Disclaimer
I used AI to refine the contents of this post after I was done with all the content, so its easier to share with you.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve been slowly making my way out of Big Tech’s ecosystem. At this point, my biggest “enemies” are Google, Apple, and Microsoft. Long‑term, my goal is to rely primarily on EU‑based or at least non‑US services.
For context: I’m what you’d call a softcore privacy person. I fully accept that some things—like BankID in Sweden—are necessary to function in society, government, banking, healthcare, etc., and I’m totally fine with that. What I do not want is my personal data being easily accessed, shared, or exploited outside Sweden’s interests.
I live in Sweden and I’m taking this one step at a time, trying to build a more privacy‑respecting digital life. My wake‑up call came 1–2 years ago, when AI advances in video and audio made it painfully obvious that my personal data has essentially become training material. Not okay.
Where I am today
The hardest parts of leaving Big Tech have been my email and my photos.
Email:
I’ve already set up a new address on my own domain and will eventually phase out Gmail completely. Right now I’m stuck in a transition period, since government- and bank‑related updates still go to my old address, which takes time to change.
Photos:
I’m in the middle of self‑hosting everything. I’ve ordered my full Google Takeout and will be spending the next month migrating my entire media library.
Enter GrapheneOS
Here’s my current setup:
I have two user profiles on my phone.
The primary one uses Aurora Store for most apps.
The second—my “Google-shit” user—contains apps that claim they need Google services, like Strava, BankID, and apps that require BankID login.
(BankID is pretty much nationally accepted way of dealing with everything government and wellfare in Sweden - you pretty much can't be part of society without it)
I still need access to my old Gmail accounts during the migration. One of them is a business account, so missing emails isn’t an option.
My main question
How do I access my Gmail accounts on GrapheneOS in the most privacy-respecting and convenient way?
I need email notifications on my phone, especially for business. But signing in to Google feels… wrong. Necessary, but wrong.
Right now, on the “Google-shit” profile:
I allowed Google services network access only long enough to sign into Strava and BankID.
Afterwards, I removed all network permissions from Google Services Framework, Google Play Services, and Play Store.
Surprisingly, BankID and Strava still function even though Google services now have zero permissions.
And this is the part I don’t fully understand:
Am I actually improving my privacy here? Or is this just “privacy theater”?
I’m nowhere near the hardcore privacy crowd—but I’m trying to make meaningful improvements that fit my life, and I’m not sure how this setup really behaves behind the scenes.