I de-Googled my Android phone and actually liked it

It’s no secret that Google is the heart and soul of every Android phone with the Play Store. Even if you manage to delete all Google apps, which is not easy, Google’s background services remain active. I wanted to experience Android without any Google services or apps, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

I used a version of Android without Google apps or services

Using Android (without Google apps and services) is actually much simpler than you think. Modern versions of Android come with a feature called “Dynamic System Updates” or DSU. It allows you to boot to different versions of Android without overwriting the stock firmware.

I used DSU to boot into a “generic system image” of Android. A “Generic System Image” or “GSI” is a pure, running copy of the Android operating system built directly from the AOSP source code.

If you want to try it for yourself, start by enabling developer options. Scroll down to “DSU Loader” and select a system image from the list. I saw two DSU packages on the list, one with Google apps and one without. I chose the latter and started there.

Here’s the status of Android stock

Android, in its original, unmodified state, is quite simple. There is a phone app, Contacts app, gallery, camera, clock, file manager, and calendar. It even lacks a proper browser, so I had to use a WebView window to download and install the Play Store alternatives. The upside is that this minimalist version of Android offers a smoother, snappier experience (at least compared to the default OEM skin).

It’s also more private. It is built from the official source code of the Android Open Source Project, which is publicly available. There are no OEM or Google services pinging your home, so you can have peace of mind knowing that your phone’s operating system isn’t tracking you.

Use a Play Store alternative

I used WebView to download and install F-Droid. It is an app store for free and open source applications. I used F-Droid to install Aurora Store, which is an alternative client for the Google Play Store. You can sign in to the Aurora store without a Google account and access the Play Store’s entire library of free apps.

With this, I had two app stores to find apps to test.

Instagram, Netflix and Reddit work great

Many consumer apps rely to some extent on Google Play Services. So I went into this experiment expecting that most apps wouldn’t work. Surprisingly, a good number of everyday applications work without problems.

None of Google’s apps worked. Some refused to launch and others told me to install Google Play Services to continue. So I gave up on Google apps.

Then I installed Instagram. The connection worked without a hitch, as did the notifications. I could scroll through reels, send texts, and browse stories just fine. Netflix had no problems either. Even its mini player worked well. I then tested Reddit, which worked very well. Discord hasn’t given me any problems either.

Google apps didn’t work so I switched to Proton apps

Proton apps are supposed to be better for your privacy and don’t need Google Play Services, so I tried running some of them. I didn’t realize how much the Proton suite of apps had matured until I tried replacing Google apps with them.

Proton Mail can replace Gmail and you can configure it to pull your emails from a Gmail account. There is Proton Drive with 5GB of free cloud storage (I don’t rely on cloud storage much, so this meets my needs). You can import your Google calendar into the Proton Calendar app.

Android with built-in Google services makes it easy to sync and auto-fill passwords. Since that wasn’t an option, I thought maybe I should use an offline password manager. However, it turns out that Proton also has a cloud password manager app for Android. Proton Pass is a solid alternative. I didn’t miss Google’s autofill features at all.

I also use Google Authenticator for 2FA, which I replaced with Authenticator from Proton. You can import your Google codes directly into this authenticator app.

Without the Proton alternatives, this version of Android would not have been usable for me.

YouTube was easy to replace

You might think that YouTube doesn’t have an alternative to Proton, so I would be missing at least one Google app. This would be true without alternative open source clients like NewPipe. NewPipe lets you browse and watch YouTube videos without a Google account. It has a ton of features and doesn’t show Shorts.

I couldn’t replace Maps

There is one application to which I have not found a reasonable alternative, and that is Google Maps. I tried Organic Maps and a few other open source F-Droid alternatives, but none of them were good enough for me. They haven’t mapped every address in my city and don’t have the navigation features I rely on.

If I had to, I’d happily use a degoogle phone like this as my daily driver. Most of my apps worked great and those that didn’t were easily replaced with Proton alternatives. I missed Google Maps because I wouldn’t want to rely on open source alternatives to help me get around my city.