When I posted about this de-Googling project to a friend, the response was immediate and ironic: “Sent in Meta on a Google device.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I can migrate my email to Proton, switch my desktop to Linux, isolate my Microsoft services in a dedicated browser, and replace every Google service on my computer—but all of that effort becomes somewhat hollow when I’m carrying a Google device in my pocket 16 hours a day.
The phone is the elephant in the room. And I don’t have a clean answer yet.
The Two-OS Reality
We’re all aware that there are basically only two major operating systems for handheld devices: Android (Google) and iOS (Apple). Everything else is a rounding error in market share.
I’m currently on an Android phone. In the narrow purpose of de-Googling, I could just switch to an iPhone and call it solved. Apple’s privacy stance is demonstrably better than Google’s, and iOS doesn’t exist to harvest data for ad targeting the way Android does.
But that wouldn’t be in the spirit of my leave-big-tech philosophy.
Switching from one tech giant to another isn’t breaking free—it’s just changing which company controls my device. Apple’s walled garden may be more private, but it’s still a garden with walls. I’d trade Google’s surveillance for Apple’s ecosystem lock-in, and I’m not sure that’s progress.
The Alternatives (And Why They’re Complicated)
If iOS is off the table and stock Android is the problem, what’s left?
Ungoogled Android (GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, LineageOS) is the most realistic option. These are Android-based operating systems with Google services stripped out. You lose the Play Store, Google Maps, Gmail integration, and all the convenience of the Android ecosystem—but you keep a functional smartphone with app support via F-Droid and Aurora Store.
The trade-off is real. Banking apps may not work. Some services require Google Play Services to function. You’re constantly working around the assumption that your phone is a Google device. But it’s doable, and people are doing it successfully.
Ubuntu Touch is intriguing in theory—a true Linux phone with convergence features. But the hardware support is limited, app ecosystem is minimal, and it’s realistically only viable for enthusiasts willing to accept significant functionality loss. I’m not sure I can afford that compromise as someone who needs a reliable device for work.
Jolla (Sailfish OS) offers another Linux-based alternative with better Android app compatibility through an emulation layer. It’s more polished than Ubuntu Touch, but hardware availability is limited and the project’s long-term viability is uncertain.
Where I Am Now
I haven’t made a decision.
Part of me wants to go all-in on GrapheneOS or CalyxOS—maybe buy a Pixel (ironically, Google’s own hardware), flash it, and deal with whatever friction comes from leaving the Google ecosystem on mobile.
Part of me recognizes that the phone is the one device where convenience and reliability matter most. I can tolerate rough edges on my desktop Linux machine. I can work around Microsoft’s web interface quirks. But if my phone doesn’t work when I need it, that’s not a philosophical compromise—it’s a genuine problem.
And part of me wonders if this is the place where perfection becomes the enemy of good. Maybe the answer is to stay on stock Android but lock it down as much as possible: disable Google services I don’t need, use alternative apps, minimize permissions, avoid the Play Store where possible, and accept that some level of Google integration is the price of a functional smartphone.
What I’m Considering
Option 1: GrapheneOS or CalyxOS
Buy a Pixel, flash an ungoogled Android OS, commit to the friction. This is the purist option and the one most aligned with the project philosophy.
Option 2: Locked-Down Stock Android
Stay on my current device, but aggressively de-Google it: alternative apps for everything, F-Droid and Aurora Store instead of Play Store, disable Google services, minimize permissions. Accept that it’s not perfect but it’s functional.
Option 3: Explore Linux Phones
Test Ubuntu Touch or Sailfish OS on supported hardware, evaluate whether the functionality loss is tolerable for my use case. This feels unlikely to work for a daily driver, but worth investigating.
Option 4: The iPhone Compromise
Accept that leaving Google is the primary goal, iOS is legitimately more private than Android, and switching to Apple—while not ideal philosophically—is still a meaningful improvement. Save the Linux phone experiment for later when the ecosystem matures.
The Honest Truth
The phone is harder than email. It’s harder than the desktop. It’s harder than any other part of this project because it’s the device that’s always with me, always connected, always needed.
I can live with a less-polished desktop experience. I can tolerate web-based workarounds for Microsoft services. I can accept that FreeTube isn’t as convenient as the YouTube app.
But the phone has to work. And right now, I’m not sure which option actually delivers that while staying true to the project’s philosophy.
I’ll update this as I make progress. For now, it remains the unsolved problem—the elephant in the room that I can acknowledge but haven’t yet figured out how to move.