this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
72 points (93.9% liked)

Android

27955 readers
268 users here now

DROID DOES

Welcome to the droidymcdroidface-iest, Lemmyest (Lemmiest), test, bestest, phoniest, pluckiest, snarkiest, and spiciest Android community on Lemmy (Do not respond)! Here you can participate in amazing discussions and events relating to all things Android.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules


1. All posts must be relevant to Android devices/operating system.


2. Posts cannot be illegal or NSFW material.


3. No spam, self promotion, or upvote farming. Sources engaging in these behavior will be added to the Blacklist.


4. Non-whitelisted bots will be banned.


5. Engage respectfully: Harassment, flamebaiting, bad faith engagement, or agenda posting will result in your posts being removed. Excessive violations will result in temporary or permanent ban, depending on severity.


6. Memes are not allowed to be posts, but are allowed in the comments.


7. Posts from clickbait sources are heavily discouraged. Please de-clickbait titles if it needs to be submitted.


8. Submission statements of any length composed of your own thoughts inside the post text field are mandatory for any microblog posts, and are optional but recommended for article/image/video posts.


Community Resources:


We are Android girls*,

In our Lemmy.world.

The back is plastic,

It's fantastic.

*Well, not just girls: people of all gender identities are welcomed here.


Our Partner Communities:

!android@lemmy.ml


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Previously on Lemmy: Tablets

Let's talk about deGoogling Android this week, since it's a common topic of interest around here to talk about GrapheneOS and CalyxOS.

I feel like Google services has been lacking for the better part of a decade to the degree that I am reluctant to rely on most Google services nowadays. However, I don't think I have the effort to actively remove all traces of Google from my phone, as the cost of bootloader unlock and rooting is a bit too much for me.

So, I would like to hear what your deGoogling experiences, since I'm unlikely to do it myself.

Past Discussions

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Here's the thing – I really like Google's products. For the most part they make good stuff. Google Search at one point was great. YouTube for all its faults is an invaluable resource. Maps is critical to me for navigating and determining traffic on the way to somewhere. Android (when Google isn't busy locking it down) is extremely powerful. I loved my Nexus 4 and love my Pixel 6a. The Android/Pixel-exclusive features are great party tricks and conversation starters – Call Screen, Now Playing, Emoji Kitchen on GBoard, etc. Chromecast is super handy.

In the end though, they're an ad company, and to them I'm nothing but commodity. Every interaction or thought of mine is a resource for them to monetize and abuse, and that's not something I am comfortable with.

I also do not want my entire life tied to a Google account. If anything ever happens to it, I don't want to get locked out of everything.

I haven't deGoogled completely. Going through the process slowly. For the services I'm still using, I have search history, location history, watch history, etc. disabled.

For apps:

  • Chrome has been replaced with Firefox.
  • Gmail app with Spark, but I'm in the process of moving away from Spark to K9 Mail (soon to be Thunderbird)
  • Google Authenticator with Authy
  • YouTube with NewPipe
  • Google Keep with Standard Notes
  • Google Photos with Simple Gallery (may have to look for a replacement soon since it was sold to a sketchy buyer)

Google Search was replaced with DuckDuckGo and Kagi. Gmail with a custom domain and Mailbox.org for hosting. I have a Nest Mini speaker with its mic turned off used exclusively for casting music.

I'm still using the Play Store because of paid apps, but if there's a FOSS app I need, I get it from F-Droid.

The one service I've actually gone back to Google on is GBoard. Emoji Kitchen is far too good for me to give up right now.

I'm still using stock Android because of the Pixel-exclusive features. I'll maybe experiment with GrapheneOS in the future.

[–] JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've found this to be a good Gallery replacement.

[–] lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Looks good!

From the screenshots I saw, it doesn't appear to have the editing capabilities of Simple Gallery. That was a huge plus - especially for video.

[–] wilberfan@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Simple Gallery is potentially suspect now?! 🤦‍♂️

[–] lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Unfortunately, yeah.

It has been forked, thankfully, under the name of Fossify. Following the project for updates.

[–] kzhe@lemmy.zip 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If you want to replace Google Photos' backup you can try Ente. Paid, but start under a dollar a month.

[–] lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Gonna give it a look. Appreciate the recommendation!

[–] AlmightySnoo@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Another really powerful Google Keep alternative is Quillpad, does basically what Google Keep does and supports Markdown and Nextcloud syncing.

[–] malijaffri@feddit.ch 2 points 10 months ago

Also Joplin! It's a cross-platform Markdown notes app with many syncing options (including local storage, Dropbox, Nextcloud, and others). I've been using it for 2 years now, after trying different apps to see what fits. I've been using local storage and Syncthing to keep my Android phone and Linux PC synced, and really like it. It even lets you use an external text editor to edit your notes!

[–] lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Gonna check it out. Thanks for the suggestion!

[–] lseif@sopuli.xyz 1 points 11 months ago

the 'simple' apps have been forked, so maybe try that