jrswab

No-fluff tutorials and privacy-focused tools for the modern productivity-minded developer.

I Removed Google From My Primary Device

Categories: [Technology]
Tags: [software], [open-source], [apps], [android], [privacy], [google], [experiment]

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 did I run 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 living a life 'de-Googled'.

Android

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 which creases the chances of running into bugs.

A nightly is when a computer compiles the days work into a release and it gets pushed out to devices. You don't have to update to every nightly and it's not actually recommended unless it fixed a burning issues with your current device.

Examples being broken camera or GPS gets fixed.

I've used nightlies back when the LineageOS crew was developing CyanogenMod and found those to be much more unstable then what is being called a nightly now. I have my device check once a week to see if a new nightly build has been pushed (often is the case) and then I download and install.

Remember; do this at your own risk as things may break.

That all being said LineageOS worked great for me and well enough that it was be my daily driver. Do keep in mind that this experience varies from device to device.

Installing LineageOS

To install LineageOS or any other version of android. You need to unlock the bootloader, this is a bit time consuming and could break your device. So if you choose to do this make sure you read the directions through several times to make sure you have a good idea of what you are going to do before you even start.

The last thing you want is your phone or tablet to be an oversized paper weight.

I'm not going to get into the details of how to flash a rom to your android device since every one is different. LineageOS has step by step directions for many devices on the market today.

Apps

So apps, the real part of the mobile device that people actually care about.

How to get apps without Google Play

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 did not have any Google services on my device I couldn't just 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.

What about the apps that don't have an open source alternative?

In fDroid there is an app called Yalp. This app allows you to connect to the play store without having to log in or have Google services installed. When you pick an app to download and install, it downloads the apk and installs it as if you downloaded an apk off the internet.

In this app store mirror you will find everything you would in Google Play. It even lets you know if an app depends on Google Services (shown as GSF). However, just because an app says it needs GSF does not me it will not work. I have found many apps that say they need the Google services run just fine even though I don't have them installed.

So what did they even need them for? It's an interesting question.

When I am looking through Yalp I always try out an app that does not need GSF over one that does just for the increased chance that it will work wihout issue out of the gate.

App Compatibility

So lets get into the apps the say the need GSF and if they really do need them to run. These lists are by no means extensive.

Apps That Work

Apps that won't work

One Month In

After a month's time and I didn't even notice that I running with Google Play services removed. The apps I needed to replace have great apps that fill their place from fDroid. For those that don't the Yalp store allows me to find a good alternative that often works just fine.

I did not expect to be content without Google.

But, my tolerance for hacky and buggy systems is much higher than the average person so this might be why. But that being said it was still a surprise, I very much expected to have my android device completely unusable.

Should You Try?

This is a fun question since I don't know your tolerance for hacking together systems or how angry you get when something doesn't work. However, if you have a strong urge to use Android without Google Services than do it. Learn how to unlock your device bootloader, root if you desire, and install fDroid from the apk.

Why not at least try?

My curiosity is what made me to try this experiment and I consider it a success with an unexpected outcome. I don't miss the apps I can't use. The ones I do, I find my outlook on these apps a little different. (Something we won't get into now). It's also an odd sense of freedom. Call it placebo or whatever you will but that feeling of freedom was there in some form once everything was set up and running.

It took about two days to get my device to a place where it was 90% usable in relation to what it was with Google Play services installed. After a week I did not even notice that Google services were not installed. It was so natural that I did not go back to a "Googled" phone until I bought a new device over a year after starting this experiment.