I used to loathe the custom skins and apps that Android phone makers added to their phones. Android’s vendor-neutral stock apps have now been replaced by Google apps, and the tech giant has used its dominance to fill our Android devices with far more pre-installed software than any other company.

Google and Android are not one and the same

Google is the main developer of Android, but the operating system is open source and numerous other companies are invested in the platform.

There are big-name smartphone manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola and OnePlus. Tablets and eReaders from Amazon and BOOX. Niche products you might not know run Android, like the minimalist Light Phone and the Rabbit R1. There are self-service checkouts in major supermarkets that are nothing more than permanently installed Android tablets. You might check in at your dentist’s with an Android device without knowing it. They’re everywhere.

The promise of Android is that it’s a mobile operating system that allows anyone to create great things without having to start from scratch. This is how Android has gained the approval of companies and volunteers from around the world. You can use and develop Android without being completely at the mercy of another company’s whims.

After Android became popular, Google wanted more control

Although Android is free, Google has control over how developers distribute their apps primarily to Android users. In order for a company to deliver the Play Store on its device, it must agree to include a bundle of Google apps and background services. The company has also been willing to pay a lot of money to restrict the creation of alternative Android app stores. As the BBC reported, Google lost a lawsuit against Epic in 2023 over monopolistic practices surrounding the Play Store.

Google’s apps aren’t neutral pieces of software that provide required functionality. They’re Google services like Google Search, Chrome, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Home, Google Docs, and YouTube. Are these programs that many (if not most) Android users would bother installing? Sure, absolutely. But most of them aren’t essential parts of a phone or tablet. They’re attempts to pull you into the Google ecosystem.

Google’s insistence that Android phone makers ship their apps is why companies like Samsung ship duplicate programs on their phones. They either let Google have full control of the software experience or settle for confusing duplicates. Samsung is at least trying to clean up the mess a little by moving most of the search giants’ apps into a folder labeled “Google” on the home screen.

Many other companies have stopped developing their own software and instead stick with Google’s defaults. There are many users and product reviewers who are demanding just that. They are already deeply entrenched in the Google ecosystem and only want the best possible experience. However, this attitude ultimately limits the choice in the market. What is left for those of us who like Android phones but no longer want to do business with them after all the shenanigans Google is doing?

I do not want to share all my data with Google

I tried to rid my life of Google years ago and deleted my Google account completely. Years later, I set up a new account when an organization I work at wanted to use Google Calendar to manage our schedule. I started using the same account to sign up for apps on Google Play, but that was it.

This means that every time I activate a new Android device, I go through the onboarding process and uncheck as many boxes as possible. Then I spend time uninstalling any apps I don’t want. Whether I’m setting up a Pixel or a Galaxy Z Fold, the majority of the apps I remove are from Google. I don’t want YouTube Music pre-installed any more than I want Facebook or TikTok. I don’t use Chrome as a browser on any device, nor do I use Google Search.

It’s not that I don’t use Google apps. I find Google Maps useful, especially because it offers so much information about local businesses. I watch YouTube because it’s the primary way for large and independent publishers alike to distribute video. But those apps don’t offer the basic phone features that a gallery app and a local video player do. They’re the kinds of programs that many people would immediately search for on their own in the Play Store. Still, they’re pre-installed to drive more people to Google services and give the company more marketable data.

People accuse cheap Motorola phones of installing unwanted shopping apps and random games, but Google’s software collects far more data and is far more intrusive. We’re simply conditioned to expect it, even if we’ve never clicked on Google Home.

Some pre-installed apps are better than Google’s

Even though I approve of the Google ecosystem and actively participate in it, I would still be sad if Android phone manufacturers stopped developing their own software. Some companies are better than Google at developing certain apps.

Samsung Internet is an excellent browser. It can completely replace a desktop browser and has features that Google doesn’t offer because they compete with the company’s business model, such as privacy features that block trackers. Samsung Gallery is one of the best apps for managing photos stored on your device. Samsung Notes is a far more comprehensive note-taking app than Google Keep. Samsung My Files feels more like a desktop file manager than Files By Google.

Phone makers don’t have to sacrifice the beauty of stock Android to give us bespoke software. The few apps Motorola still offers integrate perfectly with the look and feel of Android. The company ships software that lets you customize your phone more extensively, that adds more gestures, and that lets you connect your phone to a monitor or TV (or laptop dock) so you can use it as a PC, video game console, or set-top box.

Nothing (the company) shows how much style a phone maker can bring to its phones without making the devices as garish and inconsistent as the Android skins of years past. Android would be far less interesting without its innovation and experimentation.

Thanks to Google apps, all Android phones feel the same

As Google’s control over software has increased, there are fewer differences between Android devices. You go through similar setup screens, see the same data collection options, and see your app drawer pre-populated with largely the same software.

The variety of options is a big reason many of us prefer Android phones to iPhones. Yet the physical differences today are limited to the type of camera bump and branding. Some people used to buy LG phones because they liked the company’s software. That company no longer makes phones. HTC Sense was a flagship phone. The company technically still exists, but its presence and software are a shadow of its former self. Google’s software has filled the void.

Phones aren’t the only devices that suffer from this. Consider the XREAL Beam Pro, an Android-based (and far cheaper) alternative to Apple’s Vision Pro. It’s a tempting addition to the AR glasses I replaced my computer monitor with. When you first boot up the device, you’re presented with a wide selection of Google apps that you probably didn’t buy AR glasses to use. They continue to clutter the launcher unless you go into the settings and disable them.

XREAL is not a Google company, but since access to the Play Store is a big part of the device’s appeal, the company is forced to promote Google services at the expense of the user experience.

I love Android and appreciate the work that (mostly) Google developers put into it. The platform as a whole is much more polished, attractive and feature-rich than it was back when Android phones were more diverse. After all, some of the experimentation back then was born out of a need to fill in the gaps in the functionality of stock Android.

Unfortunately, the amount of Google bloatware degrades the experience. If I want a Google device, I can buy a Pixel. For all other phones, phone makers and their customers should decide what kind of apps we want to see on our phones.