Also, why do you leave your de-googled device? Just don’t pay for stuff on their store and use alternative stores with anonymous access like Aurora store or just go full f-droid.
I use iodéOS and am very happy with it. Easy de-googled life.
Grayjay is nice, not perfect but getting better all the time.
I won’t buy a new device because of this, I unfortunately just purchased a new phone on a Black Friday deal.
But there is no way in hell I’m going to inflate android’s user base with my next device purchase. That’s where I draw the line, no more Google hardware or software purchases. Zero.
I’m sure as fuck not buying a Pixel, or buying anything through Google’s marketplace. I’m not buying another Android device, and I’m not sure if there is anything that could change my mind at this point. Google is dead to me after this.
It’s important to remember that Google is an adtech business first and foremost. It’s basically the only way they can generate cash.
ADtech relies on user counts and active users to negotiate prices and other business deals. I’m not helping Google facilitate those business practices in the future.
Buying a used pixel and putting Graphene on it sounds great in principle, but you are 110% adding yourself to the pool of Google pixel users, inflating the value of Google’s advertising business. You don’t get to opt out of that user count, even if you are 101% ‘degoogled’ your are going to be counted as a Google phone owner. Because you would be.
That’s where I draw the line, no more Google hardware or software purchases. Zero. I’m sure as fuck not buying a Pixel, or buying anything through Google’s marketplace
Refurbished? I get what you mean but at the same time you can still have a Google phone without paying Google. That’s what I did with my Pixel 8 and I’m happy with it, I kinda miss a few features of my Samsung phone but nothing crazy (face unlock and auto unlock if pin is correct)
Edit: Uh I just read the second half 🤦♂️ I don’t really see the problem here
You cannot purchase a Pixel without positively affecting Google’s profit margins. It’s not possible, you own a pixel you are a Google phone owner. If you are a Google phone owner you count towards their user counts, which directly affects the price they can negotiate for their ad business. The larger their userbase is, the more they can charge. The more ad business they get the more leverage they have.
It doesn’t matter that you block everything from Google at that point. It doesn’t matter that you purchased your phone from somebody other than Google, regardless of the new/used condition. You can never interact with Google in any way shape or form, but the fact that you own a Google phone is giving them more leverage and more power.
I know I’m getting down votes all over this thread for holding this position, I don’t care and I think it’s important for people to be honest with themselves. Graphene might be a great option, it might even be the best option today from a privacy standpoint, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t huge issues with buying a phone from Google to get it. It also doesn’t mean that the entire android community should give up on making something that works on non-Google devices, which is unfortunately how I feel at this point. If you don’t want to buy a pixel then the Android community is almost completely worthless in 2025. And at that point I might as well run an iPhone.
I’m not trying to say anyone is a bad person for making these choices. ‘There is no ethical consumption under capitalism’. I’m saying that my choice going forward is to not give that company any more money or power if I can help it. And the most effective way I can do that is to not purchase anything they have their hands in.
I’m also not claiming that the other options are good either, but at this point it’s becoming harder for me to ignore this crap.
Nobody cares if you care about ads.
The largest companies humanity have ever known are ADtech businesses.
You completely missed my point because of your apple hatred, literally the definition of a fanboy.
I have never owned an apple product but I’m not going to deny the reality of the situation to justify my past purchases.
For replacing youtube, use https://grayjay.app/
Also, why do you leave your de-googled device? Just don’t pay for stuff on their store and use alternative stores with anonymous access like Aurora store or just go full f-droid.
I use iodéOS and am very happy with it. Easy de-googled life.
Grayjay is nice, not perfect but getting better all the time. I won’t buy a new device because of this, I unfortunately just purchased a new phone on a Black Friday deal. But there is no way in hell I’m going to inflate android’s user base with my next device purchase. That’s where I draw the line, no more Google hardware or software purchases. Zero. I’m sure as fuck not buying a Pixel, or buying anything through Google’s marketplace. I’m not buying another Android device, and I’m not sure if there is anything that could change my mind at this point. Google is dead to me after this.
It’s important to remember that Google is an adtech business first and foremost. It’s basically the only way they can generate cash. ADtech relies on user counts and active users to negotiate prices and other business deals. I’m not helping Google facilitate those business practices in the future. Buying a used pixel and putting Graphene on it sounds great in principle, but you are 110% adding yourself to the pool of Google pixel users, inflating the value of Google’s advertising business. You don’t get to opt out of that user count, even if you are 101% ‘degoogled’ your are going to be counted as a Google phone owner. Because you would be.
Refurbished? I get what you mean but at the same time you can still have a Google phone without paying Google. That’s what I did with my Pixel 8 and I’m happy with it, I kinda miss a few features of my Samsung phone but nothing crazy (face unlock and auto unlock if pin is correct)
Edit: Uh I just read the second half 🤦♂️ I don’t really see the problem here
You cannot purchase a Pixel without positively affecting Google’s profit margins. It’s not possible, you own a pixel you are a Google phone owner. If you are a Google phone owner you count towards their user counts, which directly affects the price they can negotiate for their ad business. The larger their userbase is, the more they can charge. The more ad business they get the more leverage they have. It doesn’t matter that you block everything from Google at that point. It doesn’t matter that you purchased your phone from somebody other than Google, regardless of the new/used condition. You can never interact with Google in any way shape or form, but the fact that you own a Google phone is giving them more leverage and more power. I know I’m getting down votes all over this thread for holding this position, I don’t care and I think it’s important for people to be honest with themselves. Graphene might be a great option, it might even be the best option today from a privacy standpoint, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t huge issues with buying a phone from Google to get it. It also doesn’t mean that the entire android community should give up on making something that works on non-Google devices, which is unfortunately how I feel at this point. If you don’t want to buy a pixel then the Android community is almost completely worthless in 2025. And at that point I might as well run an iPhone. I’m not trying to say anyone is a bad person for making these choices. ‘There is no ethical consumption under capitalism’. I’m saying that my choice going forward is to not give that company any more money or power if I can help it. And the most effective way I can do that is to not purchase anything they have their hands in.
I’m also not claiming that the other options are good either, but at this point it’s becoming harder for me to ignore this crap.
I don’t care about ads, I block them since 2020 and everyone should do that, period. Apple is a no go for the reason I said below
Nobody cares if you care about ads. The largest companies humanity have ever known are ADtech businesses.
You completely missed my point because of your apple hatred, literally the definition of a fanboy. I have never owned an apple product but I’m not going to deny the reality of the situation to justify my past purchases.
Fanboy of what?
Apple is not better than Google btw