Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent.

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:43:06 GMT

iguana09863@mastodon.social — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:43:06 GMT

@theprivacydad @fdroidorg The truth is I think I went a little too far. My smartphone is not compatible with installing custom rom, and I don't have a computer. I hope that Google Play Store, even though I disabled all permissions and uninstalled it, does not modify anything about Android. The tools I have instead of play store are f-droid, izzyondroid, and aurora store.

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:20:45 GMT

theprivacydad@social.linux.pizza — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:20:45 GMT

@iguana09863 @fdroidorg Hi there, you've gone a bit deeper with this approach than I have! I think if you want to go that far, then I'd probably just try something like #grapheneos instead.

It seems to be that any type of factory reset will just start you from scratch though.

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:17:38 GMT

theprivacydad@social.linux.pizza — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:17:38 GMT

@nate Thank you! I'll look into that. It shouldn't be saying that.

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:16:23 GMT

theprivacydad@social.linux.pizza — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:16:23 GMT

@SecondChanceLemon Thanks, and good to know!

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:34:02 GMT

iguana09863@mastodon.social — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:34:02 GMT

@theprivacydad @fdroidorg If I choose to format the phone in factory mode, does the phone delete everything I installed and do I have to start over with setup and install F-Droid apps? Or when I remove that permission from the Play Store and restart the phone in factory mode, does everything remain the same as I configured my smartphone and the installed applications? Has the same thing happened to you?

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:33:56 GMT

iguana09863@mastodon.social — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:33:56 GMT

@theprivacydad @fdroidorg I have a question: I am an Android user and I have uninstalled almost all Google tools with shizuku and canta, but I have a question and that is that, when I uninstall the Google Play Store, I get the option to "modify system settings". activated and had removed all permissions before uninstalling it from my smartphone. but when I want to deactivate that permission, the option "format the phone in factory mode" appears. The doubt I have is;

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:39:01 GMT

secondchancelemon@rebel.ar — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:39:01 GMT

@theprivacydad excellent post. It's the kind of soft de-google I have made on my cell phone. In addition to banking apps, some job search apps are also dependent on a Google account.

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:36:38 GMT

leffe@social.linux.pizza — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:36:38 GMT

@theprivacydad

I agree about the worry over what's to come. I might be forced to go back to a Linux phone. Unfortunately, banks and and authorities here in #Sweden are mandating some iOS/Android only apps. The new #EU initiatives don't seem to be addressing that.

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:30:22 GMT

leffe@social.linux.pizza — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:30:22 GMT

@theprivacydad

Shizuku is probably more for advanced users. It allows doing things that otherwise require rooting. The Ice Box app uses it to "freeze" apps, and Aurora can fake the installer name for an app so it claims to be installed by the Play store.

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:23:47 GMT

theprivacydad@social.linux.pizza — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:23:47 GMT

@leffe I'll have to look into what Shizuku does. Thanks for the tip.

One concern here is of course https://keepandroidopen.org/

Reply to Disabling Google's default apps on Android can help reduce your exposure to Google's data mining system somewhat, while their open source alternatives are generally excellent. on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:22:35 GMT

leffe@social.linux.pizza — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:22:35 GMT

@theprivacydad

That's precisely what I'm doing on my #Fairphone #FP5, running their stock OS. I previously had the degoogled /e/OS, and before that, #SailfishOS.

Things work better this way, without Google apps, and even without a Google account. I use #FDroid and #AuroraStore to get apps. In some cases I have needed to use #Shizuku to forcibly disable things.