[Galaxy A3, A5, A7, A8, A9 Original Android Develop] samsuffit:
Maybe the thread is dead, never mind, the rom is stable enough, thank you xEmre66, sincerely, thank you. Thank you all the devs who have work for us lazy people. You've done well, you've build the first stone of our emancipation from Google. However we're able to do more to finally be free.

How I personalize my custom rom without GAPPS.

The purpose is to have a PHONE, just a phone, secure, fast, with a very good battery. Actually I don't use WiFi or datas. I have a computer at home to surf on internet. Just in case I keep some things to access my bank with my phone.

I flash in this order:

Lineage

Busybox

SuperSU

Xposed

As you can see, no GAPPS...

Immediately after installation, still inside TWRP, before the reboot, I launch a adb shell, then:

# mount -o rw,remount /system

[to enable read/write access on the system partition]

# cd /sytem/app

# rm -r BookmarkProvider DownloadProviderUi Email Exchange2 Jelly PacProcessor PrintRecommendationService PrintSpooler WAPPushManager

[I'll never use the web browser, the email, I'll never print something, never use WAP, or push services and PacProcessor... well... what the hell is that for anyway? I don't need the download ui too. For now I keep NFC, I'm not sure I'll use it one day.]

# cd ../priv-app

# rm -r Updater WeatherManagerService WeatherProvider

[Sorry, no OTA (or statistics...), I prefer to upgrade manualyl. No need of weather.]

# reboot

The system boot for the first time.

Immediatly after the setup I activate developpers options then debug mode.

& su

# pm disable com.android.mms.service

# pm disable com.android.messaging

[I'll use QKSMS instead of built-in sms/mms app, but just in case I don't delete it and disable it.]

# pm disable com.android.providers.downloads

[Normally I don't need the built-in dowloader and I could delete it instead, but just in case...]

It is possible to disable/enable applications with oandbackup (dk.jens.backup) and some other apps. I'm in love with the command line.

WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and Datas are always disabled. Battery is on low consumption profile. Phone is on 2G only profile. I just need a phone 99% of the time... If I have to access my bank account, I activate 3G or more.

Because it's obviously more than a phone, I install, always in first, APK Permission Remover (com.gmail.heagpoo.apkpermremover) then AFWall+ (dev.ukanth.ufirewall). I block everything! I will authorize later when needed. Then I install F-Droid without these permissions:

android.permissions.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE # Don't need to share apps with others

android.permissions.CHANGE_WIFI_MULTICAST_STATE # Idem

android.permissions.CHANGE_NETWORK_STATE # Don't want F-Droid modify my network settings

android.permissions.CHANGE_WIFI_STATE # Don't want F-Droid activate the WiFi

android.permissions.BLUETOOTH # Don't need to share apps with others

android.permissions.BLUETOOTH.ADMIN # Idem

android.permissions.WRITE_SETTINGS # Don't need that, I stay in control

android.permissions.NFC # Don't need to share apps with others

android.permissions.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED # Don't need to have it launched at boot

android.permissions.ACCESS_SUPERUSER # No way! , I stay in control

org.fdroid.fdroid.privileged.USE_SERVICE # I install or upgrade apps with APK Permission Remover, I stay in control

F-Droid will only download the apps, I'll install them manually, with APK Permission Remover. Hopefully opensource apps are pretty clean and honest, but with my bank app I remove:

android.permissions.CALL_PHONE # E.T. phone home?

android.permissions.ACCESS.FINE.LOCATION # No GPS

android.permissions.ACCESS.COARSE_LOCATION # No triangulation

android.permissions.READ_CONTACTS # To do what with my contacts?

And I remove usual stuff like I already said for F-Droid.

Then I install some useful apps because obviously it's more than a phone, it's a smartphone and I'm not completely crazy.

2048 # Maybe I want to kill time?

Aard # I like to have dictionnaries

Amaze # The best file browser!

Battery Charge Limit # Don't destroy a battery you can't replace

ForceDoze # Have a good sleep

oandbackup # Don't want to install and configure again and again

OsmAnd~ # That's a very good offline GPS app!

QKSMS # Good sms/mms app

Xposed Installer # Well... Xposed doesn't work without it and I need it for AFWall+ and ForceDoze. I remove android.permissions.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED.

That's how I proceed and after that I have MY phone, without Google crap (IMO), without Big Brother, I feel in control, that's my baby, mine, totally mine.

Battery lasts 3 weeks, yes three weeks in stand-by mode. Usually I recharge once a week when it's below 20%. I don't phone a lot, to be honest nearly never, most of the time I use only SMS. It's a lot of work to begin with but I have to do it only one time. Now I can literally forget I have a phone and that's exactly what I want. I can forget it many days it'll still have battery and if I'm lost somewhere odd, I have the offline GPS. It's a tool, my tool not the opposite, I'm not the tool of an evil company... The phone is my slave, not the opposite. It's an object, like an knife or a lighter, with a primary single purpose and a secondary diverse usage in case of necessity.