Maybe, since this hits Google APIs directly:
https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/blob...
But then, there's no TOS at this URL, and there's no point in taking this repo down, it would only make Google look bad and give microG free advertisement.
In LineageOS for microG – Access Google services without closed softwaremicrog
GmsCore
Java2015–2026
microg / GmsCore
GmsCore
Free implementation of Play Services
56Distinct people
71Mentions
0Explicit recommenders
15.3KGitHub stars
What to know before exploring
What it is
Free implementation of Play Services
GitHub
Where it is used
- CalyxOS — CalyxOS uses microG to provide a Google Play Services alternative for core services like notifications. This integrates microG into the OS as a built-in feature. Source
- /e/OS — /e/OS ships microG as part of the OS to run apps that require Google Play Services. The page explains microG provides these APIs through GmsCore, which /e/OS includes by default. Source
What people are saying
No recommendation phrase was found in the indexed comments.
No classified warning is attached to this page. Read the discussions before treating silence as approval.
Also in these discussions
No other repository is repeatedly linked in the same discussions.
This week on Hacker News
Nov 7–Nov 14 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/14/2026, 7:56:55 PM UTC.
No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.
Mentions over time
HN mentions by year71 dated mentions
Observed mentions: 2015-11-03 13:17:03 UTC to 2026-10-21 00:13:13 UTC.
* An incomplete calendar period is marked with an outlined bar. Its count is not directly comparable with a full period.
Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.
View mention counts and date ranges
| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2016 | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 2017 | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 2018 | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2019 | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| 2021 | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| 2023 | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 2024 | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| 2026 (partial) | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 12 | 3 | 9 |
From the project README
An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.
Read the project’s introduction
microG Services
microG Services is a FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software) framework to allow applications designed for Google Play Services to run on systems, where Play Services is not available.
Please refer to the wiki for downloads and instructions
Translations
If you'd like to help translate microG, take a look at TRANSLATION.
License
Copyright 2013-2025 microG Project Team
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
Read the full README on GitHubWhat Hacker News says
7 sourcesIn order to use MicroG, it is required to patch the ROM to allow app signature spoofing. People from LineageOS claim that this can be a huge security risk (and they are right) but there is no other way to achieve an implementation like this.
So MicroG people created this fork with the patch builtin.
More info here: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki...
In LineageOS for microG – Access Google services without closed softwareThere is wiki page with that info: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki...
looks like it's not stable yet.
In LineageOS for microG – Access Google services without closed softwareLook components state here: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki...
I discovered microg only recently and was instantly very interested but I am a heavy user of Cast so that's a big no for me, though I'll happily jump on it once it's done (if it's possible).
In So long, farewell and goodbyeJust install F-droid using the apk from the official site, add the repo [1], refresh the package list if this was not done automatically by F-droid, and install GmsCore along with GsfProxy in F-droid.
[1]: You can use the QR code here to avoid typing the URL into F-droid: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki...
In Ask HN: What are the OSS alternatives to iOS/Android?https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki...
Wearable and Cast are often missed APIs. Contacts and Calendar sync is also not implemented yet. I can't think of any app that I personally used that doesn't work. That includes Google Maps and the Play Store. There were some crashes in the past, but microG became a lot more stable since then.
However, I completely rely on my own infrastructure for mail and contacts / calendar sync (using DAVdroid).
In Effectively Using Android Without Google Play Services with Gplayweb in DockerI don't understand the aversion to rooting, other than the obvious security implications. Few consumers install Ubuntu (or another desktop distro) on their machine and don't allow themselves root access, so it's difficult to imagine having much freedoms on your phone without doing so either. Try a custom ROM (e.g. CyanogenMod or its apparent descendant LineageOS) which adds many more options to AOSP and doesn't force you to use Google Play Services. I'm running this currently with an open source Google Play alternative [1] and it works surprisingly well, with far better battery life and performance.
[1]: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki
In The Case for Ubuntu Phone