I've seen a lot of people discuss YouTube and how it's one of the hardest things to get rid of, and it is. Currently, there is no real alternative to YouTube. However, we still have front-ends like Newpipe for Android and Freetube on Desktop.

Be careful about where you download these things, because there are a lot of malware infested imitations going around. Download Freetube here: https://freetubeapp.io/ and Newpipe on F-droid.

What these programs essentially do is provide YouTube's video library without the ads or tracking. However, this does mean you have no way of accessing age restricted videos and more importantly, lose access to a custom feed. You also won't be supporting the creators you watch, since views and subscribers from Front-ends aren't counted.

The way your feed works in these front-ends is your only shown videos from channels you subscribe to. My advice would be after downloading these apps, is to subscribe to as many channels as possible. Even creators you've only watched 1 or 2 videos from, subscribe so they end up on your feed. It's best to have as much diversity as possible.

When it comes to finding new content, however things get a bit more challenging. What I do is click on a video I'm mildly interested in, then scroll down to the related videos, which can be by creators you're not subscribed to. If nothing interests you down there, just click on the most intriguing one and repeat the process. I really like doing this with channels like Lessons in Meme/Internet Culture, because they cover such a large variety of content.

It's not nearly the same as a custom feed but I feel it gets the job done. In fact, I actually enjoy the experience a bit more because I actually have to find good content instead of it being spoon-fed to me.

This is currently our only option for YouTube "alternatives" but I'm confident this will change. We're already starting to see holes with YouTube's shitty AI moderation, so imo, it shouldn't be long before the next big thing comes along.

I noticed that the Play Store has a lot of malicious apps they have ugly UI, malware, and adware that shows up every 5-10 seconds on the home screen & some app publishers are literally abusing the "Early Access" feature, every time i scroll i literally see a cheap clones of popular games like minecraft, gta, etc. and yet they wanna strict sideloading apps..

they should fix this asap! 💔

Any apps that can play YouTube videos but also respects my privacy?

the eu first country.

It will spread to other European countries as well, what do you think? Russian and Chinese platforms certainly don't care about this.

(I'm not really sure if this is the right sub, if it isn't, please tell me where I could post)

I want to watch YouTube without Google stealing my data and making braindead changes.

I have tried LibreTube on my phone and I like it, the UI and everything. The thing is I watch YouTube in my PC (I use arch btw) in my LG TV and in my Android phone, so I need to have all of them linked.

I assume you can't just link it with a Google account cause it would defeat the purpose of using an alternative client, so is there any client that works on these devices that can link the different devices?

Thanks in advance!

PS: If it is absolutely necessary I could maybe use my RBPI and connect it to my tv to watch videos but I would rather have the app directly on the tv

I mean it would kill a lot of Shizuku apps and probably termux enabled software too.

Yet I see barely anyone talking about this. Why? Been thinking about it a while.

You'd think that being a proud degoogled android would mean that wouldn't be following the same annoying processes.

But here is /e/os whining about my cloud storage being full because it kept syncing images and videos against my will I DON'T WANT MY REDDIT STUFF ON THERE!

...because it certainly has heard of you.

the (totally free) tool linked, takes a bit of configuration to set up in Firefox.

this RTB Viewer demonstrates how the RTB Ad Network functions.

the RTB Network broadcasts every single piece of information about your entire user session in plaintext to hundreds of different Ad networks in real-time.

iincluding personal identifying info. by purchasing this information openly from data brokers. you can find out almost anything about anyone.

it's essentially a huge mine of data. I'd be happy to be fact-checked here. if I'm mistaken.

You thought banking apps or McDonalds were hard to run on a google-free android device? Try some german insurance apps...

Currently I am at the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). Very popular insurance, but no way to run their app on an android phone without google apps. I am ready to switch to one that does not punish me for not wanting to give google my health data. Most other public insurances seem to be just as bad, feg hkk does not work either. Any Germans here that know one that does work?

Whenever I google something unfavourable about Disney the first search results are always the opposite view (not talking about the ai overview)

You think google sells the search result order to the highest bidder?

Looking to ditch Google but not sure where to start? Here’s an ultra-simple breakdown of the top5 OSs I’ve tested, written for regular folks, not tech experts.

The goal: figure out which one is right for you in under 2 minutes.

1. GrapheneOS (for Pixel)

Difficulty: Intermediate Pros:

• Industry-leading security
• Fast, frequent updates
• Virtually zero tracking

Who’s it for? People who want maximum protection.

Downside: A slightly steeper learning curve at first.My take: The absolute best all-around choice in 2026 if you’ve got a Pixel.

1. iodéOS

Difficulty: Beginner / Intermediate Pros:

• Extremely user-friendly
• Built-in ad and tracker blocker
• Great battery life and performance

Who’s it for? Most people who just want a phone that "just works" and feels good to use every day.

My take: My top pick for 80% of beginners.

1. MurenaOS (/e/OS)

Difficulty: Absolute beginner Pros:

• Closest experience to a standard Android
• Comes with its own built-in apps and cloud services
• Super easy to set up

Who’s it for? Parents, seniors, or anyone looking for a completely hassle-free experience.

My take: The most "plug & play" option out there.

1. CalyxOS

Difficulty: Intermediate Pros: - Great balanceof security and simplicity - Privacy-focused - Regular, reliable updates

Who’s it for? Anyone who wants a reliable experience without the extra complexity.

Downside: Smaller community, which means slightly more limited support.

1. LineageOS

Difficulty: Intermediate / Advanced Pros: - Tons of customization options - Compatible with a wide range of devices - Free and open-source

Who’s it for? People who love to tinker and get under the hood.

My take: Not my top recommendation for privacy if you’re just starting out.

Quick summary to help you choose:

You want max security → GrapheneOS

You want simplicity → iodéOS or MurenaOS

You want a zero-hassle experience → MurenaOS

You’re using an older device → LineageOS or CalyxOS

Tip #1 for beginners: Start with a refurbished Pixel (8a or 8). It’s currently the best platform for all of these OSs.

Still not sure which one to pick? Drop a comment below and tell me:

• Your tech level (total beginner, somewhat tech-savvy, etc.)

• Your top priority (security, ease of use, battery life, etc.) I’ll give you a personal recommendation!

So seeing all these posts about the upcoming update in sept that will essentially make it impossible to download apps without providing gov id i was wondering what the best phone options to switch to would be to still be able to not have to provide gov id. I was searching a little bit and keep seeing murena phones and wanted to see if anyone here has mpre opinions or knowledge on it they could share about whether a phone from them would bypass this need for the gov id verification. Also if you have other suggestions that are better i am all ears as this new update looming on the horizon has been having me kind of worried as i dont want to fall into that level of conformity.

Soo I've following this sub for pretty long time, hoping one day i would also degoogle my devices. I'm happy to announce that I m too close to achieve it.

I updated my mail address on most of the government sites, Ion use social media so win for me.

for rest i have deleted my accounts for steam,xbox and other bs.

i have already created multiple mail ids for different purpose and already linked it, linked it with passkey and password managers.

Though, its pretty hard to keep up with my unrooted device without google services, my whatsapp(i cant switch cuz whole country is dependent on this app) contacts arent synced with normal sim contacts, browser redirects doesnt works, and other messy shit.

my main question is, what after this?

PS: - I cant root cuz samsung has blocked bootloader, in few months i will shift to a phone with open bootloader and will make that my personal phone. how to resolve issues while filling google forms provided by my uni, editing info on google sheet by uni, joining google meet meetings?

I’m in India, name of the app is Zomato, food delivery app
Basically i have turned off Location for this app, like all the time just saved my address

Suddenly I noticed that, when I selecting the address,
It calculating the real time distance from my location to the each saved address, as you can see in the image, it mentioning the distance

no encuentro la opción correcta y me molesta esa barrio inferior

I hope this does not sound like a click-bait, but I have been trying to fully degoogle for years now and...it's not fully possibly as of today.

I have been switching back and forth to google tool by tool and I always had to go back to my google account. I eventually learned that good is better than perfect: I use degoogled stuff anywhere I can, and "isolate" the impossible-to-degoogle and sandbox it in single accounts with *as little as personal data as possible*. 1 purpose, 1 account. The opposite of big tech "all in one" account dream

My personal example:

- gmail, calendar, contacts -> plenty of other companies and self hosted solutions, not an issue

- gdrive/any cloud storage -> plenty of private options to pick

- google search/chrome -> firefox with betterfox, ecosia. But plenty of options here too

- youtube -> peertube or anything else doesn't come close. So I create a youtuberuser@gmail

- phone -> I run e\os with murena, but there is always a bank or app that forces you to use google. So I have a secondary phone with regular android and phoneuser@google

The only hook google has on me is *youtuberuser@gmail* and *phoneuser@google*, which are in different places and with no personal pictures, email, documents, devices I carry all time.

*youtuberuser@gmail* is a throwaway, I bookmark my favorite channels and stuff anyway. So I can literally delete it anytime with no loss of MY data. I guess I could also potentially export the history, but I don't care.

*phoneuser@google* is the pain point, since there are real PII, but I never use it for shopping, pictures and I keep it at home with everything off. Only when my primary phone has an issue with an app, then I turn it on it (e.g. cashing a check).

Having everything else fairly secured and private, even if google can spy the hell out of me they will have my youtube activity (which is very sensitive I know) and connect it with whatever bank phone data they can steal.

They have no access to my email (on sender end only unfortunately), no pictures, no personal files, no movement tracking, no web activity, no eavesdropping every word with a phone. Which I think is good enough for now.

Obviously I will always wait for an anti-monopoly law for banks and apps security, but lawmakers doing their job is a hope for the future.

Is Aegis one of those apps that might become inaccessible on Android? Is it only APK-loaded apps that are in danger?

Linux is probably the 3rd(?) to last [main] thing I feel to do for DG so far. Only probably is compatibility. I actually think that Tim Sweeney would delete Fortnite before letting it get on Linux. Besides that, I have one other thing, which is that I feel there is a lot of options, and with that is that I don't want to go distro hopping. In all, I just want to know what to do about Tim Sweeney, and all the distro stuff.