What Changed After Replacing Google Photos, Drive, and Gemini with Free Apps?

A writer swaps Google apps for free alternatives

On October 20, 2026, Android Police published an article about replacing three Google services on an Android phone with free apps. The writer chose Fossify Gallery for photos, Nextcloud for file storage, and Google AI Edge Gallery to run an AI model on the phone itself. Each app has limits, but the writer likes that they let you choose where your data lives and how it is managed.

What are these tools?

Google Photos and Google Drive store your pictures and files in Google's cloud, which means on Google's servers. Gemini is Google's AI assistant, and it usually runs online. The alternatives in this article work differently. Some run on your own device or your own server, so your data can stay with you.

Key facts from the article

• Fossify Gallery is a free, local-first photo app that handles viewing, organizing, and basic editing.
• Nextcloud is a free, self-hosted file service that can run on your own server or PC.
• Gemma 4 comes in two versions for Android: E2B for phones with about 8GB of memory, and E4B for devices with 12GB or more.
• Google AI Edge Gallery can work offline once you download a model.

Why it matters

Many people use Google's services every day without thinking about where their data goes. This story shows that free tools can cover many everyday tasks. It also shows the trade-offs: you gain control over your data, but you take on setup work, backups, and repairs yourself. The writer says the apps are not perfect, yet they are a real choice for people who care about privacy.

What to watch

• Fossify Gallery has no built-in cloud backup, so users must find another way to protect their photos.
• Self-hosted Nextcloud can go down during power cuts or network problems, and storage failures can lose data.
• Local AI models are weaker than Gemini in speed and in links with Android features.