Been a lurker here for some time now but finally made an account. I have seen similar questions on the forum before and they do answer a part of my following question but not fully so here is my post still to ask a question on the same lines for which I have not found answer I am looking for.
Yes, I know GOS is best. No, I cannot use GOS as I want to use the apps as normally as I can without any inconveniences while still trying to balance privacy and security as much as possible. I am moving from iPhone. Apple has gotten too expensive and I no longer can tolerate the closed nature of the tool/product/software.
Threat model: Average. Want to use privacy and security forward tools that work better on Android that enables me to give up on all big tech options. Also want to escape surveillance capitalism as much as possible. I live in the Middle East & South Asia.
To privacy and Android experts,
My main question is, how best to harden your pixel where everything or almost everything it offers works while being significantly more private and secure. I do not plan to use any Google tools whatsoever.
Specific questions:
How many Google apps and Alphabet products can I fully remove or delete from a brand new Pixel 9a?
Is it possible to delete all Google apps and make other apps the default apps?
Apart from the guides and tools PG and channels like Techlore recommend, what other settings do you recommend I enable or ensure of?
Will hardening Pixel make the device better than iPhone (with or without lockdown mode enabled) from a privacy and security POV?
I also want to strip it from any AI. Is this at all going to be possible?
Any other resources about what I am asking would be much appreciated. I hope someone can answer my questions and help me make the right choice.
Thank you all!
Edit: Or if you believe what I am asking is not possible or worth it and sticking to iPhone would still be best, please say so or explain so too.
Have you tried GrapheneOS? The only thing I’ve noticed missing after switching from iPhone is an Apple Wallet equivalent. Everything else works fine for me. Banking apps might give you some trouble, but just access their webapps on the included Vanadium browser, which allows you to add them to your home screen as if they were regular apps.
My suggestion would be to try GrapheneOS. If you don’t like it after a week or two, revert back to stock. That being said, you won’t be getting anywhere near the level of security and privacy on a stock Pixel that you’d be getting on GrapheneOS or just by sticking with your iPhone, no matter how many apps you delete or “privacy” settings you select.
Banking and other financial apps working properly is a priority and this not working properly or risking it breaking on GOS is a deal breaker. Using the website is not going to work for me. This part of the world banks on mobile first and I need it handy for all kinds of things everyday.
Thanks for your comment. Duly noted. I am well aware of what GOS can offer me. I am asking how to still use Pixel with Stock Android as best as possible. I do not have interest in GOS for now. I am only looking to harden stock Android as much as possible - hence my 5 questions.
Again, have you tried GOS to see if the apps you need work on it? I found that most of my banking apps downloaded through sandboxed Google Play work fine on it, though I personally choose to use their web apps instead. I won’t keep pushing it, but GOS is worth checking out. You can always revert to stock if it doesn’t work for your use case.
Yes. I have tried GOS. It doesn’t work for my use case as well as I want it to. I can give it another shot but
if or when I come back to stock, my questions still remain. Please feel free to answer for them anyway. I am new to Android so I know every little about hardening it.
Not a lot. Although Pixel ships with few apps by default (compared to other OEMs). The list increases or decreases based on the apps Google feels are essential for Pixel experience. You can disable what you don’t wish to use.
This is for GOS. You can pick and choose what applies. For Google settings you can just go to their account privacy section and see what toggles you have. Each app also has its own settings for telemetry and sharing of data, be sure to turn them off too.
No. Apple has more granular control for its access to your data. Google is less granular and often misdirects users.
No. Google has leaned into AI, and is adding it everywhere from files app to OS. Same as Apple (although apple is failing miserably). Stripping is not possible. Disabling what controls they give you is the most you can do in either case. Apple has better control over disabling AI features, but stripping clean is not possible.
As anec-data, all of my apps do work. And the GOS experience is miles better than all my previous iPhones, androids, and blackberries once you set it up.
So I guess here are my primary concerns with GOS as I have tried it but not used it at any length and have not lived with it.
If I install GOS and set up Play Services and Play Store, I can download and install apps as usual and most if not all works will work just as well? No issues with GPS or using Google Maps for navigation?
If I use GOS, I’ll only want to use the official Play Store still to ensure all apps work and are available as on stock Android. Will this work out? Is this still better than any other option? Sorry, I have such basic questions so want clarifications on the foundational things to help me decide.
Recommended approach is to use Play Store for apps distributed via Play Store anyway.
I think you can’t beat GOS as your daily driver and another second Pixel (can be second hand) for apps that just refuse to run on anything else but stock OS. I use iPhone alongside GOS but I’m looking forward to the day I can sell the damn thing.
A couple of specific issues I am having is not being able to install certain apps like WhatsApp or GBoard (which I will use without providing it network access).
Thanks. Google directed me to the same page. Weird, I’m able to download other apps but not these two and randomly a few others like Proton Drive for some reason.
I know this question is likely for GOS forum but I don’t have an account there and am familiar and comfortable with this community so thought I’d ask your advice here first.
Why can’t I use Android apps like Netguard to block all traffic to all Google apps I don’t want or can’t delete even if on stock Android? Wouldn’t this be a great way to achieve what I want by mitigating the concern (which in this case may as well be eliminating it), no?
Mostly yes. Some apps use a tool called “play integrity” to disallow anything except Google’s Android. It is very very rare, so I would not worry too much.
No issues for me. GOS ships with its own location implementation that uses Apple data, so it works well. Google maps and everything else works too. Location sharing works.
Yes, that is the recommended way to get apps outside of GOS’s own app store (which only has their own apps) and Accrescent (a third party app store shipped by GOS, which is in alpha and hence has very few apps).
Better to have questions than assumptions. No worries, everyone has to start from somewhere.
I use GBoard daily, and just installed WhatsApp to test (could install and open) on the latest build available to me (2026011001). Might just be play store acting up. Would recommend restarting the phone or trying after some time.
This has some assumption:
Google’s Android will function correctly if you block all traffic to its apps.
Netguard’s implementation does not have any leaks
Google will bypass its own privacy toggles (which you can set) but somehow not the VPN implementation if it really wanted the data.
I know the first 2 are false assumptions, and think the 3rd is probably false since Google actually does respect the toggles it gives you, albeit they are not extensive, and thus has no need to bypass them (which means no need for adguard).
If you ask me, I would say just use Google’s Android without netguard if the only reason for netguard is to prevent data exfiltration to Google, since using the base OS assumes you trust Google implicitly. Of course you should still use Netguard if it’s for some other purpose.
If the concern is:
Then GOS is a better than Google’s Android as a start. Although the goal to ditch big tech is itself a very hard goal to actually achieve.
Thank you for getting back with more explanations. Let me keep waiting and trying to install the apps I can to see if they’re really working.
It’s been a few hours but I still can’t install Gboard and Proton Drive for example via the play store. Even Aurora Store is not working for some reason. Gives me the same error of invalid or corrupt APK and something about downgrade error. I couldn’t make sense of it.
I would mark your responses as solved but want to keep the thread open because I do want to keep hearing from others. Thanks again.
Do you have another profile open? If the app is installed in another profile, it can conflict with installs. Apps installed from play Store cannot be taken over by Aurora or F-droid app stores cleanly, so I would say mixing can also cause errors.