What is the role of Google services?

I seem to have a working google playstore after manually installing 3 apps from cobalt. I have installed Camper Mate (NZ Australia) and Google Maps but Camper Mate complains there is no Google services installed, and trying to install it fails, either through the automatic install or trying manually with several versions of apk. I think my z30 requires the 0.3.6 versions but I
tried one or two 0.3.0 as well.
The result is Camper Mate works except for displaying Maps.
Possibly Google services is needed to link these things, though
App Manager didn't find the Playstore installed version of Maps to delete and start again. I think I was able to delete Maps when I manually installed it by .apk
Edit: OK it is visible in AppManager>Storage again now, Is this the only way to delete android apps? It seems indirect.
I'm new to Android and Blackberry so have a bit to learn.
The problem with searching the forums is version changes,
so I can only pick up the drift of the previous problems.
TIA Ron

The Android Runtime on your Z30 is a partial implementation of Android version 4.3 and is always going to be stuck at 4.3. The newest version of Android is now 8.0. Cobalt's software provides more compatibility, but can only go so far. Newer Android apps depend more on Google Services which cannot be installed on BB10. If you can't patch or work around it, your app is not going to work.

The author of Camper Mate is here in NZ and will talk, but what options would he have?
I tried installing an .apk for Lucky Patcher, but that failed to install.
There could be other Android phone users with version 4.3 perhaps?
Ron

Originally Posted by ron_z30

... There could be other Android phone users with version 4.3 perhaps?
Ron

I'm sure there are, but they are running a full version of the official Google Android that includes Google Services, something that cannot be done on a BlackBerry 10 phone.

Originally Posted by ron_z30

The author of Camper Mate is here in NZ and will talk, but what options would he have?
I tried installing an .apk for Lucky Patcher, but that failed to install.
There could be other Android phone users with version 4.3 perhaps?
Ron

I think the newest version of Camper Mate requires only android 4.2 but the runtime and compatibility of apps on BB10 is hit and miss regardless. You could try a slightly older version by going here: https://apkpure.co/campermate/ , downloading and installing. However, I think you will find that anything requiring Google Maps will be a problem on your Z30 as services are almost always required. For that you will have to try Cobalt's stack or solution which can be found here on CB with a search.

If I ignore the front page of Camper Mate (missing the map) and do a search, clicking on the map button of one of the hits does start up a separate Maps page at the correct location, so I guess it may be useable to the degree of how good the search text will be, rather than a display of all things in the vicinity.

I possibly know enough about the problem now to approach the author for suggestions,
I seen a version for Android 2.3 there, maybe pre Google services?
Ron

Cobalt's file share (download to PC and move files over to device):

https://mega.nz/#F!lIUWjSSQ!yoLoiNX3PNG3Sef1Fa_fMA

Install and login with 4.3.3.

Install and register with 2.8.

Install Play Store v6 build2.

***Stop here if all you want is Play Store

Install Play Services v11.

Install 4.4.4 (but don't open after)

Install Play Games v5 (if desired).

Install whitelist 1.0.0.6.

***If an app requires Google Play Services, then:

Download app with Cobalt's Play Store (but don't install).
Whitelist unpatched app.
Patch app on PC with Play Services Patcher 1.6 using defaults settings.

Install patched app.


If after all that, your app still doesn't work, then it's simply not compatible with BB10.

Thanks for the detailed instructions, the only problem will be waiting to get hold of a Windows PC to do the patching. I only have Linux computers, maybe wine could do it, but it introduces unknowns.
Perhaps the source code of the patcher is available?
Edit: Later realised that patching with supplied files (text in text out) should not be a difficult task for wine, so have installed it
for later.
Had a glance at an Android Cookbook, seems the developer gets an api key from Google services when you want to overlay with Google Maps. The user uses a similar key I think. The alternative Open Street Maps doesn't require such things.
The strange thing is when I try the offline maps mode I get the OSM icon displayed at the bottom, but an empty map,
It appears it has tried with OSM
Edit: actually it's a Copyright for OpenStreetMap distributors
A day or so has passed, Ifoillowed the instructions without problem. installed wine followed by java runtime 7 (8 is not installing in wine), and the patcher ran, but found nothing to patch in the CamperMate apk.
So I tried installing it, and now have a different error (well I do have cobalts playservices instralled now.
There is still an error regarding Playservices, when running the unpatched app,
so I guess that is the end of the road for it on Blackberry.
There is a webpage option or I may look at using the z30 as a hotspot for a
simple android tablet when google services are needed.




Ron