What do I need to know switching phones from Blackberry 10 to Android?
Inspired by a similar thread @kfwyre posted a while ago.
I've been given an Android phone for a work contract and I don't want to carry two devices, so I will likely migrate from my Blackberry Z10 soon. The BB10 OS (not to be confused with BBOS, which ran the Bolds, etc. of BB's heyday) was intuitive, useful, and wayyyyy better than most people who never used it would have expected, only being doomed by the app gap. I'd have considered buying another Blackberry this year if I hadn't been given this other phone. I have long been wary of Android due to both privacy concerns and UI/UX gripes. Having tooled around for a couple days already, I'm struck by how many simple things I apparently can't do out of the box, and the fact that there are so. many. ads. Even in the apps! I know I will root and de-Google the device as much as I can once I get a hang of the OS.
So, I'm mainly looking for app recommendations, but general advice is appreciated as well. My use case is very functional - email, scheduling, messaging, browsing, navigation, weather, and calls. Preference given to FOSS and/or ad-free apps, but I'll pay up if it's really worth it. So far I've uninstalled a bunch of bloatware, installed Firefox, found SwiftKey to be the only half-decent replacement for Blackberry's terrific keyboard software, and the best free no-ad weather app looks to be a Norwegian one called Yr.
The main source for FOSS apps is F-Droid, which you can install and use like a second Play Store. You can find FOSS versions of a lot of regular apps and utilities, though they're not always the most polished or up to date. I recommend searching up your different needs there and trying out what they have. Most of the stuff on my old phone was from F-Droid, but for a few apps I ended up using something from the Play Store.
For basic stuff, there's a nice and deliberately barebones line of FOSS apps called Simple Mobile Tools that are, well, simple versions of things like a Calculator, Photo Gallery, etc. They're available through F-Droid, though you can also support the developer by buying them via the Play Store.
For UX, you can actually pretty drastically overhaul how you interact with your phone by installing different Launchers. These change your home screen, how you search/choose apps, and how you display widgets. There are a good variety to choose from, all with different featuresets -- some that are overwhelmingly customizable, some that are very minimalistic, and many inbetween.
I've tried a bunch of different launchers, and the one I like best is the rather obscure Final Interface.
One issue I have with many launchers (including several in your link) is they include an icon pack that replaces the icons of all default application, so it all looks really slick and cool ... until you replace some default apps with ones you like better, and you get one or two icons on the home screen that completely clash with the overall visual style of your device.
If you have privacy concerns about Android what makes you think an OS that hasn't received security updates in years would be less vulnerable? Not to mention issues with outdated certificates that would hinder basic tasks like web browsing. At least with (most) Android devices you can root/install a custom rom like Lineage to revive outdated hardware & software security - BlackBerry locked down their hardware to the point of limiting the device capability if you ask me. I used to daily drive a Z10 + Playbook tablet years ago, I loved the OS and the gesture navigation was before its time but the lack of native apps/a properly coded Android app compatibility layer was the dealbreaker for me.
One of the things you'll find out early on about FOSS Android apps is that you're often trading convenience/"usability" for things like no unnecessary permissions - Gboard and Swiftkey are probably the most "usable" keyboards but in terms of privacy they're effectively keyloggers sending typing data and telemetry to Google and Microsoft respectively. Like @kfwyre said, look into the Simple Mobile suite for basic stuff like contacts/calendar/dialer apps - I use Openboard as my keyboard since I don't need anything fancy and pretty much any other utility you might need that isn't a branded platform app (Dropbox, Slack, Zoom/MS Teams etc.) will more likely than not have some form of functional equivalent on F-Droid.
Blackberry has made a bunch of Android apps out of their old tech, including a keyboard and launcher. If you're craving that traditional BB experience, it's worth giving these a shot. Mind you, BB have never been very good about their software so YMMV based on what hardware you have and how it has been adapted to Android.
BB10's keyboard was amazing. If the Android version is even half as good, everyone should give it a try. Sadly, it doesn't show up when I search the Play store on my phone. :-(
My guess is it's only available in some languages, Norwegian not being one of them.
It should be possible to sideload it if it's not restricted from your hardware. I believe the Play Store indicates if a particular app is incompatible with one's phone.
As other folks have mentioned already, F-Droid is really excellent.
Depending on how much you want to de-Google, you might consider installing a version of Android that isn't the one from your phone's manufacturer. Personally I've found a good balance between FLOSS and usability using the microG Project's LineageOS builds. I was using LineageOS with Open GApps1 for a few years, but I made the switch to LineageOS with microG last year and it's been smooth sailing. For what it's worth, you might also want to look into GrapheneOS and CalyxOS (if they support your device).
If it supports your device, Magisk is a popular method for rooting. See if there's a guide for your device on XDA-Developers.
And some app recommendations:
1: Misleading name. Open GApps is just a way to install the closed-source Google Apps on LineageOS/other distros.
Previous similar threads
Android users: What are your favorite apps on F-Droid?
Have you tried degoogling your Android?
F-Droid, again, is awesome, if suffering from maybe more shovelware proportionally than even the Play Store.
Here are my personal recommendations. A lot of these aim to replace AOSP (default) apps.
Speaking of the Simple Mobile Tools lineup, I don't personally like the UI/UX of their apps - but they work great, and I haven't found any better image gallery, contacts, or dialer apps. Similarly, although I can't stand the interface, OSMAnd+ is the most comprehensive client for OpenStreetMaps.
You might not want to root your phone. It seriously compromises security while not offering that much in return. De-Googling is a great idea though - if your phone's supported, you could even flash LineageOS.
What are you having difficulty doing outside of the box, and where are the ads coming from? Android isn't really known for either - maybe this is some vendor bloat that can be removed with ADB or similar?
To hijack this a little bit, I'd also love other's recommendations. I don't really know of a good open-source or even trustworthy closed-source app for the following:
Since Version 10 Android finally has usable gesture navigation (heavily influenced by BB10...), definitely try it!
I used it on a Samsung S10e for a while and sometimes even could forget I was using a horrible OS :)
Nowadays I'm using an iPhone 12 Mini, the gestures in iOS also seem to have heavily borrowed from BB10.
Also, install the BlackBerry Android keyboard, there are ways to do it without the Play Store, and it's more or less the same as in BB10.
I'm using said keyboard as we speak ;)