BigBrainParking/README.md

BigBrainParking

An unofficial, de-Googled client for the ParkSmarter (IPS Group) parking system, built to run on GrapheneOS with UnifiedPush notifications and distributed via Obtainium — no Google Play Services, no Firebase, no app store.

Install it (users)

BigBrainParking installs and updates through Obtainium — no Google Play, no account. Works on GrapheneOS. On your phone (with Obtainium installed), tap:

➕ Add BigBrainParking to Obtainium

or follow INSTALL.md for the manual steps.

Monorepo layout

bigbrainparking/
├── parksmarter-client/   # Zero-dep TypeScript API client (reverse-engineered, live-verified)
├── app/                  # Expo / React Native app (BigBrainParking)
└── .gitea/workflows/     # CI: build signed APK -> publish release for Obtainium

• parksmarter-client — the API layer. All ~40 endpoints, the custom-header auth model, and response models (most verified against production). Runs anywhere; the app imports it directly. See its own README for the API details.
• app — the phone app. React Native (Expo prebuild), MapLibre maps, VisionCamera QR scanning, expo-secure-store token storage, local session-expiry reminders, and UnifiedPush wiring.

Features

Feature	Status	Notes
Phone + password login	✅ wired	tokens in OS keystore
Map of nearby meters (clickable, zoom, live GPS)	✅ wired	MapLibre + OpenFreeMap tiles (no key)
"Near my last location" proximity search	✅ wired	caches last GPS fix
QR kiosk scan → meter lookup	✅ wired	on-device VisionCamera
Save / share kiosks	✅ wired	local (no server favorites API exists)
Active / past sessions	✅ wired	list views
Start a paid session	🟡 gated	flow wired to postStartParkingSession, disabled pending review (real charge)
Session-expiry reminders	✅ wired	local notifications — no FCM needed
UnifiedPush (ntfy)	🟡 partial	endpoint registration done; server→ntfy bridge still needed (see below)

Build & run (dev)

Requires Node 20, JDK 17, Android SDK, and a GrapheneOS device (or any Android device) with USB debugging.

npm install                                   # installs both workspaces
npm run build --workspace parksmarter-client  # compile the client
cd app
npx expo prebuild --platform android          # generate native project
npx expo run:android                          # build + install a dev client

The app talks to prod (apiv2.parksmarter.com) by default — change extra.psEnvironment in app/app.json to point elsewhere.

Notifications on GrapheneOS

Session-expiry reminders are scheduled locally from each session's end time, so they need no push infrastructure and work fully offline of Google. app/src/notifications/ also wires UnifiedPush (distributor: ntfy) for any genuinely server-initiated push — but note the ParkSmarter backend only pushes via FCM, so server push requires a small FCM→ntfy bridge (a service holding an FCM token that forwards to your ntfy topic, then registered via PUT /api/Device). Until that exists, local reminders cover the main case.

Distribution via Obtainium (self-hosted)

Tag a release and CI builds a signed APK and publishes it to this repo's releases; your phone's Obtainium tracks the repo and offers updates. See docs/DISTRIBUTION.md for the full server + CI + keystore setup.