Goodbye googoo blather

[Rgarner]

I recently dumped googoo's crappy disservices and of course they keep sending "messages" in a vain attempt to get me to take them back. That ain't hapoening, but what can I do to get rid of their annoying garbage? Do I need a firewall or sonething else?

 

[Hadron]

How are they sending "messages"? Notifications from apps that are still installed and not disabled? Emails from Google? Something else?

 

[Rgarner]

I guess ir's something else. It keeps saying to enable it or else this that and the other thing won't work. It seems to me that's bull. If anything, the phone probably runs better without their junk. A lot of those are things I don't want anyway. The messages just show up at the top of the screen and also appear on the pulldown screen. I have tried to do whatever I can to minimize googoo's "communication" with me and their interference generally.

 

[nickdalzell]

Likely constant notifications such as 'to use [app name] you need to update/enable Google Play Services'

You can turn all those notifications off. Many apps, too many in fact, tend to depend on Play Services for things like in-app purchases, even if you never use them. As such, it makes them error out and put a notification up, even though they can technically work fine without, so long as you are ok with not getting the premium content and just use the free option. Some however, like games, tend to put a full-on pop-up demanding you enable Play Services while the game is still running behind the alert, and close out if you say no. sometimes turning off the screen overlay permission stops those, often just tapping anywhere around the alert dismisses it, and sometimes such a game will just outright not run at all, like Pokemon Go.

Back in the Android 2.3 days this was never a problem. Other than UI design preferences, I use old apps apks to replace any 'modern' app with an Android 2.3 counterpart, and never deal with Play Services at all. AOSP Music, Angry Birds 1.6.2, ES File Explorer 3.x or below, Gallery GB, and Dolphin Browser Mini from 2009 don't do any of that. the awesome thing is that on modern devices, that 2009 browser can load modern sites since it seems to be using the webview engine that Chrome does, so it future-proofed it.

 

[Rgarner]

I've done just about everything I can short of rooting to disable the evil idiots and I still get their crap. Usually it's when I use the camera but sometimes seemingly random. For instance, they keep bothering me about how android setup won't work without their garbage. Maybe it's set up already.

 

[ocnbrze]

you should just buy the linux phone that xda makes........lol

 

[mikedt]

It sounds like something on your device is still logged into "googoo", and that's why it's still receiving the push notifications. Maybe do a factory reset, and DO NOT login to Google when you set it up again, and any apps you may need just sideload them from a third-party appstore.

 

[Rgarner]

I probably should. How much does it cost? I dare not assume it's already rooted...

 

[Rgarner]

Thar sounds good except for a couple of things. One is that if I do a factory reset I lose all or most of the good stuff and I've got nowhere else to put it. Two is that I never signed in to the nasty freaks in the first place. Is there some other way?

 

[nickdalzell]

The best method is to not outright disable Play Services, but gimp it where it cannot phone home anymore with an app like Netguard No-Root Firewall, and disable the internet to any other service/app you want as well. That way those apps won't complain and nothing breaks and best part, nothing can phone home to Google or any other analytics company.

outright disabling Play Services breaks a lot of things like location so even GPS apps no longer work, and many banking apps cease to function as well.

 

[mikedt]

Thar sounds good except for a couple of things. One is that if I do a factory reset I lose all or most of the good stuff and I've got nowhere else to put it. Two is that I never signed in to the nasty freaks in the first place. Is there some other way?

Well something must be signed in if you're receiving notifications from your account.

 

[nickdalzell]

I have noticed that even logging into m.youtube.com in the Samsung browser can oftentimes set up a 'google account' on your device. So just logging into Youtube or setting up Gmail on a non-google email client can do it. Don't ask me why they sneak that in, as it should just set it up on the browser or the email client, not sneak in a full on Google account to your device.

I have also noticed the Play Store updating apps, mainly Google apps without being signed in or even opened once on a cheap Walmart tablet. Play Store is the first app I outright disable due to that and because I'm not some noob who needs a dinky app store.

 

[Rgarner]

Amen to that, I don't use their "play store" and there is no way I would sign in to yuk tube. I don't want location or banking either. I have No Root Firewall and InviZible. I guess I must be doing sonething wrong.

 

[nickdalzell]

I wish there were an alternative site like YouTube where all the same content creators I follow also posted to, but many left their old Vimeo accounts to abandon, and the other alternatives are right-wing cesspools like BitChute and Odysee.

I only keep my premium because they declared war on adblock.

 

[The_Chief]

Nick, you might want to take a look at the true free speech site Gab (if it has a smartphone app, it's censored) where the only "community standard" is the First Amendment. If it's legal to say (in the United States of America), it's legal to post. GabTV has recently been integrated into the main social media site, although Gab Clips is a fun "shorts" section.

 

[nickdalzell]

Gab is to Facebook what BitChute is to YouTube, an alt-right hellscape. Plus I don't want to use a smartphone anymore after seeing what it's doing to people and society across the board, so the less apps and less screen time, the better. I'm saying this as a conservative myself, but you won't find me anywhere near the type who think the earth is flat, the moon landing was faked, or that vegans are ending the world. I'm just old fashioned, want to live like it's the 50s, and am a fan of vintage tech, and am not afraid to speak my mind even if it offends someone doing so. If I could post to this forum from a Centurion minicomputer or an IBM 5170 AT you know I would.

Besides, I follow a ton of content creators, Shango066, RadioTVphononut, and LGR to name three, and am not sure if they post to alternative platforms, as they never mention it. LGR had some ancient content on Vimeo years ago though. one content creator, techformative, also posts to Odysee but one look at that site and I noped right out. nothing against him specifically, but the overall impression just from seeing the homepage and the feed of videos it offered.

 

[The_Chief]

Well, that's the beauty and the ugly of "free speech" - people are free to express their opinions that the earth is flat; that space travel is all staged; and that the Illuminati is monitoring everyone's cell phone. That doesn't mean, however, they have a right to be listened to: so for those members who are expressing opinions with which I don't particularly agree, I can mute or block them. Problem solved - I just don't pay attention to them! This is how human conversation has occurred throughout our history: the best ideas naturally rise to the top and the worst quickly fall into obscurity... but ALL ideas are expressed. If you don't like that, you're free to pick another platform.

 

[nickdalzell]

Well, when the majority of the user base talks about that kind of stuff It's like me being a deer lover in a hunting convention--it just makes no sense to join in the conversation. I would feel unwelcome and be someone who'd never be able to fit into such a service, much like i'd be the reason the player piano stops playing and everyone in the saloon looks at me angry if i were in a western. There are just groups I would never fit in with, and sadly, there isn't any online platform where 'free speech' could at least gravitate to something other than alex jones or joe rogan drivel.

I personally wish I could find a group of real people offline in my own town to relate to, but everyone is zombies staring into smartphones the instant I leave my home. i'm also very stubborn and resistant to change, and while I might find alternative creators that are similar to LGR and the like, it will always look and be different from what I'm used to and that's what always makes me cave and come back, whether I want that or not.

 

[The_Chief]

That's not my experience but I hope you find a platform you like!

 

[nickdalzell]

To be honest, I'm trying to disconnect from the online world more and more with time. I've gotten it to just my Nintendo switch for Youtube and this one laptop for forums and Reddit, and hoping to ultimately log off for keeps one day, when my physical media library matches my online library. as I said, I'm wanting to live like it's the '50s. at least I've conditioned myself to not google everything, to be ok with saying to someone 'i do not know', and having no internet or computer at work.