Play Store and a phone number

DeletedUser43

AFAIK the recommended way to install apps with the Play Store, and since Aurora is broken, there's actually no other way. I've been setting up totally random Google accounts for the Play Store, but this stopped working for me today: Google started to require a phone number verification to confirm I'm not a robot.

What now?

[deleted]

DeletedUser43 aren't I lucky that I don't need to worry about these things? I bank through Vanadium. Had to activate JIT to do that, but small price to pay. BTW bank already knows my number and if it really wants, I am pretty sure they can channel it back to Google. So what if I don't get notifications? I don't use it every minute. On top of that Google Play Services don't eat up my battery.

233328

I used 5sim.net to get a temporary phone number for receiving the confirmation SMS. Cheap (about 15 cents for one SMS) and paid in crypto, but not very intuitive.
Someone else on this forum mentioned sms4sats.com, seems simpler but I haven't tried it. There are other services like this.

Depending on your location you might be able to buy pre-paid SIMs easily which could also be a solution, although more expensive.

Or you could use your real number, delete it from the account after registration and hope that Google don't use it for anything more (they claim they don't, up to you whether to trust them or not).

DeletedUser43

233328 Thank you, I didn't know those particular services.

I did already try my alternative SIM and some fake ones, but Google actually checks if the number is used only once. So this is not going to be that simple given the popularity of Google.

I did try Aurora Store, it's fixed, currently it looks like the simplest solution to me.

Either way I'm fine, I'll manage. But what is actually the most interesting to me, what's GrapheneOS team official stance going to be? Get a fake phone number?

de0u

DeletedUser43 But what is actually the most interesting to me, what's GrapheneOS team official stance going to be? Get a fake phone number?

It is not clear to me what part of this the GrapheneOS team would have an opinion on. Google can demand a phone number, or not. You can provide a phone number, or not. What might change if other parties expressed an "official stance"?

Please note that I do not speak for the GrapheneOS project.

Kottonballs

I use Aurora with a throwaway google email and have never needed a phone number. I only needed to select 2fa when I created the account and now I have backup numbers I need to resort to when I need to login to the acct.

DeletedUser43

de0u I see where you're coming from, and as I wrote earlier, I'm fine, getting a "fake" phone number is just an annoyance. Here is what it actually changes for me: I was recommending GrapheneOS pretty broadly to people, and now I can't. In my country banking apps have to be installed using Play Store. Getting a fake phone number is to much friction for most of people.

p338k

DeletedUser43

I don't see how this is a GrapheneOS problem. The same banking apps would require a Google account with the stock OS.

de0u

DeletedUser43 I was recommending GrapheneOS pretty broadly to people, and now I can't. In my country banking apps have to be installed using Play Store. Getting a fake phone number is to much friction for most of people.

Is there a reason why they couldn't just use their real phone number? Maybe some people might not want Google to know their real phone number, but maybe some would be OK with it, and others could use a throwaway number?

It's not clear what the GrapheneOS project could do -- even in theory -- to force Google to change their account verification policies.

DeletedUser43

de0u Is there a reason why they couldn't just use their real phone number?

Hate to break it to you, but besides you, me and couple of other special cases, no one cares about security, not even a little. Main selling point of GrapheneOS was "de-googling", and it was wonderful on Graphene, it allowed anyone to easily do it. Now this is done, and I'm sad about it, but in general all of the responses are right: I don't think GrapheneOS ever made any claims about being an easy way out of Google. I just hoped maybe someone will come up with a clever way around it.

de0u

DeletedUser43 Main selling point of GrapheneOS was "de-googling", and it was wonderful on Graphene, it allowed anyone to easily do it.

Maybe people have varying visions of what "de-Googling" means. Some people run GrapheneOS with only apps from F-Droid, or even only apps personally built from source, and I think that could qualify as "de-Googling". From that perspective it might seem odd to describe downloading apps from Google's app store as "de-Googling".

If Google changes their account verification policy I don't think that affects the F-droid kind of "de-Googling", though it would affect the "de-Googling but using Google's app store" kind.

DeletedUser43

de0u You're right, and just to state the obvious: Grephene is still great, nothing changes for me other then upping my fake number game. My only point is, that there are 3 basic options left on the table:

Just login with your Google account to Play Store. For most people, who don't care about security, there is no point.
Get a fake phone number - most people won't do it.
Use f-droid - most people can't live with it.
(I'm assuming Google will effectively kill Aurora sooner then later).

This greatly limits amount of potential users. I'm not saying anything is wrong with it. I understand there's nothing Graphene can do about it.

de0u

DeletedUser43 I'm assuming Google will effectively kill Aurora sooner then later.

I would not be surprised. At some point they might even be forced to by an age-verification law in some country.

AtavisticPuma

DeletedUser43
or another option:

Try different IP addresses until you can sign up without being prompted for a phone #

This worked for me, and others as mentioned in this thread