Android on smartphones can be experienced without any Google software. This is because I just spent three weeks living that way.

The Google-free Android experience is made possible thanks to the eFoundation, an open source developer focused on providing a private software alternative to Google. Typically, installing the old AOSP (short for Android Open Source Project) results in a bare-bones system that is quite difficult to live with; you can also install Lineage OS without Google Apps and get a slightly better experience.

However, information suggests that even with the open source version of Android, there are still vestiges of Google's influence. This makes sense, since the company does most of the work on the OS. However, if you want to use your smartphone completely separate from Google (or Apple in the case of iOS), your options are relatively limited.

There is the aforementioned e Foundation's /e/OS. This privacy-focused software is intended to provide a Google-free Android experience. For one thing, it has access to many of the apps available in the Play Store, which are scanned and analyzed for how privacy-conscious they are.

Of course, you can't just use /e/OS as is and pretend to have the same experience that you get right out of the box with phones manufactured by Samsung, Google, or OnePlus. Limitations and compromises must be made.

I installed an Android 10-based /e/OS on my OnePlus 6 and used it for three weeks. Read on to see how it turned out.

At its core, /e/OS is a "de-Google" mobile ecosystem focused on privacy, as the e Foundation puts it. It is an Android stripped of all things Google, even relatively one-off things like using different network time protocols and DNS servers.

The eFoundation went to great lengths to get rid of all things Google. Location data is handled by Mozilla, microG replaces Google services, and connection checking is independent of Google. It's a lot to sort through, but the whole /e/OS remains open source.

This is important because it means that you can check the code yourself to see what /e/OS is doing. This ensures accountability and privacy, and allows you to keep control of your own data, at least at the OS level.

Since /e/OS is still Android, many apps can be installed: by sideloading APK files, by installing third-party stores like F-Droid, by using /e/OS' own App Installer, etc. There are several ways to do this. The latter option allows access to several applications in the Play Store, each with a privacy rating so you can see if the app is a weak point in your privacy-conscious life.

When I got /e/OS up and running on the OnePlus 6, I immediately noticed that by default the entire home screen experience strongly resembles iOS. For starters, there is no app drawer, but there is a resemblance to iOS's search function and Today screen; while I can see that /e/OS, being Android, is as far away from Google as possible, this overall copy of iOS felt a bit overdone.

However, this is just a home screen and can be changed to something else using one of the best Android launchers. For example, a free version of Nova Launcher is available at App Installer. (As I understand it, App Installer is almost like a mirror of the Play Store, without the paid-for stuff on tap.)

The free version of Nova Launcher could be downloaded, but the upgrade to the paid Nova Launcher Prime is not available from the App Installer in /e/OS. This is likely to prevent Google's wrath from being directed at /e/OS. Also, the banking app was not available, relying on the mobile site.

Despite the lack of Nova Launcher Prime, the App Installer has many of the same Android apps available from the Play Store, but its limitations are that purchased games, premium app upgrades, subscriptions are unavailable, etc., meaning that all previous purchases are rendered meaningless. If you've been using Android for years like I have, this is a serious blow.

As soon as you lower the notification shade or head to "Settings," the core DNA of Android shines through. The /e/OS is currently based on Android 10, and at least in my build of the OnePlus 6, it is not as smooth and clean as Android 11.

If you forgo the iOS-like feel of the stock launcher, you get a much more functional Google-less experience than Lineage OS (which is simply removed unless you install Google Apps separately). I used to be into rooting and custom ROMs, but I don't have the time these days. e/OS is great right out of the box.

Overall, I didn't mind the 3 weeks I spent using /e/OS as my daily driver. Going all the way back to the OnePlus 6 was more of a shock than losing access to many of the useful Android features I was used to. Especially outside of OxygenOS and OnePlus' software tweaks. (OnePlus cameras have improved dramatically over the next three years, as the OnePlus 9 proves.)

It is possible to install /e/OS on some devices. A few months ago, I wasted several hours trying to ROM an Essential Phone due to firmware alignment issues. I digress.

Using /e/OS or a general de-Google Android is definitely not for everyone. There are serious challenges, including the loss of many standard conveniences. Furthermore, e/OS does not run on the latest and greatest hardware, often relegating them to devices that are, on average, at least two years old. But if you want more privacy in your smartphone life, /e/OS is as good as it gets.

Of course, app availability is a weakness and can derail your plans. This means you need to decide what is more important to you. If privacy is important to you, you may need to look for alternatives in some cases.

While I don't recommend the Google-free Android experience for everyone, I still found the experiment quite interesting. As I said, I was dissatisfied with the hardware rather than the software - the OnePlus 6 is definitely showing its age.

Given all of this, I don't think I'll continue to use /e/OS on a daily basis. It might be fun to play with from time to time, but for me that's all that matters. But if you're particularly keen on privacy, your experience may be different.