Android phone without Google

30 min Easy

Illustration eines Holzbretts mit kleinen, quadratischen Schwarzbroten, die wie die Tasten eines Handys angeordnet sind. Jedes Brot ist mit verschiedenen Zutaten wie Gemüse, Obst, Kräutern und Saucen belegt. Im Hintergrund liegen ein Block Käse, eine Schüssel mit Dip und verstreute Zutaten wie Tomaten und Frühlingszwiebeln."

The year is 2026. The entire smartphone market is entirely occupied by Google and Apple. The entire smartphone market? No! Corners of the internet populated by indomitable developers continue to hold out against the monopolies…

Google and Apple dominate the mobile phone market – and mobile phones increasingly dominate our lives. There’s hardly a bank that offers services accessible without a smartphone, and hardly a public transit system that can be used easily without a mobile phone. This gives Apple and Google access to data from many areas of our lives. And now Google is making it even harder to install apps from alternative sources on its mobile phones. Supposedly, this is meant to protect mobile users, but above all it stifles alternatives to the Play Store.

If you want to continue to have the freedom to choose what runs on your mobile phone, we recommend devices with a more open operating system, which you can buy online: our guide to Google-free (or more Google-free) mobiles, with no need for technical know-how or taking any risks. By the way, Apple phones don’t offer this kind of flexibility – they only work with Apple’s operating system.

Different ways to cook

Our digital switch recipes provide an easy, simple way to give Big Tech the push, but there are other options available. We have tried to make it easy by focusing on a single approach and a small number of options, but there are other alternatives that are just as good. After all, what we mean by ‘good’, ‘not so good’ and ‘bad’ is open to debate: DI.DAY is about easy ways to give Big Tech the push (without getting into purism or being preachy). Our decisions are based on advice from our advisory panel.

An overview of the alternatives is available on the next page:

Alternatives to Big Tech

Ingredients

1 smartphone

Buy one that’s already set-up. You can also install alternative operating systems yourself; see Topping.

1 backup of your data…

… from your old mobile phone: contacts, photos, apps, chat messages.

1 serving of curiosity…

… and a little bit of patience and understanding if things don’t work right away.

Preparation

Plug & Play for data protection: Many online retailers sell ready-to-use phones (almost) without Google, featuring pre-installed, independently developed operating systems based on Android. These devices often use other app stores (such as F-Droid, Aurora Store) as well as open-source apps. It is possible that some apps may not work (immediately). And you will have to do without services such as Google Pay.

Murena relies on /e/OS, a privacy-friendly version of Android without Google services, including an integrated cloud and its own app ecosystem with “Advanced Privacy”. Starting at €400, you can get a device (such as a Fairphone, SHIFTphone or Pixel) that doesn’t track you – but serves you.

The cooperative Commown offers sustainable hardware such as the Fairphone 4 or PinePhone running /e/OS, Ubuntu Touch or PureOS – and these can also be rented. Perfect for anyone who prefers to share rather than buy.

Fairphone is the go-to choice for ethical production: the Fairphone 4/5 runs on Fairphone OS (Android without Google bloatware, but with the Google Play Store and a few Google trackers) or /e/OS (via Murena or Commown, see above). Modular, repairable and durable – starts at €600.

With the Shiftphone 8, you get ShiftOS (Android without Google). However, with a bit of effort, you can also install ShiftOS L (Light – without Google services or the Play Store) or /e/OS. Made in Hesse, sustainable and built to last. Starting at €600.

Dessert

For those who are even more adventurous and Linux enthusiasts, there’s the Volla Phone Quintus or Plinius with VollaOS: dual-boot with Ubuntu Touch, allowing you to choose between an Android operating system (Volla OS) or Ubuntu Touch at start-up. The phone offers a distraction-free design and maximum freedom: prices start at €600. The website provides a good overview of the pros and cons of the two operating systems.

With a nearly identical name, the Jolla Phone runs SailfishOS, a Linux-based operating system developed in-house. The project began during the era of Nokia’s dominance on the mobile phone market, when developers wanted to use an open-source operating system but received no support in the corporation. Some aspects still seem rather experimental to us – certainly not for people who prefer surfing to tinkering.

Enjoy your meal! You have just taken a big step towards a more independent digital existence.

Once you #DIDit – share our post about the digital switch and inspire others to take control of their own digital lives!

Topping

If you don’t want to buy a phone that’s already set up, you can install a (largely) Google-free operating system on many phones yourself. Not every phone is compatible with every operating system: the phone must allow ROOT access to the deepest levels of the software. Please note: you may lose your warranty rights with the manufacturer. You can find installation instructions on the websites of the various operating systems.

GrapheneOS is the security fortress of your smartphone: designed for Google’s Pixel 6 to 8 (and soon Motorola), Graphene relies on a “hardened kernel” and “sandboxing”, meaning it isolates your apps from anything outside more effectively than Google does. Graphene works entirely without Google apps and is ideal for anyone who refuses to make any compromises on security.

With /e/OS, you get privacy and user-friendliness all in one: the operating system supports a wide range of mobile phones (including Fairphone and Shiftphone) and offers its own app store ecosystem with “Advanced Privacy” as well as an integrated Nextcloud. Perfect for an easy introduction to the Google-free world.

LineageOS represents stability and compatibility: it can be installed on hundreds of devices – a pure Android without Google, with long update guarantees. The go-to choice for anyone looking for a reliable, open system.

Iodé goes one step further: in addition to a Google-free Android, it offers a built-in firewall and a microG option to effectively block tracking, while still allowing users to access certain Google services required by some apps (e.g. banking). For anyone who wants maximum privacy without giving up convenience.