[General Questions and Answers] Lusty Rugnuts:
Ok, I've got a Blu Life One X3 with BLU_L0150WW_V7.0.04.13_GENERIC ROM, Android Nougat 7.0.04.13, rooted with TWRP as bootloader and Magisk as root. AFWall+ is the iptables firewall, and the systemless Xposed Framework is installed as a module in Magisk.

All syncing is turned off and disabled, most of the Google pre-installed apps have been removed from the phone. Only the following remain:

Google Services Framework

Google Play Store

Google Play Services

Google Partner Setup

Google Account Manager

Contacts

Google Phone (merely because I can't find contacts and dialer that properly hook into Android... I will eventually)

Removed:

Google Chrome (internet activity tracking)

Google Tag Manager (tag & pixel tracking)

Google Play Music (lifestyle demography)

Google Play Movies & TV (lifestyle demography)

Google Maps (location tracking)

Google - Quick Search Box (search tracking)

Google YouTube (lifestyle demography)

Google TalkBack / Android Accessibility Suite

Google Drive (lifestyle demography)

Google Duo (audiovisual demography)

Google Contacts Sync (association demography)

Google Backup Transport

Google Market Feedback Agent

Google Calculator

Google Calendar (lifestyle demography)

Google Gmail (lifestyle and association demography)

Google Text-To-Speech

Google Japanese Input

Google SMS - Messages (SMS tracking)

Google Photos (lifestyle demography)

Google Carrier Services

OK Google voice assistant (audio monitoring)

Work Profile Setup

GBoard Google Keyboard (keylogger tracking)

ASIDE:

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Yes, GBoard logs keystrokes... Google's own privacy statement about the keyboard reads: "Gboard will remember words you type to help you with spelling or to predict searches you might be interested in."

Maybe you trust that "spelling or to predict searches" is all Google is using their keylogger keyboard for, but I don't.

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I've been browsing through the phone's file system, doing a lot of research, and editing .xml files to disable all the jobs that Google starts when the phone boots, and to retract permissions that Google has taken the liberty of using... this reduces CPU utilization and increases battery life. The phone works beautifully, doing what I want it to do (and nothing more), and going for days before requiring a charge.

I've seen no adverse effects from this, save for the issue at hand... that of Google Play Services trying to push a new ROM (BLU_L0150WW_V7.0.04.14_GENERIC), despite me having disabled OTA updates and Google Play Store automatic updates. Google Play Services reboots my phone at midnight each night in attempting to install the update, against my will and without my express consent.

When Google becomes the data-filching malware you cannot turn off, it's time to put Google on a short leash.

Google Play Services downloads via WiFi a .zip file named update_s.zip to /cache, then reboots the phone at midnight. It expects to reboot to fastboot, but that no longer works because I've got TWRP as bootloader, so it boots to the main TWRP screen and just sits there until I reboot it. If the update_s.zip file is allowed to remain in /cache until the next night, Google Play Services won't re-download it, it'll simply reboot the phone in attempting to install it.

I've removed Scheduled Power On/Off (package:/system/vendor/app/SchedulePowerOnOff/SchedulePowerOnOff.apk=com.mediatek.schpwronoff), so it cannot be the cause of the reboots, it's definitely Google Play Services. I've watched system activity via adb logcat and can clearly see that the culprit is Google Play Services.

Even if the update could successfully execute, I wouldn't install it... why is Google pushing a phone manufacturer's ROM, and why are they doing so against my will and in contradiction to the disabled OTA and Google Play Store automatic updates? Why didn't Blu push the update? I suspect they're pushing the ROM to get their permissions back... I'm no longer a cash cow for them, and they desperately want to make money off my info.

I see no way of disabling this behavior, and I've certainly not authorized Google to push system updates to my phone, nor to reboot my phone... they must be brought to heel and forced (via litigation, if necessary) to respect personal property rights. This is illegal under California Penal Code 502(c), Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act.

This is tantamount to a mechanic creeping into someone's garage at midnight each night and letting the air out of someone's car tires because that someone doesn't use that mechanic's services. This is tantamount to a refrigerator manufacturer sneaking into someone's home at midnight each night and unplugging the refrigerator because it's made by another manufacturer.

How do I disable this behavior?