First published at 00:11 UTC on September 27th, 2017.
I've been a big advocate of Google services for a long time. I always understood the standpoint that being free services they have the right to use the data I'm putting in. This is how they can make great products and keep them free.
I…
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I've been a big advocate of Google services for a long time. I always understood the standpoint that being free services they have the right to use the data I'm putting in. This is how they can make great products and keep them free.
I'd also like to say before getting into this post that if you understand how Google uses your data and you are ok with that then keep using the services. They are the best on the web and on mobile devices currently.
So why am I running a version of android without Google services?
Honestly, I wanted to see if it was possible and if I would notice a difference. This post is my experience with the process and about a month of being 'de-googled'.
I chose to go with LineageOS. They produce a very stripped down version of android that is functional for daily use. Do keep in mind that my daily use tolerance of buggieness might be higher than yours. LineageOS is only released on 'nightlies' for most devices.
First you need to allow your deivce to install 3rd party apps via apk. This can be easily searched online to find the exact steps to get to the settings for your specific device.
Since I do not have any Google services on my device I can't simply go to the play store to download an app. Luckly there are other options.
fDroid is an open source repository of apps made for android. Some of the big names are there. Such as telegram, the chat app.
Most of the apps we use have an alternative on fDroid. This does not mean you will find the exact app but will often find an app that is just as good and sometimes better.
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