Degoogling
De-bloating and de-Googling an Android device using CantaIf you can't run an alternative, privacy-sparing firmware on your Android device, you can still assert a measure of control by disabling certain packages. You don't need to root the device to do this, and Canta is an app that sets out to make it easier.
Categories: degoogling
What you give up, when you opt out of the surveillance economyIs it possible to live without Google and the like, and still use modern, portable computing devices? I still don't know.
Categories: general computing, degoogling
Running the Google Pixel Camera app on a robustly de-Googled cellphoneIs it possible? Would you want to do it?
Categories: degoogling
Two years without Google, et al. -- has it been worth it?What's changed in the last two years? Would I do it again, knowing what I know now? TL;DR - yes.
Categories: degoogling
FastMail -- still good value in 2025?FastMail is a good, Google-free provider of e-mail, calendar services, and the like. But it isn't the only one, and it's due for a price increase in 2025. Is it time to switch?
Categories: degoogling
The privacy nightmare of browser fingerprintingIf you were worried about tracking cookies, you really don't want to know about browser fingerprinting.
Categories: degoogling
Some notes on installing Lineage OS on modern-ish Samsung Android devicesAlthough Lineage OS installation is pretty well-documented, there are a few things that might benefit from some more detailed explanation.
Categories: degoogling
Social media: it's not me, it's youIt's not my fault that my avoidance of social media makes me hard to contact. It's your fault for letting yourself become hooked on it.
Categories: degoogling, security
How to get a dark background on the K-9/Thunderbird e-mail widget for AndroidGetting a proper dark theme for the e-mail home screen widget is worth spending hours building the app from source. No, really it is.
Categories: degoogling
Comparing Android alternatives: Lineage OS, ∕e∕OS, and Graphene OSHow are these alternative smartphone firmwares similar and different?
Categories: degoogling
Custom ROM versus extensive package removal, for de-Googling a Samsung cellphoneWhich is the easier way to get to a phone you can feel safe using, without your personal data being sent to goodness-knows-where?
Categories: degoogling
How de-Googled is Lineage OS?Lineage OS is based on the Android Open-Source Project, whose primary maintainer is Google. To what extent can it be considered Google-free?
Categories: general computing, degoogling
Lineage OS vs /e/OS in 2025These platforms both offer a Google-free, privacy-sparing smartphone experience. How are they similar and different?
Categories: degoogling
The 2nd-generation Nokia 105: a smarter dumb phoneThe terminal stage of de-Googling is to go back to using a 90s-style dumb phone. Devices like the Nokia 105 aren't as old-fashioned as you might think, but can they substitute for a smartphone in day-to-day use?
Categories: degoogling
Some thoughts on using a small cellphone as a media playerModern portable media players are generally smartphones without an antenna. So why not repurpose a real smartphone as a media player?
Categories: degoogling
Does the use of custom Android ROMs improve or worsen security?This question is not particularly easy to answer, but understanding the implications helps.
Categories: degoogling, security
Is it worth rooting an Android phone in 2025?The costs and benefits of this somewhat controversial procedure.
Categories: degoogling
No more Lineage OS on Samsung cellphonesIt looks like the end for Lineage OS on Samsung handsets, at least in the UK. Here's why.
Categories: degoogling
'Sideloading' restrictions on Android: how big a deal will they be?Is this a minor irritation, or the end of Android as we know it?
Categories: degoogling
