I replaced 6 official Android apps with open-source alternatives — they’re all much better
I replaced 6 official Android apps with open-source alternatives — they’re all much better
https://www.makeuseof.com/replaced-official-android-apps-with-open-source-alternatives-all-better/
Publish Date: 2026-06-12 18:00:00
Source Domain: www.makeuseof.com
I did not start this experiment out of ideology. I have a Google account; I use a stock Android phone, and I have no interest in removing Google from my life entirely. I still want Android to feel like Android. But after years of using the official apps simply because they were already there, I couldn’t bear how much they expected from me in return. I’m talking about account sign-ins, cloud habits, ecosystem nudges, and features built around what a company would prefer me to use next.
So I started replacing them one by one with open-source alternatives that had active communities and enough real-world credibility to survive daily use. Some swaps faded out after a week or two because they were too awkward, too limited, or too much effort to justify. These six stayed, though.
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