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submitted 7 months ago by joelvdc@lemmy.world to c/degoogle@lemmy.ml

A process that started roughly a year ago with just changing browser and search engine, now feeling that I got somewhere. The journey ended up being more than just degoogle, but also demetaing and taking more control over my data and privacy.

Before and after picture with notes:

Chrome -> Zen browser (Firefox on iOS)

Google -> Qwant

Gmail -> Proton Mail

NordVPN -> Proton VPN (I don’t use VPN very often, but have NordVPN through another subscription, now replaced with Proton across my devices)

Google Drive / Photos -> Proton Drive

Google Password Manager -> Proton Pass

Google Authenticator -> Proton Pass / Ente (Ente Auth is only used to store my 2FA keys for the Proton account, other keys are stored in Proton Pass)

Google Translator -> DeepL

YouTube -> FreeTube (Unwatched on iOS)

Google Maps -> Magic Earth (OSM on desktop)

WhatsApp -> Signal

Notion -> Anytype

Keep / Notes -> Notesnook

X -> Mastodon / Bluesky

Reddit -> Lemmy (Voyager on iOS, dreaming of an eventual complete migration)

Instagram -> Pixelfed

Facebook -> stopped using

Windows 11 -> Ubuntu (Only personal laptop, work laptop still windows)

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[-] Imaginary_Stand4909 1 points 2 days ago

Just buy second-hand.

I do want to move from Pixel to Linux, but there's reported glaring issues when it comes to daily-use. Specs and battery aren't my biggest focus but I've never even had to consider that since mainstream phones don't have poor specs. I thankfully don't NEED to use banking apps yet, but many European users complain about not being able to switch due to being forced to use an app, and American banks are slowly enshittifying too.

GPS is iffy or unsupported on many, mobile data and calls can be suspect too, and NFC is almost non-existent. This is just from the postmarketOS wiki Devices chart. I wish I could just switch from GOS to a Linux OS, but my Pixel isn't supported.

I'm willing to help donate and spread the word, but buying a phone that has limited features and is a downgrade in everything else just unfortunately doesn't make sense.

this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2025
516 points (100.0% liked)

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