Android minus Google

As I understand, one must have a google account to use an Android phone such as the Priv.

I understand the account is also required for Playstore.

However, Can I not use gmail, etc. Essentially, not have any other contact with google. Are there other good mail apps., browsers, Blend type interactions.

I realize BB is abandoning us and I need to move on. Sailfish and Ubuntu are not mature enough yet, or readily available in the US. Therefore, I am beginning my research for when my Passport no longer functions.

Originally Posted by Powdah

As I understand, one must have a google account to use an Android phone such as the Priv.

I understand the account is also required for Playstore.

However, Can I not use gmail, etc. Essentially, not have any other contact with google. Are there other good mail apps., browsers, Blend type interactions.

I realize BB is abandoning us and I need to move on. Sailfish and Ubuntu are not mature enough yet, or readily available in the US. Therefore, I am beginning my research for when my Passport no longer functions.

For email that doesn't have an iffy privacy policy, you can use Hub+, Aquamail, Nine (just an example, doesn't support Gmail) for email; Firefox for browsing, AirDroid for Blend-type (almost) functions. There are of course a few other options but those are the ones I'd recommend.

Once you have an account, there's no real requirement to use anything else Google.

There's Firefox, Opera, Dolphin, Puffin, Maxthon and countless others for browsers and pretty much any email provider you can think of has an app, so no shortage there.

thks - kind of hate to go to Android. Working on my wife's phone has been a headache compared to OS10

IMHO blue mail is one of the best. Widgets can be set up so if you have multiple email accounts they can show as separate icons along with the unified one. Supports all protocols, push and fetch. Worth a look.

Thks - keep hoping for a Android Passport or at least a 4:3 ratio with the width of a Passport. Would like a VKB. My Z10 was awesome.

Will run my existing Passport as long as possible.

Is it possible to remove the google apps? My son was trying to make room on his Android phone, but it wouldn't even let him move them to the sd card.

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by keepthetorch

IMHO blue mail is one of the best. Widgets can be set up so if you have multiple email accounts they can show as separate icons along with the unified one. Supports all protocols, push and fetch. Worth a look.

I've tried a few looking for a good all in one email solution... and Blue Mail has so far been the best that I've tried. Oh and there is a "DARK MODE" that I am glad to finally have.

Originally Posted by Allan Milo

Is it possible to remove the google apps? My son was trying to make room on his Android phone, but it wouldn't even let him move them to the sd card.

Posted via CB10

MM did away with moving apps to the SD Card... but no even on LP you couldn't not move the "core" apps, nor could you removed them (at least not without root).

Originally Posted by Dunt Dunt Dunt

MM did away with moving apps to the SD Card... but no even on LP you couldn't not move the "core" apps, nor could you removed them (at least not without root).

Android Marshmallow still has Apps to SD Card. They even improved upon it. However it's just not found where people were used to seeing it.

Go into the Application Manager, select the app, then tap on Storage, then under the Storage Used category there should be a "Change" button (only appears if you actually have an external SD Card slotted).

Originally Posted by Powdah

thks - kind of hate to go to Android. Working on my wife's phone has been a headache compared to OS10

Same here, My wife is hating her new Galaxy. If It wasn't for the handful of BlackBerry apps, she would have thrown it away. Her main complaint is Android is super inefficient.

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Originally Posted by DenverRalphy

Android Marshmallow still has Apps to SD Card. They even improved upon it. However it's just not found where people were used to seeing it.

Go into the Application Manager, select the app, then tap on Storage, then under the Storage Used category there should be a "Change" button (only appears if you actually have an external SD Card slotted).

Have an SD Card installed (not formated as internal), and I see the Storage Used Category, but I can't find any apps with the "CHANGE" button. Only options are Clear Data and Clear Cache. Maybe it's something restricted by some vendors (and a Droid).

Originally Posted by Dunt Dunt Dunt

Have an SD Card installed (not formated as internal), and I see the Storage Used Category, but I can't find any apps with the "CHANGE" button. Only options are Clear Data and Clear Cache. Maybe it's something restricted by some vendors (and a Droid).

There's two reasons you wouldn't see it. 1) No SD-Card slotted (not your case), or 2) The app developer didn't enable the App to SD Card functionality (most likely). Have you tried a various number of your 3rd party apps? App developers do have to enable the option, otherwise it won't work. Personally, I'd like to think that it should be a default option, and an app developer would have to intentionally turn the option off. The only reason I can think of for an app developer to not want it is if their app relies heavily upon widgets, because widgets don't work when an app is moved to an SD Card.

Here's an example of how it's supposed to work in Marshmallow...
http://droidlessons.com/how-to-move-...0-marshmallow/

Originally Posted by DenverRalphy

There's two reasons you wouldn't see it. 1) No SD-Card slotted (not your case), or 2) The app developer didn't enable the App to SD Card functionality (most likely). Have you tried a various number of your 3rd party apps? App developers do have to enable the option, otherwise it won't work. Personally, I'd like to think that it should be a default option, and an app developer would have to intentionally turn the option off. The only reason I can think of for an app developer to not want it is if their app relies heavily upon widgets, because widgets don't work when an app is moved to an SD Card.

Here's an example of how it's supposed to work in Marshmallow...
How To Move Apps To The SD Card in Android 6.0 Marshmallow | Droid Lessons

I read the comments in that article... seems like I'm not the only one missing that option.

I have looked at a number of Apps - both Google, Verizon and a number of 3rd Party Apps. Not one shows the option to move to SD Card.

Might be a change in 6.0.1 or might be a vendor or carrier "tweak" (wouldn't put it past Verizon).

If you have a rooted phone, you can uninstall all Google Apps and services.

Since you wouldn't have Play Store, you'd have to install your own apk's.

Posted via Nexus 6p

Originally Posted by Powdah

As I understand, one must have a google account to use an Android phone such as the Priv.

I understand the account is also required for Playstore.

However, Can I not use gmail, etc. Essentially, not have any other contact with google. Are there other good mail apps., browsers, Blend type interactions.

I realize BB is abandoning us and I need to move on. Sailfish and Ubuntu are not mature enough yet, or readily available in the US. Therefore, I am beginning my research for when my Passport no longer functions.

You can use an android phone without signing in with a Google account. You will not be able to use Gmail or the play store. You will be able to download third party play stores like 1 Mobile market and install the apk through the Web browser and get apps that way.

You will be able to go into the settings and disable some Google apps, however the Google toolbar with its microphone access might not be one of them unless you root the phone and/or flash it with an alternative OS like cyanogen.

My plan is to keep using my stash of Blackberry devices in the short term (passport, q10, second q10). When I get to the point that my second q10 has been drafted into service - or perhaps even the first q10 - I suspect bb10 and it's browser will have been depricated enough to where the device will probably fiction as a feature phone.

At that point I will just drop my data plan and eventually transition to whatever else the market offers at that point, divorcing my cell phone and computing use from each other completely.

Posted via CB10

Without the GPlay services you can use the Gmail on browser.
You can use free app stores -
F-Droid, Aptoide, something called blackstore or such.

A free version of GPS was being developed, microG, but u need to ask Cobalt about it.
I personally wud not install a half working/ developer version of a service though.

Originally Posted by Old_Mil

You can use an android phone without signing in with a Google account. You will not be able to use Gmail or the play store.

You can still use gmail. You might not get all the Google Now/Google Assistant benefits from it. But you can still use it.

Originally Posted by DenverRalphy

You can still use gmail. You might not get all the Google Now/Google Assistant benefits from it. But you can still use it.

Correct...you won't be able to use the Gmail app...but then again if you are that concerned about Google (and you should be:) you probably don't shouldn't be using Gmail to begin with.

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