Is there any free FUNCTIONALITY that you need to do on Android, that you can't do WITHOUT a Google Account?

[Arlen G. Holder]

Is there any free FUNCTIONALITY that you need to do on Android, that you
can't do WITHOUT a Google Account?

The goal, of course, is to eliminate Google as much as possible without
having to resort to rooting and replacing the ROM - so this is a question
about free FUNCTIONALITY on a non-rooted typical current Android phone.

In talking "functionality", I'm assuming we're not beholden to a specific
BRAND of functionality, since it's obvious that if we want to use, oh, say,
the online Google Drive brand cloud service, then, of course, we need a
Google Account to use that specific BRAND of cloud services - but the
FUNCTIONALITY of free cloud services exists _outside_ of Google Accounts.

Certainly email doesn't require a Google Account (unless it's Google Mail).
Certainly calendaring & contact management doesn't require a Google Account.
Neither does web searching and browsing.
Nor do freeware-based backup strategies.
Nor password management, nor passing back & forth encrypted container files.
Neither does the Google Play Store (since Aurora freeware exists).
Neither does YouTube (since NewPipe freeware exists)
Certainly you can edit most documents outside of a Google account.
Even free routing & traffic can be easily done without a Google account.
etc.

One of the rare things, so far, I can _think_ of that _requires_ a Google
Account is free phone calls to/from POTS/Mobile lines within the USA, but
even that _might_ have a non-Google solution out there that I don't know
about.

Do you know of any other free FUNCTIONALITY that you need to do on Android
which still, even to this day, _requires_ a Google account?

[Mr. Man-wai Chang]

On 5/17/2019 9:51 AM, Arlen G. Holder wrote:
> Is there any free FUNCTIONALITY that you need to do on Android, that you
> can't do WITHOUT a Google Account?

> .....


Glad that I am still using a 2G phone. Meow... :)

--
@~@ Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper!!
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty!
/( _ )\ May the Force and farces be with you!
^ ^ (x86_64 Ubuntu 9.10) Linux 2.6.39.3
¤£­É¶U! ¤£¶BÄF! ¤£½ä¿ú! ¤£´©¥æ! ¤£¥´¥æ! ¤£¥´§T! ¤£¦Û±þ! ¤£¨D¯«!
½Ð¦Ò¼{ºî´© (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_pubsvc/page_socsecu/sub_addressesa

[Arlen G. Holder]

On Fri, 17 May 2019 01:51:53 -0000 (UTC), Arlen G. Holder wrote:

> Is there any free FUNCTIONALITY that you need to do on Android, that you
> can't do WITHOUT a Google Account?

Since I only care about facts, here's a copy of a post just now by Carlos
in another thread, where Carlos (and nospam) seem(s) to claim you _need_ a
Google Account for "something" (which he doesn't clarify).

While many people clearly form wholly imaginary belief systems, I don't
o So I just now asked Carlos to clarify why he couldn't do what I can do

He needs the Google Account (apparently); while I don't.
o And yet, I have no problem updating, backing up, etc.

Something doesn't make sense
o Either Carlos' belief system is imaginary, or,
o There's a functionality you can't do without a Google account

But what?
o All I care about - are the facts (my belief system is NOT imaginary)

======= here is Carlos' post outlining his belief system ===========
> Interesting. She got it at T-Mobile and they
> set it up, saying it was required as part of phone
> setup.

It is.

> I don't use a computer phone so I didn't
> pay much attention. But I suppose it doesn't
> really matter. They assigned something random
> and she's never logged on.

Unless you login, you do not get updates or backups.

Make sure she has the login name and password written somewhere, because
on rare occasions the thing may ask for them (like a google servers
failure, happened once to me and thousands more people around here).
Specially when migrating to a new phone, which will happen eventually,
and normally you want at least the phone book copied over.

======= here is my response requesting facts ============
On Tue, 21 May 2019 00:36:38 +0200, Carlos E.R. wrote:

> Unless you login, you do not get updates or backups.

Hi Carlos,

Facts first; only then can adults rationally discuss logic.
o Android phones do NOT need a Google Account

Can you please clarify what you feel does NOT update
o When we simply say "no" to the Google prompt to create an ID?

I only care about the facts, where the narrative changes with the facts.
o But I must say I'm allergic to bullshit such that BS makes me irritable

It's hard to tell if you're just bullshitting again, or not though
o Because you didn't clarify "which" updates or backups you speak of.

Certainly I automatically back up my phone all the time
o Without needing anything to do with a Google Account

It's not clear what you're talking about, as I'm not sure from what you
wrote whether you were talking about apps or if you were talking about the
system, but both seem to update just fine on my non-rooted Android phone
(AFAIK) - which has no Google Account.

I haven't had a Google account on my phone for quite some time, and my
system is updated better than most according to this thread which asked
everyone what version they were automatically updated to:
o What "Android security patch level" is your Android phone currently at?
<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/WKsE8UROGOA/ZrwWceTPAQAJ>

In fact, I've gone further than to eliminate the Google ID in that I've
eliminated _all_ the Google-named apps that didn't break the system
outright (which was all but one):
o In Nougat, which google apps can we safely DISABLE?
<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/8rHYBivfNtU/GWsiku14DAAJ>
And
o GSF independent free, ad free, email programs for Android on Google Play
<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/fQPHDg9VutI/8QhMreVoCwAJ>

If you're talking about apps updating, instead of the system updating, then
that also is already covered in this thread which _is_ Google Play, just
Google Play wearing a white lab coat instead of the familiar pajamas:
o Is there any free FUNCTIONALITY that you need to do on Android, that you

can't do WITHOUT a Google Account?

<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/xzaii4eUY_E/8ZI6VRL8AAAJ>

In summary, since I'm allergic to bullshit, and since I'm beholden to
facts, all I ask is for you to clarify your statements that "Unless you
login, you do not get updates or backups", since I seem to not have the
problems you claim, and I clearly do not have a Google Account on my
Android phone.

To be clear: I'm not saying you're right or wrong - because you didn't
clarify what you were talking about - I'm simply asking for the facts which
you based your belief system upon - and I provided the circumstantial data
by which my belief system is based upon (which is empirical).