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A bunch of the AOSP apps feel like you have to rewrite them for modern standards now and then you can basically have them in maintenance mode for years. The AOS

A bunch of the AOSP apps feel like you have to rewrite them for modern standards now and then you can basically have them in maintenance mode for years. The AOSP messaging app has also lasted for 15+ (?) years and has basically had no maintenance from Google for many years. Modernizing these apps seems very high-impact. These are the very first things a new user sees and after the initial modernization, they should be relatively cheap to maintain.

subscribed 6d ago
> Messaging, high impact. Messaging can be replaced with one of the hundreds decent messaging apps. Unlike the backup app which is utterly unusable, untrustworthy and frankly crap. And CANNOT be replaced by anything else. As it stands it's impossible to have reliable backups in GOS.
- drnick1 5d ago
  I know this isn't the solution you are looking for, but there is a fairly simple workaround and IMO it is superior: set up a Samba server or a Nextcloud instance, either at home or in the cloud, place it with behind a Wireguard tunnel, and don't store anything on the phone itself other than apps and things like maps for OsmAnd that can be redownloaded if lost. The Nextcloud app can automatically sync photos or other files too. If my phone were lost, stolen or destroyed, I would simply revoke its Wireguard key, buy a new Pixel, flash Graphene, and provision a new Wireguard key. Essentially no data of value would be lost, and restoring my apps and settings manually would take an hour tops. Admittedly, I don't use many apps, so YMMV.
  - subscribed 5d ago
    You're right, this is not a solution. And I'm syncing some of the app data already, but that is not a replacement for the OS apps. Most of the data cannot be synced like this.
    - fsflover 5d ago
      > Most of the data cannot be synced like this. Isn't it because of lack of the root access?
      - subscribed 5d ago
        You could say that. The lack of root is only significant because unlike in other vendors the built-in backup doesn't work reliably, and you can't use third party software. But I'm very hopeful, recently they released this Messages update, they're working on introducing native RCS somehow (no idea how but I wish them well), and they recently made a first-class automated call recording.
- microtonal 5d ago
  Very few of them will support RCS (I think currently only Google Messages?), which GrapheneOS also wants to support. I agree that a new backup system is also high impact, but there can be more than one high-impact thing, and the Message app is really low-hanging fruit.
  - grapheneos 5d ago
    GrapheneOS already supports using Google Messages with RCS. Google Messages is essentially the only RCS app for Android and it's the only one supporting end-to-end encryption. There were other apps such as a Samsung one but they died out and are nearly entirely only still around on outdated devices as a legacy app. We don't want people to need to use Google Messages for RCS and plan to add it to our Messaging app.
  - subscribed 5d ago
    Currently only Google Messages supports RCS indeed, so Messages is not a replacement yet. Personally I don't need RCS so I simply use Textra since forever as it's far better than Messages, but lack of backup is impacting everyone much more - no other app can be used to back up the OS.

subscribed 6d ago

> Messaging, high impact. Messaging can be replaced with one of the hundreds decent messaging apps. Unlike the backup app which is utterly unusable, untrustworthy and frankly crap. And CANNOT be replaced by anything else. As it stands it's impossible to have reliable backups in GOS.

drnick1 5d ago
I know this isn't the solution you are looking for, but there is a fairly simple workaround and IMO it is superior: set up a Samba server or a Nextcloud instance, either at home or in the cloud, place it with behind a Wireguard tunnel, and don't store anything on the phone itself other than apps and things like maps for OsmAnd that can be redownloaded if lost. The Nextcloud app can automatically sync photos or other files too. If my phone were lost, stolen or destroyed, I would simply revoke its Wireguard key, buy a new Pixel, flash Graphene, and provision a new Wireguard key. Essentially no data of value would be lost, and restoring my apps and settings manually would take an hour tops. Admittedly, I don't use many apps, so YMMV.
- subscribed 5d ago
  You're right, this is not a solution. And I'm syncing some of the app data already, but that is not a replacement for the OS apps. Most of the data cannot be synced like this.
  - fsflover 5d ago
    > Most of the data cannot be synced like this. Isn't it because of lack of the root access?
    - subscribed 5d ago
      You could say that. The lack of root is only significant because unlike in other vendors the built-in backup doesn't work reliably, and you can't use third party software. But I'm very hopeful, recently they released this Messages update, they're working on introducing native RCS somehow (no idea how but I wish them well), and they recently made a first-class automated call recording.
microtonal 5d ago
Very few of them will support RCS (I think currently only Google Messages?), which GrapheneOS also wants to support. I agree that a new backup system is also high impact, but there can be more than one high-impact thing, and the Message app is really low-hanging fruit.
- grapheneos 5d ago
  GrapheneOS already supports using Google Messages with RCS. Google Messages is essentially the only RCS app for Android and it's the only one supporting end-to-end encryption. There were other apps such as a Samsung one but they died out and are nearly entirely only still around on outdated devices as a legacy app. We don't want people to need to use Google Messages for RCS and plan to add it to our Messaging app.
- subscribed 5d ago
  Currently only Google Messages supports RCS indeed, so Messages is not a replacement yet. Personally I don't need RCS so I simply use Textra since forever as it's far better than Messages, but lack of backup is impacting everyone much more - no other app can be used to back up the OS.