Googles Apps crash without "Google Services Framework" in main profile

Fulgrim

Hi everyone,

I'm using GrapheneOS since one week on a Pixel 6a. My setup is, that I use the main profile for FOSS-Apps only and distribute all non-FOSS apps over several task related profiles (Banking, Access, Messaging, Gaming etc.). Furthermore I have a profile called Pixel, which is "googelized" and where all apps that heavily depend on Google live.

I think during setup of the phone, I installed the Google Services Framework in the main folder (I think because of the eSIM). Some days ago I deleted it from the main profile but kept it installed on the Pixel profile.

Interestingly, when the Google Services Framework is removed from the main profile, all Google Apps such as Maps, Playstore, or Camera crash on the Pixel profile. Even reinstalling the Apps does not help. They start to working again after I installed the Google Services Framework in the main profile again.

I can live with the Google Services Framework in the main profile, as this seems to be a passive library only, but I am curios if there is a technical reason or if this is just a bug.

MetropleX

Fulgrim

It sounds like you did something that broke sandboxed Google Play and now apps depending on it are crashing. The update asked you to reboot which may be what uncovered what broke earlier. If you uninstalled GSF in any profile, that did it.

Remove Google Play and apps depending on it then reinstall GSF / Play services / Play Store and then the apps depending on it. If you uninstall GSF from any profile on Android 12 or below, including on stock OS, it breaks all the apps depending on Google Play.

It's not caused by sandboxed Google Play but rather removing GSF breaks apps depending on it until each app depending on it is reinstalled after adding it back.

The reason it breaks cross-profile on Android 12 and below is due to a bug in AOSP impacting stock Pixel OS too.

Android 13 appears to fix the cross-profile bug causing removal of app-defined permissions from apps depending on them when you remove the app in another profile. That's what causes removing GSF in one profile to break apps in others, since AOSP removes GSF permissions entirely.

Source: Daniel Micay

abcZ

That's interesting, because MAPS... does NOT depend on GSF. It will work completely standalone.
Same with Camera.
For playstore, I'd recommend just using Aurora instead.

Might be that because you installed those after GSF, they may have set themselves up assuming that GSF is present. Try wiping them and setting them up again.

nrt

If you uninstall sandboxed google play in 1 profile you need to reinstall it in your other profiles. And reinstall apps that depend on it. Just the way it works.

abcZ

nrt No, you do NOT need GSF in ANY profile for maps/camera.

nrt

MetropleX you beat me to it 😀

walkingt

I had the same issue. You need to make sure to install the full app bundle (300MB+). I can also confirm that both GSF and Google Camera do not need network permissions.