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Comment by kdot | Hacker News Reader

I hate Google+, I'm sending back my Nexus 5, it's useless without Google+.

What are the issues? I've been considering getting a Nexus 5, but I don't use any Google services (perhaps besides the Google Play store). Will it be a brick?

oh yeah kdot, please tell us about it. I was also going to buy my first smartphone and thought it should be a nexus, because google updates them more often and I could more easily find hacked firmware.

I don't understand, why would it be a brick? Using an Android without Google's services is totally fine. For each Google service or app, there are plenty of alternatives available.

The only pain point you can have is if you refuse to use Google Play for installing apps. Well, Android allows you to install apps from third-party app stores or websites (e.g. Amazon's App Store), but most devs are on Google Play.

I'm a heavy Google services user, however I'm using lately K-9 Mail instead of the GMail client, because K-9 does encryption. I'm also using OsmAnd+ in addition to Google's Maps. I don't even have Google+ installed (though I do have a Google+ enabled account).

I honestly do not know what Nexus 5 feature or functionality wouldn't work without a Google+ account, and that's from someone that bought the phone on release day.

Can you send SMS without logging into Google+?

I've read reviews saying that SMS has been integrated into Hangouts.

Of course you can. Hangouts shows your Google contacts if you have any, otherwise it's just a text messaging app like any other.

And if you don't like the Hangouts app for some reason, you can easily replace it with one of the many SMS apps out there.

Can you explain? I've been able to use my Nexus 5 without directly interacting w/ Google+ at all.

The only place I could think of where the integration is jarring is the photo uploading feature, but I've simply told Dropbox to do it instead.

What can't you do without Google+?

If you bought an expensive smartphone-cum-tablet just for that one app, then you might want to reconsider your purchase decision making process!

I think you misunderstood. They didn't buy it _for_ Google+, they're suggesting that without a Google+ account the experience on a Nexus 5 is so bad that they wish they hadn't bought it.

Is this not the case with all three big players in the smartphone market? I don't have an iphone but my ipod sure seems useless without an account with Apple. It's the same account I use for itunes, apps on my macbook pro, and their developer network. I presume MSFT has a similar situation with a live account. People are just upset because their Google account happens to have some social features to it. I've personally never seen anything force me to post anything on G+, it just sort of comes with my gmail account. It's completely non-intrusive. The fact that it's associated with a social network I don't use is inconsequential. It's also associated with their news and finance products which I don't use. The only nuisance that has ever come up is when some app wants to authenticate with google it wants to know all about my circles or whatever. This is pretty much the exact same behavior as what comes with facebook authentication except with G+ circles I can tell it not to share all my circles.

> People are just upset because their Google account happens to have some social features to it.

And that isn't worrying to you? People can add you to their G+ circles and there's no way to stay hidden. So Google gets to collect all the information about people you associate with in order to sell your personal info better (to the NSA, among others)

No, people could always have said things about me and I'd have no way of stopping them.

If it worried me particularly I'd simply not have a Google device. If a distrust in a G+ account was enough to put me off then letting their code handle my phone and tablet in general would be a no-no for me too.

I'm under no illusions that there is much I can do to stop Google tracking me, occasionally pushing stuff at me addverts and so forth), and trying to "lock me in" where possible, as I use my stock Android devices. I'm sure both MS and Apple either d the same sort of thing or will as soon as opportunity presents itself.

I'm not saying it is right of course, just that if it is a particular problem for you then it should inform your decisions before buying a device. Also I suspect buying and returning devices as a form of protest is not seen the same on relevant internal reports, and is likely to inconvenience your retailer more than the manufacturer, so if you wish to protest the behaviour you will find simply not buying to be more effective.

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