1. Remove device from Google Play
Very often, Android smartphone users have problems with their Google account.

For example, when buying a new device, when downloading new games and applications from the Google Play store, you have to select a device in the market. This is inconvenient.

Unfortunately for many, it is impossible to unlink a device from an account. But don't rush to delete your Google account. You can simply remove it from the list of devices in the market.

To do this on Google Play store you need to log into your account and select “Devices”. In the “Availability” line, click on “Available in the menu”. Here, for the device you need, select “Not available in the menu.”
2. Remove Google account from Android device
Many users Android smartphones often find themselves in a situation where they need to delete an account on Android. This is quite easy to do. There are several ways to delete an account?.
1 way:
Settings – Accounts and synchronization settings (Settings – Accounts and synchronization). Here, click on the extra account and delete it. In the same window, you can create a new account on Android.
Method 2:
If for some reason deleting an account on Android using the first method is impossible, then you need to open Settings - Applications - All - Google Services. Here select “Clear data”.

3 way:
If the first two methods fail, it is likely that account deletion on Android is blocked on your system. Most likely this happened because a very large number of applications and games linked to the account were downloaded and installed.

It is possible to simply remove them all and maybe the problem will be solved. However, there is an easier way. It will require root rights and downloaded Root application Explorer.
Having fulfilled these conditions, you need to open the root folder “data” - “system” and select the file “accounts.db”. Long press to bring up the menu and select “Delete”.
Important: deleting this file will automatically delete all contacts, but the remaining data will remain. To ensure that contacts are not lost, before deleting, make backup contacts.
After all the manipulations, the smartphone must be rebooted. Once enabled, in most cases the account will be deleted.

Google quickly went from being a small search engine to the gigantic infrastructure whose components run on our PCs, smartphones, tablets and even TVs. Google is constantly collecting information about us, search queries are carefully logged, movements are tracked, and passwords, letters and contact information are preserved for years to come. All this is an integral part of modernity, but we are quite capable of changing it.

Introduction

It's no secret that any device under Android control(at least the one certified by Google) contains not only components assembled from AOSP, but also an impressive number of proprietary Google programs. These are the same Google Play, Gmail, Hangouts, Maps and a bunch of other applications, including a dialer and a camera (starting with KitKat).

For all these components there is not only source code, but also no explanation at all about the principles of their operation. Many of them are initially designed to collect certain types of information and send it to Google servers. This is, for example, how GoogleBackupTransport, which is responsible for synchronizing the list, behaves installed applications, passwords and other data, GoogleContactsSyncAdapter, which synchronizes your contact list, or ChromeBookmarksSyncAdapter, whose job is to synchronize browser bookmarks. Plus collecting information about all requests in the search engine.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with the fact of synchronization, and it is an excellent mechanism that allows you to configure new phone in a matter of minutes, and Google Now even manages to give us useful information based on our data (sometimes). The only problem is that all this destroys our privacy, because, as Snowden showed, under the hood of the NSA (and, most likely, a bunch of other services) is not only some evil empire called Microsoft, but also Google, and as well as many other companies from the “we are not evil, but fluffy philanthropists” crowd.

In other words: Google will merge us all without any problems, and it’s not a fact that its employees, sitting in their offices with masseuses and dogs, are not laughing at the names from your contact book (everything is encrypted there, yes), drinking 15-year-old pu-erh from Yunnan Province. Or maybe to hell with Google? Let's take their Android and let them go through the forest?

What is Google Apps

The latest version of the custom KitKat-based firmware for my smartphone weighs 200 MB, however, in order to get a real experience from the smartphone, I also have to flash the gapps archive on top of it, the size of which is 170 MB. Only after this will I receive a system similar to that pre-installed on Nexus devices, with all the goodies in the form of a desktop integrated with Google Now, a screen lock based on a face shot, a camera with support for spherical shooting and a kilogram of Google software, from Google Play to Google Books.

I repeat once again: all this is closed software from Google, which in a good way cannot be distributed at all without their knowledge (that’s why it is not in custom firmware like CyanogenMod), but since it is quite easy to extract it from the firmware of Nexus devices, you can find it on the Internet huge amount similar archives, including severely truncated ones. In order to release an Android smartphone with a set of gapps on board, the manufacturer must send it for certification to Google, which, after assessing the quality and performance of the smartphone, will either give the go-ahead or kick it (but this does not stop the Chinese at all).

This is how Google Apps get to your smartphone. Of the users, 99% either use pre-installed applications or install them themselves on absolutely clean and completely anonymous firmware. And then, from the moment you enter your username and password, synchronization and downloading of information begins.

To figure out how this happens, let’s unpack the same archive with gapps and take a look inside. We are interested in the /system/app and /system/priv-app directories; during installation, their contents are copied to the directories of the same name inside the smartphone. The second directory is new to KitKat and houses applications that use system APIs that are marked "private" and not available to regular applications.

In the /system/app directory we will find a large number of different Google applications, easily recognizable by the name of the package: Books.apk, Chrome.apk, Gmail2.apk and so on. Each of them will share information differently, but that's totally fine (yes, Google will know you're reading Paulo Coelho through their app!). The greatest danger here is GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk, which is only responsible for sending to remote server contact list. We write down the name in a notepad and move on.

Most of the files from the /system/priv-app directory are the services and frameworks necessary to run this whole synchronization and surveillance machine:

GoogleBackupTransport.apk - synchronizes data from installed applications, Wi-Fi passwords and some settings;
GoogleLoginService.apk - connects the device with a Google account;
GooglePartnerSetup.apk - allows third party applications gain access to Google services;
GoogleServicesFramwork.apk - a framework with various auxiliary functionality;
Phonesky.apk - Play Store(oddly enough);
PrebuiltGmsCore.apk - Google Services, as the name suggests, is the core of the entire gapps suite;
Velvet.apk is a Google search that includes a desktop search bar and Google Now.

In essence, this is the part of Google Apps that is responsible for leaking our private information. Let's try to get rid of all this.

Method number 1. Disabling through settings

The easiest way to unlink a smartphone from Google is to use standard settings systems. The good thing about this method is that it does not require root rights, installation of custom firmware, or custom recovery. Everything can be done in any stock firmware without losing access to your account and applications like Gmail (if necessary). However, no one can vouch for the efficiency, since it is quite possible that some gapps components will continue to send data.

The main location for synchronization settings is the menu “Settings -> Accounts -> Google -> [email protected]" Here you can disable things like syncing contacts, app data, Gmail, Play Music, Google Keep and more. All you need to do is simply uncheck the desired menu items. Next, go to the “Settings -> Backup and reset” menu and uncheck the “Data backup” and “Auto recovery” items.

The Google Settings application, which is part of Google Services, is also responsible for many synchronization settings. With its help, in particular, you can disable Google access to the location (“Access to geodata -> Access to my geodata / Sending geodata / Location history”), disable sending personal data to the search engine (“Search -> Personal data”), disable Google Now (“Search -> Google Now”) and disable remote control(" Remote control-> Remote device search / Remote lock and reset").

In the same “Google Settings,” by the way, you can disable any application that uses your Google account for authorization. We are talking not only about the software installed on the device, but also about all applications ever used, including websites. For example, I found a lot of sites on this list that I haven’t visited for at least a couple of years.

In case you are not going to use it at all Google services, it will be easier to disconnect your smartphone from your account completely, that is, simply delete it through the settings: “Settings -> Accounts -> Google -> [email protected]-> Menu button -> Delete account.”

Majority Google applications can be safely disabled through the settings: “Applications -> ALL -> the right application-> Disable".

Settings Google account Google Settings

Method number 2. Cleaning official firmware

In the event that the stock firmware has root rights, you can get rid of Google Apps by simply deleting them from your smartphone. As I already said, they are all stored in the /system/app and /system/priv-app directories. For example, in the case of KitKat, the list of Google applications in the first directory will be like this:

Books.apk - Google Books;
CalendarGoogle.apk - Google Calendar;
Chrome.apk - Google Chrome;
CloudPrint.apk - cloud printing system;
Drive.apk - Google Drive;
GenieWidget.apk - news and weather widget;
Gmail2.apk - Gmail;
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk - contact synchronization;
GoogleEars.apk - Google Ears (similar to Shazam);
GoogleEarth.apk - Google Earth;
GoogleHome.apk - home screen with integrated Google Now;
GoogleTTS.apk - speech synthesis system;
Hangouts.apk - Google Hangouts;
Keep.apk - Google Keep;
LatinImeGoogle.apk - keyboard with gesture support;
Magazines.apk - Google Magazines;
Maps.apk - Google Maps;
Music2.apk - Google Music;
PlayGames.apk - Google PlayGames;
PlusOne.apk - Google+;
QuickOffice.apk - QuickOffice;
Street.apk - Google Street;
SunBeam.apk - SunBeam live wallpaper;
Videos.apk - Google Movies;
YouTube.apk - YouTube.

The /system/priv-app directory, in addition to those listed earlier, also contains the following files:

CalendarProvider.apk - stores calendar data;
GoogleFeedback.apk - sends a report about using Google Play;
GoogleOneTimeInitilalizer.apk - installation wizard for additional Google applications;
SetupWizard.apk - setup wizard on first launch;
Wallet.apk - Google Wallet;
talkback.apk - voice notification about events on the device.

The Gapps kit for KitKat, among other things, also includes a proprietary camera with support for spherical shooting and a proprietary desktop with integrated Google Now.

But that's not all. Google Apps depends on several frameworks, which are located in the /system/framework directory. These files are com.google.android.maps.jar, com.google.android.media.effects.jar and com.google.widevine.software.drm.jar. There are also many libraries in the /system/lib directory that are used exclusively by Google applications. It is not at all necessary to remove them, but it is possible. Just to clean up the trash. You can find a list of them on the website ][.

In previous (and future) versions of the system, the contents of Google Apps are different, so before uninstalling I recommend downloading gapps the required version from the site goo.im/gapps, unpack from using WinRar and view the content. You should also take into account the dependence of some applications from the market on Google applications, I will talk more about this later.

This is only a part of the libraries included in the gapps kit

Method number 3. Custom firmware without gapps

The previous method can be significantly simplified if you simply install custom firmware on your smartphone without Google Apps. In this case, the smartphone/tablet will be crystal clear without any connection to Google. The disadvantage of this method is the absence of Google Play, but you can either replace it third party store applications (more on this below), or use the following method, which involves installing a stripped-down Google versions Apps.

Method number 4. Google Play and nothing else

This method of partially decoupling from Google is a kind of compromise. It does not solve the problem of surveillance - at least without the settings from the first method - but it allows you not to clutter the system with a bunch of useless software that will hang in the background and eat up memory. The idea is simple - install custom firmware and upload a minimalist version of gapps on top of it, which includes only Google Play.

There are many such minimal gapps assemblies on the Internet, but I would recommend using the time-tested BaNkS Gapps, namely the “month-date” file GApps Core 4.4.2 signed.zip". They work on any smartphone, are ART compatible and include only the basic gapps files, a list of which is given in the "What are Gapps" section, framework files, as well as several libraries. Essentially, it's Google Play, synchronization tools and nothing else.

Changing the search engine to DuckDuckGo

Even after complete shutdown synchronization, the “built-in” Google search bar will remain on the home screen. IN stock firmware Some manufacturers (Samsung, for example) are just a widget that can be easily removed from the screen. IN pure Android and devices from many other manufacturers, it is “built into” the home screen, but it can be removed by disabling all search from Google (along with Google Now) using the menu “Settings -> Applications -> All -> Google search-> Disable" or by installing a third-party launcher. Next, just download DuckDuckGo from the market or another application store and add the widget of the same name to your home screen.

Third party market

The second and third methods involve completely getting rid of Google Apps, including Google Play and the ability to log in using a Google account, so we must find a way to simply and conveniently install applications that would not force us to download them ourselves, and then dump them on a memory card and install manually. One such way is to install a third-party market.

On at the moment There are three more or less viable alternatives to Google Play. These are Amazon Appstore, Yandex.Store and 1Mobile Market. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, which mainly come down to the number of applications and payment methods:

Amazon Appstore is the most famous application store after Google Play. Contains more than 75 thousand applications (compared to 800 thousand on Google Play), the quality of each of which is manually checked, just like iTunes for iOS. You can pay using credit card or Amazon Coins, which are given as a gift for purchasing a Kindle Fire tablet or as a gift from another user. One of the most interesting features of the store is the daily giveaway one of the paid applications.
Yandex.Store is a store from the Yandex company. Contains more than 85 thousand applications, each of which is scanned by Kaspersky antivirus. It doesn’t particularly stand out, but it has a killer feature in the form of the ability to pay for purchases using the Yandex.Money service or a mobile phone account.
1Mobile Market is the largest third-party repository of Android applications, including more than 500 thousand software. It differs from others by the presence of exclusively free applications (not to be confused with pirated ones), which is why it allows you not to go through the account registration stage and maintain anonymity.

Applications in all three markets have original digital signatures application developers, allowing them to be used simultaneously. An application installed from one market can be updated without problems from another, and if deleted, it will disappear from the list of installed ones in all of them. However, you will have to buy them separately.

Amazon Appstore Yandex.Market 1Mobile Market

Open Source Market

In addition to those described in the article, as well as many other lesser-known application stores, you can find a different repository on the Internet. It is completely anonymous and contains only free software distributed under licenses approved by the FSF. There are only a thousand applications in F-Droid, but all of them are guaranteed to not contain backdoors or other systems for disclosing personal data. It is F-Droid that is used as the default market in the free Android firmware Replicant.

Solving the problem of application dependence on Google Apps

Even though gapps components are not part of the official Android API, some applications still expect to see them on the system, which can cause a number of problems - from the application not working at all to losing some of its functionality. Some applications will refuse to install due to lack of Google Maps API, others crash immediately after launch without detecting it, others include direct links to Google Play, which can lead to crashes and incorrect operation.

To address these issues, XDA user MaR-V-iN started the NOGAPPS project, which is developing a set of open source components to replace the original Google Apps functionality. There are currently three replacement components available:

Network Location - geolocation service on Wi-Fi based And base stations GSM. Based on Apple's IP address database and open base station database;
Maps API - replacement of the interface to Google Maps based on OpenStreetMap;
BlankStore is an open alternative to the Play Store client. Allows you to install free apps from the Google store, but is not recommended for use due to possible sanctions from the search engine (this is prohibited by their rules).

The components are installed separately and in different ways. You just need to manually copy the Network Location to the /system/app/ directory in Android 2.3–4.3 or to the /system/priv-app/ directory in KitKat (in this case you should use the NetworkLocation-gms.apk file). Maps API is installed by flashing the nogapps-maps.zip file via the recovery console. To install the market, you will have to not only copy the file, but also generate an Android ID on a large machine, but since this is not recommended, I will not talk about it and will limit myself to a link to the instructions.

After all the manipulations, the software should work correctly.

Conclusions

For the company Google Android without its own applications it is useless, so it is not surprising that the company takes out the most delicious parts of the system in them and leaves the code closed. However, in this article I showed that there is life without gapps and it can be even easier and more convenient than with Google.

Hi all! I decided to write this article after one of my friends asked for advice on unlinking a Google account from a smartphone. He was unable to do this using standard methods. The article discusses the best ways.

Every device running on Android platform, as in principle on any other platform, is tied to your . This allows users to literally access their email, Google Play Store and other applications in just a couple of clicks or touches with their fingers. To put it in a simple and understandable language, Big Brother is watching you, making your life a little easier.

But not everything is as wonderful as it might seem at first glance. Sometimes situations arise when you just need to be a little alone, or increase your privacy. To some this may seem like a slightly obsessive idea, and perhaps it would be so if not for some details that arose relatively recently. So how to unlink your Google account from your phone?

Options for unlinking your account from your phone

Option 1: Delete.

Do you think there are many of them, or at least a few? No matter how it is! There is only one of him. Yes, yes, there is only one way to unlink your account - delete it. But how can this be, you object, since most of your data is saved on this account. Maybe we can just add another one? No, unfortunately, with Google it’s not that simple.

If you can add another account to gmail (email from google), simultaneously checking mail on two mailboxes at once, then in Play Market such a trick won't work. In this case, you will have to take the plunge and delete your account.

In this case, you need to go to the “Settings” section and then to “Accounts”

In a new window you will see a list of linked accounts (be careful not to get confused and get lost in this chaos). Click on your account and then select “Delete account”. After this, you can create a new one, or go to an existing one.

Option 2. Cleaning Google firmware.

Yes, we understand your surprise, because a little earlier we said only one way to unlink a Google account from your phone. There is another way - cleaning the official firmware. The method, of course, is not 100%, but it also has its place.

In this case, you need to return the operating system to factory settings. “Remove” all the settings as follows: go to the “Settings” menu, then click “Backup and reset”, then “Reset settings” and, finally, “Reset phone settings”.

Voila - the phone is like new. Now you can sell it or check gmail (email from google) on your new account.

Just don’t think that this method is completely safe and painless. Side effect from flashing the device or resetting all settings - this possible loss some data (contacts, photos or video files).

Option 3. Deleting the file responsible for account rights.

But how can this be? You object. After all, you said that there is only one way. Yes, we still do not go back on our words. The first method is the most effective and absolutely everyone can resort to it, and most importantly, it is completely safe for your phone.

Let's look at another way to unlink your Google account from your phone. To perform the steps of the third method, you will need root rights. If you don’t have them yet, then you can forget about this option. Those who took care of this in advance - attention.

So, download Root Explorer and go to data/system, here you need to find the accounts.db file. Delete it.

Reboot your phone and enjoy deleted account and stored personal data. To log into your gmail (email from google), you will have to create a new account, but that's a completely different story.

If for some reason you decide to delete your old account and create a new one, you won’t be able to simply unlink your Google account from your phone, that’s how it was intended. You can choose any of the above methods, but keep in mind that the first option remains to this day the most optimal: fast, reliable and sure. You will achieve the desired result with minimal risks. More precisely, without risk at all. However, other options, such as spare ones, also have a place.

To work with Android device One of the most important accounts is a Google account. Using this account, you can remotely download applications to your smartphone, set events in your calendar, and also block it if your device is stolen. Undoubtedly such account is a very important and convenient thing, however, a situation may arise in which you urgently need to unlink your Google account.

Disable all synchronizations with your account

If the situation is such that you simply do not want to synchronize all devices through your Google account, then you can disable these synchronizations without resorting to such drastic measures as complete removal account from your phone. At the same time, you can not only disable synchronization, but also remove the account from the reserve list. It will stop storing all important data on your phone. This is quite easy to do.

Go to your phone's settings, which are located in the tray. Their icon looks like a gear.

Find and click on the “Cloud and Accounts” section.

Here you need the “Accounts” subsection.

Below you will see all the applications whose accounts are somehow synchronized with the phone. As a rule, even the most moderate user’s list is quite impressive. Find your Google account and click on it.

If you have several Google accounts linked to your phone, they will all be shown here. You need to go to each of them.

In this section you will see the dates of the last synchronization of the device with a particular partition. Simply turn off the toggle switch by swiping it to the left so that it no longer syncs. All toggle switches should eventually go out. Do this for every Google account.

Now you need to disable backup to the specified email address. To do this, go to the previous menu and click on the “Backup and Restore” tab.

Pay attention to the line “Data backup”. You need to turn off the toggle switch on it. Once you do this, you will have to remove the email address in the line below. This way you will completely eliminate backups to your Google account. Remember that your phone will remain at risk in case of loss or damage.

Complete removal of Google account from your phone

If the above measures are not enough for you, then you can resort to completely deleting your account. In the same menu, find the “Google” section.

Once you log in, you will see the “Account Settings” line. Enter them.

At the very bottom of the page there is a special column “Delete Google account”.

As soon as you click on it, you will be asked for confirmation in the form of a password for the account itself. By entering it, you can delete your account and all services that come with it.

How to unlink a Google account using reset

If for some reason you cannot unlink your account in other ways, then you can do full reset phone. This will completely delete all its contents. You can back up, reset, and then restore your important data again.

Find the “General Settings” item in the settings.

They have a “Reset” line.

Among all other types of reset, you need to select “Reset settings”. This is a complete deletion of data.

Read the warning on the phone screen, then agree to the reset by clicking “Reset settings”. After completing the procedure, your phone will look like you just bought it. Your Google account will also be reset.

Removing a Google account from a smartphone may be necessary if you need to log into another account, transfer the device to another person for use, for example, when selling, or to disable annoying synchronization, which terribly slows down the work of older models mobile phones. Many are afraid of disclosing personal data (real name, location, contacts and personal correspondence) and believe that the corporation stores all data about the user, regardless of his wishes.

Be that as it may, the question “how to unlink a phone from a Google account” is of interest to most owners of smartphones with the Android operating system.

What will be deleted along with the account

Before you think about how to delete your Google account, you should save all your data to an external source: to your computer, cloud storage or to a flash drive. You need to rewrite the phone numbers and email addresses of contacts saved on your account, copy application data, photos, videos, music, and calendar events. Don't forget about backups. After completely deleting an account, this data cannot be restored, but if you only plan to turn off the device, leaving the settings of the account itself, then progress in games and synchronized photos, music and videos will be saved.

You can also download all data before completely deleting your account using Google tools. From your computer you need to go to the “Data Saving” page, select the information of the services that need to be saved and specify the archive format. Next, you should wait from a few minutes to 2-3 days (if there is a lot of data, for example letters, saving will take long time). Once the archive is created, email You will receive a notification with a download link.

Operation Hard Reset

How to unlink your phone from your Google account quickly? The easiest way is surgery Hard Reset. Reset all settings and return the device to original condition Can software operating system.

You need to go to the settings menu, select “Backup and reset” (may also be called “Reset settings”, “Backup and reset” or “Reset personal data”). operating system will ask you to confirm your intentions. Next, the phone will reboot and will be completely cleaned.

Hard Reset on some models can be done by simultaneously pressing the Power button, Volume Up button, and Home button. The phone will go to a menu where you need to use the sound buttons to select the Wipe option and confirm by pressing Home.

Attention! Resetting settings in this way erases absolutely all data from the phone, except for information on the memory card. Just in case, it is better to remove the SD card before performing the operation, especially if the sound, power off and main screen buttons are used.

Deleting an account manually

How to unlink your phone from your Google account if you don't need to return the device to initial settings, but you just need to log into another account? To do this, open the “Accounts and synchronization” (or “Accounts”) menu in the smartphone settings, select your account, call up the additional menu and click on “Delete account”.

Complete account deletion

How to delete a Google account completely so that it ceases to exist even on the corporation’s servers? If the operation is carried out from a smartphone, you need to go to the phone settings menu, select “Accounts” (or “Accounts and synchronization”) and click on the name of your account. IN context menu, which is called up by clicking on three dots or a mechanical button, you should select “Account Settings” - “Deleting an account and disabling services.” You will be redirected to a web page where you need to log in with the username and password corresponding to the account that is to be deleted. Then you should confirm the complete deletion of your account.

How to delete a Google account from a computer? It's easier here: the "Delete Google Account" option is available in the "Account Settings" section on the "My Google Account" page. On the same page, you can simply disable synchronization or unused services.

Removing a connected device: using a computer

How to unlink your phone from your Google account using a computer? You can remove a connected device in the following way:

you need to go to the search engine website and log in;
then go to the “My Account” page;
find the item "My devices" or "Search for phone";
select the smartphone that you want to disconnect and click “Log out of your account on the device”;
confirm your action.

In fact, the question is: “How to unlink a phone from a Google account, Android smartphone?” - does not cause difficulties. There are several methods from which you just need to choose suitable option. The operation itself will take only 5-10 minutes. After this, the account will be deleted from the smartphone.