How To Use Google Services Without A Gmail Address.

Use Google Without Gmail

“One an account is all you need,” says Google, “one free account gets you into everything Google”. You may infer from this Lord of the Rings-style mantra that Google is referring to a Gmail account, which will tie you into its privacy-guzzling ecosystem for all eternity. However, it’s perfectly possible to use most Google tools without Gmail- and not just Search, YouTube, Maps and other public open sites, but those that require signing in, such as Drive, Docs and Photos.

How To Stick With Your Current Email Address.

To register for a Gmail-free Google experience-

Go to its Sign Up Without Gmail page and enter your name (or pseudonym, if you like) and email address which can be a fake one from a temporary service, provided Google allows it and it lets you receive Google’s confirmation email.

Create a Google Account Without Gmail

Be sure not to click the ‘I would like a new Gmail address’ option- if you do, choose ‘I prefer to use my current email address’ to switch back.

You’ll also, need to enter your date of birth and gender (again, these can be fake), and provide your mobile number so Google can send you a verification code (this is harder to fake!).

Delete Google Account

The chances are that you already have a Google account with an associated Gmail address, but if you feel like starting afresh, you can either delete it at myaccount.google.com/deleteaccount or just ditch your Gmail account at myaccount.google.com/deleteservices.

Using Android Without a Gmail Account.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s possible to use an Android phone or tablet without a Gmail address, to stop Google spying on your mobile activities. However, this will prevent you from accessing the Google Play Store and Android’s backup and syncing tools.

When you set up your device, tap Skip when you’re prompted to sign in to Gmail, then Skip again to confirm that you want to use Android without a Google account. 

A couple of screens later, you’ll be asked to opt into some extra Google services, but you can decline these and tap Agree to continue. 

Built-in Google apps including Maps, Chrome, and YouTube will still work, as will the Contacts app, but be prepared for constant nags to sign into Google! 

Also read:

HowTo Use Google Search Without Being Tracked.

HowTo Find Out What Google Knows About You.

How To Watch YouTube Without Being Watched.

YouTube lets you find and view virtually any video you can think of, for free-but as with any Google service, this convenience and choice comes at a price and the more data you contribute towards Google’s profile of you- even if many clips you play aren’t representative of your interests. 

This profile determines the type of ads you see on YouTube, which keeps the service free (unless you pay for an ad-free YouTube Premium subscription) but is more intrusive than you may realize. 

A tool called Customer Match lets companies upload their customer databases to Google and have them matched to YouTube users, so they can target those most likely to buy.

Delete the Watch History of Google.

There are several steps you can take to stop your YouTube viewing habits from being exploited. First, delete your ‘watch history’ by clicking the History link in YouTube’s left-hand menu and choosing ‘Clear all watch history’. 

Stop YouTube storing what you watch in the future by selecting ‘Pause watch history’. Next, click Settings, choose ‘History and privacy’ and ensure all the options, including ‘Keep all my liked video private’ are ticked.

Finally, you can escape those pesky advertisers by turning off ‘Ad personalization’, which means you’ll still see ads but not relevant ones.

How To watch YouTube videos without Ads.

If you love spending time on YouTube but don’t trust Google with your data, there is an alternative way to watch that lets you access all the same content, but without the privacy worries- and no, we don’t mean signing out for Google account. And here you can watch all videos ads free which you usually get between the YouTube videos.

It’s called FreeTube and is an open-source YouTube desktop player (hosted on GitHub) that’s been “built with privacy in mind”.

Available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, FreeTube lets you watch, search and even download YouTube videos, without setting through ads and without Google tracking you using cookies and JavaScript.

You can even subscribe to YouTube channels without signing into an account, while your ‘watch history’ is stored locally and privately, rather than being analyzed and targeted by Google and its partners.

One the catch is that YouTube can still see your IP address when you ‘request videos. However, FreeTube’s developer suggests that this can be concealed by using a VPN or Tor.     

How To Monitor your time on different Social Media.

If  you find yourself endlessly scrolling through your Facebook and Instagram feeds for several hours every day, then check out the social network’ new dashboards, which serve as a regular reminder of how much the time you’re wasting.

They show you how many hours you’ve spent on Instagram or Facebook over the past week, along with your daily average, allowing you to take action by cutting the number of notifications you receive. Crucially, they also let you set a reminder that prompt you to stop browsing after a set of time.

Access the time monitoring dashboard On Facebook and Instagram.

In Facebook- Access your dashboard on Facebook by selecting the Menu button and choosing Settings & Privacy, ‘Your time on Facebook’.

In Instagram- Simply tap the menu icon in the top-right corner of your profile and select Your Activity.

Just be aware that the times are shown only relate to the device on which the app is running, so estimates won’t be accurate if you keep switching between desktop and mobile.