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It was after the hundredth post like this that I de-Googled my life. It was only a matter of time until something happened to my account, and I had so much of m

It was after the hundredth post like this that I de-Googled my life. It was only a matter of time until something happened to my account, and I had so much of my life tied up in their services. The biggest and best change was buying my own domain and changing my email address. Now no one can ever remove access to my emails.

surgical_fire 6mo ago
I've been on this path for years, with varying degrees if faulure. How did you manage it? Some bits are harder than others. Most of my important email was migrated to a Protonmail account. With the exception with a couple of things tied to government services that don't have a path of changing your email, which sucks. Android: Next time I switch devices I am going for GrapheneOS. Technically still an Android, sandboxed Google services and all, but a step in a better direction. Android Auto/Waze: There's no competition here, sadly. YouTube: Another thing that is very difficult to replace beyond just reducing my YouTube usage. I can use stuff as Newpipe or self host Invidious, but technically it is still YouTube.
- Gareth321 6mo ago
  Also mixed success, but it depends what you want to achieve. My goal was to minimise risk of life disruption, and I think I succeeded. Some people are on a quest to keep their lives private, and that is harder. Email: The most important component here is owning your domain. Then you can switch between providers. I'm using iCloud now because I can have email addresses for the whole family for very cheap and it integrates well with my Apple devices. Search: Kagi. Maps: I still use Google maps. The alternatives are just not as good here in Denmark. Phone: iOS. I really want to try GrapheneOS but our government uses a national ID app which only works on official Android and iOS builds. It's very annoying to function without that app. YouTube: Still use it as well, but with ad and sponsor blocks on computer and mobile. I have an Apple developer account and sign my own sideloaded YouTube apps. Cloud storage: I switched to iCloud, but I keep a full local copy of everything in case I lose access to my account. I also built a home NAS and keep the movies on that. Basically anything which I don't mind losing so much. Docs: I use Office applications primarily now instead of Google Docs.
  - surgical_fire 6mo ago
    My main concern was actually being locked off my Google account once I realized how much of a wrench it would throw into my life if that happened. Privacy is a secondary concern here - not that I don't think it matters, more that I think it's a lot trickier than simply avoiding Google services. I recently acquired my own domain, and perhaps that is a good idea, especially considering I can set it up on Proton too. For Maps I tried HERE and TomTom, but they simply are not good enough where I live (in Europe, ironically). HERE doesn't know that some streets exist on my town, TomTom is missing a lot of addresses which makes things very cumbersome super quickly. Phone: Apple is not an option. I despise Apple products, and I don't think they are any better than Google. Cloud storage: I've switched to self hosting + tailscale here. It has been working actually pretty well. Docs: I use Libre Office. Google Docs is shit.
- yangm97 6mo ago
  There’s a platform called Odysee which hosts mirrors of many YouTube channels, might want to check that out instead of alternative frontends like invidious.
  - surgical_fire 6mo ago
    Nice, I'll check it out!
- GoblinSlayer 6mo ago
  I ungoogled when google locked my account many years ago (I didn't see hundreds posts about it). I don't use youtube, what do you need it for? FOMO? Internets are not monopolized enough yet for google to obscure them.
- eatrocs_allday 6mo ago
  for youtube i use ytdl (very easy to install with pip or w/e new thing there is now). then at least it's more of a deliberate choice to watch something rather than random thrill seeking.
nopurpose 6mo ago
is there a risk that domain renew fee will skyrocket, because cost of change it for you now even higher?
- MrDOS 6mo ago
  For all of these newfangled TLDs that are springing out of the woodwork with strictly for-profit interests, yes. Even some ccTLDs have seen rapid price hikes in recent years. I think the safest bet is to pre-renew the domains you really want to keep for as far out as you can (most registries allow you to renew a domain for up to 10 years). That way, if there is some major change to cost structures, you have a decade to either weather the storm or come up with a migration strategy.

surgical_fire 6mo ago

I've been on this path for years, with varying degrees if faulure. How did you manage it? Some bits are harder than others. Most of my important email was migrated to a Protonmail account. With the exception with a couple of things tied to government services that don't have a path of changing your email, which sucks. Android: Next time I switch devices I am going for GrapheneOS. Technically still an Android, sandboxed Google services and all, but a step in a better direction. Android Auto/Waze: There's no competition here, sadly. YouTube: Another thing that is very difficult to replace beyond just reducing my YouTube usage. I can use stuff as Newpipe or self host Invidious, but technically it is still YouTube.

Gareth321 6mo ago
Also mixed success, but it depends what you want to achieve. My goal was to minimise risk of life disruption, and I think I succeeded. Some people are on a quest to keep their lives private, and that is harder. Email: The most important component here is owning your domain. Then you can switch between providers. I'm using iCloud now because I can have email addresses for the whole family for very cheap and it integrates well with my Apple devices. Search: Kagi. Maps: I still use Google maps. The alternatives are just not as good here in Denmark. Phone: iOS. I really want to try GrapheneOS but our government uses a national ID app which only works on official Android and iOS builds. It's very annoying to function without that app. YouTube: Still use it as well, but with ad and sponsor blocks on computer and mobile. I have an Apple developer account and sign my own sideloaded YouTube apps. Cloud storage: I switched to iCloud, but I keep a full local copy of everything in case I lose access to my account. I also built a home NAS and keep the movies on that. Basically anything which I don't mind losing so much. Docs: I use Office applications primarily now instead of Google Docs.
- surgical_fire 6mo ago
  My main concern was actually being locked off my Google account once I realized how much of a wrench it would throw into my life if that happened. Privacy is a secondary concern here - not that I don't think it matters, more that I think it's a lot trickier than simply avoiding Google services. I recently acquired my own domain, and perhaps that is a good idea, especially considering I can set it up on Proton too. For Maps I tried HERE and TomTom, but they simply are not good enough where I live (in Europe, ironically). HERE doesn't know that some streets exist on my town, TomTom is missing a lot of addresses which makes things very cumbersome super quickly. Phone: Apple is not an option. I despise Apple products, and I don't think they are any better than Google. Cloud storage: I've switched to self hosting + tailscale here. It has been working actually pretty well. Docs: I use Libre Office. Google Docs is shit.
yangm97 6mo ago
There’s a platform called Odysee which hosts mirrors of many YouTube channels, might want to check that out instead of alternative frontends like invidious.
- surgical_fire 6mo ago
  Nice, I'll check it out!
GoblinSlayer 6mo ago
I ungoogled when google locked my account many years ago (I didn't see hundreds posts about it). I don't use youtube, what do you need it for? FOMO? Internets are not monopolized enough yet for google to obscure them.
eatrocs_allday 6mo ago
for youtube i use ytdl (very easy to install with pip or w/e new thing there is now). then at least it's more of a deliberate choice to watch something rather than random thrill seeking.

nopurpose 6mo ago

is there a risk that domain renew fee will skyrocket, because cost of change it for you now even higher?

MrDOS 6mo ago
For all of these newfangled TLDs that are springing out of the woodwork with strictly for-profit interests, yes. Even some ccTLDs have seen rapid price hikes in recent years. I think the safest bet is to pre-renew the domains you really want to keep for as far out as you can (most registries allow you to renew a domain for up to 10 years). That way, if there is some major change to cost structures, you have a decade to either weather the storm or come up with a migration strategy.