Are there anymore cellular phones that aren't infested with Google products? (remove, Android)

[elnina]

Originally Posted by SUPbud

Do you trust Chinese over Google: (barely suppressed giggles)

Probably not, but you can try to grade the maliciousness of their intent.
How much info they could get from your activities, how would they profit from selling it and how much it will affect your life.
Of course you also need to pay attention what additional apps are you going to download and if they are trusted and safe to install, or not.
Most people get basics on their phones, then start to download all kinds of crap totally oblivious to how the Internet works and how much those apps can affect their internet security.

Then come here and whine... lol

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

AT&T and Verizon will only activate phones that are certified to work on their network, which excludes a lot of older devices (AT&T is shutting down 3G UMTS/HSPA in 2022, and Verizon no longer activates CDMA-only devices). T-Mobile, on the other hand, will not activate devices that they cannot provision VoLTE on their network.

And they stopped doing so midway through 2018.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by HJ99

That may been true at one time. Anymore many will not let you just "skip" setting up or logging into a Google account. There are some workarounds for some phones, look on Youtube, but not for feint of heart. Also unfortunately some of newer Android phones will not let you sideload an app. "For your security.." of course. In other words they want more control.


Also some phones you can root them and delete the built in apps. Oh yes you can buy a factory unlocked phone which also lets you delete any app, and you wont regret buying such, but they are far rarer on used market and usually lot more expensive on new retail market.


Oh and on used phones, just cause its GSM unlocked, doesnt mean all options are unlocked. My Sonim XP5 was a former ATT phone. Yes you can make phone calls and texts on it on any GSM network you have SIM for, but the hotspot and usb tethering functions are still locked to ATT, try to use them and you get popup to call ATT even though not using ATT. I had to sideload an open source app called AziLink to do an end run to tether my computer. Its open source and free, originally meant for the very early Android phones that didnt come with native tethering app, though there are some easier to set up tethering apps that do same thing, most $5 to $10. I am so used to AziLink at this point, no point in paying somebody. It is old and has couple quirks but I am very familiar with them. You need openvpn and Android adb on your computer, its available for windows, linux, and mac.

Nope, Peregrine is correct.

I bought an LG G8x ThinQ Dual Screen last month. I bought it for the DAC, the price point for the Dual Screen, and other reasons that carried enough weight that even if I had run into what you mention in your post, I still would have made the purchase.

I did some research to see if I would be able use the Internet and install at least a few apps without creating a Google account (I’ve had a number of android phones over the years, I’ve intentionally avoided creating a Google account, and I don’t want one).

I don’t have the article I found at my fingertips, but it stated that from android Oreo (8.0) and later, Google has it set up so that you bypass having to create an account to install apps by just adjusting/sliding a few settings.

The article also mentioned that this can be done for earlier versions of android, but that it is a little bit harder/not just a matter of sliding a few settings.

My LG came with Android 10.

I installed the Whale browser that allows you to view one web page covering both screens, and it works. Scrolls up and down without a hitch.

I have chrome set to Duck Duck Go.

I have a few games.

I also installed the Opera browser, and it works.

I can also turn Google news on and off.

I don’t have a Google account, and I just slid/adjusted the buttons/settings as the article recommended.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by gguerra

The "skip" part, I don't know for sure, I have not set up any new phones lately or have I needed or wanted to skip. I knew it was possible at one time.

The sideload part is false, you can sideload anything by enabling developer options and setting "unknown sources" to ON. The developer options may not be necessary, it depends on what phone or OS. That option is sometimes located under settings, security.kz

Yeah, I believe that’s what the article I found had me do.

The key to the unlocked part is to get unlocked and UNBRANDED. They sell them at Best Buy and Amazon for sure. Ebay mostly sells branded phones, I have one. Never been a problem either, not for me. I just disable bloatware or ignore it. Obviously former ATT is BRANDED. You want to avoid that to avoid the bloatware.

Here is an example of an unbranded and unlocked phone. I just ordered one for my wife, will get it tomorrow. I will see if there is a "skip" option. I think it will be Android 10.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086H4C8CX/

Yep. That’s one of the reasons I made the specific purchase that I did. I wanted only the unlocked LG G8x ThinQ Dual Screen and LG has three vendors for the unlocked version (four including their own website)....Best Buy, Amazon, and B & H photo.

[SUPbud]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

I'd like to know why SupBUD thinks you need to be quite the hacker. I I don't think OP is up for rooting and ROM'ing. None of which needs done.

You cannot uninstall the GAPPs suite once its in. Try it. Try to uninstall Gmail or Play Store or Play Services.



Whacking the ROM requires rooting the phone, installing trwp, overcoming a locked bootloader, and then laying down the custom ROM.


Once you've got your preferred non-Google application suite in, verify nothing is phoning home, finking on you, or reporting the name of your Wifi network to the mothership with logcat, tcpdump, lsof, and ps -ef. It is beyond 96.99% of the human race.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by HJ99

A factory unlocked phone is different. Branded phones use their own customized version of Android with restrictions. Most people will have a branded phone. Not having root access really limits what you can do. A rooted phone really best. But look I use a relatively old feature phone without lot of current nonsense so if you want more complexity I am not person to ask. I only know what I read when I was looking for options. I too wanted modern since 3G going, going, gone. But try finding a cheap unbranded 4G LTE smartphone that you control apps installed... And as I say my feature phone had native Android tethering blocked, cause when it was an ATT phone, they wanted more money to tether. My MVNO doesnt care if I tether or not and doesnt charge extra to tether. But I have to figure it out myself. I did.



I dont know if all Android now block sideloads or only some branded phones. I did read where this is now done. I think likely its the branded phones to prevent rooting and workaround apps to tether without paying extra. Rooted Android isnt going to block sideloads and neither will factory unlocked. Though be interesting how you root an Android branded phone that has sideloads blocked.

Yeah, it’s the branded phones.

Until a few months ago I was using a cheap ZTE Blade Spark locked to AT&T (($99 originally, then...as the model aged....$79...$69...and eventually a $20 close out. My old LG, not even a smart phone (an Extravert 2) I got for $9 at Walmart after Verizon stopped activating new 3G lines, but we’re still activating 3G phones for customers who already had numbers (and then that stopped mid 2018).

I now have a 2020 iPhone SE and the LG G8x ThinQ Dual Screen, both intentionally purchased as factory unlocked/unbranded.

[RMESMH]

I feel like a male version of Roseanne Roseannadanna.

I guess I never actually read the OP.

I thought the OP’s issue was not wanting to have to create a Google account, not ‘extreme concern’ about spyware.

Never mind .

[Dangerous-Boy]

nokia?

[Peregrine]

Me: The FDroid store I linked to is safe and secure and has been around a very long time. I'm surprised GG isn't a fan

You: This ring a bell?

Yea, but I wasn't recommending that you check it out. I thought you were a fan of Open Source stuff.

[Peregrine]

Did miss the backing up part too. I was only referring to email stuff. Calendar, contacts. There are other ways to manage photos and music.

Originally Posted by gguerra

You can sideload on ANY device and root ANY device. Guaranteed.

PLEASE show me how to root my One Plus 8 Verizon locked phone.

Originally Posted by SupBUd

You cannot uninstall the GAPPs suite once its in. Try it. Try to uninstall Gmail or Play Store or Play Services.

But you can disable every bit of it.

Love the handle BTW. lol