I’m finding that enjoying Google products and services on Lemmy is a hot take. Personally I use a Pixel phone and use nearly all Google services from Gmail to Keep.

  • Blaze@discuss.tchncs.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    86
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    1 year ago

    I’m probably in the minority, but I do not care. If you are happy, that’s the most important, you do you.

  • glibg10b@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    39
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    I don’t approve of the decisions made by Google, but that doesn’t affect how much I use their services.

    However, I am unhappy about the fact that the Google Play Services app is required by their apps, since it constantly runs in the background eating battery, consuming RAM, causing lag spikes and wasting mobile data. For this reason, I use MicroG when possible.

    I don’t like the fact that some Google apps (e.g. Chrome) on my phone are not uninstallable, but that’s the OEM’s fault (Samsung in my case). Luckily it’s possible to remove these using ADB (without root).

    I don’t like how they want to make it harder to root your own device.

  • Jackthelad@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    33
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    I mean I don’t love Google, because loving a tech company would be a bit weird.

    But I like their phones and the Android experience. I don’t really care if some nerds on the internet who like to tell everyone how they’ve “degoogled” their phones and get a stiffy about Linux don’t like that.

    • cm0002@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Same, they’re also one of the few Android smartphone companies left that actually allow you to somewhat easily unlock your bootloader. Your only other option is OnePlus (Which has taken a nosedive in the last few years) or some random Chinese brand that you have to pay all cash for and import

      I think people are just pissed that this is what’s become of the company whose motto used to be “Do no evil” and actually practiced it.

      Realistically, they aren’t doing anything that much worse than any other Big Tech company is doing or has done.

    • lorez@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I hate the G2 Tensor currently inside my Pixel 7 but I like their Android flavor and I use a lot of Google services.

    • Chetzemoka@startrek.website
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      1 year ago

      This is how I feel. I don’t hate Google. But I do want to see them broken up and regulated much more than they currently are.

    • DashboTreeFrog@discuss.online
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      This, exactly this!

      I used to get really excited when Google did things. Getting early access to Gmail, setting up Google Drive, remember when some of us thought Google Glass was gonna change the world?

      But now, whenever I hear Google is getting involved in something, I worry. How are they looking to exploit users this time? What kind weird subscription/micro-transaction model are they trying to push on us? How are they gonna enshitify this? And even if it is good, how long until they just abandon it?

      I used to love Google, but now, while I do use and even pay for some of their products/services, I take steps to obfuscate my use, use alternatives where possible, and just basically give them as little trust as I can while still living my day-to-day interacting with people who don’t worry about these issues.

  • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    28
    ·
    1 year ago

    The problem with Google is that it has its fingers in too many pies.

    The same company runs:

    • the OS of the computer in half the world’s pockets
    • the quasi-monopolistic client (Chrome) for the world’s only open-standards app platform (the web)
    • the crushingly dominant video platform

    And so on. This is obviously a big problem in a world where information is power.

    Google needs to be broken up at least as much as the oil and railroad companies did a century ago.

    • DeadNinja@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      15
      ·
      1 year ago

      Google needs to be broken up at least as much as the oil and railroad companies did a century ago.

      This is probably the biggest truth right now, and applies to almost all the big tech corps.

      • APassenger@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        I would like to try some stuff that’s part of Meta, but they’re part of Meta.

        Def agree with your point.

  • GingaNinga@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    1 year ago

    I used to love youtube and their search engine but they’ve made it so anti-consumer that I just sort of gravitated to better alternatives. I just fine their ad strategy really gross, theres a huge push for anti-adblock, pushing sponsored links in searches, cramming premium down everyones throats, I’m just sort of done with it.

    • timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      One of us…

      But honestly, I think you’ll find that a lot of the degooglers and such used to be big Google fans, etc. It’s just you eventually get tired of all their bullshit, constantly tracking and advertising to you, etc. And you realize you might need to pay for those services but you don’t trust a company like Google or meta, etc. To not track you still so…

      You eventually move on and then you find new things bit by bit to replace all those services. Some free, some paid. Some amazing, some just OK. But at least you’re happier with some privacy.

  • HenriVolney@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    18
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Remember when Google was a fast, simple and reliable search engine?

    Pepperidge Farm remembers.

    Also when they launched Google earth and Gmail? Those were the good times.

    Everything that came afterwards is monopoly fuckery and data harvesting. Fuck them

        • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 year ago

          I thought Google Plus was amazing. It’s the only social media I would never foresee myself complaining about, even through its demise due to some politicians complaining about it.

              • Chakravanti@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                Yeah it does. It’s ONE in charge. I’ll take this right here or Mastadon, Diaspora, anything where control is done by the masses, not any individual. If you think Google isn’t one mother fucker in charge, then educate yourself, because I guarentee you it is.

                • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  Google Plus was run differently from normal Google or even YouTube, it wasn’t like Twitter where one voice comes to mind, one voice broadcasting themselves as the rep in any way.

  • Redonkulation@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    19
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    1 year ago

    You can still be hyper critical of a product you use. I rely on tons of Google services and also use a pixel, but that doesn’t stop me from being disappointed in their behavior at large when it seems like the leadership is allergic to making the easy winning decisions.

    The realistic alternative is Apple and frankly fuck that.

  • Moobythegoldensock@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    I’m neutral toward Google. Youtube is fine but I don’t watch it constantly. Search has gone to shit and I’ve switched to duckduckgo. Maps are still good. My wife likes her Pixel.

  • roguetrick@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    1 year ago

    With a user base that mostly consists of a mix of economically liberal privacy advocates and leftists, I wouldn’t expect too many to view a company like Google to be a long term positive influence on the world.

  • amio@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    1 year ago

    I don’t hate them, I just… dislike and resent them for all their bullshit. I still use Google, I have an Android, I use YouTube (albeit heavily modified to make it, y’know, livable) etc for now.

  • realharo@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    14
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    They’re the same as any other megacorp, no better or worse.

    There are two things (or two aspects of the same one problem) I dislike about them specifically though:

    • The Google account bundles together too many disparate services - which means if their bots decide to arbitrarily block you for some reason, that affects your email, photo backup, YouTube account, Drive, phone, docs, etc.

    • They have no usable support. Whenever something bad happens, your only recourse is to complain about it on Twitter and hope it blows up enough that someone with power to change things will notice it and manually review the decision. Otherwise you’re stuck in bot support hell. Many such cases.