Which FOSS client on Android 8+?
-
Hi All,
I have been using zarafa/kopano for many years as self-hosted server and used z-push to sync to android mobile devices. I also went through the effort of using android devices which were supported by cyanogenmod/lineageos android roms with no google play store backed in.
Now, google in their latest iteration of android not unlikely to further corner the last remaining holdouts of their data collection, removed the activesync support as it was default to the operating system and added it to gmail client. As a consequence Lineageos 15.1 native email client no longer supports activesync protocol.
My question to the community : what client do you use on FOSS mobile devices? Please do not say to use GMail… -
@lleopold19 said in Which FOSS client on Android 8+?:
FOSS client
I think this really is the limiting factor here. Microsoft is earning license fees if a client implements ActiveSync and this does not really mix with freely available software projects.
If you drop the open source requirement then http://www.9folders.com/ is a really nice client.
Regards Felix
Resources:
https://kopano.com/blog/how-to-get-kopano/
https://documentation.kopano.io/
https://kb.kopano.io/Support overview:
https://kopano.com/support/ -
@fbartels thank you for your reply. Yes, I am aware that open-source is the limitation, hence my search. The free part I can drop. The issue with Nine is that it will not work without Google Play. Their license model is also as such that you need a separate licence copy for each device, instead of Google Play account.
There are several others on Google Play that still support activesync but also not open-source. I tried just about all of these and they are either ‘misbeaving’ just as bluemail getting all your contacts and email headers, or not working at all without google play.I was not aware that a client implementation needed a license, that may explain it why it was removed from Android as default.
I realize this thread is for z-push, but I think this may be an issue on the long run for kopano… Going through the effort for using FOSS and self hosting, just to break everything on a client level is a limitation that probably needs to be addressed. For example CardDAV and CalDAV support in addition to IMAP would be a solution.
-
@lleopold19 said in Which FOSS client on Android 8+?:
Going through the effort for using FOSS and self hosting, just to break everything on a client level
I am not sure if you can really speak about about something breaking if you (partly) depend on closed source client components. Windows isn’t open source, iOS and MacOS aren’t open source (yes they have some oss components).
@lleopold19 said in Which FOSS client on Android 8+?:
For example CardDAV and CalDAV
CalDAV has been supported for a long time already. For CardDAV you could give https://forum.kopano.io/topic/1341/request-for-feedback-new-caldav-and-carddav-implementation-for-kopano a try.
And lastly we are currently busy exploring new technologies like Progressive Web Apps that could in the end make the need for an ActiveSync client obsolete. A first example of such a new client is our reimplemented Kopano Web Meetings client called Meet.
The big but for Android integration in that regards is that there is a real need to go through Googles Cloud Messaging services if you want to get Notification on mobile devices (without the app constantly running in the background and draining energy), so an “un-google-d Android phone” won’t make you happy here either.
-
I much appreciate you engaging in this discussion, really
I for one can live a very content and complete life without instant GCM push notification. I agree that this may be a minority now, but who knows where the future will be…
The Android email client in LineageOS 14.1 has and automatic push notification in case of activesync, and this gives me a 2-3 day battery life on a Nexus5 Checking email every 15 minutes or so is something that is more than OK for me, and does not seem to make noticeable difference in battery life.I may sound as a die-hard FOSS supporter, in fact I am after a privacy conscientious email client that supports activesync, Microsoft’s own Outlook for Android works without Google Play, but stops working if you block access to Microsoft servers.
-
@lleopold19 said in Which FOSS client on Android 8+?:
without instant GCM push notification. […] The Android email client in LineageOS 14.1 has and automatic push notification in case of activesync, and this gives me a 2-3 day battery life
that may have been a bit confusing in my answer, but my reference to GCM was in relation to other apps, and not in relation to the standard mail app.
-
I use “Nine” as email program on Android and it is the best one I have ever seen.
It isn’t free, but it works perfectly. I am still on Android 6 and 7 (two separate mobile devices) but I simply use Nine instead of the standard activesync email app.
-
Tasks & notes (it isn’t free) in Google Play (not sure if it is anywhere else) provides sync for exactly what it says and it works perfectly. Sadly though it isn’t an email client.
