Divest Google

This is a complete checklist to start living a great life without Google

Symbols

• ⚠️ You can't use this app after deleting your account

Summary

• What is this list ?
• Notes
• Glossary
• Google Services
  • Calendar
  • Chrome
  • Drive
  • Gmail
  • Google Photos
  • Youtube
  • Third Party Apps
• Android
  • Play Store
  • Contacts
  • Google Authenticator

What is this list ?

Have you ever wanted to delete your Google account ? Did you give up instantly after realizing how many Google services you use on a day-to-day basis ? Well, this list is for you. From passwords in Google Chrome to Google Contacts sync, this list will help you remove Google from your life without losing your most important data.

You should do a service one at a time, to slowly get used to other services.

(I personnaly liked Youtube and its UI, and I switched to NewPipe and Piped. After a week I just didn't remember I liked the UI.)

Notes

For a complete list of privacy-friendly tools, please check out https://www.privacyguides.org.

Feel free to ask for changes

Glossary

• Front-end alternative : a website or application that proxies the original service to provide more privacy. (example : NewPipe on Android is used to watch videos from Youtube, but it isn't an offical application of Google/Youtube)
• Free (as in speech) : you can use the software as you like, run it as you like, improve the program and redistribute the software if you want to.
• Free (as in beer) : there's no cost
• Open-Source : the code is open, anyone can read it.
• FOSS : acronym for Free, Open-Source Software

Google Services

• Calendar⚠️

  • You will lose :

    • Your events

  • How to export :

    • Events -> https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37111?hl=en

  • Alternatives :

    • Nextcloud Calendar (FOSS)
    • Protonmail Calendar
    • Outlook Calendar
    • Tutanota Calendar (FOSS)
    • DAVx5 (for Contacts/Calendar synchronization)
    • EteSync (for contact/notes/calendar/tasks synchronization) -> https://www.etesync.com/ (cloud or self-hostable)(FOSS)

• Chrome

  • You will lose :

    • Passwords
    • Bookmarks

  • How to export :

    • Passwords -> https://www.howtogeek.com/715223/how-to-export-and-delete-saved-passwords-in-chrome/
    • Bookmarks -> https://www.howtogeek.com/744989/how-to-export-chrome-bookmarks/

  • Alternatives:

    • For web browsing :
      • Brave (FOSS)
      • Firefox (FOSS)
    • For password manager :
      • Bitwarden (FOSS)
      • KeepassXC (FOSS)

• Drive⚠️

  • You will lose :

    • Your files (Documents/Musics/Pictures/Videos)

  • How to export :

    • Your files -> https://www.howtogeek.com/696484/how-to-export-your-google-drive-files/

  • Alternatives :

    • ProtonDrive (by Protonmail)
    • OneDrive
    • Nextcloud (FOSS)

• Gmail⚠️

  • You will lose :

    • Your important mail

  • How to export :

    • https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10016932?hl=en

  • Alternatives :

    • Protonmail
    • Tutanota (FOSS)
    • Outlook

• Google Photos⚠️

  • You will lose :

    • Your photos
    • Your shared photos

  • How to export :

    • https://takeout.google.com

  • Alternatives :

    • Nextcloud
    • Simple Gallery from SimpleMobileTools (android)(FOSS) -> https://www.simplemobiletools.com/
    • PhotoPrism
    • Piwigo
    • Lychee

• Youtube

  • You will lose :

    • The videos you posted
    • Your subscriptions
    • Your playlists

  • How to export :

    • The videos you posted -> https://www.howtogeek.com/693705/how-to-download-your-own-youtube-videos/
    • Your subscriptions -> https://newpipe.net/FAQ/tutorials/import-export-data/#import-youtube
    • Your playlists -> N/A for now

  • Alternatives :

    • Front-end Alternative
      • Freetube
      • Piped (FOSS)
      • Invidious (FOSS)
      • NewPipe (Android)(FOSS)
      • LibreTube (Android)(FOSS)(Still in BETA)
      • Youtube Vanced (Android)(DISCONTINUED)
    • Alternatives
      • Peertube (FOSS)
      • Vimeo

• Third Party Apps

  • Really, don't forget this one, these are the apps you signed in with your google account, like spotify for example.
  • -> https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3466521?hl=en

Android

• Play Store⚠️

  • You will lose :

    • Your paid apps
    • Your score/stats on some games

  • How to export :

    • N/A

  • Alternatives :

    • Front-end Alternatives
      • Aurora Store (FOSS)
    • Alternatives
      • F-Droid (but only for FOSS apps) (FOSS)
      • NeoStore (front-end alternative for F-Droid, Android 12 Design) (FOSS)
  • Notes : You can still access your paid apps with Aurora Store with your own google account, but this is not recommended. If you remove your google account, you will lose everything, included those paid apps

• Contacts

  • You will lose :

    • Your contacts
    • The auto synchronization of your contacts

  • How to export :

    • Contacts -> https://support.google.com/contacts/answer/7199294?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop

  • Alternatives :

    • EteSync (for contact/notes/calendar/tasks synchronization) -> https://www.etesync.com/ (cloud or self-hostable)(FOSS)
    • DAVx5 (for Contacts/Calendar synchronization) (FOSS)
    • Nextcloud Contacts (can be used for Contacts/Calendar synchronization) (FOSS)
    • Tutanota Contacts (FOSS)
    • Simple Contacts from SimpleMobileTools (FOSS) -> https://www.simplemobiletools.com/

• Google Authenticator

  • Notes : I never used this one, I don't know if you really need a Google account

  • You will lose :

    • Your 2FA codes

  • How to export :

    • 2FA -> https://github.com/scito/extract_otp_secret_keys
    • (or if you have a second device) 2FA -> https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1066447#zippy=%2Ctransfer-google-authenticator-codes-to-new-phone

  • Alternatives :

    • Yubikey 5 NFC (with Yubico Authenticator)
    • Aegis (FOSS)
    • AndOTP (FOSS)