Google alternative Apps/Services for e/OS

Using /e/OS Applications
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Hello! New e/OS user here.

Intro
I am sorry to create this post if there already is one, but whatever information i am looking for is not succinct / direct / dumbed down / more recent or …existent. Or they are scattered all over the place that is taking me too much time to find the necessary apps, methods and info to finally use my new non-G00lag™ phone. Just setting up my keyboard took too long.

So i am making this post to kindly ask the community for any advice and pointers and hopefully this post could help other dumb / lost newcomers such as myself.

Background
I have been using an Android phone until now, but i had enough with how intrusive G.A.M.A.D. are. I recently found out about Fairphone and e/OS and i was sold (with a small cringe).

Unfortunately, due to my work, i still have some ties to G00lag™, such as using e-mail services, Drive, Youtube etc. And coming to e/OS, i understand that the philosophy is to stay away as much as possible away from G00lag™, but surely there are some here whom like myself, unfortunately still have ties to G00lag™ because of work.
I do not want to infest my new phone with Big G’s yucky goo, but i do wish to know if there are any work-arounds.

Apps
Disclaimer: As stated before, i am a complete n00b to e/OS. Please find the kindness and patience to correct me when i am wrong, and explain to me as if i was a toddler.
Below is a list of Apps i am trying to use, or apps i am trying to find alternatives for.
Could you kindly help me with recommendations?

YouTube
I no longer upload anything on YouTube and i no longer wish to.
I am using PeerTube as an alternative.
Though sometimes i still have to use YouTube for work. I do not wish to compromise my e/OS phone by downloading the YouTube app or accessing Youtube links.
Is there an alternative to accessing YouTube without being tracked or having your phone compromised?

Gmail
Oke, so unfortunately i still use Gmail and Yahoo for work.
I do not wish to compromise my new phone by downloading their apps or logging onto their websites.
I am really lost with this one. What would the right+secure method for this be?
-Can i use Thunderbird or another e-mail client? Would it even help? Or would logging my e-mails into it defeat the purpose of using e/OS?
-Should i just redirect all my G00lag/Yoohwew correspondence to a new e-mail? Or would that also defeat the purpose of using an e/OS phone?

Google Drive
No clue. Dropbox? MegaDrive?

Whatsapp
I use Signal for this.

Facebook
I can live without this one, but again…work. I guess there is no alternative for this one, or no way to use it by blocking its trackers right? Best not to install it at all on e/OS, right?

LinkedIn
Same as for Facebook. I don’t need it, but if there is a way to use it without trackers or whatever, i would avoid work complications. If there is no alternative or no way to use it without its poison, i assume this one is best kept off my phone, right? (Which would be quite a bummer, it does help me stay connected with work)

Instagram
Hate it. Work reasons. I am looking at Cara.

Twitter
BlueSky or Mastodont. I hope i do not need to elaborate this one.

Those are all the apps i can think of now. If there is something new i would need or that you would need or that you think i may have forgotten, i would write them here in an edit or new post after your suggestions.
Thank you in advance for your help - again, i know the creed of this is not to use G00lag™, and i do not want to install its goo, but if there are safe and private alternatives i can use that would not defeat the point of having an e/OS phone, then i will be all ears.


**TL;DR**
*Noob Here.*
*I just got an e/OS phone and i want to use safer alternative apps.*

*So far i have:*
*- Bluesky/Mastodont for Twitter*
*- Signal for Whatsapp*
*- Cara for Instagram*
*- PeerTube for YouTube.*

*I need more alternatives for:*
*-Gmail / Yahoo*
*-Youtube*
*-GoogleDrive*
*-LinkedIn*
*-Facebook (ew)*


**[Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/OS the deGoogled mobile OS and online services](https://e.foundation/)**![phone|80x80](upload://mtacZf1KIgDZJegjO3jnRNYJDPg.png)
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Most of those can be logged in and used via a web browser. No need to install any apps. This is much safer as the apps will be extracting data without your knowledge but the browser will not.

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When there’s the option I always use a browser rather than install an app. Using apps for services traditionally accessed through a web browser is a paradigm propagated by corporations to infiltrate your phone. Apps have less security and deeper access to data than a web browser. People buy into the idea of using an app for everything because corporations push it. Their only motivation is greater access to your personal information.

1 Like
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I completely agree. It’s a unfortunate that I can’t get people in my circle to realise the situation.

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Hello and welcome to the world of Google free android.

It is true, it is difficult to get out of the Google ecosystem since all the applications are there, and all the corporate world falls either on Google or Microsoft.

Of course using an eOS or other android phone without google services (GraphenOS, LineageOS, or whatever) and filling it with proprietary apps, either from Google or their minions doesn’t make much sense. But sometimes we have no choice. For example, I can’t do without Whatsapp: my family, my wife and very close friends use that app and it’s not an option to stop using it. Twitter and other social networks I took them out of my phone to use them only on the PC/Laptop. On my cell phone I only have federated social networks like Mastodon. If you have no choice but to use networks like Instagram or twitter, you can create another user profile on your phone to isolate them. Also remember that eOS has a tracker blocking system, so even using those applications, the phone will block a lot of data leaks.

Regarding alternatives. If you are not a content creator on YouTube and you only use it to consume content, you can use frontends like NewPipe or others, available on f-droid or app lounge. They allow you to access YouTube content without logging in and are super lightweight.

For email, I use Thunderbird, for my personal account (which is not from Google) and for my work account, which does use google apps. I don’t think there is a better alternative, as Thunderbird doesn’t have the huge amount of trackers that GMail has.

Regarding Google Drive, I recommend getting an account with a Nextcloud provider. Some give free accounts with 2GB of storage, or you can pay for storage, there are several providers.

Regarding FB or linkedin, there are no alternatives. In the case of facebook, I usually use Facebook Lite, although I only use it to see Marketplace. The Lite version comes with less trackers too :wink:

I hope you find this information useful :slight_smile: