I Kissed Google Goodbye
Full Disclosure: I have not fully disconnected from Google. And it’s unlikely I ever will.
- I use YouTube TV. Other streaming services just don’t compare to its offerings.
- A whole bunch of services are linked to my Gmail address. It’s going to be a long hard road uncoupling 20-ish years’ worth of systems that use an email address as both their sign-in username and contact method.
- And then there’s YouTube–all the creators that interest me host their content on YouTube. There is Invidious, which I like and have been using for a while now–but it just pipes YouTube content over; not a true replacement. ¯\(ツ)/¯
The Warning Signs
Some would say the writing has been on the wall for a while. I mostly ignored them, chalking up the naysayers as haters. But when Timnit was fired for her collaborative research paper on AI’s bias, I finally woke up.
I then started paying attention to how Google services I used/depended upon got worse:
- Photos Storage - I was a Pixel phone owner for a long time. A huge benefit of that was unlimited original quality photo storage for the original Pixel. Then Google changed it for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3–both of those got unlimited original quality photo storage for the first three years of ownership. In 2021, both original quality and high quality started counting against storage.
- Google Speakers lawsuit with Sonos - Google stole IP from another company. My speakers became less responsive over time, despite various resets/retrains.
- Google Scanning Private Photos and Incorrectly Reporting CSAM - AI-driven scanning of photos seemed beneficial, but after cases where innocent family photos were wrongly flagged, I started doubting Google’s handling of private data.
- Chrome’s Dubious “Privacy Enhancements“ - Rather than safeguarding user privacy, Google’s new “Sandbox” merely shifts control over the advertising ecosystem to Google.
- Web Environment Integrity - Thankfully abandoned in November 2023.
- Abandonment of Nest Renew Energy Impact Program - The program was promising, but its quick demise shows the fleeting nature of Google’s non-core initiatives.
Source: Android Police
A Beautiful Beginning
In 2004 I was in my senior year at college working an IT help desk job. A coworker’s eBay purchase led to my first Gmail invite—a symbol of Google’s meteoric rise.
Gmail’s advent redefined email, and for two decades, my Gmail address became a digital anchor amid the online chaos. Chrome’s debut and Android OS further solidified my bond with Google.
Fast forward, and the once-clear divide between Android and iOS has blurred, and I now bid farewell to Google, holding onto nostalgia for its early days.
The Breakup Process
In 2021, I experimented with Safari as my main browser, which led me to stop automatically uploading photos to Google Photos. I eventually moved to iCloud Photos, with a backup in Immich.
The tough breakups were Google Domains, Google Home/Nest, YouTube, and YouTube TV:
- Google Domains: Moved to CloudFlare, aligned with my values of simplicity.
- Google Home/Nest: I still use these but also have them set up through HomeBridge.
- YouTube: Using Invidious as an alternative.
- YouTube TV: Retained for its robust live TV offerings.
Now, it’s Gmail and Google Search left to address. I’ve started tracking migration progress and moving only essential contacts.
A Tangent on Passwords
Web browsers made password management easy but led me to use Bitwarden for more security. The rise of passkeys signals a new era, and Safari/iCloud now handle all my pass* related tasks.
The Nail in the Coffin
In early 2024, IDX revealed my Gmail in a recent leak. This pushed me to adopt unique email identifiers and leverage iCloud+’s email generator.
All Your Eggs in One Basket?
While this may read like a love letter to Apple, I’m wary of overreliance on any one company. I aim for a tech landscape defined by choice, transparency, and ethical integrity.