this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2024

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DeGoogle Yourself

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The starting guide of de-googled user (lemmy.ml)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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WILL BE UPDATE OFTEN Last update : 1/05/24

THE GUIDE FOR DE-GOOGLED APPS

(🏆 = just the best app ; ❤️ = a more than excellent app)

REMEMBER : Do not install every apps you find, for your security and privacy only install needed apps.

ANDROID

1- Phone and messaging

Phone --> Fossify Phone 🏆

Messages --> Quik SMS 🏆

Contacts --> Fossify contacts 🏆

Whatsapp --> Molly (Signal fork) ❤️ Briar (For advanced users, maximum privacy concerns)

2- Networking

Chrome (browser) --> Cromite ❤️ (must be configured) Mull (slower but not chromium-based, must be configured)

Discord --> Element (matrix.org client)

Reddit --> Jerboa (a Lemmy client)

3- Multimedia

YouTube --> Libretube 🏆

Spotify --> RiMusic 🏆

Google podcasts (podcasts) --> Antenna Pod ❤️

Gallery --> Fossify Galley ❤️ (Basic app) Aves ❤️ (Advanced gallery)

4- Tools

QrScanner --> Binary eye 🏆

Gboard --> HeliBoard ❤️ (OpenBoard fork)

IME keyboard --> Sayboard

Local sharing --> LocalSend ❤️

Google authenticator (2FA) --> Aegis ❤️

Lastpass (password manager) --> Bitwarden 🏆 (Self-hosted) KeePassDX 🏆 (local storage)

Gcam --> Open camera

5- Others

Clock --> Clock You

Google calendar --> Etar ❤️

PDF viewer --> MJ PDF

Office --> LibreOffice Viewer ❤️ (Only for reading)

LINUX

For more convenience, you can download your apps using the command line and flatpak (Flathub.org)

1- OS

Some Linux distributions recommendations :

Linux Mint and Pop OS (for all levels)
Arch (mainly for gaming but you can use it as working OS)
Debian (for productivity (greatest compatibility) )

For most basic users I recommend using Gnome desktop environment

2- Softwares

Browser --> Firefox 🏆 (It's recommended to tweaks and the settings and use custom user.js (Explanations about user.js)) Librewolf ❤️ (For an out-of-the-box great experience)

Office --> The LibreOffice Suite ❤️

File sharing --> Local Send ❤️

YouTube --> FreeTube

Adobe Illustrator --> Inkscape

Lemmy --> Photon

Matrix --> Element

That's all, hope you enjoy, do not hesitate to save the post for future updates and comment your recommendations below ⬇️⬇️

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago

Just came across this guide, thank you for your consistent work on it :)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

I appreciate this list. Half of them I've never heard of, so it's a treasure trove to me.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Google Photos --> Ente

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Prefer a more local solution, ente is good but you have to have a cloud account, this recommandation can be replace by nextcloud for example

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Even though Sav is good, you should know that it has serious security vulnerabilities, which is most likely not getting fixed anytime soon https://github.com/Sav22999/sav-pdf-viewer-pro/issues/28

Many other FOSS PDF viewers have this issue as well. For this reason, I would recommend using MJ PDF reader.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Saved for future reference ❤️

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Conversations (& forks) can work both as an E2EE text/voice/video chat client but also a UnifiedPush client.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It seem to be a good choice too but I think briar can be better for this usage

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Not comparable. Briar is distributed & a battery drain even if it is private. Conversations is decentralized, but still uses servers. Conversations is a replacement/upgrade to Element.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You're right but in this case maybe you should envisage using Signal 🤷‍♂️ I don't really know this app but is it cross-platforms, has threads...?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Signal is centralized & requires you have a SIM card + an Android or iOS primary device just to open an account. The Electron app on desktop uses a lot of resources and only using the Molly fork on Android can you get some of the features that Signal should have upstream but don’t seem to be interested in making things more secure.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Localsend has made file transfers from my laptop to mobile devices and vice versa, so much easier!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

I'm gonna have to give this one a try. Syncthing is being a pain in my backside.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Its one of the best file transfer app, compatible with every platform its just a must have! Thank you for testing my recommandations :)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

I completely agree with you! You're welcome but I've been actually Localsend since last year, so I just wanted to pitch in as a user as well. 😊

Also I like to use the software to share URL links to my mobiles and transfer entire folders.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I honestly love KOReader for all things reading

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

librera is prettier and more feature rich imo

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

KOReader is good for reading not PDF viewing

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

True, it is a bit wonky indeed when opening some chonky pdf files... I guess I just got familiar with the layout bc I was already accustomed with it on a jailbroken kindle.

Once you get the bells & whistles down, you can pretty much read anything cozily on any screen/orientation. Still, more of an e-reader app than a PDF viewer.

Anyway, thanks for the guide! Lots of apps I didn't know about and I'll be sure to try them all out :)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Thank you for your comment, appreciate it! I will slowly expand this guide to became the all in one starting guide, I'm in the degoogling journey since a bit now and I think it can be really helpful for new users who need to have a starting point, keep support this little project I will be here as long as google will stay here ;)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Mull is a good browser. Basically the librewolf of android.

I actually use gcam cause it's better but I will turn off network connectivity from it.

Same for gboard, I use it but cut internet connectivity from it off

For calendar I use proton calendar but that might be a service for paid customers

Qr code I've been using [qr code & barcode scanner](QRCode & Barcode scanner (QRCode & Barcode scanner (QR Code & Barcode scanner cross-platform application) https://f-droid.org/packages/com.github.andremiras.qrscan/)

Youtube I switch between libretube and Tubular if libretube doesn't work

If you want to use discord then Aliucord is a good hardened client for android, kind of like Webcord on desktop.

Spotify, I use a cracked one called Xmanager but I can also access my self hosted music in Synology Audio or Jellyfin.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

In this guide I propose Foss apps for a completely degoogled phone, so I will not recommend Gcam and Gboard, I privilege Libretube as it hide our IP from YouTube, and I do not recommend at all Xmanager because it just remove the ads and paywalls but not tweaks the privacy 😄 for discord, I will not recommend to use the system of discord because of what's behind...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I totally get it. Thanks for making the list though! I hope it helps a lot of people on their degoogling journey.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

❤️

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

What about the clock?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I would also recommend firefox/firefox nightly as web browser and perhaps grayjay for youtube alternative (it still uses the youtube service tho)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

For Privacy, Mull is better than FF out of the box, from F-Droid.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Do not use default firefox version there are horrible, if you want to stay on firefox pls consider using Mull 😃 And maybe grayjay is a good option but I dont know exactly the app..

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm currently using firefox nightly which seems somewhat hardened, browsing histlry and cookies are cleared on closing and adblocking is enabled by default. No add ons tho

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Yeah this option is a bit tweaked by default but I wouldn't say that it's an option

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

you can configure firefox to be hardened pretty easily? I get that mull is preconfigured but the advantage of more fingerprinting protection becomes moot the second you change a setting. (as many are liable to do)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

You cannot easily tweak deeply the browser, you can load user.js for example but you have to be rooted, Mull is almost ready to use (you just have to install some extensions and tweak some settings), so this is a better choice than default Firefox...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Best Pdf viewer is clearly librera reader

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yes and no, its really cool but the ui is ugly, too complex and not useful for just viewing PDF..

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

What ? Am i the only guy who thinks its really good ? Like its super simple to use and really customizable

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

I tried it more deeply and I will say my recap : It's a great app, not too complicated but the ui is ugly (a bit less when diving in the settings), it do not have more features than others, the actions are blocked by confirmation pop-ups. Not a recommandation for me, its more a e-book reader than a PDF viewer...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Yes and no, I do use it but sometimes it's too complex to understand and I just switch back to the basic default one!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

For browser: Vanadium or Mull

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Hummm, for Mull the problem is that it lacks some functionality, has not an advanced ad-blocking (even with ublock origin) and firefox-based so it's slower on Android, that's a fact.. But I've no doubt that Vanadium is really cool but is it possible to get it without grapheneos?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Vanadium is GrapheneOS only, it specifically doesn't reimplement things that GrapheneOS already does so might not be as secure on other devices anyway. They used to recommend Bromite too, that's now become Cromite which seems pretty good in my experience.

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