• Lien

    • Post #1
    • (Edited)

    Hey Community,

    I had an idea that some of you might find interesting: A Nothing OS without Google services – but still with the full Nothing experience.

    💡 What does that mean?
    Imagine the same Nothing OS you know and love – the clean design, the widgets, the Nothing apps like Weather, Gallery, and more – but completely free of Google services. Instead, Nothing could introduce a Nothing App Store, where all exclusive Nothing apps are available without having to make them open-source.

    🚀 Why would this be great?
    ✅ More privacy – No Google tracking in the background
    ✅ Better performance – Less bloat, more control
    ✅ Same iconic design – No generic AOSP feel, just pure Nothing

    • 🛠 What would replace Google?
    • App Store: F-Droid, Aurora Store + a dedicated Nothing Store for official apps
    • Maps: OpenStreetMap-based apps
    • Cloud: Nextcloud & other self-hosted or partner services
    • Essential system apps: A Nothing Phone app, SMS app, Contacts app, and Calendar app to replace Google’s default apps

    🔥 Wouldn’t this be the perfect mix of privacy and style?

    What do you think?
    🔹 Would you use such an OS?
    🔹 What apps or features would be a must-have?
    🔹 Should Nothing offer this officially or as a custom ROM option?

    Let me know your thoughts!

      Related discussions

      I think a new os release with micro-g and a good sandbox system for apps (i still use google maps and g board) like grapheneos will be a good start

      • Lien replied to this.

        Maybe a custom rom for people to download… not officially cuz some ppl rely on Google services for their day to day lifes

        I try to use it nowadays without as much of alphabet as possible. So: strong follow from me for your idea.

        It’s a great idea 😀 😀

        I want nothing os . Google free os

        • Lien

          • Post #8

          Mr_V3rard I know that there are some very good Google services but nothing could design a keyboard. Maps is the only thing I have no alternatives. Maybe a web solution.

            Sure they can, but remember they’re still a “young company” and building form 0 all of this stuff needs a lot of effort and capital, i think a good sandbox could secure up the system and let everything more private.

            I suggest you “magic earth” as a navigation solution, i use it on my main phone (iphone 12pro) and i found it very useful, no account required, no data tracked (as they claim…) just a simple easy to go navigation app

            • Lien replied to this.

              • Lien

                • Post #10
                • (Edited)

                Mr_V3rard

                This is a nice idea, I never heard of Magic Earth but it might work well if you use it main, but if it is open source and it is in the f-droid store, it would be so easy to install, I will try it.

                If this work well we only been a own telephone contacts and sms App then we can build a nothing os without any Google and of course no Microsoft meta and evry other umsympatic stuff.

                I informed me, magic Earth is on the f-droid, so we have verry nice alternatives. Now we just have to get fans!

                Nothing could host a own nextcloud server and client, so every nothing user has own cloud storage for backups and syncing folder like photos.

                  Lien

                  Google services are awesome.

                  Nothing is too small to replace them.

                  Your idea would fit a small amount of people and would waste a lot of money.

                  Imo it’s enough to let us keep rooting and flashing our phones and release a unbrick tool. This was you can edit anything to you needs.

                  Nothing can not and never will fit into a small niche like you mentioned here

                      • Lien

                        • Post #12

                        wtf984

                        I know, this will be difficult, but for the most servicees we can find alternatives, it will not be perfect, but if we try it we will be able to fix the holes generation by generation.

                          wtf984 agree, and let’s not forget google ventures is one of the investor of the company, i don’t think they will be happy about it

                              • Lien

                                • Post #14

                                Mr_V3rard

                                I know I will be difficult to get all the users pleased, but I think out there are many guys who would like this concept, faipfone Hase a similar concept. We could have bothe to for the people who needs the Google services.

                                    Lien I wont argue against your idea. I think some people would love it, thats why grapheneOS exists.

                                    But you cant make money with your idea. Nothing is already somewhat of a niche company, they cant afford to go deeper into another niche. And most important, it would not ba a round product at least for some years, like you said yourself.

                                    I would not a hope for any company to release something like this soon that is premium like nothing.

                                        • Lien

                                          • Post #16

                                          wtf984

                                          i konw, this will be sth will will have maybe in 10 jears, but not on nos 4.0. I often have idears, and i just share them.

                                            I think this would only be interesting for a fraction of the user base, a tiny fraction that is. Considering they are low on man power and how they seem to be struggling getting the Nothing Gallery app going, I don’t think they’d free any ressources for such a side gig. Keep in mind that Google-free Nothing OS still needs regular updates and development, they already are at a rather slow update pace every two months.

                                            Replacing Google also isn’t as straight forward: Some third party apps are relying on Google Play Service, if you don’t have Google Play Services, some apps won’t work correctly or not at all. It’s not just about replacing Gmail with a different mail app, Google Calendar with a different calender or Chrome with a different browser and use Fdroid instead of the Play Store.

                                            Huawei was once one of the most popular brands for smartphones here in Germany, but after they were banned from using Google services, their marketshare and sales have fallen like a rock. People realized they can’t easily install some popular apps anymore and this simple issue led them to just a fraction of marketshare left. For Nothing, which is still a small player after all, chasing this as their major path forward could be catastrophic.

                                            Don’t get me wrong, I actually wouldn’t mind an OS like this, but I simply don’t see it happening as Nothing will go either all in or just skip.

                                            a month later

                                            I managed to successfully debloat my unrooted Nothing 2a and now I run no google services. I removed all com.google.* packages from my phone that I could and replaced them with alternatives.

                                            I say almost all, because:

                                            1. Google play store and Google Play Services are still installed, but disabled. If you uninstall Google Play Services, the phone will get stuck in a boot loop.
                                            2. Some other packages that provide local phone functionality or packages that would break the phone were not uninstalled. These packages are managed via Netguard.

                                            I use Universal Android Debloater to remove the apps.

                                            I use Netguard with traffic filtering to block internet access for certain apps. One thing I find very helpful during setup is to receive internet access notifications in order to be aware of all apps that connect to internet and block the ones I don’t want them to.

                                            Also disabling background activity and background data usage for indiviudal apps is a good practice, leaving these options on for only a few apps that I use and expect notifications from or content updates.

                                            I know is not perfect, but it works just fine.

                                            Keep in mind that the goal of doing this is to avoid everyday data collection, not to completely anonymise activity with the phone. The first rule in avoiding data collection is not to keep your data online and this setup allows you to have a phone that use less cloud and more local.

                                            Login with a google account, download all your apps (like banking and other specific apps) and then remove the acoount from the phone, disable Google Play Store and Google Play Services. Again, don’t uninstall Google Play Services as you will break the phone (boot loop).

                                            Some apps will throw a notification that they won’t work unless you use Google Play Services, but you can just block the notification channel from app notification settings (blocking the channel allows you to receive other notifications from the app) and the app will run just fine.

                                            List of uninstalled packages:

                                            com.android.bluetoothmidiservice

                                            1. com.android.calllogbackup
                                            2. com.android.chrome
                                            3. com.android.egg
                                            4. com.android.hotwordenrollment.okgoogle
                                            5. com.android.hotwordenrollment.xgoogle
                                            6. com.android.providers.partnerbookmarks
                                            7. com.android.tracer
                                            8. com.google.android.apps.docs
                                            9. com.google.android.apps.maps
                                            10. com.google.android.apps.messaging
                                            11. com.google.android.apps.nbu.files
                                            12. com.google.android.apps.photos
                                            13. com.google.android.apps.restore
                                            14. com.google.android.apps.safetyhub
                                            15. com.google.android.apps.tachyon
                                            16. com.google.android.apps.turbo
                                            17. com.google.android.apps.wellbeing
                                            18. com.google.android.apps.youtube.music
                                            19. com.google.android.as.oss
                                            20. com.google.android.calculator
                                            21. com.google.android.calendar
                                            22. com.google.android.configupdater
                                            23. com.google.android.contacts
                                            24. com.google.android.deskclock
                                            25. com.google.android.dialer
                                            26. com.google.android.ext.shared
                                            27. com.google.android.feedback
                                            28. com.google.android.gm
                                            29. com.google.android.gms.location.history
                                            30. com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
                                            31. com.google.android.gsf
                                            32. com.google.android.inputmethod.latin
                                            33. com.google.android.keep
                                            34. com.google.android.marvin.talkback
                                            35. com.google.android.onetimeinitializer
                                            36. com.google.android.partnersetup
                                            37. com.google.android.printservice.recommendation
                                            38. com.google.android.setupwizard
                                            39. com.google.android.tag
                                            40. com.google.android.tts
                                            41. com.google.android.videos
                                            42. com.google.android.youtube
                                            43. com.google.ar.core
                                            44. com.mediatek.atmwifimeta
                                            45. com.mediatek.mdmconfig
                                            46. com.mediatek.mdmlsample
                                            47. com.nothing.smartcenter

                                            List of disabled packages:

                                            1. com.android.devicelockcontroller
                                            2. com.android.vending
                                            3. com.google.android.gms
                                            4. com.google.android.gms.supervision
                                            5. com.tools.datacheck

                                            Maybe I missed something, but Netguard shows no traffic to Google Servers, and I also manage system apps, so I consider this experiment a success.

                                            As for the default apps, I replaced Phone, Keyboard (Gboard), File manager, Gallery etc with FOSS apps from F-Droid (free apps with no internet access).

                                            Perks: Using a phone app other than the default one might cause problems with calling Emergency Services (that’s why I keep a “stock” profile on my phone and I can always login to that profile to use the default apps). Sometimes you will have to unlock (fingerprint) in order to receive a call (but that’s manageable).

                                            I took the time writing this as I hope this will help others eliberate and still use the beautiful Nothing phone / OS.

                                            I also hope that if you find ways to improve this setup, you will take the time replying this thread.

                                            Kudos!

                                              wtf984 THANK YOU FOR HAVING SOME COMMON SENSE. WHICH IS NOT SO COMMON IN TODAY’S WORLD .

                                                nothing_enrich326

                                                Awesome, but I think Google play and play services are most difficult to replace because nothing is build on them, I think it would be easyer to do this if nothing had tried this from start. If they had build on open source alternatives. It same on software developing, some programs are not working on Linux because when they started build it they didn’t believe in Linux.

                                                Because of that I posted this discussion jet and not in teen years when nothing is bigger, I think it’s not possible to replace Google play services as a user without root right and so on, for this we need support from nothing. For example we wouldn’t have any updates without play.

                                                  Ok, it would have been nice to have such a greatly designed phone with no bloatware and open-source, but the costs will have been a lot higher. Cheap things comes with tradeoffs, but this is a fairly good way not to trade off your data.

                                                  What do you mean by saying that you cannot replace Google Play Services? Why would you need to replace them in the first place?

                                                  Again, the goal is to have them disabled for everyday use and activate them only when you need to install an app. Assuming that you don’t install apps everyday, I think this is a very good tradeoff.

                                                  Also, you might get some issues with some notifications, but this might be a good thing for your personal digital wellbeeing. That way you will get a more intentional use of your phone, thing that I advocate to as achieving digital maturity.

                                                  Sepparately, before de-google-ing your phone, make sure you can live without Google.

                                                  Do you still use Google Contacts, Calendar, Photos, Drive, Mail, etc? If so, maybe you should stick to your stock setup and accept Google as part of your life.

                                                  If you are able to delete your (typo fix) Google account without losing important data (as in not keeping important data on Google), then you might try this setup.

                                                  Bottom line, you don’t need to replace Google Play and Services, but prevent them to be constantly monitoring phone activity and only activate them when you need them.

                                                  Am I missing something regarding your statement?
                                                  Google play and play services are most difficult to replace

                                                  nothing_enrich326 Even when the app isn’t installed. There is usually two Facebook services to mine data in most OS’s. I don’t know if Nothing chose not to include this or not but pretty much every phone I have purchased in the last 5 years has had Facebook stuff installed on it right out of the box.

                                                      Lien

                                                      I think too😆😆😆

                                                      I want more Nothing apps,Officially or Fan made.

                                                      I am using Nothing official apps and Musiccore music,N Dial,Samsung browser and Balmuda scheduler.

                                                      I want Nothing’s File manager,E-Mailer,Browser and Scheduler🥺🥺🥺

                                                      from Tokyo🇯🇵

                                                        4 days later

                                                        PrakashGadhveer yes, we raely need a messages app! dont like googles. But why Samsung browser? Why you don’t use chrome? - Google, but Firefox why not, I think it’s the really best service (example: synced passwords, bookmarks and tabs with you laptop) and also open source!

                                                        I’m hopefully that sth lole N calc will come soon🙏.,..