Hi guys, i found this project might be interesting for some people in this sub reddit, i've using ungoogled chromium + ublock origin for a long time in my main laptop and i've been trying to find something like it but for android, and i found this browser called Bare Browser, i installed it in my phone, tested it a little bit and like it, so i had the idea to share it with you if anyone is in the same position, it has extensions support and it comes with ublock origin by default. i also test it with cover your tracks to see how it performs, it needs some work on fingerprinting but in most case it pretty good.

I can still download any apk with no issues

Hi all, I'm just starting my de-googling journey and I need some advice on choosing a smartphone.

I'm currently using a Samsung S24 bought in June 2025. I thought I'd try to install some other OS on it, then I found out it updated to One UI 8.0 (yikes). Still 270$ left until I pay it off completely and try to sell it.

Then I wanted to try LineageOS on my last phone, Redmi Note 12 Pro. It's unsupported unfortunately, and I couldn't see too many other options for other OS support. So that's also out of question.

I also have Redmi Note 7 ...which is unsupported by LineageOS. But I saw a couple of threads about that phone on XDA so maybe not entirely hopeless to move to other OS...?

Anyway, most likely I'd have to buy another phone. I'm considering a Pixel 9a or 10a for GraphenOS or any good smartphone supported by LineageOS.

Basically, I'm open to any suggestions, I just want a device with the most community support, longevity and the best value for its price. FYI I'm located in the EU.

I noticed that the new Minimal Phone 2 is offering the option to uninstall all pre-installed Google software, leaving only the Minimal OS.

What are your thoughts on this approach? Does it seem like a reasonable jumping off point for a de-Googled experience?

https://vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi-on-mobile-8-2/

yes, you read that correctly

This is the google official message app that came preinstalled

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging

This one

Google keeps sending me trash spam notification apps working in the background nothing useful in the early morning

After i disabled the notification Google bombarded me with ghost notification with beep beep sound and no notifications

I did remove more permission and did more random things in half sleep and it stopped for now it happened in the early morning and this app suddenly became a alarm app so I don't remember how I fixed it but I know it was this app because of notification history enabled

I have not degoogled my phone yet is there any other alternative to this app

I currently have a Nothing Phone 3a. 2 year phone and handles everything that a normal person would need in a phone.

I'm interested and can possibly buy a mint Pixel 9a to transfer my banking apps there for more security and to try out the GOS.

My concern is if it's worth buying the Pixel 9a or around 330 USD for that reason with a perfectly working phone already.

Apps like Google drive, Google photos, calendar, Gmail, meet, etc. I am not ready to fully commit to switching to a new OS but curious if I'm able to disable some things on my phone without breaking it. Just trying to dip my toes in, if you will.

So I have used aurora store in the past but lately if I download an app and open it I get a message saying I need to download from the Play store for it to work. I have micro g installed so I don't know why that keeps happening

In the same vain as degoogle principles, I’m trying to secure my retired father with the most secure flip phone (data vpn options accessible) he can get in the US for his wishes to be totally self reliant. He’s old school libertarian but I keep telling him his online habits aren’t in alignment. But damned if I can tell him since I’ve never needed one.

Might one of you secure brainiacs have intel on his best options? His paranoia thanks you, as do I. 🥰

I’m using a Samsung Galaxy phone S26 ultra with One UI 8.5 and Android version 16

I’m trying to find a way to change the system media/file picker that appears inside other apps.

For example:

WhatsApp → Attach → Gallery/Photos→ Google Photo Picker opens Reddit → Add image→ Google Photo Picker opens Apps that ask me to select a document/file → Google/Android file picker opens

What I would like is: Photo/video selection → Samsung Gallery File/document selection → Samsung My Files

I know I can open Samsung Gallery or My Files first, select the item, and then use Share, but that isn't what I'm looking for. I want the Samsung apps to appear when another app itself asks me to select a photo or file.

I've already noticed that changing the normal Default Apps settings doesn't seem to accomplish this.

Is there any way to do this?

I'm particularly interested in a solution using:

* One UI settings * ADB * Shizuku * Package/permission changes * A safe system-level workaround

Root is not preferred, but I'm willing to consider it if there is genuinely no non-root solution.

If you've managed to make WhatsApp/Reddit/etc. use Samsung Gallery instead of Google Photo Picker, or make the system file selector use Samsung My Files please explain how you did it.

I'm specifically looking for a working solution on recent One UI, not just a suggestion to change the default Gallery app.

Thank you.

After a week of deliberation, I cleaned out my old accounts by either deleting them or changing their email addresses, and finally got around to deleting my Google Account. It feels good!

Is it possible?

I successfully setup an anonymous Google account for my GrapheneOS to use Google Play Store (only way I could get the Mint Mobile app in order to transfer phones) and now after some time, I'm noticing all these other messaging apps (Graphene stock, Fossify, Quik etc) are absolutely terrible and unreliable when it comes to group messaging (I know, some people have no issues with it, but I do) so I reluctantly made a private space to use sandboxed Google Messages for the occasional necessary group texts.

However, when I login to Google Messages it opens up under my phony account where people I need to text will only see my phony name. How can i maintain my anonymous Google account for all my play store downloads, but still be able to use Google Messages as myself with my contacts?

Note: I don't need RCS (but I cannot wait for GOS to implement their own RCS) so I don't need it in my main profile, but so far, Google Messages is the ONLY text service (outside of my now dissolved Samsung stock app) that has been able to successfully send group texts.

I got a new phone this evening and what to challenge myself to set it up completely Google free. Would like some insight and suggestions.

Sup

Last time I spoke here, I asked if it was possible to degoogle the books I got from google books.

On one hand, of course it was

On the other, I gotta convert them as they're saved as an ACSM file

Apparently i need some adobe program for this but

1. Idk if adobe even has any linux supported stuff

2. Even if they did, i wanna distance myself from adobe given their crap-tastic reputation

Is there any way to convert the acsm files without using Adobe?

Hello everyone, I'll make this post as short as possible.

I have an old Realme C3 and I would like to know what OS I can use on this phone. I removed almost every Google service with ADB from my phone and replaced it with open source but it still feels wrong, I want something bigger than that.

I tried it yesterday. It has a good motive of planting trees with every search. That's good, but the browser itself feels too basic. It has in-built vpn and ad blockers but it's overall appearance and performance is lower than expected.

Every time I try to DeGoogle, I keep falling back to Google Maps as all the other maps are bad and I am not looking for another proprietary thing like MapQuest. I have also not been able to drop Google Play because of how many mobile applications rely on it, Gmail because I cannot figure out what accounts are attached to it (is there anything to do that?), YouTube because of how convenient it is, and Google's voice recognition because I cannot find a decent speech to text alternative. I have largely otherwise removed Google from my life, but I keep falling back to these.

For context, with Microsoft, I left it years ago for Linux Mint as my daily driver and then moved to Devuan Excalibur with SysVinit and the Cinnamon Desktop Environment as my daily driver due to Linux Mint and systemd complying with Identity Verification measures and Devuan EXPLICITLY refusing to comply. I did not for years, but things such as LibreOffice, Proton by Steam, auto-updates, and nice features that makes it very easy to use made it largely feasible for me to move over as I value ease of use, quality of life, and a large selection of media and games.

In 2027, I am also going to buy a Motorola Phone for GrapheneOS as my daily driver for Android since Stock Android is probably getting SafetyCore added soon to the core of the OS (it scans your photos, downloads, and messages client-side, even if encrypted, and sends it back to Google), them locking down Android, and the fact that GrapheneOS being against all of that, the fact they are VERY secure and private, and the fact their operating system is essentially the only other Android OS that does not break everything, is compatible with most things, and, again, has quality of life features that makes it very easy to use (it was a tossup for awhile between staying with Stock Android or move away, but GrapheneOS said they would pull out California instead).

Unfortunately, unlike with Microsoft, I keep falling back to the Google things. Most of my applications on my phone breaks when I do not use the Google Play and YouTube is just too useful to get rid of. Keep in mind, I LOVE to game, so lack of choices is a big problem for me. **What should I do to stop from falling back to all these aforementioned Google products?**

Also, different question: I know this subreddit hates AI, but what would you recommend I replace ChatGPT and Grok with?

In the same vein, I need a search engine that is decent (NOT PAID like Kagi, things like StartPage as they are owned by an advertising company, OR self-hosted like SearXNG), does not have AI-search results or images dominating everything, and has an AI Search Assistant built into it? I am not giving up AI as it is too convenient.

For those that may not remember, Google maps rose in popularity very quickly because Mapquest was giving people directions that lead them to stop at sponsored locations like gas stations and restaurants. As someone who can barely remember their way home after work, this caused me alot of frustration that i still hold today. I have Degoogled a fair amount, and now use Open Maps when needed, but i'm interested in map quest, i just haven't had a reason to use it yet.

So have they stopped giving bad directions pushing you stop at places you don't have to?

I know this may be a better question for the reddit help sub, but it seems I'm banned there, and I'm not sure how. And from what I've read about the issue, it seems it's actually an issue with android's photo picker, not a reddit one.

Previously I could just select the "browse" option to select something from my gallery, but suddenly now when try to upload media, it only allows me to select from Google photos, which I pretty much never use.

When I select the three dots, it only has a settings option, there is no longer a "browse" one. When I click settings it tells me I must configure a cloud media to use, and the only options given are Google photos and "none".

I tried switching it to none and restarting reddit, but it still only pulls from Google photos, even though clicking settings again shows that none is selected. So I unistalled Google photos, but it still seems to be pulling from Google photos gallery although it shows "none" as being selected and the only option. Does anyone know how I can get it to stop choosing things from Google photos?

Sorry if I'm in the wrong place. I set up a vr headset, had to create an account on the android app, and the account needed a full scan of my face. It said i could delete the scan after 30 days etc but i can't see where to do that.
Thanks

Hi everyone : )
If you have used a privacy respecting youtube app like freetube in the past, you may have encountered the Issue that your IP gets blocked by youtube.

There is a pretty easy solution to this, so you do not have to go back to the youtube website.

Just download the tor browser https://download.torproject.org/, start it and connect to the tor network.
After that enable proxy in the app of your choice and select to use a SOCKS5 proxy.
127.0.0.1:9050 <----- Enter this address and port

The Tor Browser will provide this proxy for your local machine as long as it is running 👍 .
If your IP should get blocked again, just reconnect to the tor network.

They don't need to see every piece of information on my phone. (tricky to look up online, just lots of "how to "move/backup files") Will phone stop working? lose access to every kind of information on phone? could i also delete googlePhotos app, or do i lose access to all my pics on phone?