https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/products/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_products
​
So about 4 months ago I grew tired of Google's bullshit and decided I was going to start the process of de-Googling. Here are the alternatives I chose to the Google products/services I previously used:
Chrome -> Firefox (And Tor for more private things) I chose Firefox because it was the one I was most familiar with, and Mozilla is pretty good about privacy. Plus now that I've been using it for a few months, I've realized it has way more features than Chrome. You should not use Edge because it's based on Chromium, and you should not use Safari because it's from Apple, aka a terrible money hungry scummy corporation
​
Google -> DuckDuckGo I chose DuckDuckGo because it's a search engine that doesn't track you. Everybody knows that Google tracks the hell out of every bit of information they can get their hands on and they make it obvious.
​
Google Meet, Google Chat, Google Messages, & Google Hangouts -> Discord, Skype, Microsoft Teams, or TeamSpeak I mainly use Discord, Microsoft Teams, or TeamSpeak are good alternatives. Skype is kinda trash because Microsoft ruined it, but it's still another alternative.
​
Chromebook -> Literally any other Windows or Linux laptop If you have a Chromebook you should 100% sell it for a Windows or Linux laptop. Chromebooks are overpriced for low specs, and ChromeOS is garbage. Some good laptop manufacturers are: Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Acer. (Not Apple. Mac computers are garbage. Everything about Apple is garbage. You can read all about it here)
​
Gmail -> Outlook I chose outlook because I didn't like any other alternatives and I've seen people use it. I've had it for about a week at this point and it seems pretty good so far. I like that it has the desktop app, it's easier to use as a desktop app than in a browser in my opinion. You should not use Yandex because Yandex is a Russian company and I don't trust any Russian company with my privacy.
​
Chromecast/YouTube TV -> Roku or a home PC (You should not use Firestick TV or Apple TV. Amazon is also a terrible money hungry corporation and Jeff Bezos is a scumbag.) I've been using Roku for about a decade and they make great products. But I'm more of a PC over console guy, since PCs can do everything a console can do and more (as long as it's powerful enough, but if it's just a home server for media it doesn't need to be that powerful) it cuts down on the amount of power & HDMI ports you use. Plus a keyboard and mouse are easier to use in my opinion, but if you don't want to use a keyboard and mouse you can use any bluetooth controller.
​
Google Drive -> mega.nz or Mediafire (Or a home server for local storage) I use both and they're good. Drive only gives you 15 GB for free while mega.nz gives you 50 GB for free. Mediafire gives you a similar amount to Google Drive but it's just another alternative. I use both and they're decent. Plus it's not easy to just make another Google account while you can easily make more mega.nz and Mediafire accounts. I'm not aware of any more alternatives. And if you set up a home server, you have your own local storage that's easily accessible on your network. It's guaranteed to last you years with no extra fees or problems.
​
Google Pixel -> LG, HTC, Motorola, or an old Samsung Samsung has been turning in to a shitty company recently, copying all of the terrible traits of iPhones. Samsung is removing traditional smartphone things like the headphone jack, microSD card slot, the cameras look ridiculous, and the entire thing is made of glass. They even stopped including chargers with their phones even though they literally JUST made fun of Apple for doing the same thing. I also wouldn't buy a Xiaomi or Huawei because they're Chinese companies and I don't trust any Chinese company with my privacy either. LG, HTC, Motorola, or an old Samsung (maybe older than 2018/2017) are all good phone manufacturers.
​
Google Assistant/Google Home -> Cortana There's Amazon Echo and Apple's Siri thing, but I've made it obvious in this post that I don't like Apple or Amazon. Cortana is the next best alternative. I think they even have a smart home device. Not sure.
​
Stadia -> PC, PS, XB, Nintendo I've literally never seen anybody use Stadia and didn't even know what it was until a couple months ago but if you use it you should join the PC master race
​
Google Voice -> TextNow I didn't have phone service some years ago and I used TextNow to get a phone number. It was pretty good most of the time.
​
YouTube Music -> Pandora, Spotify, Google Play Music I Google Play Music is a Google service, but I don't really care for Pandora or Spotify, YouTube Music is absolute fucking garbage and it's total BS that they shut down Google Play Music. Luckily, it's just an offline player and you can still use it. If you block the app from having internet access, you should be fine.
Google Earth -> NASA World Wind I don't use Google Earth for anything but I looked up an alternative and I found "NASA World Wind" and it looks like a decent piece of software.
Google Photos -> Plex You can use Plex on a home server. You can use a home server as an alternative to a lot of these apps because they're based on cloud storage, but a home server is less expensive in the long run.
​
Google Maps, Google Classroom Google Play, & Google Translate - I haven't found a good alternative to these yet. I know Microsoft has their own translator but I haven't used it. As of right now I'd recommend using a throwaway account with Tor and a VPN so they can't track you if you use these services.
​
YouTube - There's not really any alternative to YouTube either and that's a shame because YouTube has developed into a terrible platform in the last couple of years, we all know this. We really need a big competitor to YouTube. Although I recommend using YouTube Vanced to improve YouTube a lot, the stock YouTube app is absolute garbage.
​
Android - There's not really any alternative to Android (at least that I know of) so I'm forced to keep using it. iOS is fucking shit though, I would 100% rather be tracked by Google than use Apple's garbage (again, you can read about it above)
​
Google's Office (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Drawings) -> Microsoft Office Microsoft Office is a pretty good Office package for desktop. I don't know about mobile though, my Android came with something called "Hancom Office S Viewer" and I've heard that OfficeSuite is a pretty good office program for mobile.
That's about all I could think of, please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.

I have compiled a set of tweaks that I have done over time to get the best out of my Android. This includes getting rid of ads, reducing bloatware, focusing on privacy, getting more performance and battery life. Most of this are focused on non-rooted phones, there are better alternatives if you are rooted.
Feel free to add your own tips below and I will add them here.

1. Debloating: Many OEMs will have a lot of apps preloaded like Facebook, Microsoft, Google apps, and their own apps. These can be removed through ADB. This is safe and can be reinstalled easily if needed. Enable developer options by clicking the build number seven times and enable USB Debugging. Install ADB on your PC, connect your phone to PC and run adb shell pm list packages to list all your packages. To remove a package run adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 . You can find a list of bloatware list for your device / OEM from xda-developers (Eg. Note 10 bloatware list)
   
2. Privacy:
   
   1. App permissions: App permissions are bundled under a single category now under Android-10. Permissions can be removed for apps that don't need them. Or better, removing permissions can be automated with Bouncer
   2. More privacy options can be found in settings / app-settings through which you can turn off personalized ads.
   3. Disposable email-ids: Temporary email addresses can be created with apps like Temp Mail if an app or website forces you to login.
   4. Use password managers and two factor authentications (Bitwarden and andOTP) for secure logins.
   5. Prefer open-source alternatives instead of apps that collect your personal data.
   6. Firewall: I recommend Netguard. This blocks Internet access to apps that can function without internet (like Calculator, Camera, Gallery, Video / Music players). Netguard can also block ads and trackers (see below).
3. Ad-blocking: Before getting into this, I'd suggest buying a pro-version or supporting the developer directly whenever possible.
   
   1. There are ad-blocking apps like Blokada / DNS66 that uses VPN to block ads system-wide. There are many hosts file around internet that can block Ads, Trackers, etc.
   2. If you are using Netguard, from above, there is a github version of it that supports ad-blocking as well (https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/masteADBLOCKING.md)
   3. If you prefer to do this without VPN, devices above Android-9 supports Private DNS in settings. (Having dns.adguard.com as your private DNS will block ads system-wide)
4. Performance and battery:
   
   1. Frequently clearing an app from Recents menu will make it load again and consume more battery.
   2. Automation apps like Bixby Routines / Tasker can be used to enhance battery life / performance, like
      1. Turn off Mobile Data / Location when you're connected to Home Wifi network.
      2. Turn off Data-Sync when phone is not charging.
      3. Turn on Battery saver at night.
      4. Turn on Locations only when you open an app that needs it (like Google maps, Uber, etc.)
   3. Turning off background Wifi Scanning, Automatically download software updates can improve Battery life.
   4. Turn off Digital Wellbeing by removing it from Usage Data Access, if you're not using it.
   5. Don't use aggressive battery savers, they would cause more drain. Android's default Doze is good enough IMO.
   6. Prefer Dark / Black themes especially when you have OLED displays.
   7. Disable Fast charging whenever you can.
   8. Keep your battery within 80% - 20% to prolong battery life.
5. Other tips:
   
   1. Use Youtube Vanced instead of default youtube app. This blocks all ads and allows Background playback, PiP mode and a cool AMOLED black theme.
   2. Google Opinion Rewards is a neat way to earn Google Play credits that can be used for play store purchases.
   3. If you have a Samsung phone, check out GoodLock suite of apps. They are made by Samsung and offer crazy levels of customization. Also Hex installer is cool if you're into customization.
   4. Reducing animation scale in Developer options will make your phone feel more responsive if you have older phones.
   5. If you don't use Google assistant, disable Microphone access to google app and remove it from Device Assistant app from Settings->App->Default Apps.
   6. Using Your phone for Windows or KDE Connect for Linux can make things seamless between Phone and PC.
   7. If your phone has NFC, it can be used to automate lot of things by tapping on NFC tags like Turning on WiFi when you enter home, Unlock your PC by having a Tag near it, Having a bed time routine with a Tag on your bed, etc. Check out NFC Tools for more.
   8. Hermit can replace many apps like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon with their web versions.
   9. Firefox Send can be used to send files < 2GB to anyone through a link.
   10. Replace chrome with Kiwi browser or Firefox, they are open-source and support extensions.
   11. Install and enable ADB on your PC and always allow debugging for your phone from your PC. This will come in handy when your display is broken, by controlling screen with scrcpy.
   12. If you have a Snapdragon CPU, there will be a modded version of Google's camera for your phone. It would improve picture quality drastically with Google's HDR+ processing. You can check xda-developers.com for GCam for your device.
   13. snapdrop.net can be used to share files to any device within your network. Just enter the URL in you browser and it'll work.

PS - Be careful when uninstalling system apps. Use a recommended debloat list for your device if you're not sure.
I will be adding more tips here. Suggestions are welcome.
Edit 1 : Added Google camera and snapdrop.

Hello Apple users,
first of all I'd like to mention that I have never owned a MacBook but I was an iOS user from late 2010 to late 2015, when iOS was objectively better. Late 2015 I switched to Android as I've felt Apple stagnated and Android was catching up/surpassing iOS. There are a few reasons why I am thinking of switching back.

1. My problem with Android/Google

I feel like Google doesn't know where it's going..
the Pixel line is a failure 4 Generations in, the nightmare of ad- and malware that is the Playstore, I don't know WTF they were thinking with Stadia, updates are still a mess considering android as a whole and overall after 5 years android is still way too fractured, in a bad way.
Samsung is trying way too hard with forcing their own non-removable software down your throat along Googles already pushy attitude regarding android becoming more and more cluttered with proprietary software (yes, I am one of those crazy people who like to use Open-source software if possible, since I don't want to trust random companies to data mine me). And yes Google data mines like crazy but it's getting worse and Android phones are getting more and more expensive.

2. I hate Windows

Let's be real here, no Microsoft I don't want Candycrush constantly installed on my Workstation. The only reason why I was able to endure the absolute cesspool of what is Windows 10 is that I mostly live in apps, where Windows doesn't shine through a lot and even then I want to delete Windows 10 at least a few times per week. Another big reason why I managed to get by so long is that, whenever I can, I tend to use Linux. However, Linux has its own issues in terms of directions and how fractured it is, not even getting into lack of widespread software which doesn't have a real Open-source alternative.

3. I want to get back into Drawing/Art

Which brings me to tablets and digital Art, which brings me to the conclusion that the new iPad Pro's have no competition, which means I'd have to get at least one Apple product regardless. (I don't want to get something from Wacom etc. as I want it to work without a PC/Mac)
Those are not all reasons I want to/think about switching but listing all would take too long and those are most of the main ones anyway.

What holds me back? (Android Apps)

The few things that hold me back are, of course, Apps. Most of them are Open-source and/or not available on iOS.

1. MoneyWallet (Personal Finance App that I use extensively)
2. AndOTP (Authentication)
3. KeepassXC (Password Manager) Very important
4. YouTube Vanced (vanilla YouTube is unusable due to amount of ads)
5. Xtra (Twitch equivalent of YouTube Vanced)
6. Tachiyomi (Manga reading app)
7. New Pipe (Open-source YouTube client)
8. Torrents (for downloading Linux ISO's)

I've searched around a little bit for alternatives but most require jailbreaking (which I don't want to do necessarily) or using something like Tweakboxapp which I'm not sure about how safe they are... As for torrents, I haven't found anything reliable on iOS which sucks.
My Ideal setup would look differently, I would like to use complete Open-source Android on a good Phone and tablet + Linux on my Laptop but in reality it is not feasible, they are just too fractured.
So my only choice with full working cohesion that is streamlined over multiple devices is Apple. If any of you guys know about reliable alternatives/iOS equivalents for the apps I have listed, please tell me, thanks! (if they are Open-source the better!)

TLDR;

Android is starting to annoy me, I hate Windows and I have to get an iPad Pro anyway so might as well switch completely to Apple. A few apps are holding me back from switching, if you know any reliable alternatives please tell me, thanks!

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Halo 4 Details Spill Forth From the Latest Game Informer	360	Xbox 360 Achievements	04/08
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Commodore founder Jack Tramiel passes away	N/A	Gamasutra	04/09
Epic confirms Gears of War: Exile has been cancelled	360	EuroGamer	04/09
On-disc DLC an 'ugly truth,' says Gears of War designer	N/A	GameSpot	04/09
Wii U could retail for $300 - Report	Wii U	GameSpot	04/09
Pictures of the new bosses for the PC version of Dark Souls	PC	Jin	04/09
Settlement Requires GameStop to Warn California Customers About DLC, Pay Customers Back	N/A	Giant Bomb	04/10
M5 scammed, robbed in India	N/A	HLTV	04/10
Not Just Solid Food, But Real Food	N/A	Medium Difficulty	04/10
Borderlands 2 ups the challenge, tweaks the interface, doesn't fix what wasn't broken	PC, 360, PS3	Ars Technica	04/10
Sony Warns of Biggest Loss Ever	N/A	IGN	04/10
Bulletstorm 2 canned, original hurt by poor port and piracy on PC	PC, 360, PS3	PC Gamer	04/10
Borderlands 2 “Mechromancer” class planned as post-launch DLC	PC, 360, PS3	PC Gamer	04/10
Gamification Dynamics: Flow and Art	N/A	Gamasutra	04/10
Halo 4 to have co-operative, episodic multiplayer	360	VG247	04/11
We could use more 'Adults Only' games, says ESRB's Vance	N/A	Gamasutra	04/11
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition - PC - It's Dark again	PC	YouTube	04/11
Prepare For GFWL In Dark Souls: Prepare To Die	PC	Rock, Paper, Shotgun	04/11
First Screens from Notch's New Game 0x10c	PC	Reddit Games	04/11
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet on PC Available for Pre-order	PC	IndieGame - The Weblog	04/11
Demon's Souls Going Offline End Of May	360, PS3	GameInformer	04/11
NASL Season 3 Preview	N/A	GameSpot	04/11
League Of Studio's Five Months of Gaming	ks	Kickstarter	04/11
Kinect Support Coming to Skyrim	360 - Kinect	YouTube	04/12
Tribes Ascend, A Free to Play Sci-fi FPS officially releases TODAY. Here's what you should know about it and why you should give it a shot.	PC	Reddit Games	04/12
Miyamoto: ‘I wish I had designed Angry Birds.’	N/A	HookShotinc	04/12
Miyamoto keen on new Link To The Past	3DS	Edge Online	04/12
Police Warfare Kickstarter	PC	Kickstarter	04/12
Capcom’s Better Business Bureau rating downgraded by three ranks	N/A	VG247	04/12
Top Misconceptions About The Gaming Industry	N/A	Cinemablend - Games	04/12
Q&A: Mega Man Creator Wants Japan to Admit Failure, Says the Gaming Industry is died in Japan	N/A	Wired	04/12
Dylan Jobe Talks Starhawk Single Player, Influences, and Multiplayer Beta Feedback	N/A	Dual Shockers	04/13
Valve recruitment ad points to hardware plans	N/A	Destructoid	04/13
The Structure of Fun: Learning from Super Mario 3D Land's Director	gs	Gamasutra	04/13
Tetris'-Loving iPad Owners Just Got EA'd Hard	ta	Touch Arcade	04/13
Oddworld Buzzes In With Hand of Odd	PC	Rock, Paper, Shotgun	04/13
The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition Launch Trailer	360, PC	YouTube	04/13
Shadowrun hits $1million in Kickstarter funding, which unlocks an additional city and Linux support!	PC	Kickstarter	04/14
Kickstarter asking projects to remove 'Kick it Forward' links	PC	[Reddit Games](ks)	04/14
Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 Debut Trailer	DS	YouTube	04/14

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