4.2 KiB
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) |
| Last-lot + My-location search | ✅ wired | opens on your last session's lot; GPS sent only via explicit "My location" |
| 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 + tap for full receipt |
| Start a paid session | ✅ works | confirmed live end-to-end (real $0.10 DL-zone charge); declines surfaced |
| Session-expiry reminders | ✅ wired | local on-device notifications — no server, no push |
| UnifiedPush (ntfy) | ⚪ optional | not needed for reminders; stub for future server-initiated msgs |
Privacy
BigBrainParking sends your location to ParkSmarter only when you explicitly tap "My location" and search; it opens on your last parking lot instead of your GPS, and ships no analytics/tracking (no Segment/Amplitude/Firebase/Sentry, no ad-ID, no Google services). For a plain-language comparison with the official app — which auto-sends your GPS on map open and bundles that tracking stack — see docs/OFFICIAL_APP_PRIVACY.md. What reaches the API and what never does is also spelled out in the app's About page.
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 entirely on-device from each session's end time
(Android AlarmManager, via expo-notifications) — no server, no push, no FCM, no Play
Services. They work fully offline. Configure the lead time (default 15 min) in
Account → Notifications, where a "Send a test reminder" button lets you confirm it
fires on your phone. UnifiedPush (ntfy) is wired only as an optional, no-op stub for any
future server-initiated messages; nothing time-based needs it.
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.