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I am an Android user fed up with Google, but I've never really focused on alternatives to stock Android. I briefly investigated Cyanogenmod and its successor, L

I am an Android user fed up with Google, but I've never really focused on alternatives to stock Android. I briefly investigated Cyanogenmod and its successor, LineageOS, but never to the point of installing it. I do use the Gmail app on my phone, but it's not a requirement for me. Beyond that, I don't really have strong ties to the Google Suite of apps. I do have a few apps I've purchased and use frequently, but most are freeware. All that said, for those of you who have de-Googled your phone, how much friction was there? Is there a leader of the pack for alternate app stores (if necessary), and/or do you load APKs directly?

pomian 5y ago
have been running de googled for more than last 6 years. during original setup of phone there is a lot of opportunity to shut down Google. how ever, can proceed and succeed most of the way with the right tools, and patience. vigilance in disable options is important. some times you can disable all actions after install - for example location, etc. F-droid is your primary source for apks. they have everything you need, with very good filters and warnings about privacy and other options of their apps. If you need some apk available on that is on Google only, then there are a few other sites, that package them and seem to work quite well. They look sketchy, they promote other apps, but I haven't had any issues using them in over 5 years. just click carefully. for example apkpure. You can get things like Signal, mapy. cz, Wyze and so on, better yet, sometimes older versions. In a few apps, while running, you have to ignore the message that you need Google for this app to work. I haven't had one that actually needed it. even Google photos. (assuming you don't want it linked to Google cloud.)