I use GrapheneOS with multiple profiles. My main profile contains only FOSS apps, along with two proprietary apps that have no network access. One secondary profile is for my personal Google account (just Gmail) for work and bills, while another is for a disposable Google account for apps like Google Maps when I need GPS.
On my PC, I maintain a browser profile for work Gmail, which I almost never check, and I don’t have anything else connected to Google.
I’m not entirely comfortable knowing that I’m not free from Google and still rely on some of their services. However, I feel much better than I did a few years ago, when Google had complete control over my phone and everything I did on it. Now, I feel free most of the time.
What about you? Do you feel free? Or does it ever seem like Google owns a part of your life? Share your thoughts with me
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I’m addicted to YouTube and I can’t seem to find a comparable entertainment app. :(
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Freetube is great. It accesses Youtube privately.
Yeah. It was easy for me to ditch Google for search, emails and pictures, but there isn’t enough content other than Linux related on Peertube for me.
As soon as I can find some good basketball, videogames and cars channel, I’ll start supporting them and ditch YouTube.
100% finaly No Google account, no Google services
it feels free 🧘♂️
Amazing. I’ll get there hopefully.
Looks like you and I randomly generate usernames :D
Oh we’re way past “it’s complicated”. I skipped “on a break” and were now cleaning out the appartement.
All that’s left is double/tripple checking that mailbox for any loose ends and it’s bye bye!!!
Make sure you switch you email for banking, steam, eBay, and all the other stuff that can be forgotten. I think I’m going to keep the email open and poison it with furries and cat subscriptions, but I might just go subscribe to conspiracy nut forums and let the emails fill up their space. I am almost done deleting. God it took forever.
leave it dormant, don’t cost you nothing; check it every month or so.
My current sitch is that (at least at home, work is an entirely different question) I was able to delete my Google account last year. That said, I’m in the Apple ecosystem, which made things a lot easier. I do check Youtube occasionally, but without an account and with Vivaldi’s built-in adblocker working well. I’m aware that Vivaldi is Chromium-based, which is a trade-off I have accepted for myself.
I forward all gmail’s to my new domain, exported my YouTube subscriptions to newpipe and freetube - the only thing I’m working through is TVs… That is still using my actual YouTube account… Google Photos is, unfortunately a thing still, as-is Google Keep. I like using my S-Pen stylus for random notes.
Not planning to change OSes for banking app compatibility. Although, after thinking about it, I really should consider just using a “clean” browser (librewolf, is what I use on desktop) and “dirty” browser (chromium - very little privacy plugins for temperamental websites) – so I can care less about an app supporting a feature.
Still depend somewhat, but aside from Google Meets, which I can use without account if I’m not hosting, I reasonably only need to log into it in devices and VMs that are usually turned off. So the least bad option, I think.
I have an old gmail address that catches things I haven’t migrated away yet. Nothing has chrome installed in my house. The phone still has YouTube but I don’t use it much anymore. There’s more ads than content anymore so there’s no reason to go there. Still on iPhone but willing to switch to a Linux phone when they release something with packet radios and reticulum support. Considered a pixel with graphene last upgrade cycle but Googles actions at the time pointed to the death of third party roms so fuck it.
I use a Google Pixel 6 Pro with GrapheneOS, Google Voice for probable spam, YouTube, and Google Maps for search. Once the GrapheneOS phone comes out that will probably be my next phone (and fuck Google with their planned obsolescence, makes me not want to buy another Pixel). Google Voice I don’t care but I could switch to another paid JMP.chat number if I need to. YT is difficult to leave (both for content and algorithm) and the Google Maps alternatives suck for searching.
I have two gmail accounts which i need for now but i check them with Thunderbird. I have to have Google play store and services on my phone because my banking app will not work without them, both stripped of permissions and no background data. I use Aurora store and F-Droid for everything else. All search engines at home and work changed to DDG or Ecosia. Organic Maps is ok , i read in this thread Comaps is good so i’m gonna try that. Firefox everywhere with either Brave, Ecosia or Chromium browser as backup.
I find it really hard to leave. I finally left Gmail, but I have many pictures in Photos (I have been postponing a migration to Immich for years), regularly use Maps and have a few documents left to copy in Paperless from Drive. Oh yeah, and almost every video creator I follow have yet to use Peertube instead of YouTube.
I have yet to switch to GrapheneOS, I think I’ll do that when I buy a new phone once mine cease to receive updates in October.
Currently backing up my phone to switch to GrapheneOS. That’ll leave my email which I haven’t figured out how I want to replace it yet. Step one should be downloading all saved emails though
Google Maps is the one thing left for me… have tried moving but find other gps apps meh in comparison. I use MacOS for work with office 365. My personal computer is Linux, I use proton for my email. Librewolf browsing. DuckDuckGo for searching. If you count it, I suppose I do use Brave on my work computer, chromium base is needed for some websites I use a lot for work. My cell phone is an iPhone (thanks work)
Comaps
Waze is also by Google but: Works without gapps installed and without login. Has live traffic data and same features as maps.
Any reduction in the data going to big tech is a good thing. Don’t worry, You’ll get there.
I have Sandboxed Google Services on my GOS for push notifications for Signal and Protonmail.
I use Freetube to watch Youtube videos.
I update a few apps through Aurora Store.
Otherwise, I’m Google free.
I’m not 100% degoogled, but if Google deactivated my account tomorrow, it wouldn’t be a big deal. I’ve migrated everything important away from Gmail. Gmail is basically just my spam box now.
I also have Chrome installed on my PC for testing purposes. It is my browser of last resort, only used on occasion when I suspect my normal browsers’ ad/tracker blockers are breaking some site.
Google Maps is hard to get away from because nothing else has all its key features, and a lot of alternatives also use Google’s data so they’re not really more private. For example, I don’t know of any good public transit apps that work in my city and are degoogled (though to be fair, it’s been a few years since I reviewed the options).
I sometimes buy used stuff from people and drive to their houses to get the items. I was surprised to find out that while Google maps was very outdated on more recent buildings and neighborhoods, Organic maps and Mapy were all correct. Sometimes a whole street was missing and I struggled to find the way, so I stopped using it.
Transit is tough if you don’t have options though. The official transit app for my city is leagues better than Google so I’ve never had a reason to look elsewhere.
I think the only things I’m actively using is google calendar(which I would like to replace at some point) and youtube.
I guess my phone is running android, but I’m not much of a phone person so I barely use it.
