How to disable the Google Gmail app on Android Pie from communicating with Google servers

[Arlen Holder]

*How to disable the Google Gmail app on Android Pie as much as possible.*
<https://i.postimg.cc/PrC62JRd/gmail01.jpg>

0. Note that actually using Gmail apparently syncs contacts
whether you purposefully set contacts to sync or not
(so make sure the Gmail app is never used on your phone).

(I also use a completely separate vcard file for contacts,
but most people will use the default Android contacts file.)

1. Most importantly, do not set up a Google Account in the Android OS
Note: You can have a Google account; just don't point the OS to it.

2. Optionally, in Android settings for Gmail, "uninstall updates":
o Replace this app with the factory version = yes
(mine is locked to the factory version 9.2.3.235065705 release).

2. Turn all possible Gmail app permissions off
o Calender, Contacts, & Storage = off

3. Clear Gmail storage by pressing "Clear Storage" & "Clear Cache".

4. Turn off "background data"
o Enable usage of mobile data in the background = off

5. Set the GMail app "Open by default" to _not_ open as the default MUA
Opening links > Open supported links = Don't open in this app

6. Anything else?
<https://i.postimg.cc/PrC62JRd/gmail01.jpg>
--
Privacy is partially a matter of not being afraid to unset the defaults.

[Arlen Holder]

On Sat, 7 Mar 2020 03:09:32 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

> Privacy is partially a matter of not being afraid to unset the defaults.

UPDATE:
<https://i.postimg.cc/fbwNRB1D/permission14.jpg>

As most know, I strive for privacy on all operating systems I own
o Android, iOS, Linux, and Windows

On Android, I turned off all "google services" possible, and only turned
back on those that directly affected how I use the phone (which turns out
to be very few "google services", AFAICT).

Even with all these grayed out "Google" apps "disabled" on Android
o The Moto G7 still appears to work fine (as far as I can tell so far)
<https://i.postimg.cc/fbwNRB1D/permission14.jpg>
--
People who trust their intuition more than they trust facts, scare me.

[Libor Striz]

Arlen Holder <arlen.geo...@is.invalid> Wrote in message:

> People who trust their intuition more than they trust facts, scare me.

Good facts are much better than intution.

Good intuition is much better than lack of facts.

Many advances in science and technology
were based in large extend on intuition,
crossing the boundary of the known facts.


--
Poutnik ( the Wanderer )

[Arlen Holder]

On Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:00:17 +0100 (GMT+01:00), Libor Striz wrote:

> Good facts are much better than intution.
>
> Good intuition is much better than lack of facts.
>
> Many advances in science and technology
> were based in large extend on intuition,
> crossing the boundary of the known facts.

Hi Poutnik,

...THIS IS AN OFF TOPIC POST/RESPONSE SINCE IT'S BASED ON A MERE SIG...

The main point for a Usenet ng is that the vast majority of people on this
ng who are clearly ill-educated utter morons, all work almost completely
off their (child-like) intuition.

They _trust_ their child-like (faulty) intuition more than they trust facts
to the contrary, which I've proven so many times on this ng that you'll
take that as a proven fact, I hope (since it has been proven umpteen
times).

I can list those utter morons easily, but you already know who they are.

However, when we talk about _educated_ people, then what we might term
"intuition" changes greatly since we have years of physics, chemistry,
biology, calculus, computer science, and other hard sciences under our
belt.

Based on what the child-like morons in this newsgroup frequently post...
o I doubt those morons on this newsgroup even have an undergraduate degree.

I base that assessment solely on the utter childish fact-free bullshit they
constantly spew out - which is based - completely - on their intuition.

It's why these morons always fail even the _simplest_ test of adult belief
systems, which is a simple three-word challenge (which they _always_ fail):
o Name just one

That is, the bullshit flies on this newsgroup such that most posters can't
back up their stated beliefs with even a _single_ fact backing them up.

These utter morons on this ng work solely off their (faulty) intuition.

However, to your point, given we're both highly educated, we're different
in that we're quite well aware that...
1. Very many scientific facts were NOT found by intuition.
2. And lots of intuition was dead wrong, for thousands of years!
3. Only rarely is someone's intuition actually correct, it seems.
4. And, sometimes facts are found out completely by accident.

Since you're well educated, I'm sure you are aware of all these in many
instances, where I'll simply list, off the top of my head, one for each.

1. Rutherford's gold-foil experimental result was not intuitive to him.
2. Einstein termed his intuitive "cosmological constant" a "blunder".
3. Dmitri Mendeleev intuited the existence of the periodic table.
4. Penzias & Wilson accidentally stumbled upon CMB permeating the universe.

The main point of that sig line is that the people on this ng who are _not_
well educated, work solely off their (faulty) intuition - which - I posit -
is why they always form wholly imaginary belief systems.

These wholly imaginary belief systems always fail the simple 3-word
challenge of imaginary belief systems which are based on zero facts:
o Name just one
--
Ill-educated people who bravely trust their intuition more than they trust
facts, scare me (simply because they think all facts are intuitive - and
yet - they're almost always wrong because not all facts are intuitive).

[Libor Striz]

Arlen Holder <arlen.geo...@is.invalid> Wrote in message:

> THIS IS AN OFF TOPIC POST/RESPONSE SINCE IT'S BASED ON A MERE SIG

In fact, the sig directly relates
to the frequent facts related litanies.

What is off topic are multi page rantings to short notes.

[Arlen Holder]

On Wed, 11 Mar 2020 14:33:59 +0100 (GMT+01:00), Libor Striz wrote:

> What is off topic are multi page rantings to short notes.

Hi Poutnik,

Short observation:
o I responded to your concerns using science, fact, & adult logic.

You responded to my sincere adult reply - with your childish bullshit.

Short question:
o Q: Do you have _any_ technical value to add to this thread, or not?

--
If you have no value to add Poutnik, please stop your bullshit.

[Libor Striz]

Arlen Holder <arlen.geo...@is.invalid> Wrote in message:

> I responded to your concerns using science, fact, & adult logic.You responded to my sincere adult reply with your childish bullshit.

Your frequent and long childish rantings to most users
remind me rather emotional breakdown
than science, facts and adult logic.

Do not let it stand in the path of providing Android related facts
I do not deny you a credit for.

[Arlen Holder]

On Thu, 12 Mar 2020 17:34:08 +0100 (GMT+01:00), Libor Striz wrote:

> Do not let it stand in the path of providing Android related facts
> I do not deny you a credit for.

Hi Poutnik,

For the permanent Usenet record... and for the _adults_ on this ng...
you've already ruined this thread so allow me to explain how adults think.

If you want to chit chat, I leave you alone if you bullshit on threads
where I'm not trying to add value - so you don't need to post your bullshit
to this thread where I'm faithfully trying to add value.

You need to understand that I'm not here to listen to idiotic bullshit.
o Post your childish bullshit on someone else's threads.

I'm here for one reason and one reason only - which is to solve issues.
o I strive to ADD VALUE to every thread that I post on c.m.a.

Hence, there's a huge difference between me and most posters on Usenet.
o I ask hard tough technical questions of Android users
o And, when I do, I diligently work every sensible suggestion
o I run tests, I post screenshots, I write tutorials, etc.
o Then I post the solution to the problem, which usually is fantastic.

That's a _lot_ of work, Poutnik.
o How much work did you expend in spouting multiple times your bullshit?

It takes nothing for morons like nospam, Jeorg, micky, JavaJive, etc.,
to spout their childish bullshit over and over and over and over again.

Notice I _ignore_ those morons in potlucks which I didn't author.

But if I'm gonna author a potluck, I will come down hard on the "guests"
who feel it's funny to bring, as their contribution, a steaming pile of
their bullshit.

I spend a _lot_ of energy adding value to the threads that I author.
o I don't take kindly to morons who simply bring bullshit as their value.

The instant you crapped on this thread, it was ruined.
o It's what morons like nospam and jetcock do.

But I was hoping you'd have more value to add than do those utter morons.

Notice if you want to bullshit, I leave you alone if you bullshit on
threads where I'm not trying to add value - so you don't need to post your
bullshit to this thread where I'm faithfully trying to add value.
--
Only 2 kinds of people are on Usenet: Those adding value & those who can't.

[nospam]

In article <r4g4tr$2jf$1...@news.mixmin.net>, Arlen Holder

<arlen.geo...@is.invalid> wrote:

> You need to understand that I'm not here to listen

that much is clear.

[Arlen Holder]

On Fri, 13 Mar 2020 11:13:23 -0400, nospam wrote:

>> You need to understand that I'm not here to listen
>
> that much is clear.

For the permanent Usenet record... given Poutnik already ruined the
thread...

While Poutnik actually has the education and capability of adding value to
c.m.a...

Notice that well-known wholly uneducated morons like nospam, who are proven
sadistic bullshitters with absolutely zero helpful intent, can _never_
comprehend why it matters on Usenet to always strive to post threads which
_add value_ to the overall tribal knowledge of Usenet.

Here's a recent thread of mine that _adds value_ to c.m.a:
o
<>

Is there _any_ thread from nospam that adds any value to c.m.a?
o ? if so ... cite it here and now!

Unlike Poutnik, who is well educated, I posit that the clearly uneducated
morons like nospam who can't ever post any thread of added value, will
never own the adult skills required to _comprehend_ why it's important for
adults to strive to purposefully add value with every thread they author.

Poutnik is well educated and intelligent; nospam can only bullshit.
o It's why nospam's credibility is worse than the result of a coin toss.

While mine is stellar on facts.

[Arlen Holder]

On Fri, 13 Mar 2020 15:31:44 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

> Here's a recent thread of mine that _adds value_ to c.m.a:
> o
> <>

Ooops. I'm sure the trolls will have a field day with that gaff...

Given my premise is there are only two kinds of people on Usenet:
a. People like Poutnik who are both educated and intelligent
b. People like nospam who clearly are not educated nor intelligent

Those who are educated & intelligent _can_ comprehend why it matters to add
value to Usenet, just as they can comprehend why a scientific paper always
strives to add value to the scientific community.

Those who are ill educated and not intelligent will _never_ understand why
it matters to add value.

Hence, for those people who have _never_ even once in their lives added any
value to the overall Android tribal knowledge, I already realize, well
ahead of their childish posts, that they lack the capacity to add value.

In short, if someone has never posted any value to Usenet, then there's
zero chance they'll understand why it mattered that I explained to Poutnik
(who _is_ educated so he _can_ add value) to always strive to add value
with every thread authored.

Here's a recent thread of mine that adds value to our tribal knowledge:
o How do you snap a screenshot on Android 9 given a delay time in seconds?
<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/lBbHJdKgBaM/Pf_5QRh7AgAJ>

To any who respond to this thread with your childish taunts, I will respond
back asking you to cite at least a _single_ thread in the entire history of
Usenet which you've posted to this newsgroup that adds on-topic value.

It's the adult way to respond to your childish sadistic bullshit.

[nospam]

In article <r4g910$g75$2...@news.mixmin.net>, Arlen Holder

<arlen.geo...@is.invalid> wrote:

> Here's a recent thread of mine that _adds value_ to c.m.a:
> o
> <>

looks like there's a bug in your auto-posting script.

[Arlen Holder]

On Mon, 9 Nov 2020 12:18:35 -0800, Adam wrote:

> Thanks, I kept getting the "account action required" message about
> the email address that was entered. So, I went to "Settings" and
> searched for "account" and did a "Remove Account".
>
> Now, I get a message complaining about
> "Backup - Need to set the backup account".
>
> It just goes in circles. :-)

Hi Adam,

I don't get _any_ of that, but I can imagine that Google is desperate to
get you to give them all your data. :)

Both Google & Apple survive by convincing people to put their data on their
servers - which they then use to their advantage - and not to yours (IMHO).

Note the distinction between having a Google Account and setting the phone
_to_ a Google Account. You can have a Google Account _without_ setting the
phone operating system to that account.

For example, if you want, you can have a Google Account for email, but just
not get your email on the Android phone using the Gmail App; you can use
_any_ other Mail User Agent (MUA) other than Gmail though, such as K9Mail.

For Google Maps, there's no reason to need to log in, although, as I
mentioned, for a while (about a year) the Google Maps app required you to
log into it in order to download offline maps (but I think they fixed that
when I moved to Android 10 a few months ago).

For the YouTube App, you can do almost everything without logging into an
account, as I recall, except subscribing. But, if you use the freeware
NewPipe replacement for the crappy YouTube app, you can not only
anonymously subscribe to a YouTube channel, but you'll never see any
advertisements if you use the NewPipe App instead of the YouTube app (in my
humble opinion, only morons use the YouTube App because NewPipe is just
about the best there is on this planet for freeware to replace it).

For Google Play, as I recall, you need to log in to download APKs, but then
you can log out, or, you can do what I do which is use the free Aurora
Store scraper, which pulls the EXACT SAME APKs off the Google Play Store,
only anonymously (and with a far greater choice of filters, e.g., you can
filter out Google apps, or payware, or adware, or even any apps that use
the Google Services Framework, etc.).

Unlike with iOS, there's nothing you can't do on an Android phone without a
Google Account set up in the phone, where I should know as I use the phone
a lot, and I do not have a Google Account set up in the phone.

There are freeware calendars (I use Simple Mobile Tools) and freeware SMS
apps (I use PulseSMS) so you're not beholden to Google Apps in the least as
far as I know. (We should probably create a thread of all the one-to-one
replacements for Google Apps.)

I do my backup using the PC where I have terabytes of disk space, so I'm
not sure how Google does backups. But I'm sure there is a setting to turn
"sync" off somewhere in the operating system settings. For example, in my
"Accounts" section, at the bottom is a "Automatically sync data" slider
which is turned off.

I also have in my settings for "System", a "Backup" slider, which, as you
can imagine, is set to off.

We probably should author an entire thread on all the steps necessary to
set up an unrooted Android phone to zero Google apps. Sigh.