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How to De-Google an Android Phone

Checked against the makers' own pages · Last reviewed October 15, 2026

Option 1: install an Android OS without Google

These four projects ship Android without Google's apps. Each supports its own list of phones and handles apps that need Google differently.

• GrapheneOS names its officially supported phones in its FAQ: Pixel 10a, 10 Pro Fold, 10 Pro XL, 10 Pro and 10, the Pixel 9 series and 9a, the Pixel 8 series and 8a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, and the Pixel 7, 7a, 6 and 6a series. Its usage guide describes "a compatibility layer providing the option to install and use the official releases of Google Play in the standard app sandbox."
• CalyxOS lists its supported phones on its install page. As of Oct. 15, 2026, that page lists the Pixel 10a but not the other Pixel 10 models.
• LineageOS says on its device list: "Devices not listed are not supported." Because of licensing, Google's apps "cannot come pre-installed with LineageOS and must be installed separately." They must go on right after LineageOS, before the first boot.
• /e/OS is "forked from LineageOS/AOSP, and completely 'deGoogled'," according to its documentation. It replaces Google services with microG, offers Play Store and F-Droid apps through its App Lounge, and "can be downloaded and installed on more than 200 smartphone models."

For a side-by-side look at two of them, see GrapheneOS vs CalyxOS. [1][2][3][4][8][9][10][11]

Before you start: bootloader unlocking and carrier-locked phones

To install another OS, you first unlock the phone's bootloader, the startup program that decides which system may run. On a Pixel, you turn on OEM unlocking in Settings > System > Developer options. GrapheneOS's web installer guide walks through this. The unlock command "will wipe all data," and flashing the new OS wipes it again, so back up first.

Carrier-locked phones are the main trap in the US. GrapheneOS says carrier-sold phones "may be locked by the carrier, which will prevent installing GrapheneOS. This is primarily an issue with US carriers." Its advice is to "avoid carrier variants of the devices." CalyxOS is more direct: "Pixel phones from mobile carrier Verizon in the United States are not able to install CalyxOS due to bootloader unlocking prohibitions." If you buy a used Pixel, make sure it isn't a Verizon model. GrapheneOS also notes that turning on OEM unlocking needs an internet connection on models that carriers can sell locked, so the phone can check whether it was sold locked.

Other points from the official guides:

• Use the official instructions. GrapheneOS says third-party guides "tend to be out-of-date and often contain misguided advice and errors."
• Computer and browser. The GrapheneOS web installer supports Windows 10 and 11, recent macOS, several Linux distributions and ChromeOS, in Chrome, Chromium, Edge or Brave (with Shields off). The CalyxOS web installer needs a Chromium-based browser with WebUSB.
• Relock afterward. CalyxOS "is meant to be run with a locked bootloader after installation." CalyxOS also warns that Google's Factory Reset Protection must be off before flashing (no Google account signed in on the old system); otherwise, after relocking, "you will not be able to turn OEM unlocking back on."

[1][2][5][12]

CalyxOS in 2025 and 2026: paused, then back

On Aug. 1, 2025, the Calyx Institute paused CalyxOS updates while it replaced its signing keys and set up new security processes. It said current users "will not be able to receive further security software updates until our new security protocols are in place," and recommended that users uninstall the OS in the meantime.

On July 1, 2026, CalyxOS announced it was "officially back from the hiatus" with release 7.2.2.0, which "will receive all future updates." Anyone on an old release (6.10.10/20 or older) has to do a clean install. On Oct. 1, 2026, it began rolling out CalyxOS 8.0.0.0, based on Android 17, to most supported Pixels, with other phones to follow. See the CalyxOS news page for current status. [9][13][14][15]

Option 2: cut back Google on the phone you have

If you can't or don't want to replace the OS, you can still turn off a lot of Google on stock Android:

1. Disable Google apps you don't use. Google's help page says you can disable preinstalled Google apps "like Chrome, Gmail, or Calendar" in Settings > Apps, and turn them back on the same way. It warns: "Disabling a system app can cause other apps to misbehave. It will delete your associated data for that app." Some system apps can't be removed, and on some phones only the maker can tell you how to disable them.
2. Change the default search engine in Chrome (the same Google page gives the steps), or install a search app that uses another engine.
3. Install apps from F-Droid. F-Droid is a store for free and open-source apps. It says most people should install it by downloading the F-Droid APK from its site. For Play Store apps without Google's store, see Aurora Store.
4. Google Play services is the hardest part. Google calls it "core system software that enables key functionality on every certified Android device." Google says it gives apps "thousands of continually updated APIs," such as Maps, notifications and location, and runs features like Find Hub and Fast Pair. Google gives steps to disable it "while not recommended."

This route still leaves the phone on Google's certified Android, with Google Play services built in, unless you disable it. [6][7][16][17]

Sideloading and Android developer verification

Google is adding developer verification for apps installed on Google-certified phones, including apps from outside Google Play (sideloading). Google's developer verification program began on Sept. 30, 2026 for users installing apps from participating stores in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, on "certified devices running Android 7+." Google says verification "will be expanded globally for all apps on certified Android devices in 2027," and its timeline lists a "power user advanced flow" that launched in August 2026 for people who want to install apps from unverified developers. F-Droid's home page currently carries the warning "F-Droid is under threat."

Details: Android developer verification. [18][19]

Or buy a phone that comes without Google

If you'd rather not flash a phone yourself, /e/OS "is also available pre-installed on a range of Murena smartphones," and F-Droid lists buying a phone with F-Droid preinstalled as one way to get it. See our de-Googled phones list, the Murena GS6 and Fairphone 6 with /e/OS pages, and how to buy a GrapheneOS phone.

Before you switch, check your banking and payment apps: see banking apps on a de-Googled phone. [4][7]

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