<2>European Consortium Wants Open-Source Alternative To Google Play Integrity
<3>Obstacles and Tips for Paying with an Android Smartphone without Official Google Services
The German Volla Systeme GmbH has developed a plan to create an open-source alternative to Google Play Integrity, a proprietary interface that decides on Android smartphones with Google Play services whether banking, government, or wallet apps are allowed to run on a smartphone. This initiative is being developed by a newly founded industry consortium led by Volla, which includes Murena, Iode from France, and Apostrophy (Dot) from Switzerland.
<3>Google Play Integrity and the Need for an Open-Source Alternative
Google provides app developers with an interface called Play Integrity, which checks whether an app is running on a device with specific security requirements. This primarily affects applications from “sensitive areas such as identity verification, banking, or digital wallets — including apps from governments and public administrations”. The company criticizes that the certification is exclusively offered for Google’s own proprietary “Stock Android” but not for Android versions without Google services, such as /e/OS or similar custom ROMs.
<3>The UnifiedAttestation System
The UnifiedAttestation system is built around three main components: an “operating
