UNGoogle, alternatives
Let’s briefly recall the good reasons to separate from Google tools as much as possible:
- Non-compliance with private data
- Excessive tracking even when geolocation is deactivated
- Export of our data to hundreds of data analysis companies, regularly hacked,
- Use of this data for marketing and political purposes, even mass espionage
- Services integrated into the Android system that cannot be deleted
- Sale of our data without our knowledge which generates billions in revenue
- Some articles:
The “fingerprint” that tracks our data on all Google applications without the possibility of restricting it, ended for cookies, places an invisible collection. Sources: ICO - Medical and debt data collected outside of the privacy policy in place. Sources: Wired
- Context of censorship in the USA of science on climate, diversity, women, the LGQBTA+ community, removal of data from the Web. Sources: Press Sciences
- AI testing by Columbia University, Google’s Gemini is far from being the most reliable and respectful
In Europe, we have plenty of alternative solutions, most of them free, some paid, to replace these unrespectful tools. Some American products are respectful and reliable as long as they resist…
It’s time to change our habits!
Google has a 'free' solution for everything
- A free email, the gmail, with a large storage capacity.
- Find your way, Google has Maps
- Web search, Google has its search engine
- Storage of your photos, videos, Google has its drive
- Need a calendar that beeps on you? Google has its calendar
- Too many passwords, Google manages and stores your passwords
- A video call, there too Google has its application
- A small survey, a survey, Google offers its Survey
- You do not have Microsoft Office, Google offers GoogleDocs
- See a video, YouTube stores and broadcasts
- You put your fingerprint to secure your smartphone, you gave it to Google and no way to delete it.
Everything is free in appearance and imposed largely on Android smartphones.
As a priority
- Sortir de Gmail, et prendre un mail réellement sécurisé et privé. Ne garder son Gmail que pour les comptes Google. A titre personnel, c’est même impératif, Google n’a pas à regarder vos relations avec vos banques, assurances, services de l’Etat, services sociaux, votre famille et vos amis.
- Ne plus acquérir de téléphone Android et Apple, préférer une solution comme E/OS ou lineageOS directement.
- Minimiser les outils Google à défaut de s’en passer complètement avec des solutions alternatives sécurisées
Les solutions alternatives les plus sûres sont européennes, email, agenda, visio, stockage, orientation (cartes), gestion des mots de passe, etc. La plupart sont gratuites, certaines payantes mais pas excessives si l’on considère que les coûts de stockage et leur sécurité sont élevés, surtout sans publicité ni monétisation de nos données.
Choose a secure email and transfer your data
This is a non-exhaustive but proven list of free email services, suite of free tools or very moderate prices. All meet high security levels and are compliant with GDPR. Your data is not read nor you will receive any advertising.
Tuta Mail
Tutal Mail in Germany offers secure, private and GDPR-compliant email, free of charge.
Its free offer is guaranteed for life with:
- 1 personal email address, with a capacity of 1 GB
- 1 agenda
Online and available in Android and IOS Apps. Several paid plans offer more functions and a secured cloud.
Proton Mail
Proton Mail in Switzerland is one of the best in terms of data security. The free version includes:
- 1 personal email address with a capacity of 2 GB
- 1 cloud of 2 GB
- 1 simplified tool to import contacts and messages from your gmail.
Online and available in Android and IOS Apps
My Ksuite
My Ksuit, powered by Infomaniak in Switzerland, offers a range of free tools guaranteed for life:
- 1 personal email address with a capacity of 20 GB
- 1 cloud of 15 GB
- 1 agenda
- 1 video conference
Online and available in Android and IOS Apps
Paid at €20 annual/ person, 1 cloud of 1 TB, more email functionality, and sovereign AI.
Mailbox
Mailbox, in Germany, resulting from a collaborative system, not free but a low price protects and secures the entire family home, parents and children, for €3/month (€36/year)
- 5 personal email addresses with a capacity of 10 GB
- 1 cloud of 5 GB / person
- 1 agenda/ person
- 1 video conferencing tool
Collaborative chat tools
Emails are configured on neutral apps via Imap settings
Murena
Murena, in France, offers its free email and tools service
- 1 personal email address
- 1 cloud of 1 GB
- 1 calendar
The OneOffice suite
1 password manager
Online and available in Android and IOS Apps
Transfer contacts and messages from one service to another
Some services offer an easy migration. Otherwise – and in any case, it is advisable – you must first export your contacts to your computer, then export your messages also to your computer, and re-import them into the new email service.
Disable Google Apps after replacement
It is not currently possible to delete Google Apps on Android, but they may be disabled. Keep your finger on the Apps and click on the “!”, you arrive in the settings of the application, click on “Disable”.
Smartphones and tablets without Google or Apple
E/OS - e foundation
E foundation offers a version of the LineageOS system well suited to Europeans in order to have a smartphone and a tablet that are powerful and compatible with the Android applications you are used to.
E/OS offers an installer for a few common smartphones on the market in order to get rid of Android and its suite of built-in, non-removable software. Otherwise, installations are also possible but manually for a large number of smartphones and tablets.
Murena
Murena is a French initiative that offers smartphones and tablets de-googled with the E/OS system.
The products are essentially – and ironically – of the brand Pixel (Google brand) without Google :-). But there are also Chinese brands, UK and German brands, and especially the Fairphone from the Netherlands, the only smartphone fully repairable, upgradable, and whose raw material channels are controlled to be as fair as possible.
The first price for a complete phone is 300€ per CMF (UK). Murena has also launched her own high-end phone where it is possible to physically cut the microphone and camera.
LineageOS
Lineage OS is an international open source initiative that offers a royalty-free smartphone system that respects privacy.
The list of smartphones that can accommodate Lineage OS is long but it requires manual installations.
Jolla
Jolla (Sweden) is a newcomer in the manufacture of privacy-friendly phones. Just like Murena, it also offers tablets.
It uses its own free and open source OS Sailfish which can also be installed on other phones.
The first complete phone with pre-installed apps is priced at €300.
Minimize Google tools, other alternatives
Which applications can replace those of Google, free or paid, European or American (as long as privacy and security are respected)? Here is a non-exhaustive list of proven products. Most tools are included in Suites offered by suppliers.
Are mentioned the tools “Web and Apps” when they are accessible via the Web and Apps to install, Android and IOS, sometimes on computer, referred to “Web based” when online and adapted for any support, responsive (computer and mobile).
Conclusion
Completely de-googling is not a simple operation for owners of Android smartphones, however, with the help of current events, solutions are evolving quickly! In the meantime, it remains important to separate from as many tools as possible: Gmail for personal, administrative messages and professional exchanges. The Drive, automatically installed on Android which stores your data (photos, videos, apps) by default. And of course take a data-friendly browser instead of Chrome. Then, some applications such as orientation (Google Maps) can also be easily replaced.
The list of email services, calendars, storage, etc. managed in Europe and free, which respect privacy, data security and do not send you advertising is reliable enough and important to do without others. For optimal protection, investing in one’s data also remains important with family or professional storage solutions, communication tools, etc. All the details are provided belowon top to choose one or more formulas adapted to their needs without scattering in too many accounts.
To obtain a more complete list of tools that replace those from the GAFA, free and data trackers: it’s here.
See also alternatives Europe, created by Constantin Graf (Austria)