[LineageOS Questions & Answers] jpdubya:
(first time on XDA, let me know if this should be on a different thread, or if I should add any tags)

Hi!

Intro/Plea for Help:​

I have found partial and indirect answers to some of my questions, I'm hoping someone can help with my particular situation and answer all questions clearly, in one place. Maybe someone could answer these questions off the top of their head, whereas I would have to do lots of reading to figure it out. At a minimum, if someone is able to answer if this is a realistic goal or not, that would be great!

What I'm trying to do:​

I want to turn my smartphone into a dumbphone (with select additional apps). I think the best way to do that is by installing lineage OS and removing any apps or features I don't want. But I don't know what apps/features are safe to remove without breaking the functionality of the things that I want to keep. Ideal scenario is I could install Lineage OS with exactly these apps, nothing more and with no ability to add any apps. So its not entirely "dumb", but is limited in the sense that you would have to plug your phone into your computer in order to add an app (more context at the bottom, in case it helps)

Questions:​

Big question: if there is a GApps package, could you build a package that removes some of those and adds the additional apps below and then install it the same way you would install GApps? If so, can someone either build it for me or show me how? I have friends who may want to do the same thing and I could help them do it if I knew how to.

Is there anything missing from the list below that would cause stuff on the list not to work properly?

If you're phone only had these apps and wasn't capable of installing any new apps, what other stuff doesn't work? (i.e. updates, maybe syncing calendar/messaging/contacts to the cloud? idk...)

If you want to have the below list of apps and make it nearly impossible to add any others, is this the best way to do it? What others steps could you take to make it really difficult to install apps? Do you know of other methods that would work better?

other questions may arise during the process but that's a start

Canvas Student​

File Manager​

Google Assistant​

Google Home​

Google/Android Messages​

Google Maps​

Google Calendar​

Google Drive​

Google Photos​

Google Keep​

Google Play Books​

GPay​

Gmail​

JoinNow MultiOS​

Amazon Kindle​

Outlook​

Niagara Launcher​

Onedrive​

Phone​

ParkMobile​

Google Stadia​

USBank​

Slack​

Ultimate Guitar Tabs​

USAA SafePilot​

Venmo​

Spotify​

TSheets​

More Context:

I enjoy projects like this and a regular dumbphone doesn't meet the crucial intersection between what I need and what I'm trying to get rid of. I need some features on my phone to function day to day (navigation, apps for school and work, Google Home), but I really don't want other stuff on my phone (internet browser, play store, social media) because it is getting in the way of my values. This is a big part of my effort to develop healthier habits, maybe other people can sympathize with that. Simpler ways of blocking these things can be worked around too easily and I don't have the sheer self-control to just not use them (others may relate with these dilemma as well). The hope is that this will be annoying enough to make it not worth it, or to give me time to ask myself if its really what I want.