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As soon as you start a new Android phone, you are prompted to sign in with your Google Account, but what if you do not want to? Maybe you want to enjoy Android, but limit what Google knows about you, or maybe you simply prefer alternative apps; Whatever it is, here's how to live an Android life without Google.
From the beginning, we will be honest and say that it's not easy to use Android without Google – but that's possible. If you want a more convenient life, you must log in as soon as you are invited. The big shortfall if you do not do it is the Google Play Store, but here we will show you how to get around this and other obstacles on the way.
We badume that you start with a brand new Android phone fresh from the factory. You can disable Google on an existing Android device, but you will need to reset it first through the Settings application to return to the original installation screen. This means that all your existing applications and data will be erased, so you will need backups of all your important items somewhere.
Android Configuration
Welcome to your new Android phone (or factory reset)! The prompt to connect with Google arrives on five screens, after choosing your language and being connected to Wi-Fi. When prompted to connect, press Skip then ] Skip to confirm that yes, you really want to use Android without a Google account.
A few screens later, Google gladly asks you if you want to enable some additional Google services: location tracking and system diagnostic reports. If you are not satisfied with any of these options, turn off the corresponding toggle switches, and then press Accept to continue (you can not use a phone with Android provided by Google without accepting "
And … you should be there Do not worry if you see a few Google apps because they will not be connected to anything – Google Photos, for example, can work in as a local image library manager without actually logging in to the cloud or to a Google account.
If you want to remove apps, tap and hold their icon and drag the icon until you're done. at link Uninstall at the top
YouTube works perfectly without Google account logging in, although you obviously do not have access to any custom apps or playlists. another application that will work without a Google account if it is pre-installed, even if you do not get any personal customization.
It's important to note that a Google Account handles various aspects of Android syncing and backup as well and you will have to look for alternative solutions. You will not be able to sync Google Contacts, for example – fine if you do not want to use Google Contacts, but you will need something else or create your contact list from scratch on the phone itself. [19659002] And these apps will still want to store data and information about you, even if Google does not.
As always, you can manage the permissions of an application (and the data it can collect), up to a certain point: go to Settings and press Applications and notifications then on to see a list and make the changes you think are necessary
Get your apps
The big problem if you do not connect your Android phone to your Google Account is Google Play Store: Try and load the Play Store app and the login screen will pop up again. To work around this problem, you must start downloading applications through the web browser of your Android phone.
In the past, you have to allow the "unknown" applications (not on the Play Store) in the settings, but the modern versions of Android for app-by-app permission. You have two choices here: Either embrace the Amazon App Store, which is not as complete as Google, but has most major applications, or transfer applications more than once you need the excellent APKMirror repository.
Choose the old one for an easier life (including automatic updates for your apps), or this one for more control over your phone. If you are taking the Amazon route, go to www.amazon.com/androidapp on your phone and follow the on-screen instructions – you will need to confirm that you are ready to risk installing downloaded applications. outside the Play Store and access a few safety warnings en route.
Once done, log in with your Amazon account and it's gone. You get a lot of major applications (Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram), although there are also omissions (Snapchat, YouTube).
Google's apps are not found, but it's all the interest of this exercise, is not it? Amazon App Store does not have the polish of its Google counterpart, but it will keep everything updated and sorted for you.
You can install applications directly from APKMirror, or from the Amazon App Store. Head to the site in your browser, or download files to your computer and transfer them via your preferred file synchronization tool or via a USB cable.
Again, you will have to use a series of security warnings when you install applications, but APKMirror is a reliable source (do not install anything too esoteric, just to be safe).
APKMirror is likely To have most of the applications you need, however – as with the Amazon App Store – some of the latest game titles might be missing. You also can not download any application that costs money – these are strictly free apps.
The other disadvantage is that your applications are not updated automatically, so you have to remember to do it manually on a semi-regular basis (APKUpdater is a decent effort to automate this process for Android versions up to 7.1).
As you probably know, you have all sorts of alternative options to replace Google apps: Outlook on Gmail, Firefox instead of Chrome, OneDrive on Google Drive, Flickr on Google Photos, MapQuest on Google Maps, DuckDuckGo on Google Search and so on.
To really rub salt in Google's wounds, you can even try Apple Music.
You could also have alternative options from any company that made your android phone. Manufacturers like Samsung and OnePlus have very competent applications to manage the basics of phone usage that you can deploy instead of Google's own apps (including, possibly, an application to manage your contacts).
] You can customize your approach to be more or less anti-Google, depending on your needs. If you do not want the hbadle of an alternative app store, you can connect to the Play Store and get all the apps you need without touching native Google apps like Gmail or Google Maps.
We give Google a little more information about yourself and how you use your device, but you might consider that the tradeoff is worth it for convenience. Perhaps install Microsoft Launcher from the Google Play Store as an easy way to avoid Google's native and search applications, and then stick to non-Google apps, we have already listed above .
Alternatively, you can go anti-Google and install a brand new version of Android – something like LineageOS. You are going to need a device that works with the custom ROM and the patience and know-how to make it blink, but at the end of the process you will have a totally free phone.
If you use an alternative operating system on your phone, you will not have access to Google Play services, on which many popular and reputable apps are based, especially when 39, access to the location is required. You can add this above LineageOS, but this type of installation fails in the first place to install a separate mobile operating system.
The F-Droid open source app store (above) covers an impressive number of basics and features apps that you can use without the influence of Google (including Google Play services), but you will also have to go without big players like Facebook, Spotify, Netflix, etc. Good for those who yearn for feature films, not great for the rest of us.
It really depends on the time and effort you want to invest and the little Google you want in your life, but you should find something that works for you. In the end, you can run Android with little or no influence from Google – but perhaps not as easily as some EU regulators would like.
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