Is there an Android phone without Google Services?

So now that Windows Phone is dead, I need to choose between an iPhone or Android based device. Still pissed off Google created all kinds of controversy on Windows Phone, so if it's Android, it needs to be devoid of Google services. Aside from buying a phone from China, are there any decent phones without Google Services that can still load US apps? Lineage OS?

That would be a crazy insane thing to hope for but, there is an offshoot of Android known as Replicant that aims to be truly open source and it's based on the Android Open Source Project which is the basis for the main Android distributions. It's limited and only works on a handful of devices, however, but if you wanted something running Google's OS but not running Google services (again, a crazy insane thing IMO) that would pretty much be it.

As for phone hardware from China, well, every smartphone is from China (even the ones from that big South Korean company) if you really think about it so, that ain't happening I suppose.

The Android phones you get from China (for the Chinese market) are completely devoid of Google services. The main problem is that Google services encompass a lot of the basic features of the phone (one example is GPS). This is to create more lock-down and basically renders ASOP worthless without serious tinkering/development. For US apps, they generally use GPS by with Google services GPS API. But for Chinese market phones (without Google services), the vendors wrote their own API to handle the GPS calls. LMK if I'm being wrong on this one.

Then I suggest you check this out.

Well, check that link out when you can, it's currently not loading the website and even the Google cache link of the page from October 10th isn't loading either, ugh.

More info:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/purism-linux-smartphone-makes-its-1-5-million-crowdfunding-goal/

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/09/gnome-foundation-gives-backing-purisms-linux-phone

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/10/success-linux-phone-crowdfunding-campaign-reaches-goal

Any Android phone without Google services would be completely worthless. If you hate Google that much, go buy an iPhone.

ilkhan said:

Any Android phone without Google services would be completely worthless. If you hate Google that much, go buy an iPhone.

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So you're saying 1/3 of all phones sold globally are completely worthless?

That PureOS phone has many privacy benefits, but I think the main pitfalls are apps and price. Already been through the terrible apps experience with Windows Phone, so I'm kinda leery now.

Copperhead OS might be a little too hardcore but give it a look.

I'll probably try out LineageOS on a Nexus 5X. The git activity seems to be decent. Copperhead OS, unfortunately, is dropping support of the Nexus 5X this year.

If that doesn't work well, I can just use a Lumia 950XL or something for 1-2 years.

I tried an Apple iPhone 7 recently, and I cannot get used to one button. Also, save for the iPhone X, the screen to body ratio is quite poor.

dexvx said:

I tried an Apple iPhone 7 recently, and I cannot get used to one button. Also, save for the iPhone X, the screen to body ratio is quite poor.

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For the amount of headache you’re willing to absorb, those two things seem minor to me. Especially when looking at the mountain that is Google Services. Good luck on your search, wherever you land.