Re: What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
>

Siard wrote:
>

Andrew wrote:

>

What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

 
Well, without a Google account I do not have access to paid apps.
There are a few important ones I can hardly do without.

 
True. I use some.

 
  Sigh! When will you *ever* learn, Carlos!? 'Andrew' will soon tell you
that each and every paid app can be replaced by a *better* FOSS app,
which obviously has no ads.
 
  Didn't you pay *any* attention when he found a replacement for the
Fitbit app!? Not that that is a paid one, but you'll (not) get the idea.
 
[For the humour-impaired:] :-)

Andrew/Arlen found a replacement to the Fitbit app?  I thought what he
"found" were suggestions by others.  :-p

Just because there are free replacements that are sufficient to some
users does not mean those replacements are as full featured.  Yes, there
is OpenStreets to replace Google Maps, but I've used OSM, and then
dropped it since it gets some data from city plats for roads that don't
yet exist, and may never exist, and much of its data is crowd sourced,
so areas with few reporting OSM users are sketchy or missing.  Free just
means free, not necessarily equal nor better.

I'd be really interested if there were a free app that had all the
features of TalentApps' Parking that I paid $6.98 back in 2020 (after a
couple years of using the free version), but got abandoned in 2021.
This is not an app to find parking.  It records where you parked
(manually, or automatically where I use a Bluetooth disconnect to mark
where I stopped and parked the car), and helps you find your car (either
by a map or a compass direction) along with recording your trips, save
notes for a waypoint, take pics (handy in a parking ramp or huge parking
lot), track multiple cars,

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=il.talent.parking
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=il.talent.parking.premium

I've tried other similar "find my car" and trip tracking combo apps, but
they sucked on features, or were unreliable.  I used the free ParKing
app for a couple years, and eventually decided to pay for it (along with
several other apps that I had used, and kept, for several years).

So, if there are is this free (and de-Googled) pools of apps out there,
tell me where.  No, I don't mean some app that does some of the
functions, but an equivalent free app that does ALL the same functions,
and maybe some more.

I've also paid for some app either to upgrade, unlock features, or to
support the author.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=il.talent.parking.premium
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wilysis.cellinfo
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque
and more.

Yes, there are free versions, but sometimes I want to unlock more
features, or I've used the app for a while, and feel if I'm going to
keep it that I should reward the author.  Does the F-Droid Aurora Store
let me do that?  Rahul Patel would like me to donate for using Aurora,
but what about the app authors?  Do the "free" app authors have to setup
their own merchant accounts or sales services to get "donations"?