this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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What Happens if You Don't Sign In to a Google Account on Android? (www.makeuseof.com)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
40 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Do you need a Google account to use an Android phone? Here's what you'll lose—and gain—if you choose not to sign in.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

My experience: I got a Nothing Phone 2 recently and decided to degoogle it. Using ADB commands, I removed every google app from my phone, from the Dialer all the way up to the PlayStore, apart from just 2: Play Services and Maps. Both work fine without a Google account. I did take away all permissions of Play Services and it still works fine. Without this app, you will stop getting notifications from most of your apps so it is necessary.

Open source alternatives that I turned towards:

  1. Google Dialer -> Simple Dialer
  2. Google Contacts -> Simple Contacts
  3. Google Photos -> Simple Gallery Pro
  4. Google Play Store -> Aurora Store and Droid-ify
  5. Google Messenger -> QKSMS
  6. Google Calendar -> Proton Calendar
  7. Google Drive -> Proton Drive
  8. Google Chrome -> Mozilla Firefox
  9. Youtube -> Youtube ReVanced (Not FOSS, I use a throwaway account here with Vanced Microg)
  10. Google Translate -> Translate YOU
  11. Google Files -> Material Files
  12. Google Docs/Slides/Sheet -> Collabora Office
  13. GMail -> Proton Mail
  14. GBoard -> OpenBoard fork with glide typing

Everything works fine :)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Getting a Pixel 7 and installing GrapheneOS on it was another option but I just don't like the low performant and inefficient Tensor G2 chip. 8+ Gen 1 is an excellent chip, both in terms of power and efficiency.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I use Magic Earth instead of Google Maps. For car navigation it's way better in my experience. Very smooth animations and I find the indications a lot clearer. If you use it for just looking up places then unfortunately Maps has way better coverage.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I had recently gone to India and Magic Earth and Organic Maps both had pretty weak coverage. Outside major cities, even roads aren't mapped. Works better in Europe and US imo.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, definitely will have trouble in some countries. But if you don't heavily rely on google maps (like you only check some location from time to time) you can always use the browser version.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Simple suite by Tibor K(aputa?) is so good.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Indeed. Simple Dialer is I think the only FOSS dialer app that is actively maintained. And Simple Gallery Pro is fairly advanced for a FOSS app, even having a video editor!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Google made a change a while ago that disabled some apps from having hidden folders, but you can just get an old version of Simple Gallery from F-Droid from before that change so you can still use hidden folders for your pictures and videos of.... nature ':D