Android without Google - that sounds like Alster without beer or Windows without a blue screen. Anyone who buys a great new mobile phone with Android also gets Google's apps included without being asked. This convenience comes at a high price: the user pays with their data, and the constant exchange of data with Google's servers also reduces battery life. But it also works without a Google account and Play Store. If you're not afraid of many hours of fiddling and - depending on the smartphone manufacturer - risking the warranty, you'll get a smartphone free of proprietary apps and a Google account with a few losses.
AOSP only contains the open source code of Android
To take back the title of this article: Android without Google does not exist. Even the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) would not be possible without Google's source code. However, AOSP "only" contains the open source code for the software basis of Android. It is therefore not only the basis for alternative Android distributions such as LineageOS (formerly: CyanogenMod) or Paranoid, but also the basis for the "Android without Google" recommended here.
Of course, a custom ROM based on AOSP must first exist for the smartphone that is to be freed from Google. Custom ROMs are not allowed to pre-install Google apps for licensing reasons. Google Apps, or GApps for short, are proprietary software from Google.
The developers of custom ROMs often recommend flashing a separately available GApps package in addition to the ROM because they assume that smartphone users will not want to do without it.
In order to install a custom ROM and the required custom recovery (usually TWRP) on a smartphone, the smartphone's bootloader must also be unlocked. Some manufacturers give their customers an unlock code after registration - this is usually accompanied by a loss of warranty. You should find out beforehand whether there are alternative ROMs for your smartphone model. This is best done in the Forum of XDA Developers - if there is nothing there, then there is nothing.
Having such a Google-free smartphone is not enough for many people. Although you can replace almost all Google apps and services with other applications that are not dependent on Google, these cannot be installed without the Play Store. Of course, there is F-Droid, an alternative store with tested, non-tracking open source apps. But you won't find the usual apps from the Play Store there.
In addition, many commercial apps often do not work on Google-free ROMs, or only partially, because they use Google's Play Services. For example, car-sharing apps do not receive localisation and therefore do not display a map. APIs and libraries that are not included in AOSP are missing. So you should install the GApps after all?
microG, open source alternative to Google Play Services
The open source framework microG performs a masquerade by behaving towards applications like Google's own Play Services, but does not actually use any Google code, does not require a Google account and does not send any data to Google. mircoG contains the unifiedNlp service for localisation functions. Various data providers can be used here via a plugin, both local (in the form of installed geo and network databases) and remote services, including the location services from Apple (localisation based on WLAN in the vicinity) and Mozilla (localisation based on GSM cells).
In the meantime, microG has reached a maturity suitable for everyday use as a Google replacement for most users. On the negative side, there is still the flashing and the cumbersome handling of "locked" bootloaders. However, convenience trade-offs compared to a proprietary Google smartphone are offset twice over: by the greatest possible protection of your privacy and a considerable gain in battery performance.
.Not least, custom ROMs with microG make a contribution to conserving the planet's resources. Older smartphones for which there are no longer any Android updates from the manufacturer can usually be provided with much more up-to-date Android versions and used much longer than intended by the manufacturer. The ecosphere will thank you.
Since I have been working and developing primarily with Linux since 1999 and most of the tools for flashing custom ROMs are based there, I offer you the service of flashing your smartphone with a custom ROM that is as up-to-date as possible (all files and data on your smartphone will be lost in the process). You tell me the manufacturer and model of your smartphone and I will research whether there is a suitable custom ROM for your model. Next, you send me the smartphone, I do the installation and send it back to you immediately. I make no guarantee that the procedure to install a custom ROM will always succeed. In the very rare and extreme case, your smartphone may suffer irreparable damage and become unusable. By sending us your smartphone, you accept that you may receive an unusable device back.
