A tech writer used Fossify's free Android apps for a week instead of Google's. Privacy improved, but some apps are unfinished and RCS texting is gone.
A writer for Android Police replaced Google's built-in phone apps with free ones from Fossify for a week. The apps have no ads, no tracking and no subscriptions. He kept about half of them. The rest were either unfinished or not as handy as Google's version.
Akshay Bhalla said he was tired of data collection and extra features he never asked for. His main worry was Google adding its Gemini AI assistant to Photos, Messages and even the phone dialer. He did not want AI to have access to his private photos and texts. Fossify makes open source alternatives, which means the code is public for anyone to inspect.
Setup was easy, and nothing needed to be transferred. He could also go back to Google's apps at any time without losing data. The apps can be customized with widgets and Material You theming, which matches colors to your phone.
Fossify Messages does not support RCS, the newer texting standard that replaces old-style text messages. He saw that as a double-edged sword. He lost RCS features, but business spam dropped. He also missed the search in Google Photos. He does not rely on its automatic backup, because he copies his photos to his own home storage device using a tool called Syncthing.
Fossify's keyboard, voice recorder, clock, camera, calculator and documents apps are still in beta, meaning they are not finished. The voice recorder and clock did well. Others need work. Fossify Notes lacks formatting options and file attachments. He kept using Google Keep with Gemini because it lets him dictate notes from the home screen.
He keeps the beta apps installed as backups. Fossify says they get frequent fixes and updates through the Play Store, according to the article.
The swap fits people who want less tracking and do not need AI features in everyday apps. It costs nothing and can be undone. The trade-off is some lost convenience. The article text provided ends before its full list of caveats, so those are not covered here.
Fossify's free apps are an easy, reversible way to cut tracking, but expect to lose RCS texting and to find some beta apps unfinished.
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