If you’ve got an Android smartphone, you will see Google everywhere—Maps, Gmail, Google Photos, Chrome, YouTube, and more. I never thought I was so dependent on Google services until I tried to live without them. Well, you can’t really go Google-free on an Android phone because it still runs a Google OS. I didn’t want to go that extra mile of installing a custom ROM. My idea was to only ditch Google apps for some time, reduce my dependency, and find some good alternatives.
Day Zero: Getting ready for life without Google
How I prepped my phone
Well, it all started with a curiosity—Can I really use my Android phone with Google apps? Like most Android users, I heavily rely on Google services for practically everything, from email and search to navigation and entertainment. Over the years, the reliance turned into convenience. After all, I became a part of the ecosystem that knew me pretty well. However, I also felt like I was being watched all the time. Google services do collect vast amounts of user data, like search history, browsing habits, location, and more. Due to extensive data collection and privacy concerns, I questioned myself if I could actually find some solid alternatives to popular Google services.
I decided to spend a week with my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra without any Google services for a week. No Gmail, no Google Maps, no Chrome, and not even the Play Store. Just me, my smartphone, and some alternative apps. Before I started my journey, I backed up my important data, so I didn’t lose anything while doing my tryout. After that, I uninstalled/disabled my Google apps, including Gmail, Google Maps, Chrome browser, Google Drive, and Google Calendar. It felt like clearing a digital wardrobe, and I was left with a kinda black home screen and some excitement about what I would discover now.
My experience with alternatives
What worked and what didn’t
After I uninstalled my Google apps, the next step was to find some privacy-focused alternatives. I turned to F-Droid for my app needs. Some apps were easy to spot and use, while others were a little difficult to be called a capable substitute. After trying several options, I got some really good alternatives to popular Google Services.
Here are the apps I used:
- DuckDuckGo: I replaced Google Chrome with DuckDuckGo. I choose it for its simplicity, privacy protection, and built-in tracker blocking. I’ve used this browser a couple of times already, so the overall experience was pretty good. It’s not as fast as Chrome, but I like its clean and simpler interface.
- HERE WeGo and Organic Maps: It was challenging to find a Google Maps alternative on F-Droid. After trying a few options, I found Organic Maps quite useful. I used it a couple of times for my everyday navigation needs. I already have my favorite HERE WeGo app on my phone, and it’s a savior for my road trips.
- Dropbox: Things got tricky here. I couldn’t find a user-friendly cloud storage and backup app on F-Droid. I often use Dropbox to free up space on my smartphone and laptop, and it came to my rescue when I wanted to live without Google Photos.
- Proton Mail and Thunderbird: I like Proton Mail for its end-to-end encryption, email tracking protections, and integrated secure tools like spam filters. While browsing through F-Droid, I also discovered Thunderbird, which offers an intuitive interface, a unified inbox, and customizable sync options.
- Todoist and Fossify Calendar: Todoist is a fantastic Google Tasks alternative that lets you create to-do lists and manage tasks efficiently. If you’re searching for an alternative on F-Droid, you can try the Fossify Calendar. It’s a private and ad-free app with seamless syncing across Outlook, Exchange, Nextcloud, and Google Calendar.
Apart from these apps, I switched from Google Keep to Samsung Notes for all my note-taking needs, and tuned into Spotify for when I want to unwind. I love YouTube Music more than any other music streaming app, so living without it felt like a real challenge. I found the NewPipe app on F-Droid, but that’s a privacy-focused YouTube client, rather than a replacement for YouTube.
Surprising benefits of ditching Google services
More control over digital life
After a few days of me going Google-free, my smartphone felt quieter. Notifications were significantly dropped, and I was spending less time droomscrolling. It felt pretty good. Without those constant notifications, like YouTube recommendations, Help us prompts, personalized ads, and Play Store suggestions, I could avoid distractions and improve my workflow. Thanks to less tracking and more privacy, I was having more control over my data. By moving to privacy-focused alternatives, I could reduce the amount of personal data I had to give away.
There’s no doubt that Google services work seamlessly with each other, which gives you convenience and a reason to depend on them. Uninstalling Google apps for a week gave me a nice break from that lock-in. I discovered some really good alternatives that worked for me. Also, I became more mindful of my digital choices. Now, I want to know how much of my data is being used and how I can get more control over my privacy.
Above all, I can feel that I’m not entirely dependent on Google. Of course, some apps had a learning curve or a less user-friendly interface, but that felt just in the beginning. After using them for some time, I got the hang of everything.
Moments that tested me
Ahh, there were a few
If you ask me one thing I missed the most, it was the seamless “Sign-In with Google” feature. When I stopped using Gmail, I revisited the era where I had to manually enter my email ID and password every time I wanted to sign up for something. It was slow and kind of inconvenient. I also missed the Play Store for quite a long time. While F-Droid offered quite a lot of apps, sometimes I struggled to find one, especially a good alternative for Google Maps and Google Calendar. Thankfully, I already had HERE WeGo and Todoist installed on my phone, and I didn’t delete them. Also, I couldn’t find a good food delivery app on F-Droid.
I won’t deny, I was reminded of the connected, convenient, and seamless experiences of the Google ecosystem a couple of times.
So…was it fine?
My Galaxy smartphone worked pretty well with Google apps. In my experiment to reduce dependency on Google services, I found some amazing alternatives, and I’ll continue using them. So, would I never use any Google app again? No, I have no plans to eliminate Google apps entirely from my life. But I have also realized that I don’t need to depend on Google for everything.
