this applies only to installed apps from the store, not system apps like googles or oem apps. you cant disable background activity of any apps. dont want an always listening ai helper from google? too bad for you.

Just turn it off. There's a literal setting for that and it directly asks you to enable it when you set up your phone for the first time.

Please stop spreading FUD :(

Just don't use them. Unlike in iOS, you can replace all those apps with other apps that you prefer. No rooting or jailbreaking required. If you don't like Google Assistant, you can use Alexa or Cortana or something entirely different. If you don't like Siri on iOS, tough luck.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/7/17328758/amazon-alexa-defa...

Not true these days. If you want to use location, the app has to use Google Location Services. No matter what the final app is.

No need for Google Location Services unless you want to access Google's location data. https://developer.android.com/reference/android/location/pac...

You as a developer, yes. But you as a user have no choice if the developer has decided to use Google Location Services.

As a user, you just simply never opt in to using Google Location Services, something that is not even possible on iOS.

This is simply not true. LocationManager API works well still.

Could you please tell me how I am supposed to disable this app? https://i.k8r.eu/q-NmHw Or this? https://i.k8r.eu/3K7idw

I can’t even disable this Google bloatware on a stock phone (Nexus 5X)

You can't disable the only launcher on your phone. Just install another launcher, set that launcher as your default, and the end result is exactly what you would want (no Google launcher running). This is not possible at all on iOS.

Also, you've once again conflated "stock" with Google phone. If you use more precise terminology, you won't be so confused.

I have a different launcher installed, and in use. I backported the changes Google did in their launcher to Launcher3, built that, installed it, and am using it.

Yet I can still not disable these Google apps.

EDIT: Screenshot https://i.k8r.eu/4ZLdMA

And by installing a different launcher, the Google apps never run, which is the effect you wanted to achieve. You gain nothing by disabling the apps after that.

If you were able to disable the apps and then uninstall the the new launcher, your phone would be unusable until you did a factory reset from recovery.

Incorrect. The Google apps are still used and running, e.g. for hotword detection even when the launcher is changed. And even with hotword detection off.

And they take up space in my launcher.

Not on the Pixel. On my Pixel, I can disable the Google app and if I use a different launcher, the Pixel launcher won't run at all. So they're getting more customizable over time.

Root, remove, unroot.

you ideally want something like Xprivacy, which is unfortunately no longer supported

Install something like Netguard (same dev behind Xprivacy) -- which functions as a firewall (vpn) b/w apps and the internet. Turn on logging. Watch all the apps you have installed phoning home and services like graph.facebook.com every few moments.

XPrivacyLua is the successor of XPrivacy. https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacyLua

Another good point -- it sucks stupid amounts of data and radio power. People are always puzzled by how quickly they go through their data, some advertising systems can suck ~500MB/month of cellular data. Some telcos have specifically started showing usage graphs identifying traffic as advertising, but it can be hard to see which app or web page is the culprit.

Is it unreasonable to hope that the default configuration used by 99% of users won't shout your personal data all over the internet?

No it's not and the default configuration doesn't do that at all.