This post is going to be a bit personal (and maybe a little bit out of context, it’s not just Google software I want to remove) but I’m tired of not knowing what to do about it. I want and have wanted to get rid of a bunch of proprietary software in my life, including but not limited to Google’s software, for quite a while now, and I even got a Pixel 7A with hopes of installing GrapheneOS. But there are a few problems. First, my parents are understandably concerned and need me to use Google Maps’ location sharing whenever I go to school. All my classmates use Instagram and we have that as our only messaging platform. I currently use DFInstagram, but I feel that it is not free from spyware. Finally, I also own a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and the associated DJI Fly app just refuses to work under GrapheneOS (I tested). Is there anything I can do to replace or limit the access of these aforementioned proprietary apps?
Looking at this from my own personal perspective. I like to DeGoogle as much as possible because I strongly dislike the idea of others tracking me and creating profiles and making money from that, but at the same time many years ago people already could be tracked when carrying “dumb phones” on you so I figure some compromises will likely have to be made (Some people I know got rid of using phones altogether but not everyone is able to do so).At least at home for your desktop computer or laptop you can look into https://pi-hole.net and VPN and Tor. Use LibreWolf instead of Firefox (Firefox is quite full of Google by default).
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I agree with this general sentiment. I think the important thing to remember is that there are very few of us that are completely off the grid and with good reason. You have to pick and choose the battles in this frontier. There are people that have completely removed Google from their life, but still message relatives on Facebook or people that are running graphene OS but still talk to chatGPT on a daily basis.
What’s important is to find the balance that works for you and accept the trade-offs while still living a fruitful life