Can an Android phone run without Google?

Does Android actually allow for a smartphone feel where you don't share with Google?

Writer, ITworld |

Google wants to know your location, in its browser, in its phone, which you're holding

Say what you will most Google, which is moving toward a new model of privacy and coming under lots of scrutiny over their iPhone, only they offer at least a novel concept of freedom: a smartphone platform they built, just which doesn't necessarily require their ain apps to run. It'due south not easy, and y'all might actually have to slightly endanger your phone to get there, but in that location exists an Android phone that doesn't requite Google personal information, advert acquirement, or anything else.

So, how, exactly, do yous trick Google into giving you the foundation without assuasive them to await through whatever windows? Here's how to ready up an almost entirely non-Google-powered Android, in do:

Don't sign in during setup or enable backups

When yous get-go turn on your telephone, or later on y'all perform a "factory reset" on it, you lot'll exist asked to sign in with a Google account. Don't do information technology, and look for the "Skip" option. Your phone tin can run without a Google business relationship, and you tin add other accounts to fill out your contacts and calendar and the like--Microsoft Exchange, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Also skip the options to send feedback almost your usage, back up your settings to Google, and then on. Skip just about everything.

Hide or remove Google apps

This is the trickiest office of the whole Bizarro-Droid process. You accept ii options, as I see it:

  • Root your phone and remove Google apps: If you lot truly wanted to wipe your slate clean of Google'due south Gmail, Calendar, Maps, and other offerings, you'd need to give yourself deep access to the phone's internals, referred to as "rooting." The complexity of rooting varies phone to phone, merely once it's washed, you can disable Google'due south built-in apps, along with the stuff your carrier and manufacturer jammed on there. Or you tin install an entirely new OS, similar CyanogenMod, which won't install with Google Apps unless you want it to.

  • Hide Google's apps with an alternate launcher: The part of your telephone that shows app icons, widgets, and contains your app list? That's actually an app itself, and y'all tin can supplant it. Two prime candidates are Become Launcher EX and LauncherPro--my preference is LauncherPro. Install either i, then tap your phone'southward Home button, and you'll meet a selection of using either your default launcher or that app. Both apps allow you lot to hide apps from the app tray, equally well as change app icons to remove any Google-y stylings.

Go alternate apps

Pick out some apps

An alternate application exists for merely nearly every Google application offered, or installed past default, on Android phones. Some are groovy, some are workable, and some will make you realize the value of Google's costless-for-everyone arroyo. Hither's my short list of potential swap-outs:

(Annotation: Using the Android Market place requires signing in with a Google account. That'southward just unavoidable. There are work-arounds, like finding the .apk files for these apps around the spider web, or looking for them in Amazon'southward Appstore for Android, but yous could also create a Google account but for this purpose alone. Information technology's upwards to yous.)

  • Gmail -> Yahoo Mail (or IMAP email): It works simply fine if you've got a Yahoo Mail account, and Yahoo's web-based interface isn't too bad, either. Otherwise, you can use the stock "Email" app, or something amend like Grand-ix Mail to recollect your Gmail or personal email through the IMAP protocol, and never see advertisements.

  • Maps -> MapQuest: Mapquest is rather adept, actually, and information technology'south formed an interesting alliance with OpenStreetMap, which tin offering deeper, community-provided results and directions. Plus it has voice-narrated turn-by-plow directions, and it too tin can cache the area around you for offline look-ups.

  • Browser -> Firefox or Opera: If you're a desktop user of either Opera or Firefox, yous'll find their mobile apps quite prissy, and easy to sync upward with. If not, install both, and see which one fits you lot all-time.

  • Search -> Bing: Sadly, y'all can't replace the default search engine assigned to your Android phone, even with rooting (unless I've missed something). Just you tin choose to replace the Google search app icon with Bing, supersede the vocalisation search default with Bing, and take the extra half-stride to tap the "Search with Bing" choice whenever yous tap the search push or click the search widget.

  • Calendar -> Exchange setup (or something spider web-based): This is actually the stumper. Most of the calendar apps in the Android Market are just re-styled interfaces for Google's own Calendar service. Then you tin either hook upward to your work Substitution server, or maybe find a good web-based calendar service you tin can bookmark on your abode screen.

  • YouTube -> Web-based YouTube: I similar Vimeo, just many videos are merely on YouTube. Then, using your alternate browser, and without signing in, simply head to YouTube'south mobile web version and view your videos there. The web version, actually, is often better, and certainly better looking.

Worth it?

In the cease, you'll probably determine that you lot similar the convenience of Google's offerings on your Android telephone. That is, afterward all, their mission and purpose. Merely yous don't have to give Google every bit of information near your mobile life, so spreading it around a few different apps tin can lend some slice of mind nigh your digital life, if that'southward a concern for yous. Android is, if not entirely, dictionary-strict "open," at to the lowest degree rather permissive.

This story, "Tin an Android phone run without Google?" was originally published past ITworld .

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