What actually happens when you delete your Google Play account entirely?

[Aardvarks]

What actually happens when you delete your Google Play account entirely?

Good things? Bad things?

Normally, for privacy reasons, on my unrooted Android 4.3 Samsung Galaxy S3, I wipe out my Google Play account monthly. I usually immediately create a random new google play account; but since my Android setup is pretty stable with a few hundred well-chosen all-free apps, I haven't the need to add apps anymore (AFAIK):

So, since it was time for the end of the month switcheroo to a new Google Play account, I simply deleted the old Google Play account, and left it that way (i.e., I have no Google Account on my Android device right now):

Given I have always gotten my Google mail through a *different* account, and that I use the K9-Mail App and not the Gmail App, and given that I only have freeware on my mobile devices (since there is nothing I ever needed that is worth paying for), I wonder if I can stay this way indefinitely?

If I *need* an app, most likely it's on F-Droid anyway: Settings > Security > Device administration > Unknown sources = Allow installation of apps from sources other than the Play Store

Given that... What good/bad things actually happen when you delete your Google Play account entirely on an Android phone?

[Meanie]

Why are you cross posting this to home repairs?

[F Murtz]

I just had a look at home repairs and it seem one of those cosmopolitan groups that discuss all and sundry as well as the title subject, as many groups are now doing.

[bob haller]

i am curious about the results

[Aardvarks]

You are correct in that a.h.r covers many home appliances, as does sci.repair.electronics.

Here is a way to look at them more asily:

[Aardvarks]

So far, so good...

1. In a privacy ploy, I often delete and remake my (random) google play account, where nothing bad happens, especially since my "real" gmail is via K9mail and since I never purchase apps (as a matter of course).

In fact, I don't even bother to write down the random new password, since it's only used once, at the time of creation.

And, better still, creating a new Google account on a phone doesn't require SMS or call verification, which a Google account would normally require if you created it on a computer.

1. This time, I didn't remake it. I just deleted the old one. So far, nothing bad has happened.
2. I did bring up Firefox to the F-droid app, and downloaded the F-Droid APK to the Firefox default location /mnt/sdcard0/Downloads/FDroid.apk (I've never been able to *change* that Firefox default location!).
3. I used ES File Explorer to move that APK to where I store APKs, which is at /mnt/ExtSdCard/data/software/apk/FDroid.apk

1. I tapped that FDroid.apk in ES File Explorer, which installed FDroid.

1. I now have an FDroid app instead of a Google Play app, for installing software.

F-Droid has three window panes: a. Available

b. Installed c. Update

1. It's interesting that FDroid will even *update* my existing Google Play apps (but I never update unless I have to, simply because newer versions are often worse than the older ones)

[Aardvarks]

The only flaw, so far, is that the selection of Apps on F-Droid are not all that wonderfully displayed for ease of selection.

I guess I could create a bogus [e-mail]-style Google Play account and use Google Play whenever I actually need to add an app to the

250 apps I already have installed ....

Or, I guess, I could add another repository.

What is the repository you like best?

[Aardvarks]

I'm really starting to *like* this F-Droid repo.

1. The software is KISS!
2. They don't ask for unnecessary permissions!

For example, I found a KISS camera and a KISS flashlight and a KISS video editor, etc.

Two problems I had, both of which were probably of my own making, were: a. App Backup & Restore didn't autoarchive b. Fdroid wouldn't at first download anything

I'm not quite sure how I fixed the first problem that Backup and Restore didn't automatically archive the APK, but I changed a few settings in App Backup & Restore, and now it's automatically backing up the F-Droid apps I install.

The second problem was that F-Droid didn't download *anything* but then I realized I had turned on the option to always use Tor, but I didn't know I had to actually have Tor running (it apparently won't start Tor on its own).

So I turned that off and F-droid worked immediately thereafter. (My mistake for changing the defaults.)

The third thing I did was turn on all the repos: F-Droid F-Droid Archive Guardian Project Official Releases Guardian Project Archives

Overall, F-Droid & Guardian Project are nice archives. They're nothing like Google Play in that they're not flashy. But their apps are KISS functional, and don't ask for unneeded permissions.

If anyone knows of another nice open-source archive, let us know.