Is it possible to use the Internet without Google - a replacement for services. Remove or disable Google Play services Navigation without Google services

You can completely disable unnecessary google services (built-in applications) on almost any device (smartphone, tablet, TV set-top box ...) without divine root rights using the free Activity Launcher application, which after its extremely useful work is simply deleted.

On my Mi Max from Xiaomi, I immediately unlocked the bootloader, installed a custom kernel, rooted ... and got rid of all the extra Google junk, so the screenshots below will be from my youngest son's phone.

Just yesterday, they reanimated the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 Duos (they changed the broken sensor, did a full reset and updated the firmware). We have not yet installed the screenshot application on this smartphone, so the article will contain “live” photos of the process of expelling non-removable Google services.

If you absolutely do not understand what the article is about, if you are afraid to “break your smartphone”, if your hands are shaking and there will be no one to save your phone after you delete something that is not possible, the information below is not for you .

So, download and install the Activity Launcher application from the official link from Google Play (it is at the end of the article) ...

After its update the day before yesterday, it became known as "Application Activation" ...

…by the way, now it works in the eighth version of Android.

Launch the Activity Launcher and click on "Recent Activities". In the drop-down menu, click on "All actions" ...

... we find the item "Settings" ...

(on my smart it looks like this) ...

... and in it we find the "Application Manager" (the one with the signature "com.android.settings.applications.ManageApplications")...

... or "All applications" with the same signature (you can also press the line before the highlighted one in the screenshot below) ...

As I understand it, these differences depend on the smartphone manufacturer or android version.

... we are not afraid of anything and confirm our actions - "Yes" ...

We get a disabled application - the shortcut disappears from the desktop and you will no longer find your Google Play Books anywhere on your smartphone. We do the same with all the "leeches" from Google ...

No "Delete" button for "Hangouts"? Then we are coming to you, together with Activity Launcher…

It will not be possible to completely remove Google Play Services without root rights, however, if you really want to, you can configure your phone so that Google services and services are minimally present in it. Let's see how to disable Google services in the settings, and what to do to completely remove them.

Shutdown

Usually, the need to remove or disable Google Play Services arises due to the significant power consumption of this application. Calendar, Maps, Hangouts, Drive, Location Services and other plugins may not be used, but they still take up a lot of space and eat up battery power. To reduce the impact of Google Play Services on your phone, just turn them off in Android settings.

Go to settings, find the section with accounts. You need a Google account, which is tied to everything on Android. You can delete it, and then the data of the calendar and other built-in programs and services will no longer be synchronized. But let's go the other way and try to just stop Google Services and the Google Services Framework.

Open your account sync settings. Here you need to uncheck all the checkboxes so that each plugin stops functioning. If you are concerned about Android's high power consumption, do the following:

Go to the "Language and input" section in the settings.
Open the Voice Search submenu.
Go to the "Ok Google" section.
Move the toggle switches to the inactive position.

This will turn off the voice search feature on Android, which constantly accesses the microphone and drains the battery. The phone will work even longer if you erase the cache of built-in applications - Play Market, Google Services.

Open the "Applications" section in the settings.
Click the "All" tab.
Open the Services page, click "Clear Cache".
Stop the program by clicking the appropriate button.

Similarly, you can delete the cache and leave the rest of the plugins to work. You can easily return them to a working state if necessary, but for now they will not interfere and consume a charge.

Removal

To perform a complete removal of the Services, you need root-rights. You can get them in different ways, some custom firmwares have them by default. Thanks to root access, even built-in programs can be taken out of the system by removing them directly from the directories in which they are installed. Let's see how to remove the built-in Google Play Services on Android, and what applications can be removed altogether:

Launch Root Explorer or another manager that is suitable for working with the Android file system.
Open the /system/app directory. Inside you will see built-in programs.
A similar list of applications with some additions will be in the / system / priv-app directory.

If you delete these files, as well as frameworks in the /system/framework directory and libraries in /system/lib, then there will be no built-in software on Android, and the question “Google services, can they be deleted?” finally get a positive response. How to recover deleted programs? There is only 1 way - you need to download Google Services.

If you're interested in using Android but don't want everything tied to Google, there are ways to opt out of Google entirely. With the right set of tools, you can have a truly open Android interface.

Why would you do it

Here's the thing: For most people, Google is what makes Android good. Google services, Google Play, and always syncing with your Gmail account are some of the most valuable things about Android.

But many people take responsibility for what Google knows about how they use their phones, so the idea of an Android device just doesn't work for them. If you like the idea of Android but don't like dealing with Google, then a non-Google Android phone might be a good solution for you.

Of course, this requires some intervention. You can't just disconnect Google from any existing phone. You are removing the Google operating system that comes with the phone and replacing it with an alternative and for some phones this is the best solution.

What will you need to do

The first thing you need is the right Android phone. This will require cleaning the phone and loading a custom ROM. Something with an unlocked bootloader, like anything from the old Nexus line - or a nice workaround for custom ROMs, is fine.

Otherwise, you will need a custom ROM. We tested this with LineageOS - it has excellent device support and is updated frequently.

How to use Android without Google

For testing, we're using the Lineage OS installed on a Nexus 6. Right out of the box, the setup experience is pretty straightforward—just a click and you're ready to go. Since the device does not have Google services, there is nothing to log into it.

But here the first question also arises: how to get applications? Without the Play Store, it's an empty system without any kind of ecosystem. The good news is that since Android is open, there are good (and trustworthy) alternatives to the Play Store. In particular, two stand out:

Amazon Underground: The Amazon Android Store has the largest catalog of apps outside of Google Play, allowing you to install most of your favorite apps without the need for Google.
F-Droid : The F-Droid app store is a lesser known alternative to Google Play, but it's a great choice for those who only want open source software. Everything in the F-Droid store is open source and available to use, making it the best choice for those who prefer this ecosystem.

There is also a third option, although it's not a real appstore: APKMirror. This is an APK (Android Package Kit) website that displays the free apps you find on the Google Play Store. These user-uploaded APKs are manually reviewed and approved by the APKMirror staff, so you can trust that they are always legitimate copies pulled from Google Play devices - they are never piracy or spyware free.

No matter which direction you go, you'll need "Unknown Sources" to even install the appstore itself, as well as any apps from said store. If you don't know how to do this, we have a guide for downloading apps.

You simply use your phone's browser to download the appropriate APK file - either the appstore or standalone APK - and then install it normally.

Things You'll Miss Without Google

As we said before, Google services add a lot of value to Android and you will obviously lose by switching to Android without Google.

You will miss out on syncing contacts, which is very important for most people. Of course, you can export your contacts and back them up before you decide to leave Google, which is a good idea.

Otherwise, you'll miss out on things like Chrome sync and Chrome passwords, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Pay... just about every Google app. This is one thing to keep in mind when downloading anything (especially from APKMirror): if Google Play Services requires it, it simply won't work on your new phone without Google.

There is an alternative: MicroG

There is an alternative to Google Play Services: a project called microG. It is designed to mimic all Google Play Services but is completely open source.

It consists of five key components designed to replace the core tools found in Play Services. This should, in theory, allow applications that Play Services would normally require, such as Maps or Gmail, to work. But here's the thing: microG is only compatible with ROMs that support signature forgery... and Lineage OS isn't one of them. As a result, microG has its own branch of Lineage called LineageOS for microG.

Of course, this also defeats the whole purpose of Android without Google, but it's an alternative if you want to live free from Google but still rely on access to one or two specific apps.

So, using Android without Google? Probably no. But if you're looking to get out of the Google ecosystem, aren't a big fan of Apple, and don't mind downloading a custom ROM, it's definitely an option. If you don't need any Google services, that's even better.

Many Internet users associate the name Google with the Internet search engine. The share of Google among search engines reaches 95 percent. Google Maps has gained a similar advantage in the sector of online maps - those that are used using a computer.

In the current situation, the question arises as to whether this is necessary. Considering that the Internet, as well as web browsers and search engines, were already around long before the advent of Google, alternative solutions are available for (almost) all applications and services.

In the following article, we present ways Internet use without Google. With tools from other manufacturers, in which case you do not have to worry about Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, which are described in detail on the Google website, allowing the use of user data for the development (for example, transferred when creating a Google account) of the company's services and services.

Without Google - Internet on a computer and smartphone

Although the verb google has become synonymous with searching for information on the Internet, there are many alternative search engines. Worthy of mention, in particular, the German service MetaGer, Dutch Ixquick, american DuckDuckGo and french Qwant.

Operators of all listed services promise users great care for their privacy and anonymity. In addition, they lure by encrypting the transmitted information and preventing tracking during Internet travel.

These search engines do not store cookies on your computer and do not identify browsers using a database. In addition, they hide the IP addresses of the people using them.

It is worth trying these services. If you are not satisfied with your search results, please use the Startpage service provided by search engine operator Ixquick. Startpage duplicates search results from Google, but acting as a proxy server, hides the user's IP address when he opens the landing pages by clicking on the link Show with Ixquick search engine.

Search aside, the question remains of choosing a web browser as an alternative to the efficient and functional Google Chrome browser. The most popular competitors are Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera, unlike the lesser known ones like Comodo Dragon, they are updated very frequently.

Without Google - alternatives to office applications

Functionality is certainly not one of the strengths of Google's office suite. In this regard, of course, the leader is Microsoft.

But Google Docs (Google Docs) provides a very simple management and connection to the Google Drive virtual disk. After connecting to the Internet, the user has permanent access to his documents, in their latest version. While on the go, you can even use them with your smartphone or tablet.

In addition, the Google service offers the possibility of sharing files in the cloud with other users and collaborating on documents.

True, you can use an alternative version of the office suite online (for example, Zoho Office or the free version of Microsoft Office Online), however, this solution is burdened with disadvantages.

Microsoft and Google are companies headquartered in the United States and are therefore regulated under the USA PATRIOT Act. This means that, at the request of the US authorities, companies must provide law enforcement agencies with the resources accumulated on their servers.

If necessary, you can protect yourself from this only with the help of the office suite in the offline version, and therefore, the classic software installed in the operating system (for example, Open Office or LibreOffice). However, then you must reckon with the limited availability of documents.

If you care about having them always at hand, you can purchase a portable version on a portable USB drive. However, even in this case, data synchronization with a desktop home computer cannot be avoided.

Lupo PenSuite and PortableApps.com provide an impressive set of tools for mobile devices. You can download the LibreOffice package to a flash drive as a standalone application.

Internet without Google - virtual disk and mail

If you don't want to give up online access to files and the ability to co-edit documents with other people, use them from your private cloud.

The ease of installation and, despite this, high functionality is demonstrated by the ownCloud application. The project originated as an alternative to commercial online file storage services such as DropBox. The application can be installed both on a server not only in Windows and Linux environments, but also on a network drive (NAS).

Some network drives have special installation packages provided by the manufacturer or the ownCloud project community. Detailed installation instructions and answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the project website.

The data collected in your own cloud can be accessed using various devices - of course, provided that you have an Internet connection. ownCloud client programs are available for iOS, Linux, and Windows operating systems. In addition, there are apps for Android or iOS mobile devices.

However, one should be aware of a certain defect in this solution. When using your own equipment (PC or NAS), the speed of remote data access is limited by the data transfer rate in transfer mode ( upload). Thus, in practice it can be very low.

Email communications can be successfully managed without using Google or other email services. You can write and receive messages, provided that you synchronize your email accounts using IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).

There are very few alternatives to the Google Fit platform, user activity tracking devices that do not require the use of the cloud. The Beurer AS 60 activity sensor comes with a 30-day memory. Measurement data can be transferred to a computer via a USB connection without the need to create an account on any website.

The Internet without Google is your own business

Maybe you are concerned about what Google knows about your identity and what information the company collects about its users. On the Location History page, you'll find out which places you've lived in recently.

If you want to know what permissions individual devices have been given, go to the Login and security page. With the help of this page you can Download your data that is collected by Google.

I have not parted with my Nexus 4 for a year and a half, and it just so happened that the battery began to hold worse than before. Of course, you can order a new one, but this is time, fuss with replacement, and so on, so it was decided to conduct an experiment to completely get rid of Google Apps, which often turned out to be in the first place in terms of battery consumption and always had a not very good reputation in terms of energy saving.

I’ve been familiar with the kernels for a long time, but I didn’t want to experiment with enthusiast builds, so Cyanogenmod 11 was chosen as a test subject. Yes, it’s the 11 version based on KitKat, for the simple reason that during the “experiment” (December 2014-January 2015), many scolded LolliPop for voracity, and there was no adequate third-party firmware based on 5.0 at that moment.

Well, Cyanogen is installed, but the Google Apps package recommended for installation is not. In less than 5 minutes, the question arose: where to get applications? A quite obvious solution comes to mind in the face of Yandex.Store. We go to the yandex.store website and download the .apk store. Here it is worth noting that the AOSP browser turned out to be quite good. For long surfing the Internet, it is unlikely to be suitable, but for a quick search for the necessary information or checking the schedule at the university, it will do.

Let's go back to the store. Yandex.Store is installed and ready to use, but one thing is terribly repulsive from this very use. This, of course, is about the design of the application. After Google spoiled us with tales of the ubiquitous Material Design, there is no desire to see an interface a la Android 4.0.

The surprise was the presence of most applications in the store catalog: here you have clients of all popular social networks, and office suites, and even Flappy Bird in the original. With toys, by the way, not everything is rosy, there are not so many of them, and those that are already quite old and do not shine with quality. However, for me, as a person who practically does not play on the phone, this did not become a big drawback.

All the most necessary applications were successfully installed, and those that were not found in the store were downloaded from the well-known forum.

Let's get back to battery life. On the official firmware 5.0, and even on 4.4 with my use (social networks, calls, WhatsApp and a little Internet), the phone lasted an hour and a half for the screen to work, plus or minus 20 minutes.

What was my surprise when, on the first day without Google Apps, I saw in the statistics of the screen the same hour and a half with 45% of the remaining charge. And indeed, by the end of the day, the phone had not yet turned off, and the screen time stopped at 2.5 hours with 10-15% charge, which could not but rejoice.

There were some drawbacks: for example, there were problems with notifications, many stopped coming, the VK application was especially upset, so the messages had to be checked manually by updating the page directly in the application.

For about two weeks everything was fine, but then all the minuses began to be revealed. It became clear that without Google Play it’s really boring, because you often want to check what new applications have appeared and try them out right away. Evernote, which replaced Google Keep, also did not take root - yet Keep turned out to be more familiar and simpler. Perhaps it’s worth stopping here and talking about what applications I replaced this or that from Google. As mentioned above, Evernote replaced Google Keep for me, but did not justify itself, due to the too cumbersome interface. There are a lot of extra and unnecessary functions for me, but there is excellent synchronization in the cloud, without which there is no life at all after Keep.

Google Calendar was replaced with Any.do Cal, but that one was removed a couple of days later because it found a great alternative in Today Calendar, which I still use today. There is a nice Material Design, you can see the weather, and it’s convenient to plan an event.

I haven’t been listening to music on my phone lately, so the built-in CyanogenMod Apollo was enough as a music player. It turned out to be convenient to view mail using the Yandex application, but later the choice fell on Mailbox. Still, it turned out to be much more pleasing to the eye than a mixture of iOS and Android interfaces in one program.

I didn’t really use Google maps before, so I switched to 2GIS painlessly and completely, and Yandex.Transport shows the public transport schedule without any complaints. The choice of the browser was obvious, the closest competitor to Chrome, in my opinion, has always been Firefox, I chose it as the main one and was very pleased. The browser from Yandex, by the way, turned out to be quite laggy, so after 10 minutes of use it was removed, but the translator helped out, although it lagged behind its Western counterpart in terms of functions.

The app is no longer on Google Play :(

And so with almost every application from Google, a replacement was found for everything, with the exception of Google Now, but the point here is not that I needed it endlessly, on the contrary, unexpectedly for myself, I noted that the service, of course, is pleasant, but optional - it is quite possible to live without it. Without geolocation, by the way, too.

In general, the author of these lines was enough for exactly a month, after which Google Apps was re-flashed, and the phone again began to hold an order of magnitude less. Undoubtedly, I could have tried to hold out longer and, most likely, I would have gotten used to it, but still the ecosystem took over and getting used to using something other than Chrome on my home computer did not work out, and where Chrome is, there is both Keep and Translator , and other Google joys.

To tell the truth, the thought of limiting myself from Google apps still visits my head, especially in view of the latest, which plans to expel Google from Android, make its own app store, but without Google's voracious services. It remains only to wait and hope that the guys will do everything qualitatively.

Perhaps it is worth drawing a few conclusions and summarizing all of the above.

Yes, it has been experimentally proven that Google Services eats up your battery with great appetite, but all this, in part, can be justified by the rapid arrival of notifications, widespread synchronization and a strong simplification of everyday life.
Google Play, like any beautiful (do you hear Yandex? Beautiful!), convenient and content-filled app store, is a great thing, without which a modern smartphone can hardly be called a smartphone.
You can find a replacement for a familiar application without problems, but will this replacement be better than what it was? In some cases, yes, but if you live somewhere abroad, you are unlikely to agree with me about the usefulness of Yandex services or 2GIS maps.

Which Google services are most important to you? Share with us in the comments what is stopping you from giving up Google Apps?