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How to Make Google's Android Phone Suck Less (Guide)

Summary:

Ultimately, you should de-Google your phone by installing custom operating system (ROM). It makes your phone faster and gives your phone longer life. However, if you're not prepared to do it, there are ways to make your "off the shelf" Google-Android phone suck less.

Use F-Droid

Stop using Google Play store, because it's unsecure and slow. Use F-Droid instead. It provides free and open source alternatives to almost everything: music apps, video apps, text editing apps, etc. These alternatives work faster and don't ask unnecessary permissions. Check out: f-droid.org

Please note: When downloading F-Droid, phone may warn you about downloading .apk files from unsecure sources. It is good that system gives that kind of warning to protect phone users, but in this case it's wrong warning.

Uninstall and disable all bloatware you can

You can't uninstall all of them (because of Google), but many of them you can.

Disable unnecessary permissions

Good for privacy and phone's battery.

Change your keyboard app

If you haven't de-googled your Android, you can't permanently remove Google services and thus Gboard (Google's own keyboard app). However, you can use open source alternative. AnySoftKeyboard is good one. No tracking.

Disable all animations

Animations are unnecessary feature. Mobile phone doesn't need them in order to work properly. Instead they just slow your phone. You'll find this option inside the hidden developer settings menu. Use search engine to find out how the menu opens up in your mobile phone.

Enable dark mode everywhere

Your mobile phone uses less battery and it's good for your eyes. Use mainly dark wallpapers so you wont be blinded by night.

Reduce app notifications and server check-ups

Notifications use battery. Notifications may also require constant connection to server to work properly (eg. your email app checks every 15 minutes if there's new email). If you disable notifications and check-ups, you may also cut the unnecessary tracking features.

Use privacy-oriented web browser

Don't even think about Chrome. Try these instead:

Change your default apps

Once you've removed bloatware apps and installed open source alternatives you should set them as default programs. These are for example:

Don't use wifi

Wifi gives out your location to various services.

Log out from Google accounts

Logging out limits the information you're giving to Google.

Note: You wont get updates which may be a security issue, but on the other hand, you are not forced to sudden updates.

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Last updated: 5.9.2021

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