Hello. I have been trying to DeGoogle for about one month, migrating from Google to other services. But the biggest obstacle is Android, which is deeply embedded with Google services and, of course, trackers. It’s really, really hard to replace it with alternatives. There are no alternatives I know that are compatible with my phone. Maybe I will have to buy a new phone, or look for even more alternatives, or code my own operating system (OS) (but I can’t code!). I don’t know whether I can De- this Android. Hmmm…
Is there any good way to De- this Android? If I can’t, is there any way to improve privacy and minimize the ability and impact of Google on this “failed to DeGoogle” phone? Thanks for any advice.
I’m using Redmi Note 13.
Which phone do you have? You can get pretty cheap devices that you can put lineage onto. For example, I am running the OnePlus Nord N200 that was released in 2021 and it cost me like $250 and I have lineage OS running on it with no Google Apps or services.
One thing you can do is disable Google Play Services on your Googled phone. While it’s not the absolute best, it will help.
Make sure you have F-Droid and Aurora store installed.
For less than $250 you can easily get a used Pixel 7a or an 8a for around $300 (which were released in 2023 and 2024 respectively) and install GrapheneOS on it. The 7a gets updates until 2028 and the 8a until 2031. And GrapheneOS is much more secure than LineageOS or other ROMs.
https://madaidans-insecurities.github.io/android.html#lineageos
Used? This summer, I got a 7a new for this price! It is still very expensive for a phone, but I really didn’t want to go for a used one.
You have to have luck and find a good deal. The MSRP is still at $499 (which is absolutely ridiculous).
Yeah, I have no idea why it cost like this (it was from an unofficial reseller, as they’re not sold officially here). I used to think this is just becasuse it’s Japanese, but no, American version cost around the same.
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@FarAway@lemmy.ml
GraheneOS my friend. It’s installed on my Pixel 9. They include an easy-to-use web installer, with complete instructions. Any newb can do it. 😺
@shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip
Fair enough, though you never did say what phone it is you have. If it does not have official lineage support, then as I said, I would just disable Google Play Services. And that will help a lot.
Just keep in mind next time you buy a phone to look at the Lineage OS website and see if it’s officially supported first.
Anyway, thanks.