps to let you access to the hidden menu, however it's not very convenient to use. It's better to use CM or SlimRoms which in addition have the Privacy Guard toggle feature (Settings -> Security-> bottom of list). SlimRoms let you turn it on for installed apps by default. It blocks access to contacts and location. I'm not sure if it block network and phone IDs info though.
For more refined permission management, there is the Xposed Framework module called XPrivacy. It has a high learning curve and blocking the wrong permission will cripple your apps or make it not working. There is also LBE Security Master and OpenPDroid, but I much prefer XPrivacy.
You can also use AFwall+ which modify the Linux kernel's iptables to block internet connection, this is the most assured method to block internet connection access for apps imo.
If you still need to make use of Google apps or services, such as facelock and photosphere, but want to avoid installing 'Google services framework', you can use these gapps packages and not install the core package. Keep in mind, 'Google services framework' is important for connecting to Google server and without it some 'find your phone' apps won't work like Cerberus.
You can see if your phone is connected or syncing to Google server by the color of the WiFi icon color, gray means no, and blue means yes.

I have always wondered about why someone would buy a smartphone, Android or iOS and then worry about security? Why not just buy a simple TracPhone or something similar?
Not trying to knock on anyone, just wondering.
Sent from the Far Reaches Of The Earth!

Regain Market access on your NST/G

I ran across this "solution" while investigating ways to avoid installing GApps on low-RAM tablets. It is not a perfect solution but if you want to be able to search, browse, etc., and download/install PlayStore apps right on your device, this may serve that purpose.
The app is called the Yalp Store and is available on F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstore/
It runs just fine on the NST/G. Options are accessed via the menu "button". As default configured, it uses a generic shared login to access the PlayStore. You could substitute your own credentials, but I would advise against this as using this app would probably make the big G very angry. Search works fine, apps that are not compatible are listed as such and you can set the app to instantly download/install, just like the real thing. The app keeps track of your on-board apps, and can even be set to check for updates (probably unwise, as updates are likely to break functionality for our old devices).
Does this mean I don't need GApps?
Maybe, but probably not. One of the other things I discovered while pursuing this issue is that an increasing number of PlayStore apps which have nothing to do with Google sync or logins, incorporate a Google Framework Services API. So you may be able to download and install them but they will either refuse to run or else whine constantly about needing said Services to be installed. While GApps on the NST/G is not good for much these days except maybe Google Books sync, its hidden system files--which include the Services--may be needed to run PlayStore apps (like even the NPR app--go figure).
There are a few Xposed modules I tried that appear to be able to circumvent this issue (though not for apps requiring Google sync), but you're not going to get Xposed on the NST/G!
Anyway, there are a lot of other places to get apps (like the F-Droid store itself) but even if you get a "PlayStore" app from one of these sources, it may refuse to run if you don't have the GApps package installed. The Yalp Store app indicates which apps rely on GFS.
Edit: oh, and quickest way to exit the app is Settings > More > Log Out
Edit-Edit: no need for GApps except for Google Books. See https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/general/gapps-install-tested-confirmed-t3782459

the yalp apk installed but it isn't opening ...

aiamuzz said:
the yalp apk installed but it isn't opening ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow...something majorly funky going on there with the packages at F-Doid and the GitHub. Version 0.32 is as you describe. Versions 0.31-0.30 install with a lot of Chinese characters in the title bar and then do not run. Version 0.29 from the GitHub gives a package parsing error like it's for the wrong Android version.
Version 0.28 from the GitHub is the newest that functions for me (although the anonymous login is broken). I've attached a copy below and I've made an issue report to the developer via the GitHub.
Edit: here is the response I received to my report of the issue to the developer: "Apparently, new build-tools (specifically aapt2) generate apks which are unusable on old androids.". So....it's not clear whether this will be addressed or not. One of the intents of the simplicity of the Yalp Store was to keep it available to Android systems as old as 2.0. Version 0.28 functions fine except for the anonymous login. If you use your own Google login you should be good, although you might want to open a separate account just for that purpose--to be safe.

update
Just a heads-up on the Yalp Store. The issues with installation, etc., seem to have been resolved with version 0.33 (available via the developer GitHub as of this writing, but not yet on F-Droid).
I had an issue or two at first with search but after exiting and reopening the app everything seemed to work fine. Categories are a little slow, but they do work.

Going no-Google

Hi, I am looking to move away from Google and Gapps and trying to work out what is the best way to do it on a Redmi Note 7.
I have already install OrangeFox recovery and have been reading about LineageOS+MicroG for this purpose. Would like to hear comments/suggestions from anyone who has gone down this path.
Many thanks.

Even I am also looking forward on doing the same, just did in my galaxy note 3 where I installed lineage OS 16 and MicroG for the essential google services required by apps to run properly, I use only web applications except for WhatsApp, shifted to signal as my primary messenger application, F-Droid is my source of open-source apps. I guess privacy is your concern, right? Developers kindly assist on the same

SunilNair2020 said:
I installed lineage OS 16 and MicroG for the essential google services required by apps to run properly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a bit a research on this and found that installing MicroG requires signature spoofing be enabled on the ROM which I understand is a major security issue - this is supposed to be the reason why LineageOS do not include MicroG in their builds.

I'm using an old Zenfone 2 Laser (snapdragon 410 version) with an old LAOS MicroG 14.1 (Android 7), without those massive Google Services the phone seems to be faster than my Redmi Note 7 (no joke, it's incredible), it has f-droid preinstalled as main store and MicroG Manager, all apps works fine, the only problem is Gmail (need to use the browser version, i don't know how to set the stock email app), i really need a Google free rom on this Note 7 too

N1ck474 said:
I'm using an old Zenfone 2 Laser (snapdragon 410 version) with an old LAOS MicroG 14.1 (Android 7), without those massive Google Services the phone seems to be faster than my Redmi Note 7 (no joke, it's incredible), it has f-droid preinstalled as main store and MicroG Manager, all apps works fine, the only problem is Gmail (need to use the browser version, i don't know how to set the stock email app), i really need a Google free rom on this Note 7 too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the previous comment, upon doing some research app signatures are important for apps to work safely and without malicious code being embedded, so is there any option for using lineage OS without neither Gapps nor MicroG? Also is there any option to backup contacts in the absence of google services? Thanks again !

SunilNair2020 said:
According to the previous comment, upon doing some research app signatures are important for apps to work safely and without malicious code being embedded, so is there any option for using lineage OS without neither Gapps nor MicroG? Also is there any option to backup contacts in the absence of google services? Thanks again !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about contacts, with MicroG they syncs normally like a Google enabled phone, i don't actually know what this problem with signatures is (i use the Zefone as secodary phone without a SIM or important personal data), i think you need to upload all of your contacts on a Cloud (OneDrive, Drive etc) then redownload them as ICS or Calendar data on your Google-Free ROM, if you have less than 200 contacts and a modern SIM you save all of them on the SIM Card without problems.

N1ck474 said:
I don't know about contacts, with MicroG they syncs normally like a Google enabled phone, i don't actually know what this problem with signatures is (i use the Zefone as secodary phone without a SIM or important personal data), i think you need to upload all of your contacts on a Cloud (OneDrive, Drive etc) then redownload them as ICS or Calendar data on your Google-Free ROM, if you have less than 200 contacts and a modern SIM you save all of them on the SIM Card without problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't prefer using cloud storage as it involves storing data somewhere we don't have access to...any other alternatives? Thanks again ?

SunilNair2020 said:
I don't prefer using cloud storage as it involves storing data somewhere we don't have access to...any other alternatives? Thanks again ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know, you can actually export your contacts locally as ICS/Calendar file on an SD Card or locally (on a PC or Hard Disk), at least, i think so, never done that

SunilNair2020 said:
According to the previous comment, upon doing some research app signatures are important for apps to work safely and without malicious code being embedded, so is there any option for using lineage OS without neither Gapps nor MicroG? Also is there any option to backup contacts in the absence of google services? Thanks again !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not 100% sure about this but I feel if the app is widely used and no security issues have been uncovered then using it via MicroG might not be a major issue. Perhaps, someone with more experience can comment on this?

I once went on a full on no google mission.
- Lineage, no gapps, not even micro g
- apps were mostly, if not all, from fdroid
- colud (storage, backup, notes) I used nextcloud, also used mega
- davx for contacts
- search engine - startpage or sometimes DDG
- email from proton
- youtube, which unfortunately doesn't have any alternative, I used newpipe.
I'm pretty sure here I forgot a thing or two, but this was mostly it.
I was happy with my privacy though, peace of mind you know. But the experience was horrible for me, a lot of time needs to be invested for maintenance, you'll see. I was still okay with it, because I had the time for all that. But I had to sacrifice, due to lack of time to handle and keeping track of every single thing, wheather it was working or not as per my needs!!
If you have that much time, and a will to do a thing or two manually than you should go for it.

Well, imho the best way to keep your privacy AND to be able to receive push notifications and download apps from google app store (via aurora store) without the need of a google account is to install an rom which supports signature spoofing (for example crDroid, AICP, ...) or a rom that already has microg included (https://download.lineage.microg.org/lavender/ )
LOS for microg purely supports signature spoofing for the MicroG components/apps (gmscore, fakestore, ..), so imho there isn't any security issue

ssaikia3 said:
I once went on a full on no google mission.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much for sharing your experience - this is exactly the sort of information I was after.
Currently, I use NoRootFirewall to block all traffic generated by Playstore Services which helps me stop Playstore Services updates. The downside is it affects apps reliant on Playstore Services such as Gmail etc. This is not a problem as I switched to my phones native email client which handles mail without any issues. Skype complained and wanted me to update Playstore Services but I continued on and was able to make a call without obvious problems. If I have to install an app, obviously I need to enable Playstore Services but once I install the app I could block Playstore Services once again. In a sense, this gives me the option of continuing on like this but was thinking of LineageOS for MicroG may be a better alternative. Would like to hear your views on this.
Many thanks

2faraway2 said:
Well, imho the best way to keep your privacy AND to be able to receive push notifications and download apps from google app store (via aurora store) without the need of a google account is to install an rom which supports signature spoofing (for example crDroid, AICP, ...) or a rom that already has microg included (https://download.lineage.microg.org/lavender/ )
LOS for microg purely supports signature spoofing for the MicroG components/apps (gmscore, fakestore, ..), so imho there isn't any security issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did more reading about LOS for MicroG last night, in particular this one https://blogs.fsfe.org/larma/2016/microg-signature-spoofing-security/ - while I still haven't got my head around all the security issues, I feel a lot more comfortable about them now.
Many thanks for your comment.

SM-G975F on Canadian Networks and Best ROM

Hi everyone. I am getting an SM-G975F with the Exynos chipset. I was planning on flashing LineageOS on it but now I have stumbled upon MicroG for LineageOS and been doing a little reading up on it. Now I am not clear what the best choice would be from a privacy perspective.
My intention with LineageOS was to *not* install GApps and see how much I can make do with the default apps (i.e. the stock mail app, etc.). If that is my intention, then am I better off with LineageOS? or MicroG?
I don't really care about Google Apps. The only thing I can see myself struggling without is without some kind of semi-decent mapping application like Google Maps. Is there a decent alternative? Do I need MicroG for that? If I do cave and find I need Google Maps, then would I be better off with MicroG or LineageOS?
Also, is there a way to get Office apps (Word, Excel, etc.) on LineageOS? Or is that undesirable from a privacy perspective?
Lastly, is there a way to enable LTE bands 29, 30, and 46 on the SM-G975F model? These are enabled on the SM-G975W (Canadian) model, and I will be using the phone in Canada on Bell Mobility.
If these questions have been asked/answered elsewhere, can you please just drop a link?
Thanks,
The Fish

Your post does not qualify for Development. Please read the stickies before posting!
Moved to Questions and Answers.

Hi XDA’ers
I thought I would provide an update on my experience thus far with LineageOS 19.1 on my Exynos SM-G975F and answer some of my own questions which I asked above. Maybe some of this is obvious stuff or maybe not. Maybe it will be helpful for others in the future.
The operating system​I installed LineageOS from the official lineageos.org website. I did not install GApps so I am operating without the Google Play Services.
While Android itself is open source, the “Google Play Services” are not. They are a proprietary library from Google that are included with most (all?) Android devices and provide a number of services, APIs, etc. to apps running on Android. It's not part of the operating system per se, but lots of apps require it. So, I am operating with LineageOS only without the Google Play Services.
As a side note, there is an open-source re-implementation of Google Play Services called microG. MicroG cannot be installed as an app but needs to be installed as part of the OS. There are basically two flavors of LineageOS that include microG. They are “LineageOS for microG” and /e/OS. Both of these include microG. Pure LineageOS on its own however includes neither Google Play Services (unless you install GApps bundle) nor microG.
I was surprised how small the download file was for LineageOS. It weighs in at just 777 MB. I am used to Samsung firmware that weighs in at about 6 GB. So, this seemed really small to me.
Upon first boot up I was impressed with how clean the operating system was. Not only is there no bloatware but there is basically almost nothing at all. There is a dialer app, an SMS app, a camera app, a calculator, and a mini browser. There is also a local-only address book (no link to cloud services) and a local calendar app. The browser is fairly limited but gets the job done. Notably there isn’t a mail app (although I understand that there used to be one on previous versions of LineageOS). So, I set about seeing what I could do.
Apps​I installed the F-Droid app store but there are not any mainstream apps in there. Some of the apps in there might be good (I still need to explore it more) but I needed a solid email app. My company is on Office 365 so Outlook would be my first choice.
I stumbled upon APKPure and APKMirror. Both are very ad-filled spammy looking website that seems to be a web-based front end to the Google Play Store. Using these sites website, you can download official APKs for mainstream apps like Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. Be very careful where you click. Lots of the ads on the site include "Download Now" type buttons that you can click on thinking you are downloading an APK but instead are clicking on a spammy ad. So, navigate carefully on these sites.
I was able to install Word, Excel, OneDrive and Outlook. This was huge because I needed a decent mail app. Being able to install OneDrive meant I could now sync my camera with OneDrive. All the Microsoft apps worked flawlessly on LineageOS even without Google Play Services. The one thing I noticed however is that Outlook does not give me notifications when I get a new email. I have to go into Outlook and swipe down to refresh. I believe this is due to the lack of Google Play Services. Maybe using microG would eliminate this problem (not sure). I can live with this for now but would obviously like a way to resolve it.
Installing Outlook synced the local Calendar and Contacts apps with my Outlook contacts and calendar so that worked great.
Bible Apps​Both the Olive Tree Bible Reader app and the ESV Bible app installed no problem from APKPure. Both of these are offline Bible apps (they download the whole Bible and can be used offline). I like Olive Tree because I have several translations (including the SBLGNT) and Olive Tree lets me switch between them. The ESV app is great because they have recordings and so you can hear Kristyn Getty or David Cochran Heath read the Bible to you in natural non-synthetic voices.
Signal​I installed Signal directly from their website (they offer the APK directly on their website). Signal detects that it is being installed on a device without Google Play Services and so registers itself as a service and consequently I do get notifications for new Signal messages (unlike Outlook). I wonder if there is some way to make Outlook run the same way. I tried installing Microsoft Teams which we use at work but don't get any notifications when people send me messages. So that makes Teams pretty useless.
Browser​The build-in default browser renders HTML/CSS just fine but is very limited in terms of features. When you install a progressive web app as an app on the home screen it works but launches in the full browser with the address bar visible which breaks the app-like experiance which is really the whole point of a PWA. So I set about trying to fix this. To my surprise I was able to install Microsoft Edge without ANY issues whatsoever. It works great and web apps pin to the home screen the way they should (and open as apps). So I made Edge my default browser.
Keyboards​The default keyboard in LineageOS does not have stickers or GIFs. That is as it should be I think for a default built-in keyboard. But it does not support swipe typing either. This surprised me. It seemed like a huge step backwards to have to tap out every letter with my thumbs. Do people still type like that on their phones?!?! Oh, the humanity!
There is a microphone icon at the top of the keyboard for speech-to-text transcription. I used this all the time before on my Samsung S8+. But tapping it did nothing. Apparently I am missing a speech-to-text engine. This surprised be because Outlook has dictation built-in using Microsoft's engines and works well. But it only works in Outlook and not universally throughout the phone as it would if it was built-in on the keyboard.
I installed the Microsoft SwiftKey keyboard and that gave me stickers, GIFs and... swipe typing! Woo Hoo! But I was really hoping it would give me speech-to-text since I dictate almost all of my text messages. I figured it would use Microsoft's engine like Outlook does since it was a Microsoft app. But tapping the microphone on the SwiftKey keyboard promptly tells me that I need to download "Google Voice Search".
Microsoft Authenticator​I installed the Microsoft Authenticator app for 2FA and it installed just fine. But it was impossible to add any accounts by scanning the QR codes. I think this is due to notifications not working properly, probably also due to the lack of Google Play Services or microG.
Outstanding Issues​So, the outstanding issues I have right now are:
Microsoft Authenticator is non-usable. This is a huge issue for me
No speech-to-text transcription from keyboard
No notifications in Microsoft Teams
No notifications in Microsoft Outlook (this I can live with).
What I Like​What I like about LineageOS is the clean, minimalistic design of the operating system. I am not pushed into any particular "ecosystem" be it Google, Samsung, Microsoft or Apple. I can decide which ecosystem I want to participate in and to which extent. For example, I could download Outlook without downloading Edge and I don't need to backup my photos to OneDrive unless I want to. You can do this, to some extent, with OEM versions of Android, but it requires ignoring and disabling things. Come to think of it, that is really what an operating system should be - a platform for running apps, not an on-ramp into an ecosystem.
What irritates me is that not all apps work as they should. It seems like Google Play Services is an important part of the mix and many apps fail to function properly without it. Signal seems like one exception. It detects that you are not using Google Play Services and adapts the functioning the app accordingly.

Just a minor update. I tried several diffrent TTS engines (Pico TTS, Flite TTS, RHVoice) and none of these gave me text typing.
I ended up installing Speech Services by Google and it worked. I was surprised that it worked considering I do not have GApps (and thus no Google Play Services) and no microG on my phone.
So, I guess I can live with a little Google on my phone, but I would have preferred to find an open-source alternative or, barring that, a Microsoft alternative.