Connect phone running Android 4.4.2 to Google without immediately syncing apps?

[calanan]

I have a Samsung Galaxy Avant running KitKat 4.4.2 with T-Mobile that has been randomly restarting. Per T-Mobile support I've tried wiping the cache partition multiple times, tried a master reset then immediately connected the phone to my Google account, syncing apps, mail, etc. but the phone still randomly restarts...usually on its own in the middle of the night, sometimes when I open certain apps like Google+ Photos. Yesterday I did a master reset but have not connected it to my Google or Samsung accounts, or installed new apps or updated any built-in apps. So far the phone has not restarted and I and the technician think maybe there's a conflict or corruption with one of my apps or even somewhere within my Google account.

When it comes time to link my phone to my Google account, is there any way to do so without allowing the phone so sync any mail, apps, photos, contacts, etc. so that I can try reinstalling things one at a time to find the culprit? The technician I spoke with thinks there's no way to stop Google from syncing apps once I pass on my credentials but I wonder if someone here knows more than he does.

 

[Rukbat]

In the Google account, there are lines for syncing App Data, Calendar, etc. Disable all of them. (Go into airplane mode first, so the phone can't connect to Google, disble all the syncing items, back out to the homescreen and turn off airplane mode.)

 

[calanan]

Thanks, to clarify my Google account isn't linked to the phone yet (in fact, no accounts are). I've only linked Android devices to my Google account a couple of times in the past but if I remember correctly as soon as I pass my credentials to Google the device will immediately begin to sync apps, app data, mail, etc. I can't have the phone in airplane mode to authenticate my Google account, right? If that's the case then I don't think I could time it right to pass the credentials, see that they've been accepted but then quickly toggle airplane mode before the device begins to sync. What I'm looking for is a way to preemptively disable sync before I enter my credentials.

 

[calanan]

Ahh I figured it out, thanks to a tip I found in another thread...I was able to link the phone to my Google account and (so far) only allow it to sync my mail and contacts, then I'll slowly add back other Google products, apps, etc.

Thread: "How to synchronise selected accounts?" (sorry I'm not yet allowed to post links)

Solved. For those interested, you need to have autosync enabled, then you can (un)check individual service/app to sync within each account.

Tip: to keep Google account to sync while configuration, I disabled radios with airplane mode, configured each account, then enabled radios again.