feat(GmsCore): Hide app icon from drawer/launcher

[ILoveOpenSourceApplications]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
The current version of GmsCore lacks an option within the app to hide the app icon from the app drawer/launcher.

Describe the solution you'd like
A toggle within the app to hide the app icon from the app drawer/launcher would be very much appreciated if implemented.

Additional context
GmsCore, once signed-in, is an app most simple users won't look back to and it's almost like a system app, which is very much needed for functionality but need not be present in the app drawer among other frequently used apps, as in opened every single time for any app usage. System apps are essential for background functionality but rarely interacted with directly. Hiding the GmsCore icon declutters the app drawer, keeping it focused on frequently used apps and providing a cleaner user experience.

[TheShadowRunner]

Came here to request exactly this, thx ILoveOpenSourceApplications, here's hoping..

[Sapiosenses]

Without the app icon, users will not be able to launch the microG utility app, nor change any of the microG settings or view diagnostic information, which will handicap usage.

I have no idea why someone would want that...

[Yashg2604]

poeple usually dont change microg settings much, so it ight be better to just set it up once and then hide away. If someone wants to change settings again they can just go to all apps list.

[TheShadowRunner]

Users can access settings from App Info > "Additional Settings in the app".

[Sapiosenses]

poeple usually dont change microg settings much, so it ight be better to just set it up once and then hide away. If someone wants to change settings again they can just go to all apps list.

When I see the phrase "hide from the launcher" it usually means really hide it, not just on the desktop, but everywhere in the launcher including the app list.

So yeah, if it was just hidden from the desktop, that's no big deal.

You can just install a different launcher or some misc Magisk/Xposed hack to do stuff like that too.

https://www.wikihow.com/Hide-Apps-on-Android

https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-hide-files-photos-apps-android-652711/

[Yashg2604]

poeple usually dont change microg settings much, so it ight be better to just set it up once and then hide away. If someone wants to change settings again they can just go to all apps list.

When I see the phrase "hide from the launcher" it usually means really hide it, not just on the desktop, but everywhere in the launcher including the app list.

So yeah, if it was just hidden from the desktop, that's no big deal.

You can just install a different launcher or some misc Magisk/Xposed hack to do stuff like that too.

https://www.wikihow.com/Hide-Apps-on-Android

https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-hide-files-photos-apps-android-652711/

Its just most of the users are coming from vanced microg and it had the option to hide from app list, and no one seemed to face any issue with that.

Nevertheless I have hidden it in my mobile so it doesn't bother me. Its upto the devs if they want to implement the feature.

[Sapiosenses]

Its just most of the users are coming from vanced microg and it had the option to hide from app list, and no one seemed to face any issue with that.

The microG project doesn't care about revanced and its workalikes, they are projects that took some microG code, completely changed it in a way that broke 90% of its normal functionality, but didn't remove the "microG" from the name.

It's OT here actually. All it does is confuse people about what microG actually is.

[Yashg2604]

Its just most of the users are coming from vanced microg and it had the option to hide from app list, and no one seemed to face any issue with that.

The microG project doesn't care about revanced and its workalikes, they are projects that took some microG code, completely changed it in a way that broke 90% of its normal functionality, but didn't remove the "microG" from the name.

It's OT here actually. All it does is confuse people about what microG actually is.

Oh okay alright. Got it.
BTW what is OT? I am not familiar with GitHub's abbreviations .

[MintyDaisy]

I would very much like the feature. Once I have it setup, I don't need to tinker with it again. I would like it hidden from the app drawer.

[Sapiosenses]

BTW what is OT? I am not familiar with GitHub's abbreviations .

It's a common abbreviation in online fora for "Off Topic".

See this comment from the project founder:

#2091 (comment)

[TheShadowRunner]

i believe this is the relevant code (from Vanced gmscore fork):
https://github.com/search?q=repo%3ATeamVanced%2FVancedMicroG%20HIDE_LAUNCHER_ICON&type=code
Really hope this gets implemented.

[ale5000-git]

You could just disable the org.microg.gms.ui.SettingsActivity.
I have made a PR some time ago so now doing this do not break the microG settings and only disable the launcher icon.

[ale5000-git]

Still people do not understand that: setup it and no longer think about it is impossible.
There will always be issues, because G.P.S. is an always moving target; so:

• New app updates (both microG Services and microG Companion)
• New permissions to grant for new implemented functionalities
• Permission auto-removed by Android (yes, this also happens)
• New issue with Android updates
• etc.

The main issue of having the icon hidden is the laziness.
There will be users (well, it already happens) that when open a ticket say that have the latest version of microG but latest does mean nothing since maybe they haven't checked and they have 20 versions ago.

[ILoveOpenSourceApplications]

The main issue of having the icon hidden is the laziness. There will be users (well, it already happens) that when open a ticket say that have the latest version of microG but latest does mean nothing since maybe they haven't checked and they have 20 versions ago.

That's understandable. So out of the box the default setting for hiding the icon should be off. Only those who prefer to have the icon hidden only need to turn it on.

[Yashg2604]

You could just disable the org.microg.gms.ui.SettingsActivity. I have made a PR some time ago so now doing this do not break the microG settings and only disable the launcher icon.

Can you please instruct on how to do that?

[Sapiosenses]

You could just disable the org.microg.gms.ui.SettingsActivity. I have made a PR some time ago so now doing this do not break the microG settings and only disable the launcher icon.

Can you please instruct on how to do that?

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager