Google services and applications are famous for being useful and simple, as well as being free. They offer from a mail client, to a mobile operating system and the largest video site in the world. With just create an account is already possible to access each of them.
Thanks to the use of these services, the company manages to collect information from users and process this information to offer recommendations and publicity. Keep in mind that all this information is stored and can be managed by the user, as we discussed in our article with tips for your Google account.
If what you want is not to use these products, there are other possibilities in the market. One of them is to enter the world of Apple. The apple company releases important products and updates every year, such as the iPad Pro 2018 or the latest version of its S.O. for iOS 12.1.1 phones. The problem of these is that they are not accessible to everyone (for example in Latin American countries) so many people decide to buy an Android device.
That is why today we bring alternative and free options to these applications. It may happen that in many phones with this operating system is not available the option to remove or disable some Google applications. If this is your case, you can consult this guide to know how to remove Bloatware.
Browser: Firefox takes advantage
The famous browser has an advantage thanks to its privacy policy which is very respectful with the user because it offers the possibility of adjusting certain parameters to avoid tracking and block or limit cookies, as well as being free and free software. It also has a shop where you can get all kinds of accessories and personalization themes to suit each one.
Other options
Tor Browser: if privacy is about, tor browser is par excellence one of the best options since it keeps hidden the IP of the user and all the information that travels through the network. The only drawback is that it is usually a bit slower than other browsers.
Search engine: DuckDuckGo as the best alternative
This search engine is famous because it does not use tracking to offer advertising, so it is very respectful of the user’s privacy. It is also free software and its search registration tool is of good quality. It is available on Android with its application which integrates a browser.
Alternatives
Qwant: Search engine created in France that also does not use tracking and does not use personalization of searches.
Other services
Protonmail: It is a very good free option that also offers a paid version. Its strengths are the ability to encrypt emails with a password and its base in Switzerland, so the privacy policies it uses are very good. It offers 500 MB for free and 5 GB in Pro version.
It is a very good free option that also offers a paid version. Its strengths are the ability to encrypt emails with a password and its base in Switzerland, so the privacy policies it uses are very good. It offers 500 MB for free and 5 GB in Pro version. Tutanota: Similar to Protonmail but based in Germany. 1 GB in its free version and 10 GB in Pro.
Cloud (Drive and Photos)
Nextcloud: It’s an open source Germany-based platform that offers Dropbox-style storage. It is also possible to install it on a private server.
It’s an open source Germany-based platform that offers Dropbox-style storage. It is also possible to install it on a private server. ownCloud: It is a cloud of free software totally managed by the user. It must be installed and configured on a server, for which we can use a computer with a Linux distribution installed and configured PHP and MySQL.
Maps
Here WeGo: It is an excellent alternative to Google Maps because it offers a very good navigation and transport information. It is available in both application and web version.
It is an excellent alternative to Google Maps because it offers a very good navigation and transport information. It is available in both application and web version. Openstreetmap: Completely free and collaborative project in which people contribute information by contributing and making the map more precise.
Calendar
Etar: Non-invasive open source calendar in privacy. Excellent choice
Calendar of non-invasive open source code in privacy. Excellent option TAPIRapps: Similar to the previous one.
Translator
DeepL: It offers a very good quality of translations in different languages available.
Youtube
Despite not finding something better YouTube for the moment, there are some interesting alternatives:
Amazon Prime Video: is an Amazon exclusive service. To be able to access it, you must pay the subscription to Amazon Prime.
It is an exclusive Amazon service. To be able to access it, you must pay the subscription to Amazon Prime. Vimeo: it offers a good amount of videos, among them many of music. A paid version called Vimeo Plus is also available.
Alternatives to Android? There are also
This is AOSP (Android Open Source Project), a free distribution based on the Android code. AOSP is free of Bloatware and Google apps. On its official website, people can access all the documentation and files needed to develop a ROM at ease.
Today, you can access several ROMs developed by users with different versions of Android but momentarily not available on all devices.
Application stores
Google Play is not the only store available to download applications on Android. Being files with .apk extension, these can be easily obtained from any web page, but using this technique it is likely that the mobile phone will be infected when downloading a malicious application. Fortunately, there are other stores that offer user applications, keep them updated and review them before publishing them to avoid malicious files.
Also published on Medium.