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Do you guys all only use iOS? AFAIK, 99% of non-Chinese mobile users are required to have an active Google account simply to use their smartphone. One simply c
by rcMgD2BwE72F 7y ago
Do you guys all only use iOS? AFAIK, 99% of non-Chinese mobile users are required to have an active Google account simply to use their smartphone.
One simply cannot not have a Google account when on Android.
- gambiting 7y agoWhat do you mean? Of course you can use an android phone without a Google account.
- blahedo 7y agoSerious question: how? I had been a google avoider for years already when I upgraded to a smartphone, and a mandatory part of the setup was creating an @gmail for it, that I couldn't steer around or find an alternative to. I only use that account to "forward stuff to my phone" but I did still need to create it, afaik.
- Bnshsysjab 7y agoYou can skip the step, or sign out. I think this loses access to the App Store though.
- iforgotpassword 7y agoAt least a while ago you could skip setting up an account. But that means you need to use an alternate app store. Or you get a device that is supported by lineage. Then you're even freed from all the Google related services that would otherwise still run in the background and do who knows what. You'd still need an alternate way of getting apps, and even if you sideload them, some might not work since they rely on Google play services. Or you get a Chinese phone, since Google is banned there they all have alternate app stores, plus a crap load of shovelware that spams your notifications with ads and you share all your personal data with a different government agency than you would with the Google variant.
- remir 7y agoI think you can create an account without using Gmail as the email. For example, you could create a Google Account with joe.smith@outlook.com if you wanted to. At least, that was possible some years ago.
- swiley 7y agoLast time I tried most things didn’t work. Maybe you can make phone calls and use a web browser but I’m not sure that counts for most people.
- afandian 7y agoPhone, Web, Contacts, SMS, Whatsapp (they have apk download), etc counts for me.
- Kiro 7y agoWhat a strange comment. Even if it's technically possible you must at least acknowledge that it's a PITA.
- gambiting 7y agoThere are great phones being sold right now which run Android and which have zero Google integration whatsoever. The parent post was implying that it's literally impossible to use an Android phone without a Google account, which is straight up not true. What's so strange about that?
- rleigh 7y agoThis is something I've been interested in getting. Could you possibly provide some examples?
- gambiting 7y agoFor example the latest Huawei phones - the P40 Pro has an insane spec, fantastic camera, latest Android.....and no Google integration at all. Whether that's good or bad you have to decide for yourself, but it's not just some cheap knock-off garbage phones.
- afandian 7y agoNonsense. I'm on an Android and I'm not signed in. It works perfectly well: I can call, browse and even reply to HN comments. Google Maps and Youtube even work, but I have no expectation of them continuing.
- Markoff 7y agoi use Android phone without gapps with zero issues, my wife has Android phone with gapps but no Google account signed in we don't use Google devices requiring Google account and pretty much no Google apps