openGapps - a blessing!

Repository

https://github.com/opengapps/opengapps/

OpenGapps is a name which would not be alien among Android developers or power users who like tweaking their phones to their liking. They, I am sure, would agree with me in saying that openGapps is indeed a most essential and crucial resource.

My first encounter with it took place in 2017. At that time, I did not have a phone, so used Genymotion to run a Google Pixel VM on my laptop. At one point I realized that I required the use of some Google services which I could not find on the image installed, and so began my hunt for a solution. I did not have to look far, however: it appeared that openGapps was as common as table salt among the community of developers. But there were problems, oh yes.

And that brings us to the question: what exactly is openGapps?

As the name (might) suggest, it is a package of all the services and functionality offered by Google on Android devices - Play Store, Calendar, Play Services, etc.

But why would someone need it?

When a person flashes a custom ROM on his device, the new operating system is devoid of any traces of Google whatsoever - because Android, too, is open source and the device manufacturers add the Google things. So, the new ROM, which is made by changing open source code, does not and can not offer any Google services. But experience tells us that they are, in fact, quite necessary and useful.

And here's where openGapps comes in. One just has to flash it on top of the ROM and that's done - easy!

The packages of openGapps come in different varieties. You can visit their website https://opengapps.org to see for yourself the classifications.

They're classified on three bases: platform, Android version, and then the variant.

The first step is to determine which platform the mobile device you're going to flash the package on runs. There are four:

• ARM
• ARM64
• x86
• x86_64

(This is where I got stuck, that part comes later 😉😂 )

When you've figured out the platform, you pick the Android version the ROM you've installed is based on, and then finally you choose a variant. There are many, and the basic difference among them is the number of apps and services offered: lesser apps, smaller size! Most of the apps can be downloaded off the Play Store later, however: it's the basic functionality that's not available from the Play Store that you want.

After you've decided on all three, just hit the download button and a zip file will materialize itself on your storage shortly (or taking time, depending on your internet speed 😂). When it's done, you just have to flash it on the device using a custom recovery such as TWRP and you're good to go!

So, back to my story, I couldn't figure out what platform would be suitable for a virtual machine running an x86 image but inside an x64 machine... and so two unsuccessful attempts later I had Google set up on Genymotion. Nowadays, however, a button to install openGapps is provided with Genymotion already (Ah! How time changes!).

And after that, it was a constant friendship. Every time I update my phone with a new ROM, I pay openGapps a visit.

I wonder, what would we do without it!?

Cheers!
ArnavR
@arnavr