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I wish to buy an Android One device and install only apps from F-Droid. I don't own a Google account and don't wish to register. I don't wish to install LineageOS or other alternative firmware.

Is it possible to use Android One device without a Google account?

What are the restrictions (without Google account) except that i can't use Google cloud services and Play Store? For both there are alternatives.

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    Note that Google has started to push Android security updates to Android OS components via PlayStore (not sure if an account is required for retrieving those updates). Hence even without an explicit Google account Google collects certain data of your device.
    – Robert
    Commented Apr 30, 2020 at 9:39
  • @Robert Google Play Store was updating itself or some other Google apps (don't remember specifically which ones) in a new Poco X3 (Android 10) without a Google account added into it. It was right after I finished setup wizard a couple of days ago.
    – Firelord ♦
    Commented Dec 4, 2020 at 11:53
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    @Firelord I would assume that all pre-installed Google apps are now getting updated without ever signed in to Google. On an Pixel3a on Android 11 device I have explicitly seen automatic updates for "GBoard", "Digital Wellbeing" and other apps.
    – Robert
    Commented Dec 4, 2020 at 12:34

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You need to register with Google

  • I had bought two Android MiA1 one phones , one for me and one for my son, a couple of years ago. I registered with Google account on my phone and got security updates and Android version update. On my son's phone , there were no updates of any kind till he came a few days later and activated Google sign in. It was connected to data (his spare SIM)

  • Android One wiki says the device needs to have Google Services intact. It doesn't mention Play Store explicitly but logically if the core service is missing, it will not work.

  • Robert, in comments pointed out another important point- of security updates being pushed through Play Store, and likely these won't be available without registering.

  • USP of Android one is low cost devices with timely updates, If you can't get updates and you don't want to install a custom ROM, your plan isn't going to help

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