Degoogling Gemini PDA

[tpp]

I'd like to share my blog post on the subject. Forum threads have some helpful info but are incomplete and hard to follow, so I documented my steps on degoogling my Gemini in hope they will be of use to others

[ArchiMark]

Thanks for sharing.

Very helpful!

[covex]

Is all the knowhow in the pictures? I am not able to make them bigger? What are all those apps that need to be removed, and what are the good replacements?

[FrankS]

Thanks, but I cannot read anything too. Can you give us a howto, please?

[tpp]

Sorry for late replies.

Thanks for sharing.

Very helpful!

You're welcome!

Is all the knowhow in the pictures?

Most of it, yes.

I am not able to make them bigger? What are all those apps that need to be removed, and what are the good replacements?

You should be able to make them bigger, otherwise the biggest picture is unreadable. I attached it in original quality to this post.

What are all those apps that need to be removed, and what are the good replacements?

There are way too many apps that need to be removed to have an incentive to talk about them in detail. Let's say they all rely on Google.
Good replacements are:
* Launcher - Linux CLI Launcher aka T-UI
* Browser - Mozilla Firefox
* App Store - F-Droid + Yalp Store, Aurora Store
* SMS - Signal
* Notes - ColorNote
* Gallery - Simple Gallery (from F-Droid)
* Maps - Osmand

Thanks, but I cannot read anything too. Can you give us a howto, please?

1. Install Gemini PDA Android 8.1 rooted image
2. Install Magisk Manager, flash Magisk, make sure it works as expected
3. Install Titanium Backup (preferably Pro), make sure it works as expected
4. Install apps you want/need (at least F-Droid, some browser and some SMS app, others can be installed later)
5. Use Titanium Backup to remove apps that are not included in the picture below. Apps highlighted in blue are frozen, you better freeze them too.  
6. Install remaining apps you need/want

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

I'll be happy to answer further questions if you have any.

[MonkeyControl]

Interesting stuff.  I never considered Android, personally I found the interface a bit clunky and then the google thing, but posts like this are bringing me round.  
Rooting and degoogling is half the battle so thanks for that tpp, and the best keyboard in the world probably sort of makes the clunky argument irrelevant, so I guess it would be rude not to.  
Depending on the configuration out of the box, what becomes available, and how brave I'm feeling on the flashing front, I could quite easily see myself in an Android Debian dual boot when my little Cosmo arrives.

[tuk0z]

Thank you for sharing. Is your device OS still stable after debloating it? I found that uninstalling major Google Apps & services had "Goodroid" go wrong here. Culprits were Google Maps and Chrome if I remember correctly.

3. Install Titanium Backup (preferably Pro), make sure it works as expected
4. Install apps you want/need (at least F-Droid, some browser and some SMS app, others can be installed later)
5. Use Titanium Backup to remove apps that are not included in the picture below. Apps highlighted in blue are frozen, you better freeze them too.

What about not installing Titanium (Pro) and using Magisk module Terminal debloater instead?

[tpp]

Is your device OS still stable after debloating it?

Yes.

I found that uninstalling major Google Apps & services had "Goodroid" go wrong here. Culprits were Google Maps and Chrome if I remember correctly.

Chrome worked fine without Google Services last time I checked. Maps rely on them, on the other hand. I had native sms app crashing all the time, hence replaced it with Signal. Also, sadly had no luck with Youtube Vanced.

What about not installing Titanium (Pro) and using Magisk module Terminal debloater instead?

It should, in theory. I never tried it. Note that I froze couple MTK apps instead of uninstalling them.

[calcmandan]

Has anyone considered attempting installing the /e/ version of android? I only read about it earlier yesterday on zdnet.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/for-a-beta-th...ftag=RSSbaffb68

[tpp]

Has anyone considered attempting installing the /e/ version of android? I only read about it earlier yesterday on zdnet.

There is no version of this ROM for Gemini PDA, and no guarantee there will ever be one.

[calcmandan]

Has anyone considered attempting installing the /e/ version of android? I only read about it earlier yesterday on zdnet.

There is no version of this ROM for Gemini PDA, and no guarantee there will ever be one.

I'll contact the dev team.

[PJS]

Hi guys,

I've been trying to de-goggle my machines (Gem and now Cosmo) along the way,
but without any other choice, I was still relying on Goggles' Contacts and
Calendar server functionality...

Sooo... I was trying to see if there's anyway to sync to them without
actually having to get the entire system logged in.   Some sync client
like CalDav or so on which could exchange the data without selling my
phone's soul.

The only one I found claiming to do it are "CalDAV-Sync"/"CardDAV-Sync" for
$3 each....   http://dmfs.org/

I found another Cal sync app on F-Droid, but it's apparently deprecated (no
security).

Anyone?  Anything else?

Thanks in advance,

PJS

[petefoth]

<snip>

Anyone?  Anything else?

DAVx5 https://f-droid.org/en/packages/at.bitfire.davdroid/

I've been using it for a while, replacing CalDAV-Sync/CardDAV-Sync.

I use hosted nextCloud instance from OwnDrive for Contacts, Calendar and Notes sync. I also use them for file sharing and sync. I use the free version which gives 1GB storage. If I ever needed more than that I'd happily pay the €2 / month for the extra.

Hope that helps

Pete