10 ms·

What is driving me away from Google's Android is that they keep asking me to turn stuff on I don't want to turn on. I know that "when it's free I am the produc

by pasta 8y ago

What is driving me away from Google's Android is that they keep asking me to turn stuff on I don't want to turn on. I know that "when it's free I am the product" but the problem is that this is not very obvious when you buy a device. My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. What would be great is that producers would tell how much I am the product because Google sponsored X, Y and Z to make the phone cheaper. Then a consumer can make the choice to buy a more expensive one or just accept that "you are the product".

soziawa 8y ago
You can return it if it doesn't match what was advertised.
rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
>My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. It's quite annoying and show how far Google goes to shove their data collection tools down our throats. I recommend this free and independent launcher: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/ch.deletescape.lawnchair.plah/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/ch.deletescape.lawnchair.pla...
izacus 8y ago
While your complaint is valid, replacing the launcher on your phone will remove the Google bar. (Nova launcher is very popular alternative to the built in ones and gives you quite a few options for customisation.) The constant nagging to enable Location History is the worst though.
- ams6110 8y ago
  Strange, I keep location services off all the time unless I am actively using Maps navigation. Location history is off also. I don't receive "nags" excepting when I start Maps, I get a request to turn on location services.
dmm 8y ago
> I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. You can remove it if you disable "Google Play Services" in Settings -> Apps. Of course if you do then can't use the android store or most apps. I use the alternative fdroid repository and it works fine.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
  >I use the alternative fdroid repository and it works fine. F-Droid doesn't have Signal, Whatsapp, Firefox and VLC. No one can seriously expect a normal user to do without Google Play Services (I checked F-Droid every week to, one day, hopefully, turn Google Play Service off. Forever). So 99.9% of Android users are forced to feed Google with all their location data. And the .1% who resists have very little influence on the surveillance state. That's infuriating.
  - tadzik_ 8y ago
    > F-Droid doesn't have Signal, Whatsapp, Firefox and VLC. No one can seriously expect a normal user to do without Google Play Services Not sure about the other 3, but I use firefox just fine on my phone without google play services. I use aptoide as my appstore in the absence of google play, and while it does have stuff in there that don't work without GPS anyway (Uber, for instance), it's been a decent replacement for me for quite a while, containing most of the stuff that f-droid doesn't have (because they're not open source) without forcing me to taint my phone with google's crap. No argument on your 2nd point though, it's the unfortunate truth. Which is why it infuriates me a bit when the technical .1% who could actually do it the other way still don't bother and just follow the herd. I know not every hill is worth dying on, but still.
  - dmm 8y ago
    > Signal You can sideload signal and it works without google cloud messaging. I use signal every day. It works fine. > Firefox You can sideload Firefox or use Fennec from fdroid, a firefox rebuild without proprietary software. > Whatsapp Yep that probably won't work. Most proprietary android applications use google play framework. This will only get worse. "Android" is less and less free with every release. Google keeps adding functionality to the proprietary libraries on top of the free base. > VLC It used to be in fdroid but is a nightmare to build so it was removed. > No one can seriously expect a normal user to do without Google Play Services Probably. I was just sharing my personal experience. > very little influence on the surveillance state Ha! Most HN readers are enthusiastically building the surveillance state.
fredley 8y ago
I was fed up with Google increasing insistence on pushing crap onto my home screen. The unavoidable news feed was the last straw. I have now installed Nova Launcher and it's made my phone great again. No Google crap on the home screen at all.
- jcalabro 8y ago
  I also highly recommend nova launcher. I've been using it for years and honestly forgot that Google forces you to have a searchbar on the home screen.
  - pymai 8y ago
    is just second nature at this stage that nova launcher gets installed straight away. export/import the settings and you're all set to go
  - nasredin 8y ago
    ADW Launcher is another, minimalist good alternative.
- m-p-3 8y ago
  I switched to Lawnchair. It feels close to Google Launcher, but with just enough customization to be super easy to setup yet flexible enough.
- chewz 8y ago
  I sometimes wonder if HN is just another conspiracy-theorists forum. You can disable Google News feed, you can remove Google Search from home screen, you can even use Bing as Assist app (long press on Home icon) in place of Google. Everything on stock Android Oreo on Sony Xperia. Hey, you can even disable location services. Use VPN with split tunelling for Google Play Services. Google is no saint but it ain't a devil either.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- 8y ago
jdietrich 8y ago
My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. This was one of the grounds for the EU's recent antitrust action. If Google don't want to face another multibillion dollar fine in the very near future, we should see far more choice over whether to use Google services on Android. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4581_en.htm http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4581_en.htm
- morgancmartin 8y ago
  Correct me if I'm wrong, but these rulings would only hold power in the EU though, no? That's great for the EU, but that means we've still got to fix the problem everywhere else.
  - close04 8y ago
    As long as it's more expensive for these companies to maintain 2 frameworks then it will be beneficial for everyone. This of course might not be the case.
  - jdietrich 8y ago
    Yes, but it'll affect the whole market. The EU is a wealthy market with 510 million consumers - if Google's stranglehold on Android is broken there, then it is profoundly undermined internationally. Google might continue with anti-competitive practices outside the EU, but non-EU citizens will be free to import a device that is compliant with the EU ruling. In many cases, it will be possible to install an EU-compliant ROM on devices bought elsewhere. Some non-EU countries may decide to follow the lead of the European Commission and pass similar antitrust rulings.
    - tekknik 8y ago
      Given the EU doesn’t affect the rest of the world like they think they do (see GDPR) and also given that I can already install a ROM on just about any Android phone, nothing will change for the rest of us.
- 8y ago
pjmlp 8y ago
Ideally I would get an iPhone, but they are just way over my budget and I don't do contracts.
- sky_rw 8y ago
  Google can also your location on your iPhone, you aren't free if you use any google service with location data.
arminiusreturns 8y ago
I just want root on my blackberry. I only use fdroid apps, disable permissions, etc, but I can't even uninstall the Facebook app, because, what, Facebook payed blackberry or google? Has everyone forgotten the principle of first sale? Google really ruined our opportunity to have linux mobile devices. Purism some type phones that are truly user controlled can't come soon enough. I personally think it's a national security issue it's so bad.
- sneak 8y ago
  If you are concerned about security, F-Droid is not the installer for you.
  - beenBoutIT 8y ago
    F-Droid is secure. IIRC there's never been any issue with malware on F-Droid, ever.
  - arminiusreturns 8y ago
    By only using gpl apps at least I can take a look at the source code.
kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
LineageOS supports Moto C. You can easily take control of your phone and lock down any and all Google services.
- Dunedan 8y ago
  There might be unofficial builds, but it's not included in their official list of supported devices: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/ https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/
collyw 8y ago
Try a different launcher app. Evie is the one I am using, and my searches go to duck duck go / firefox.
Grazester 8y ago
You're probably use a GOOGLE launcher. Of course they would not allow you to remove the search bar. Just use another launcher.
entropie 8y ago
> My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. I isnt googles fault. Ive not seen any naked android release where the user is forced to use the google search box from home screen or not able to remove it. Thats some 3rd party layer.
- mattlondon 8y ago
  For what it is worth, I cant remove the google search box on the Google Pixel 1 phone, (plus a permanent date and weather widget at the top) so now I have both Google and DuckDuckGo search boxes on my homescreen...
  - joshuamorton 8y ago
    You can, you just need to install an alternative launcher. The pixel launcher has those things, but you are more than free to replace it.
  - LeftTurnSignal 8y ago
    Try the Nova Launcher. I used it on my Pixel 1. It worked pretty well. Crashed a few times, but then I just had to reset it as the main launcher.
psykus 8y ago
I believe if you disable the Google app the search box will go away. This is just the app that handles searches, you can keep Google Play Services and other things.
JoshMnem 8y ago
> I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. Or the new tab page in Chrome. (I haven't been able to find it, at least.)
dredmorbius 8y ago
It is not free. Advertising is a $600+ billion industry worldwide market, about $200 billion online. Largely borne by the ~1 billion population of the G-20. This is costing your household $125/yr per person. http://www.bandt.com.au/advertising/global-online-ad-spend-surpass-us200bn-tv-2017-zenith http://www.bandt.com.au/advertising/global-online-ad-spend-s...
bitL 8y ago
The company seems to have turned into a creepy controlling auntie that always needs to be informed and is nosy about everybody's life.
- joshlegs 8y ago
  so much for "Don't Be Evil" huh
rmc 8y ago
> I know that "when it's free I am the product" but the problem is that this is not very obvious when you buy a device. If you buy a device, then it's not free!
aagha 8y ago
> My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. Can't you get around this with a 3rd party launcher like Nova?
tripzilch 8y ago
> What is driving me away from Google's Android is that they keep asking me to turn stuff on I don't want to turn on. Hey, that's exactly what drove me away from Facebook, 9 years ago ...

by pasta 8y ago

soziawa 8y ago

You can return it if it doesn't match what was advertised.

rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago

>My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. It's quite annoying and show how far Google goes to shove their data collection tools down our throats. I recommend this free and independent launcher: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/ch.deletescape.lawnchair.plah/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/ch.deletescape.lawnchair.pla...

izacus 8y ago

While your complaint is valid, replacing the launcher on your phone will remove the Google bar. (Nova launcher is very popular alternative to the built in ones and gives you quite a few options for customisation.) The constant nagging to enable Location History is the worst though.

ams6110 8y ago
Strange, I keep location services off all the time unless I am actively using Maps navigation. Location history is off also. I don't receive "nags" excepting when I start Maps, I get a request to turn on location services.

dmm 8y ago

> I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. You can remove it if you disable "Google Play Services" in Settings -> Apps. Of course if you do then can't use the android store or most apps. I use the alternative fdroid repository and it works fine.

rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
>I use the alternative fdroid repository and it works fine. F-Droid doesn't have Signal, Whatsapp, Firefox and VLC. No one can seriously expect a normal user to do without Google Play Services (I checked F-Droid every week to, one day, hopefully, turn Google Play Service off. Forever). So 99.9% of Android users are forced to feed Google with all their location data. And the .1% who resists have very little influence on the surveillance state. That's infuriating.
- tadzik_ 8y ago
  > F-Droid doesn't have Signal, Whatsapp, Firefox and VLC. No one can seriously expect a normal user to do without Google Play Services Not sure about the other 3, but I use firefox just fine on my phone without google play services. I use aptoide as my appstore in the absence of google play, and while it does have stuff in there that don't work without GPS anyway (Uber, for instance), it's been a decent replacement for me for quite a while, containing most of the stuff that f-droid doesn't have (because they're not open source) without forcing me to taint my phone with google's crap. No argument on your 2nd point though, it's the unfortunate truth. Which is why it infuriates me a bit when the technical .1% who could actually do it the other way still don't bother and just follow the herd. I know not every hill is worth dying on, but still.
- dmm 8y ago
  > Signal You can sideload signal and it works without google cloud messaging. I use signal every day. It works fine. > Firefox You can sideload Firefox or use Fennec from fdroid, a firefox rebuild without proprietary software. > Whatsapp Yep that probably won't work. Most proprietary android applications use google play framework. This will only get worse. "Android" is less and less free with every release. Google keeps adding functionality to the proprietary libraries on top of the free base. > VLC It used to be in fdroid but is a nightmare to build so it was removed. > No one can seriously expect a normal user to do without Google Play Services Probably. I was just sharing my personal experience. > very little influence on the surveillance state Ha! Most HN readers are enthusiastically building the surveillance state.

fredley 8y ago

I was fed up with Google increasing insistence on pushing crap onto my home screen. The unavoidable news feed was the last straw. I have now installed Nova Launcher and it's made my phone great again. No Google crap on the home screen at all.

jcalabro 8y ago
I also highly recommend nova launcher. I've been using it for years and honestly forgot that Google forces you to have a searchbar on the home screen.
- pymai 8y ago
  is just second nature at this stage that nova launcher gets installed straight away. export/import the settings and you're all set to go
- nasredin 8y ago
  ADW Launcher is another, minimalist good alternative.
m-p-3 8y ago
I switched to Lawnchair. It feels close to Google Launcher, but with just enough customization to be super easy to setup yet flexible enough.
chewz 8y ago
I sometimes wonder if HN is just another conspiracy-theorists forum. You can disable Google News feed, you can remove Google Search from home screen, you can even use Bing as Assist app (long press on Home icon) in place of Google. Everything on stock Android Oreo on Sony Xperia. Hey, you can even disable location services. Use VPN with split tunelling for Google Play Services. Google is no saint but it ain't a devil either.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
8y ago

jdietrich 8y ago

My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. This was one of the grounds for the EU's recent antitrust action. If Google don't want to face another multibillion dollar fine in the very near future, we should see far more choice over whether to use Google services on Android. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4581_en.htm http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4581_en.htm

morgancmartin 8y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but these rulings would only hold power in the EU though, no? That's great for the EU, but that means we've still got to fix the problem everywhere else.
- close04 8y ago
  As long as it's more expensive for these companies to maintain 2 frameworks then it will be beneficial for everyone. This of course might not be the case.
- jdietrich 8y ago
  Yes, but it'll affect the whole market. The EU is a wealthy market with 510 million consumers - if Google's stranglehold on Android is broken there, then it is profoundly undermined internationally. Google might continue with anti-competitive practices outside the EU, but non-EU citizens will be free to import a device that is compliant with the EU ruling. In many cases, it will be possible to install an EU-compliant ROM on devices bought elsewhere. Some non-EU countries may decide to follow the lead of the European Commission and pass similar antitrust rulings.
  - tekknik 8y ago
    Given the EU doesn’t affect the rest of the world like they think they do (see GDPR) and also given that I can already install a ROM on just about any Android phone, nothing will change for the rest of us.
8y ago

pjmlp 8y ago

Ideally I would get an iPhone, but they are just way over my budget and I don't do contracts.

sky_rw 8y ago
Google can also your location on your iPhone, you aren't free if you use any google service with location data.

arminiusreturns 8y ago

I just want root on my blackberry. I only use fdroid apps, disable permissions, etc, but I can't even uninstall the Facebook app, because, what, Facebook payed blackberry or google? Has everyone forgotten the principle of first sale? Google really ruined our opportunity to have linux mobile devices. Purism some type phones that are truly user controlled can't come soon enough. I personally think it's a national security issue it's so bad.

sneak 8y ago
If you are concerned about security, F-Droid is not the installer for you.
- beenBoutIT 8y ago
  F-Droid is secure. IIRC there's never been any issue with malware on F-Droid, ever.
- arminiusreturns 8y ago
  By only using gpl apps at least I can take a look at the source code.

kevin_thibedeau 8y ago

LineageOS supports Moto C. You can easily take control of your phone and lock down any and all Google services.

Dunedan 8y ago
There might be unofficial builds, but it's not included in their official list of supported devices: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/ https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/

collyw 8y ago

Try a different launcher app. Evie is the one I am using, and my searches go to duck duck go / firefox.

Grazester 8y ago

You're probably use a GOOGLE launcher. Of course they would not allow you to remove the search bar. Just use another launcher.

entropie 8y ago

> My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. I isnt googles fault. Ive not seen any naked android release where the user is forced to use the google search box from home screen or not able to remove it. Thats some 3rd party layer.

mattlondon 8y ago
For what it is worth, I cant remove the google search box on the Google Pixel 1 phone, (plus a permanent date and weather widget at the top) so now I have both Google and DuckDuckGo search boxes on my homescreen...
- joshuamorton 8y ago
  You can, you just need to install an alternative launcher. The pixel launcher has those things, but you are more than free to replace it.
- LeftTurnSignal 8y ago
  Try the Nova Launcher. I used it on my Pixel 1. It worked pretty well. Crashed a few times, but then I just had to reset it as the main launcher.

psykus 8y ago

I believe if you disable the Google app the search box will go away. This is just the app that handles searches, you can keep Google Play Services and other things.

JoshMnem 8y ago

> I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. Or the new tab page in Chrome. (I haven't been able to find it, at least.)

dredmorbius 8y ago

It is not free. Advertising is a $600+ billion industry worldwide market, about $200 billion online. Largely borne by the ~1 billion population of the G-20. This is costing your household $125/yr per person. http://www.bandt.com.au/advertising/global-online-ad-spend-surpass-us200bn-tv-2017-zenith http://www.bandt.com.au/advertising/global-online-ad-spend-s...

bitL 8y ago

The company seems to have turned into a creepy controlling auntie that always needs to be informed and is nosy about everybody's life.

joshlegs 8y ago
so much for "Don't Be Evil" huh

rmc 8y ago

> I know that "when it's free I am the product" but the problem is that this is not very obvious when you buy a device. If you buy a device, then it's not free!

aagha 8y ago

> My $100,- Motorola Moto C plus is great but I can't remove the Google search box from my home screen for example. Can't you get around this with a 3rd party launcher like Nova?

tripzilch 8y ago

> What is driving me away from Google's Android is that they keep asking me to turn stuff on I don't want to turn on. Hey, that's exactly what drove me away from Facebook, 9 years ago ...