<s>
MicroG	B-Application
(	O
typically	O
styled	O
as	O
microG	B-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
implementation	O
of	O
proprietary	B-Application
Google	B-Application
libraries	B-Library
that	O
serves	O
as	O
a	O
replacement	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
on	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
maintained	O
by	O
German	O
developer	O
Marvin	B-Application
Wißfeld	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
presentation	O
,	O
Wißfeld	O
described	O
microG	B-Application
as	O
"	O
the	O
framework	B-Architecture
(	O
libraries	B-Library
,	O
services	O
,	O
patches	O
)	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
fully-compatible	O
Android	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
without	O
any	O
proprietary	B-Application
Google	B-Application
components	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Google	B-Application
initially	O
released	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
as	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
in	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
gradually	O
replaced	O
some	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
's	O
open-source	B-Application
components	O
with	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
as	O
Android	B-Application
grew	O
in	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marvin	B-Application
Wißfeld	I-Application
,	O
a	O
German	O
software	O
developer	O
,	O
created	O
the	O
NOGAPPS	O
project	O
in	O
2012	O
as	O
a	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
drop-in	B-Architecture
replacement	I-Architecture
for	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
closed-source	B-Application
system	B-Application
software	I-Application
that	O
has	O
been	O
pre-installed	B-Application
on	O
almost	O
all	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NOGAPPS	O
project	O
became	O
MicroG	B-Application
by	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MicroG	B-Application
allows	O
Android	B-Application
apps	O
to	O
access	O
replica	O
application	B-Application
programming	I-Application
interfaces	I-Application
(	O
APIs	B-Application
)	O
that	O
are	O
provided	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
,	O
including	O
the	O
APIs	B-Application
associated	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
geolocation	O
and	O
messaging	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
,	O
MicroG	B-Application
does	O
not	O
track	B-Application
user	I-Application
activity	I-Application
on	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
and	O
users	O
can	O
selectively	O
enable	O
and	O
disable	O
specific	O
API	B-Application
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
what	O
apps	O
are	O
installed	O
by	O
users	O
,	O
user	O
activity	O
may	O
still	O
be	O
tracked	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
microG	B-Application
released	O
"	O
LineageOS	B-Application
for	O
microG	B-Application
"	O
,	O
a	O
fork	B-Application
of	O
LineageOS	B-Application
–	O
a	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
Android-based	O
operating	O
system	O
–	O
that	O
includes	O
both	O
MicroG	B-Application
and	O
the	O
F-Droid	B-Application
app	O
store	O
as	O
pre-installed	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
LineageOS	B-Application
for	O
MicroG	B-Application
was	O
created	O
after	O
LineageOS	B-Application
developers	O
declined	O
to	O
integrate	O
MicroG	B-Application
into	O
LineageOS	B-Application
;	O
the	O
developers	O
cited	O
MicroG	B-Application
's	O
need	O
to	O
spoof	O
code	O
signatures	O
as	O
a	O
security	O
concern	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
enable	O
MicroG	B-Application
's	O
functionality	O
,	O
LineageOS	B-Application
for	O
MicroG	B-Application
includes	O
limited	O
support	O
for	O
signature	O
spoofing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MicroG	B-Application
developers	O
claim	O
that	O
older	O
smartphones	O
consume	O
less	O
battery	O
power	O
using	O
LineageOS	B-Application
for	O
MicroG	B-Application
compared	O
to	O
operating	O
systems	O
that	O
use	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
LineageOS	B-Application
for	O
MicroG	B-Application
supported	O
39	O
device	O
models	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
and	O
now	O
supports	O
the	O
same	O
device	O
models	O
as	O
LineageOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devices	O
receive	O
newer	O
versions	O
of	O
LineageOS	B-Application
for	O
MicroG	B-Application
through	O
semi-monthly	O
over-the-air	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
a	O
2018	O
paper	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
privacy	O
,	O
security	O
researchers	O
from	O
Nagoya	O
University	O
used	O
MicroG	B-Application
to	O
bypass	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
SafetyNet	O
security	O
mechanism	O
on	O
an	O
Android	B-Application
Marshmallow	I-Application
emulator	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
researchers	O
altered	O
Android	B-Application
's	O
package	B-Application
manager	I-Application
and	O
implemented	O
signature	O
spoofing	O
to	O
enable	O
MicroG	B-Application
on	O
the	O
emulator	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
CalyxOS	B-Operating_System
includes	O
options	O
for	O
using	O
MicroG	B-Application
as	O
a	O
privacy	O
enhanced	O
replacement	O
for	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
functionality	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
DivestOS	B-Application
,	O
a	O
LineageOS	B-Application
soft	O
fork	B-Application
,	O
chose	O
not	O
to	O
support	O
MicroG	B-Application
or	O
other	O
ways	O
of	O
installing	O
or	O
running	O
proprietary	B-Application
Google	B-Application
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Essential	O
Products	O
 '	O
"	O
Project	O
Gem	O
"	O
smartphone	O
,	O
previously	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
used	O
a	O
fork	B-Application
of	O
Android	B-Application
that	O
eschews	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
in	O
favor	O
of	O
MicroG	B-Application
,	O
according	O
to	O
Essential	O
's	O
commits	B-Protocol
to	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
codebase	B-General_Concept
in	O
late	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IodéOS	B-Application
includes	O
MicroG	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
May	O
2022	O
,	O
Murena	O
company	O
is	O
selling	O
a	O
few	O
phones	O
including	O
MicroG	B-Application
with	O
the	O
/e/	B-Application
operating	O
system	O
,	O
a	O
privacy-oriented	O
fork	B-Application
of	O
LineageOS	B-Application
,	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Services	O
"	O
mostly	O
removed	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
companies	O
associated	O
with	O
/e/	B-Application
began	O
selling	O
refurbished	O
smartphones	O
with	O
MicroG	B-Application
pre-installed	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
OmniROM	B-Application
began	O
providing	O
builds	O
including	O
MicroG	B-Application
built	O
in	O
for	O
certain	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
Nathan	O
Willis	O
of	O
LWN.net	O
expected	O
MicroG	B-Application
to	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
welcome	O
addition	O
"	O
for	O
users	O
of	O
alternative	O
Android-based	O
projects	O
,	O
including	O
CyanogenMod	B-Application
,	O
Replicant	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Blackphone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Willis	O
suggested	O
that	O
MicroG	B-Application
could	O
increase	O
its	O
adoption	O
by	O
collaborating	O
with	O
these	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Corbin	O
Davenport	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
Police	O
in	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
installed	O
LineageOS	B-Application
for	O
MicroG	B-Application
on	O
a	O
Xiaomi	O
Mi	O
4c	O
smartphone	O
using	O
the	O
Team	B-Application
Win	I-Application
Recovery	I-Application
Project	I-Application
image	O
in	O
an	O
experiment	O
in	O
which	O
he	O
exclusively	O
used	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
on	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Davenport	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
log	O
in	O
to	O
his	O
Google	B-Application
Account	I-Application
through	O
MicroG	B-Application
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
Going	O
all	O
open-source	B-Application
is	O
n't	O
feasible	O
"	O
,	O
despite	O
the	O
high	O
quality	O
of	O
some	O
open-source	B-Application
Android	B-Application
apps	O
from	O
F-Droid	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lifehackers	O
Brendan	O
Hesse	O
recommended	O
MicroG	B-Application
in	O
his	O
November	O
2018	O
tutorial	O
to	O
"	B-Application
quitting	I-Application
Google	I-Application
"	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hesse	O
saw	O
MicroG	B-Application
as	O
a	O
"	O
promising	O
"	O
alternative	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
that	O
was	O
"	O
incomplete	O
and	O
still	O
in	O
development	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
usable	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
runs	O
pretty	O
well	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steven	O
J	O
.	O
Vaughan-Nichols	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
2019	O
ZDNet	O
review	O
of	O
a	O
refurbished	O
Samsung	B-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
S9+	I-Application
smartphone	O
from	O
/e/	B-Application
,	O
determined	O
that	O
applications	O
which	O
were	O
more	O
closely	O
integrated	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Mobile	I-Application
Services	I-Application
were	O
less	O
likely	O
to	O
function	O
properly	O
with	O
MicroG	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
his	O
device	O
test	O
,	O
Vaughan-Nichols	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
Signal	B-Application
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
and	O
other	O
Android	B-Application
apps	O
with	O
no	O
problems	O
,	O
while	O
Lyft	B-Application
and	O
Uber	B-Application
operated	O
less	O
reliably	O
;	O
Vaughan-Nichols	O
was	O
not	O
able	O
to	O
run	O
Google	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
or	O
Twitter	B-Application
at	O
all	O
,	O
concluding	O
,	O
"	O
applications	O
can	O
be	O
a	O
pain	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
installing	O
/e/	B-Application
is	O
a	O
monster	O
of	O
a	O
job.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2022	O
,	O
Vaughan-Nichols	O
in	O
ZDNet	O
wrote	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
/e/OS	B-Application
,	O
most	O
(	O
but	O
not	O
all	O
)	O
Google	B-Application
services	O
have	O
been	O
removed	O
and	O
replaced	O
with	O
MicroG	B-Application
services.	O
"	O
</s>
