DeGoogle my Android
Hello. I have been trying to DeGoogle for about one month, migrating from Google to other services. But the biggest obstacle is Android, which is deeply embedded with Google services and, of course, trackers. It's really, really hard to replace it with alternatives. There are no alternatives I know that are compatible with my phone. Maybe I will have to buy a new phone, or look for even more alternatives, or code my own operating system (OS) (but I can't code!). I don't know whether I can De- this Android. Hmmm...
Is there any good way to De- this Android? If I can't, is there any way to improve privacy and minimize the ability and impact of Google on this "failed to DeGoogle" phone? Thanks for any advice.
I'm using Redmi Note 13.
I was in the same boat until a few days ago. I bought a used Pixel 6a for $68 USD and installed GrapheneOS on it.
It really is simple to switch it over, and buying the phone used means no money went directly to Google. I haven't had any issues running any of the apps that I'm accustomed to, all in all a great decision.
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GrapheneOS is fantastic, to escape the surveillance capitalism.
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This is the way to go
Try these two apps out. They'll help you remove deeply integrated stuff. If you don't need the Google Play store you can outright firewall it from internet access.
+1 for the Universal Android Debloater, but you linked to an unmaintained version
Here's the most up-to-date fork: https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation
Interesting, I hadn't noticed the OG app had been abandoned. Thanks for the correction!
Last Git commit was on April 10th 2023, so it's safe to say that the repo is unmaintained
The history of UAD goes back even further. The development started on GitLab (https://gitlab.com/W1nst0n/universal-android-debloater), but that repo was abandoned on October 7th 2021.
FOSS is a two sided coin: it's awesome that anyone with an interest can continue a project when the original maintainers disperse, but man you have to watch your software carefully for the most actively maintained forks. Thats happened to me on a bunch of apps: Breezy Weather, Paperless-ngx, Cromite, Ironfox, Simple Calendar and on and on 😂. It takes time, but it's worth it.
Which phone do you have? You can get pretty cheap devices that you can put lineage onto. For example, I am running the OnePlus Nord N200 that was released in 2021 and it cost me like $250 and I have lineage OS running on it with no Google Apps or services.
One thing you can do is disable Google Play Services on your Googled phone. While it's not the absolute best, it will help.
Make sure you have F-Droid and Aurora store installed.
For less than $250 you can easily get a used Pixel 7a or an 8a for around $300 (which were released in 2023 and 2024 respectively) and install GrapheneOS on it. The 7a gets updates until 2028 and the 8a until 2031. And GrapheneOS is much more secure than LineageOS or other ROMs.
https://madaidans-insecurities.github.io/android.html#lineageos
You have to have luck and find a good deal. The MSRP is still at $499 (which is absolutely ridiculous).
Fair enough, though you never did say what phone it is you have. If it does not have official lineage support, then as I said, I would just disable Google Play Services. And that will help a lot.
Just keep in mind next time you buy a phone to look at the Lineage OS website and see if it's officially supported first.
Anyway, thanks.
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GraheneOS my friend. It's installed on my Pixel 9. They include an easy-to-use web installer, with complete instructions. Any newb can do it. 😺
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Try searching for the GSI (generic system image) for your device. I'm using one rn from PHH and it works great. Though you have to install TWRP and dealing with bootloader unlocking. But use LineageOS if possible.
Or just use universal Android debloater to debloat (and to also degoogle the phone).
you can try the GSI of iodé ☞ https://blog.iode.tech/test-out-our-new-iodeos-generic-system-image-gsi/
I have a Pixel 4a5G and it is still going strong with CalyxOS. In fact, they are about to release Android 15 for this device, which lost all its support from Google at 14. Using one of these open source, pro-privacy alternative OS's is the only true way to degoogle your phone, so I would suggest buying a new or used unlocked Pixel phone. I will never go back to running on pure Google again.
LineageOS is a good step in the right direction GrapheneOS is the best, but obvously restricted to Pixela device due to their hardware.
No need to code your own(!) until you've tried the crdroid ROM available on the XDA forums...
You're right though, there don't seem to be a lot of actively developed ROMs, but still one more than expected?
Oh, and I just found a request for an /e/os build for your model(? mind the 5G/4G differences). Maybe back that if relevant 👍
Seems there's no custom ROMs for your phone so I suggest debloating. There are some apps that don't require root but if you have root It'll help, you can install a custom webview and other stuff
I picked up a Pixel 5 and installed LineageOS but with the GAPPS installed to start with. As I remove individual services from my daily use I remove them from my Pixel. So far I have swapped Google Photos to Immich, Google Maps to Organic Maps. I am working on getting off Google Drive/Docs this week. The hardest will be Gmail. Thankfully I own my own domain so im looking at switching over to https://www.migadu.com/ for my email services.
https://f-droid.org/ has been my Google Play replacement for so long I totally forgot about it, get it installed and you will find lots of applications you can start using to replace corporate/techno kingdom owned closed apps.