Re: What problem is this solving?
For me, Google no longer works well.
Maybe it's because I don't have a Google account, but I've found the quality of my searches has severly declined over the past few years and Gapps are a massive battery drain, so I now use alternative search engines.
Where possible, I also use F-droid alternatives to replace many of the built-in Android apps (gallery, calendar, maps, email client, SMS). There's also Jottacloud and Posteo for cloud storage and email, and custom ROMs such as ViperOS, Ressurrection Remix or Lineage OS which work well without Gapps. Yalp store allows me to access play store apps such as VLC and Here maps.
It's a little bit of work but the gain in battery life alone is worth the effort.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
