France just banned Windows from 2.5 million government computers because when the US sanctioned the International Criminal Court, Microsoft locked the chief prosecutor out of his email overnight.

One switch and an entire institution went dark. Europe realized that anyone running American software services is one executive order away from losing access to their own data.

Google changed the name of Late Ontario to Lake America ASAP, but Microsoft's Mapquest didn't. Google will shut you down faster than Microsoft.

This happens to me as well. I lost over a dozen GMail emails over the past 10 years because of Google's shitty algorithm

It's the same story. If I haven't used an email in a while and log in from a new location (or sometimes the same location). Google wants to email my recovery. I say ok and correctly enter the pin sent to my recovery. Now, it wants my phone number. I give it my phone number and verified the pin it sent me, then it says it cannot verify me. It records my phone number, then it tells me to fuck off. I gave it the correct password, correct pin from my recovery email, and even verified my fucking phone number.

EDIT: Microsoft does not own Mapquest. For some reason, I thought they did.

So, I've been working on DeGoogling my phone completely the past few months.

Some notes of my progress, what I have done to resolve issues.

First the standout apps that I need to convince other people to jump off or are questionable depending on how safe you feel re:Chinese tech.

WhatsApp: Meta are arguably worse than Google. I have deleted my Facebook and Instagram, however convincing elderly relatives to change apps is difficult. And especially on iPhone, I can't change app icon/name like you can on many Android launchers.

Steam: I like convenient login to my ROG Ally, and Valve aren't evil, and are a private firm, so I am not worried about venture capital killing it.

AliExpress: I could use the site, but I order from them often so it is marginally quicker to use the app. Also I trust them way more than Amazon. I am not paying a premium for cheap electronics gear.

JoyBuy: Direct Amazon replacement. I trust them more than Amazon, but your morals can sit wherever you want for Chinese firms. I'd sooner trust them than a US firm.

MicroG: NHS Wales needs it. I gotta have healthcare. My GP only takes 8am Thunderdome calls or App appointments.

TGTG/Stagecoach/Veezu/Lidl/Wetherspoons: All pretty useful. Too Good lacks a website and I appreciate being able to save food waste, Stagecoach buses can't be seen in CoMaps, Veezu is the main cab app where I am. Spoons app ordering is convenient over going to the bar.

Could I stop using TGTG and the Lidl app, yeah probably, but I think these are all worth keeping.

Reddit: Very interested in hearing about good alternative apps, currently running stock Reddit with Reddidn't to remove ads.

YouTube: Tried a few apps, most end up needing a Google sign in for anti-bot checks. Didn't do this. May look into self-hosting invidious, but honestly most of my YouTube watch time is on my TV.

Browsers: Firefox and Chromite. Similar to my PC, I have Firefox and UnGoogled Chromium. Firefox for 99%+ of my usage, Chromite/Chromium for the rest. Why Firefox? Google has a browser monopoly through Chromium. Vivadli, Brave etc? Its all Chrome. This causes what Internet Explorer did, a bunch of sites that only work under it. Causing more and more browser devs to focus on Chromium only.

Email: Been using Proton since 2018. Still using Proton. With recent controversies I am considering jumping ship. Most of my mail goes through ForwardEmail and have for years, so moving providers is mostly a game of backing up my important emails and signing up.

Cloud Storage: I rarely use it, unless I'm sharing with friends - which I mostly use catbox, I do have Proton Drive, but that's mostly for sharing files to companies.

Music: I do have Vivi installed for streaming. But most of my music is downloaded from Seeker and played through Auxio. I use Pano Scrobbler and Last.FM for recommendations.

Contactless payments: In the UK CurvePay works fine with my debit and credit card. Only place that it didn't work was a fast food place once. I think that could be more of their end.

For ROM, I am running a port of Lineage OS to my phone (CMF Phone 2 Pro by Nothing). Works fine, honestly as good as a drop in replacement could be. No GMS, no forcing of app signing etc.

For transparency, I have an iPhone, this is used for bank apps that lack a website (credit card) and UK Government stuff.

Overall, its super usable. Big fan.

I bought a game called Sheltered 4 years ago, back in 2022. When I tried to download it again, I couldn't because it was no longer on the Play Store. I contacted support, asking for the APK or download files, and they told me they didn't have them. I then requested a refund. When I asked why, they explained that the publisher had removed the game, meaning I no longer had access to it, and that they didn't have the APK file either (which I think is a lie).

If you also purchased the game Sheltered, definitely request your refund. Don't let your money go to a publisher that removes games without any notice or offering refunds to its customers. The fact that the Play Store allows this is a whole separate issue.

Let's see if I'll get my refund.

Below are pictures of the conversation and proof that I purchased the game previously.

It's so much better than typing -sitename into the search bar

Google doesn't have this feature

What is a good affordable alternative to Gmail?

Tuta nota and Proton mail are $5 CAD a month. It doesn't sound like much but it adds up over time. $60 a year. $300 after 5 year. $600 after 10 years. Etc.

I'm waiting for 2027 to buy the new Motorolla phone, but, if it's possible, can I install another great OS on this phone(I have this phone from 2022)?

Heya, i am looking for a synched calander that i can synch with my microsoft school account. i have used Etar till now, but i cant find a way to connect my school account. is it possible or do you recommend a different app?

Whats best private app alternative to google keep for notes.

This is probably a stupid question lol but what do yous use to shop online reasonably securely? I'm currently using Google Pay as a virtual card but I'm obviously trying to move away from Google services. I worry putting my card info directly into online check outs risks it being stolen and my accounts being drained. I know people have asked for alternatives to Google Pay on here before but it mostly seems to be in regards to contactless payments only, to which all the answers are to just use their physical debit card or cash, which is what I do when shopping in person anyways. Are virtual cards and wallets even necessary to shop online? Thank you.

we all are degoogling in this sub, but we use reddit ourselves

which has data collection and cencorships, and is sanitized.

What is a better platform?

It's there... But it's useless... until now... I can install any apks

Ciao a tutti 👋🏻… ho deciso di scrivere questa guida dopo aver subito il furto del mio account Google nella Notte del 24/08/2026 ed essere riuscito fortunatamente a recuperarlo, il tutto è avvenuto tramite furto di sessione Chrome (Session Hijacking / Win + R) sul mio PC Windows. Non ho scoperto niente di nuovo e non mi sto inventando nulla, ho semplicemente seguito le indicazioni di altri utenti che hanno recuperero l’account grazie a YouTube, ma penso che la mia guida sarà più dettagliata… speró saró d’aiuto a più persone possibili.

PREMESSA:
Non perdete tempo nel continuare a contattare Google, non vi aiuterà MAI… ne tramite telefono, ne tramite Mail, ne tramite moduli, la loro risposta sarà sempre “Non possiamo verificare che sia veramente Lei il proprietario dell’account, ci dispiace”… allo stesso tempo, ignorate e bloccate chiunque vi contatti dicendovi “Hey, posso aiutarti, qual’è l’account Hackerato..!?”, su qualunque Social, è gente senza scrupoli che fà leva sulle vostre emozioni / sulla vostra disperazione del momento… concentratevi sui passaggi da eseguire nella mia guida.

1 - Modificate immediatamente tutte le Password più importanti salvate sull’account Google, come la Password Apple, PayPal, Facebook, Instagram, altre eMail, Banche, ecc. ecc.

2 - Effettuate il Login su Twitter / X, se non avete un profilo, registratevi.

3 - Seguite il profilo @TeamYouTube che vedete in foto, corrisponde a YouTube America (non seguite / contattate altri profili YouTube, altrimenti non funzionerà), e attivate le notifiche.

4 - Pubblicate un Post sul vostro profilo Twitter / X taggando @TeamYouTube (assicuratevi di non avere blocchi attivi in Impostazioni -> Privacy & Sicurezza / Pubblico & Tag, il vostro Post dev’essere Pubblico) in cui chiedete aiuto e spiegate in poche parole cosa è successo e quando è avvenuto il furto.

5 - Attendete una risposta automatica da @TeamYouTube (i tempi variano da poche ore a qualche giorno) in cui vi dirà che siete stati contattati in DM.

6 - Nei DM @TeamYouTube vi chiederà, in un primo momento, un’eMail alla quale avete accesso per potervi inoltrare l’Account Recovery Form da compilare, in un secondo momento vi scriverà per dirvi che vi ha inoltrato il Form all’eMail fornita e che avete 48 ore per compilarlo.

7 - Ricevuto il modulo, compilatelo in ogni sua parte… dovete essere precisi, vi chiederà l’ID del vostro canale YouTube (nessuno lo conosce a memoria (chiedete a ChatGPT come recuperarlo, è facile), vi chiederà il vostro Handle, quando è avvenuto il furto, qual’è stato l’ultimo video che avete caricato sul canale, il vostro IP abituale (Es.: Wi-Fi di casa) ecc. ecc., compilate tutto e inviate il modulo.

8 - Se il modulo sarà stato accettato, inizierete a ricevere una raffica di Mail da Google alla vostra eMail di recupero in cui leggerete che tutte le modifiche apportate dall’Hacker sono state rimosse e che, a protezione, l’account è stato temporaneamente disattivato per attività insolite.

9 - Da qui in poi, sempre con un tempo di attesa variabile a seconda dei casi, riuscirete a recuperare l’account selezionando “Prova un altro metodo d’accesso” e inviando il codice di verifica per il login alla vostra eMail di recupero (a me è stato concesso questo passaggio il giorno successivo all’avviso di “Account disattivato”).

10 - Una volta recuperato l’account ed effettuato il login recatevi nelle Impostazioni del vostro account e settate tutte le protezioni possibili e immaginabili (anche se contro il furto di sessione non serviranno a niente, ma è comunque importante settarle).

Probabilmente il Session Hijacking è il furto di di dati più ba***rdo in circolazione, perció state sempre molto attenti a dove cliccate e ai comandi che eseguite, in questo caso è stata colpa mia e ci sono cascato come un pollo, ma per fortuna esiste un valido aiuto e con un pó di pazienza si riuscirà a recuperare il proprio account.
Fortunatamente non ho avuto altri danni, come danni economici attraverso l’accesso alle mie banche, o altro, e dal mio canale YoTube non è stato cancellato nulla, solo resi i video “Privati”, quindi nascosti, sostituita l’immagine profilo e caricati video spazzatura (NFL) che poi ho provveduto a eliminare, perció tutto è Bene ció che finisce Bene.

Non mollate… siate caparbi… chi l’ha DURO la vice, SEMPRE❗️💪
Buon recupero a tutti. 👋🏻😊

I've used Google Docs for years now, but I don't agree with it being able to use my documents to train Gemini AI without my consent. I am sure that by now the damage is already done, but is there any way to turn it off? Or should I just ditch Docs entirely? This is really frustrating because I started using Docs as an alternative for Word and now I need an alternative for my alternative.

Has anyone found any reasonable and at least somewhat convenient alternatives to Google map business reviews when researching new places to visit?

Google Maps has spent years (decades?) collecting useful reviews on businesses that really can’t be matched anywhere else. Apple Maps and Mapquest rely on Yelp - which is the worst of the worst, at least where I try to use them. Yelp reviews are sparse in my area for anything other than restaurants, and the censorship Yelp employs on reviews makes it untrustworthy.

It has become so convenient to use google map reviews for picking restaurants or finding a shop that has what I’m looking for, but I don’t want any Google apps on my phone, and I noticed they’ve changed the mobile web browser interface so that you’re forced to go to the app to read reviews now. Not to mention it prompts you at least 3 times to download/switch to the app whenever you try to use it in a mobile browser.

I have attempted a couple times to set this up using public WiFi and the YouTube app, but kept receiving an error message whenever I entered the dummy number from smspool. While I never got a QR code prompt, I still haven't been able to get the SMS verification code using the dummy number without getting an error message indicating something went wrong. So, it looks like setting up an anonymous Google account this way is not reliable.

I reluctantly tried Aurora Store just to get the Mint Mobile app to transfer phones, but kept getting the "server busy" message that comes from Google rate-limiting anonymous requests.

I've accepted the fact the only way I'll be able to use certain apps I'll need to use the sandboxed play store with an actual account (or find a reliable APK download?) Bummer.

Still open for any other solutions as to how to setup an anonymous Google account (that doesnt involve me getting a second android to factory reset or what not lol)