Sometimes you can hear that this or that user, having received the root, deleted Google services from his smartphone to Android. The motive is usually 'they gobble up the battery'. And to the question 'How are you going to install applications?' the answer usually follows: 'From alternative sources'. It would seem that everything is simple. But in reality – not always and not entirely. Applications may not work on devices without Google services (it's good if the application starts and more or less works, some piece of functionality is simply not available).

Why it happens

Some features that are important for applications are implemented in Google services. Sometimes there are readily available alternatives, sometimes not. But the fact is that it is not customary to look for alternatives. The mass market for apps on Android relies on Google services to be always available. Whether you are installing the app from Google Play or from third party sources. An important caveat: we are not talking about the Chinese mobile application market, it has its own situation.

What services can be used in applications? Here are some examples.

Cards

Despite the fact that Google maps are often not the best choice for Russia, they are used even in domestic applications. And in the global it is just a standard. No Google services – no work with the map in the application.

Geolocation

Even if the app does not have Google maps, geolocation from Google services can be used. For example, an application tries to determine the coordinates of a user to provide him with specific information (local news, etc.). This, as a rule, is the least problematic point, because in such applications it is usually possible to manually indicate your location (since the user can simply prohibit geolocation by standard means without removing Google services).

Push notifications

Various notifications have long become one of the entry points into the application (or at least just a source of additional information about the service that the application provides). The situation can be frustrating, but sometimes it is not fatal at all. Many systems (banking, taxi, doctor's appointments) may be prepared for the fact that you will not be able to receive push notifications and duplicate important information via SMS. This is due to the fact that the user can prevent the display of standard notifications (even if their reception works quite successfully). And the mobile application will notify the system server about such a ban. Some messengers can send notifications of new messages by email.

Games

Synchronization of game progress and in-game achievements are all done through the corresponding Google service. And it's good if its use is optional (the user is asked if he needs it). It all depends on the developers of the game.

Analytics and advertising

Probably, any user will say that he does not want applications to 'spy' on him and show him ads. And therefore, if in some application only tracking user actions and displaying ads breaks, and the main functionality of the application works without interruptions, the user will not be upset at all.

Explicit links to Google services

These can be accounts, calendar, disk and other services.

In this case, everything is simple. A user who expects to work without Google services does not expect that he will be able to log into a third-party application through his Google account (he will focus on alternative login options). And, of course, it doesn't wait for Google Drive or Google Calendar integration.

Firebase – some non-obvious features

Google has a service like Firebase that can solve tasks that are not obvious from the point of view of an ordinary user. For example, it can be used to send reports about an application 'crash'. It's not that scary yet. But if a chat is made in the application using the Firebase service, then this can already be unpleasant. No Google services, including Firebase – no in-app chat.

So is there life without Google services?

It depends on the specific applications used by specific users. It is important to understand that there is no bulk testing of applications on devices without Google services. Application customers are not interested in this. This means that developers with testers will not spend their efforts on this. How a specific application will behave (whether it will be convenient to use it) is often impossible to predict in advance.