Gcam Services Provider

This app "simulates" the Google Play Services that the Google Camera app (Gcam) requires, allowing the camera app to be used on devices without Google Play Services.

Comparison: GrapheneOS' Gcam support

Note

The only reason to consider Gcam-Services-Provider on GrapheneOS is the ability to use the button in Gcam that opens the last taken photo without having Google Photos installed. If you can do without it, you don't need this app.

Since April 2023 GrapheneOS is able to run Gcam without additional steps. Here is the relevant part of the changelog:

add generic compatibility shim catching the exception from the Gservices provider being missing to enable apps like Google Camera [...] to work without GSF installed since they don't have any actual hard dependency on either GSF or Play services

Comparison: microG

microG is a open source re-implementation of the Google Play Services (client side). Among other things, signature spoofing is used to achieve this goal. In comparison, this app only aims to get Gcam running without Play Services. Therefore this app does not need any security compromising hacks or permissions (no Internet access, no storage access and of course no root access).

How to install this app?

Important

Using GrapheneOS? Make sure you read the comparison with GrapheneOS' Gcam support above!

There are three flavors of this app named basic, photos, and photosonly. All come without UI and therefore have no icon in the app drawer. But of course the installation is listed in the Android settings (e.g. for uninstallation).

Basic includes everything you need to get Gcam running but the button showing the last taken photo in full size will not work. The photosonly flavor supports this button but does not provide the features of the basic flavor; it is meant to be used on GrapheneOS alongside the sandboxed Play Services. The photos flavor has all features from basic and photosonly combined in one app.

Flavor	Incompatible apps	Download
Basic	- Google Service Framework (GSF) - microg	GitHub F-Droid
Photosonly	- Google Photos	GitHub
Photos	- Google Service Framework (GSF) - microg - Google Photos	GitHub

Gcam Compatibility

Compatible Android OS (#22) or modded Gcam

Known from/recommended by

• GCam Hub (celsoazevedo)
• Kuketz-Blog (German IT security and privacy blog)