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The best de-Googled phone is, sadly, an iPhone. I came to this conclusion after sticking with Android for over a decade and hating iPhones, but switching to iOS

The best de-Googled phone is, sadly, an iPhone. I came to this conclusion after sticking with Android for over a decade and hating iPhones, but switching to iOS has been one of the better decisions I made in my life.

ideashower 4y ago
While I agree, it isn't any less addicting than a Googled phone, sadly. I'm in agreement with the OP that I need something else, but I'm finding it both hard to get away from the iCloud infrastructure and also just part ways with a smartphone. If I could get a dumb phone that could still run Google/Apple/Any Maps for GPS purposes, I'd be first in line.
- hammyhavoc 4y ago
  It's as addictive as what apps you run on it. Facebook and Instagram aren't going to be any less addictive just because you get them running on a Linux phone. The smartphone UX is all kinds of poor, I'm immediately repulsed and turned off by it versus a keyboard and mouse. Hamburger menus at the top of a now-very-tall screen? Yeah, fuck that.
mikece 4y ago
You have zero Google apps on your phone? If not then your iPhone is every bit the Google tracking device that an Android phone is.
- OJFord 4y ago
  You say that like it's hard to believe, but the big ones are Gmail & Maps right? And it's completely possible/not that uncommon to not have either of them. Out of the box Apple even has first-party solutions for both I think?
  - MaxBarraclough 4y ago
    > the big ones are Gmail & Maps right? There's also the YouTube app (needed for Chromecasting YouTube from iPhone), and Google Calendar.
    - OJFord 4y ago
      Oh YouTube in particular is a good point, I overlooked that. (I'm sure it's at least somewhat intentional along those lines that it hasn't become GTube or something over the years.)
- jen20 4y ago
  I absolutely have zero google apps on my iPhone. Also don’t use TikTok, Facebook or any of their subsidiary services. It works well.
- selfhoster11 4y ago
  It's definitely not "every bit the Google tracking device", simply because iPhones do not use Google services for assisted GPS. Unless you fully de-Google an Android phone, it'll keep reporting the nearby networks, cell towers and other wireless beacons to Google in the background. On iOS, this doesn't happen by default, because this data is sent to Apple instead. I have just one Google app installed: Maps. Its location settings are set to only allow location access when the app is open, so it collects very little data useful to Google. I can probably switch to Apple Maps, but I don't know whether the quality of navigation and public transport data is as good as Google Maps. If it turns out to be similar, I'm likely to switch, because I'm only staying with GMaps thanks to the data quality.

ideashower 4y ago

While I agree, it isn't any less addicting than a Googled phone, sadly. I'm in agreement with the OP that I need something else, but I'm finding it both hard to get away from the iCloud infrastructure and also just part ways with a smartphone. If I could get a dumb phone that could still run Google/Apple/Any Maps for GPS purposes, I'd be first in line.

hammyhavoc 4y ago
It's as addictive as what apps you run on it. Facebook and Instagram aren't going to be any less addictive just because you get them running on a Linux phone. The smartphone UX is all kinds of poor, I'm immediately repulsed and turned off by it versus a keyboard and mouse. Hamburger menus at the top of a now-very-tall screen? Yeah, fuck that.

mikece 4y ago

You have zero Google apps on your phone? If not then your iPhone is every bit the Google tracking device that an Android phone is.

OJFord 4y ago
You say that like it's hard to believe, but the big ones are Gmail & Maps right? And it's completely possible/not that uncommon to not have either of them. Out of the box Apple even has first-party solutions for both I think?
- MaxBarraclough 4y ago
  > the big ones are Gmail & Maps right? There's also the YouTube app (needed for Chromecasting YouTube from iPhone), and Google Calendar.
  - OJFord 4y ago
    Oh YouTube in particular is a good point, I overlooked that. (I'm sure it's at least somewhat intentional along those lines that it hasn't become GTube or something over the years.)
jen20 4y ago
I absolutely have zero google apps on my iPhone. Also don’t use TikTok, Facebook or any of their subsidiary services. It works well.
selfhoster11 4y ago
It's definitely not "every bit the Google tracking device", simply because iPhones do not use Google services for assisted GPS. Unless you fully de-Google an Android phone, it'll keep reporting the nearby networks, cell towers and other wireless beacons to Google in the background. On iOS, this doesn't happen by default, because this data is sent to Apple instead. I have just one Google app installed: Maps. Its location settings are set to only allow location access when the app is open, so it collects very little data useful to Google. I can probably switch to Apple Maps, but I don't know whether the quality of navigation and public transport data is as good as Google Maps. If it turns out to be similar, I'm likely to switch, because I'm only staying with GMaps thanks to the data quality.