How I Quit Google | Year One

Written
January 14, 2020 Occurred
Fall - Winter 2016 a render of G*****'s New York Headquarters by Arthur Osipyan, courtesy Unsplash Arthur Osipyan Quitting G***** is no easy task. It took me three years of slow and steady weaning to finally do it. As you may or may not know, G***** does profit on your information. It's why they offer the service for free, because introducing a paid model would undercut the profits generated from ads as partners would likely seek a price match. While G***** only makes $3 per user, per year(calculating using their net income, under the presumption that they benefit only from those running Android, assuming that's 2 billion users), the sheer volume of users, data and acquisitions being passed through them makes them a concern with regards to diversity of thought and technology. I'm certain none of that is ever shared with you. So even if you love G*****, you don't love being robbed (right?).
The first and most important step to getting rid of G***** for me was uninstalling the framework on my phone. Before you do this, you must make sure of the following:
  • Avoid SSO logins on third party login pages (Sign in With Google). If you ever decide to wean off G*****, depending on this can create huge problems. Use email sign up instead.
  • Be prepared to lose some connectivity. G*****'s framework forms so much of the Android experience (at least 30% of it), when you remove it, things WILL break, like in app purchases, push notifications, and any application that relies on G***** APIs or Firebase code.
  • Disconnect third party integrations you don't need. If you want to continue using your G***** Account without Play Services, you must maintain integrations with Outlook. Sign in to Exchange and use the server m.hotmail.com.
  • Understand that there are different search and maps providers and get acclimated with them. Change defaults from G***** to an alternative provider. Both free and paid alternatives do exist.
  • Find out which apps work without Play Services. I have compiled this list to make it easier.
I decided to follow most of the advice placed above, but if you know a paid provider who might fill the void, give them a try. Look at their feature set and see which one best suits your needs. My needs are not your needs. If you like G*****, you can keep G*****. Understand that your data does not belong to you the moment you upload it (see G***** Privacy Policy, Heading 4), and that it can and will be shared with anybody for any reason without subsequent consent, even in Europe, where G***** is ignoring GDPR in earnest.
   

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