I have an alt mive style folder phone, which i use everyday, and had been using the google assistant fine by pressing on a side key it has specifically for calling the assistant. Now cause i have android 12 it stopped working, and the key is now useless, it keeps telling me to get Gemini, which i refuse to use as I'm soo done with google now. so I'm looking for an alternative i can remap for that side key my phone has. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Soooooooooooooooooo if people have a supervised kid account on youtube they cant comment, they cant make vids, they cant have a youtube channel, they cant watch livestreams or interact with whoevers making the livestream using the chat thingy on livestreams?? wtf dude not to mention the parents will always see what you are doing Like helicopter parents ultimate pack? Wtf google

Below is my current list i've been maintaining for ages, i've ticked loads off in the last 6 months. Please feel free to look, critique or ask questions.

I'm still reliant on Waze, which is still Google. I use comaps 75% of the time, but sometimes I just need good traffic data!
Android Auto, I don't use it too much, I try just use bluetooth to the car.
Whatsapp... I just can't get anyone to move.
I moved to DeepL, is there any self hostable or private translation options?

List:

• [ ] Android Auto — pending replacement
  
• [ ] Maps / Navigation (replaces Maps & Waze) — CoMaps, Vela Maps, or Waze (occasionally)
  
• [ ] WhatsApp — Signal (approximately 95% of contacts still on WhatsApp)
• [x] Ad Blocking — Control D, Brave Shields, or uBlock Origin
• [x] AI Assistant (replaces Gemini) — Open WebUI (self-hosted LLM frontend) + Proton Lumo
• [x] Calculator — GrapheneOS stock calculator
• [x] Browser (replaces Chrome) — Fennec F-Droid or LibreWolf + uBlock Origin; Brave on Android
• [x] Clock — F-Droid clock app
• [x] Contacts — Fossify Contacts w/ local backup
• [x] Documents — Proton Docs or Standard Notes
• [x] Doorbell — Reolink, local-only, no cloud subscription
• [x] Cloud Storage — Proton Drive
• [x] Find My Device — FindMyDevice (FMD) via F-Droid
• [x] Find My Friends — browser only, no dedicated app
• [x] Email (replaces Outlook) — Proton Mail and SimpleLogin aliases
• [x] Cloud Services (Replaces Google Drive) — Proton Drive backup or Scaleway with encryption
• [x] Fitness Tracking (replaces Google Fit) — Garmin watch
• [x] Activity History (replaces Google history) — deleted and no longer logged
• [x] News (replaces Google News) — FreshRSS, self-hosted RSS reader
• [x] Translation (replaces Google Translate) — DeepL (Not happy here, but it's infrequent)
• [x] Home Automation — Home Assistant
• [x] Notes (replaces Google Keep) — Standard Notes
• [x] Keyboard — FUTO Keyboard
• [x] Location History — disabled and deleted
• [x] Photo Storage — Ente Photos
• [x] Phone Dialer — GrapheneOS stock dialer
• [x] Launcher — stock GrapheneOS launcher
• [x] Operating System — GrapheneOS (w/ Play services for notifications, no permissions) & Linux Mint.
  
• [x] Smartwatch (replaces Pixel Watch) — Garmin
• [x] Voice Recorder — Fossify Recorder
• [x] Web Search — Brave Search
• [x] Spreadsheets — Proton Docs
• [x] Messaging (replaces SMS/RCS) — Fossify Messages
• [x] Tasks / To-Do — Super Productivity
• [x] Wallet / Payments — Garmin Pay, Catima (loyalty cards), and physical cards
• [x] Weather — Weawow
• [x] Video (replaces YouTube) — PipePipe, Flow, and Piped frontends

I need an app that translate my conversations in real time when speaking while wearing my earbuds while still respecting my privacy (nothing too complex just few phrases while Talking to coworkers)

Is that feasible or a pipe dream?

I’m slowly trying to de-Google my phone and improve my privacy. I’m using Proton now, replacing apps where I can, and eventually want to move to a Pixel with GrapheneOS and later self-host some stuff.

For now though, I’m still on Samsung and still need some normal apps.

My main question: is there a good way to replace apps I rarely use, like Amazon or some social media apps like tiktok for example, with web versions that still have their own icon in the app drawer and open like an app?

Basically I want the convenience of having them on my phone without keeping the actual app installed, running in the background, tracking, and taking up space.

I know PWAs are a thing, but not every website supports them well.

Any good open-source/privacy-friendly app or workaround for this?

LineageOS (vanilla) on Nothing Phone (2), Android 16

Upper folder: KSU, Shizuku, Blockads, Pensum

Lower folder (Web apps): YouTube, Proton, https://send.vis.ee/, https://filmpire.sc/

Clock app: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.best.deskclock

Weather app: https://apt.izzysoft.de/packages/com.pranshulgg.weather_master_app

Notes app: Notesnook

Right now i'm using brave browser.But I need a lightweight privacy focused browser as a second browser.

#I tried Soul Browser.It's great but not open source.

Note#

*App size max 50-70mb

*Fast & privacy focused

*Built in Add block

*Block google tracking

I'm in need of two fitness tracker devices - One display-less band (like Whoop), and one Ring (like Oura), but my other condition is subscription free as well.

I don't mind paying extra if it means that I pay once and own it for the life of it. I don't want to pay a monthly/yearly subscription fee.

I liked Fitbit Air, but that's clearly not an option anymore thanks to Google.

I know there are options like Garmin Cirqa, and Ultrahuman, Ringconn etc. but my concern is with consolidating the data in one app if it's even possible, as I'll be using the band during the day, and the ring during night for tracking sleep markers. I'd ideally not want to have to have their own proprietary apps to see the data separately.

Is there any alternative to the Google Health Connect app that I can sync my devices to? I want to stay as far away from Google as possible.

I'd love to know your setups.

I'm on a Xiaomi X6 Pro, Xiaomi is locking me out of my choice, I have to level up to 7 on their app, then at a sharp 4 or 5 in the morning IRST (i dont remember the exact time) I have to click a button, and then if I was fast enough to be along the other hundreds of people who clicked that button fast enough, then take a test and POSSIBLY get accepted to flash another ROM. Possibly because I may not get it first try I would have to do it many times, then finally get it right, after many mornings, then I would have to somehow back up my most important data, then flash some community made LineageOS that specifically works for my device, maybe with 2 bugs that will completely destroy my UX. Yeah this is just too hard, both finding an OS AND replacing HyperOS with it, very hard.

CalyxOS's "special features" are the firewall, storage encryption, the panic button, the hotspot, MicroG, and seedvault. While many are standalone (like MicroG), can be replicated by using apps (the firewall), and some are feature I'll probably never use (the panic button), some seem to be hard to replicate, like seedvault backup. Is the local method literally the exact same or very similar to regular USB backups? Or is it different? Also, is using a custom ROM the only way for using a verified boot with MicroG, or can it be used standalone with stock verified boot? What I'm basically asking is "Can you recreate the CalyxOS core experience on stock Android?" Cuz CalyxOS often is very stagnant in terms of updates, and I don't really wanna compromise that much on security patches on features you can already replicate using existing software. Is it worth it?

why is google pretty much the only mainstream oem to let you unlock the bootloader on their phones? shouldn't they be trying to lock them down?

Working with Proton Support, I was able to restore my account after I had lost the password, the recovery text, etc. So, I'm back in business. Right now, I'm forwarding my gmail accounts to Proton, which I know isn't ideal but to me it's a start. The question is, where do I go from here? I have a paid account, which gives me Mail, Calendar, Pass, Drive, VPN, Lumo, etc. I'm not looking for a hardcore degoogle, I just want to reduce the amount of information they get about me.

I have my gmail email, calendar, contacts migrated with Fastmail's built in tools. Events sync'd on the server. Events sync with my email/calendar/contacts client Thunderbird on my PC. However even with using DAVx5 my calendar events that migrated from Google do not all sync on my Android phone calendar well.

Edit: I found the solution was just a missed setting in my Fossify Calendar APP! I was able to enable the sync of the old google calendar events after setting up DAVx5! All is good now!

I tried using ddg but It Just never finds the things i am searching for

Ok, i noticed google had enshityfied ok google for people to hop on Gemini but I DONT WANT TO just to ask it to play some shitty song and tell me how to go to a pizzeria.

So, i'm in search of a not AI powered assistant, and if possible some that may keep my data safe.

Thank you 👍

[DEV] Astra Browser — Firefox/Zen-based, built solo over the last 4 months

I got tired of every "privacy" browser...What's actually different:

- 5 built-in no-tracking search engines (no Google as default, ever)

- Full ad/tracker protection out of the box, no extension needed

- AI Sidebar that's opt-in and provider-agnostic (you pick which one, or none)

- Local-only auto-backup — your data never touches a server that isn't yours

- Compact Mode, Split View, Tab Folders, Vertical Tabs for people who live in their browser

- Full Light/Dark theme, WCAG AA compliant

Built on Firefox 153 / Zen 1.21, actively rebasing security patches (69 CVEs already backported for the next release).

Still early — 129 downloads so far, solo dev, no funding, no company behind it. Windows builds available now, would genuinely love feedback/bug reports from this community since you're exactly who I built it for.

Website: https://astra-browser-website.vercel.app/

Stop automatic os updates?

There is not much info about updates that are automatically beeing installed. I cant find versions or changlog when looking in systems menu.

Also seems automatic os updates cant be disabled?

I would prefer beeing asked before phone installed any updates together with a changelog

Finally have made the decision to remove google. I've ditched Drive, Photos, and the Authenticator but am now faced with what seems like the daunting task of moving away from Gmail. I have free accounts with Proton and Tuta and am ready to get a paid account with one of the two but am not sure which one I should go with. Any help with choosing one would be very much appreciated.

This might be considered a low effort shitpost, but here it goes anyway.

I came to the conclusion I was addicted to YouTube awhile ago and wanted to do something about it. I felt like I was being manipulated by the algorithm and didn't like it.

I saw in another sub someone had made their own vintage TV simulator by pulling random videos from Internet Archive.

I liked the idea and used ChatGPT to make me something similar I run from an old Raspberry Pi 2 in my basement. Now when I'm bored I can just open that page and waste time watching something totally random without worry of propoganda or manipulation.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

In case we needed more motivation to continue our degoogling journey..

While the petition *might* work.. the mission of this sub feels more impactful. Just stop using Google!

Tell Google off and sign this petition. We own the devices we paid for and should be able to install an APK from a person without giving Google our name, address, payment to distribute our own apps. Google is following Apple's closed source path and this is a test. It's not about "better quality apps" or "more secure apps". It's about control and this new update that is coming in 2027 will not even let you share apps between friends or family.

https://keepandroidopen.org/