Living without Google on an Android phone: what you gain and lose

Android Police writer Jesse Hollington wiped Google off his Pixel 6 and lived with a privacy-focused system called GrapheneOS. His verdict: the phone runs cooler and lasts a bit longer, but you will carry a physical card and use bank websites instead of apps.

What changed

GrapheneOS is a custom version of Android built to be as secure and private as possible. It leaves out Google's services by default. The install took about 15 minutes. A month later, Hollington says he was still adjusting to daily life without Google.

What you gain

The phone got quieter. Hollington did not miss the constant nudges from Google services. He also found his older Tensor G1 chip, which ran hot on the standard Pixel software, stayed cool. Standby battery life rose by an hour or two. He says Google Play Services spends a lot of time waking the processor and pinging the internet.

What breaks

Notifications are the first surprise. Most apps rely on Google's Firebase Cloud Messaging to alert you, and that is missing without Play Services. Signal works fine because it uses its own connection. Proton Mail does not, so a third-party app called You Have Mail is needed.

• Google Wallet tap-to-pay does not work, even if you add Play Services back. It requires a certified system.
• Most banking apps fail Play Integrity checks, a test that needs Play Services.
• Android Auto only works if you install Play Services.
• Google Drive, device backups and Google photo backups are gone.

Hollington notes that Europe may fare better, because many banks there build their own tap-to-pay. In North America, payments lean on Google Wallet.

Workarounds that helped

The web fills many gaps. Hollington logged in to online banking and used Uber Eats and DoorDash through Vanadium, the GrapheneOS browser. Slack and WhatsApp were clunkier, since they need their desktop versions on a 6.4-inch screen.

For maps, Organic Maps and Magic Earth work in most areas, but with no live traffic or current business details. Hollington used his car's built-in Google system instead. For files and photos, Nextcloud works well, as do Proton Drive, Ente Photos and Immich, which backs up to a home server. Nextcloud's battery setting must be set to Unrestricted so the phone does not put it to sleep.

What to do

Treat this as a trade, not an upgrade. If you pay with your phone every day or rely on a bank app, a Google-free phone will be a hard fit. If you want fewer trackers and are fine with a card in your pocket, it is worth a closer look.