[_Donny]

I de-Googled my Android 3 months ago, and the article reads as if I wrote it. I can totally relate to everything!

Without the Play store, I had to take long hard look at what apps are really essential to me, for which I cannot find a FOSS alternative. Turns out, except Spotify and banking, there was none! Without Google Play, I did not really feel the need to fill my phone with various apps... My primary email and SMS was all the communication I needed.

In the beginning, I missed my notifications. I felt almost uneasy if I did not check my phone every 30 minutes because I felt like I could be missing some urgent notification. However, after only a week, I noticed that nothing of importance was lost, but more importantly, how much focus I reclaimed!

I know this sounds cheesy, but de-cluttering my phone made me realize how much all the apps strived for my attention all the time.