Help setting up Galaxy S23 without updates

[Bullwinkle]

First post here; thanks for any help. I should have signed up as "Curmudgeon" since a lot of what is going on with cell phones and internet makes me angry. No privacy any more.

I think that when a phone is free or cheap, then you have to give up a lot, but the more we pay for something, the more we should demand that we have privacy and not snooping into everything we do. Yep, Curmudgeon it is.

I am trying to set up a Samsung Galaxy S23. From what I read, some updates slow it down to the point that it is almost unusable. Also, I would like to set it up using Wifi at home and only change the SIM card once I am done. This may not be possible, though.

Besides that, Google and Samsung want to know everything about me and want me to provide DNA before they will let me use this thing that I paid so much for,

Anyway, gripes done. Is there a trick, or a hack, or something so I can set this thing up without a Samsung account? I know a Gmail account is necessary, but I try to keep as much of my life private as I can.

Also, how can I move my data from my old phone (an old Motorola G5+, Android 8)) to this one without moving the apps? Most of the apps are outdated and even if they weren't, I use them so seldom that I don't need the bloatware and clutter. More than likely I will like what comes on the new phone better, anyway.

The main thing I am interested in is my phonebook and I might be able to back it up, send it to my email, and then download it with the Galaxy, but then I may not know where to put it. Text messages would be nice, too.

Any suggestions, or pointers to a "Setting up your phone for Dummies" site?

Thanks, all.

 

[joeldf]

Without getting into things too much, a Google account hasn't been "required" for years.

Pretty sure you can skip setting up a Samsung account as well. I know I did after resetting my old S9 for my son to use last year.

As for updates "slowing things down"... never experienced that using an S8, S9, S20 FE, or my current S24+.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Thanks for answering.

I read that someone had a Galaxy with Android 13 and when the 14 update hit, it slowed some of the apps down to a crawl. Basically slowed the whole thing down. There were a bunch of "Me, toos" after the first message, so that got my attention.

I tried bypassing the Google signup and the Samsung sign up, but the phone would not let me go further.

Any places where I can find step by step how to information on this? I have searched, but Google search will not display hits that allow me to bypass Google on setup. <grin> Seriously, I have tried different search parameters but no hits on point.

 

[Bullwinkle]

After thinking about this, it could be that the update did not slow the system; it could have slowed only an app. Not certain there. If I do not have that app, then maybe the system works well.

Still, I would rather not have updates yet. I prefer to get a feel for the system, then update if I think it needs it. I do not think I want the OneUI 6.1, though. From what I read, it is not for me.

 

[joeldf]

I tried bypassing the Google signup and the Samsung sign up, but the phone would not let me go further.

Any places where I can find step by step how to information on this? I have searched, but Google search will not display hits that allow me to bypass Google on setup. Seriously, I have tried different search parameters but no hits on point.

All found while Googling on my Google-signed-in phone. I just typed in "setup Android without Google account".

How to setup a new Android phone without gmail? - Android Community

What Happens if You Don't Sign In to a Google Account on Android?

Do you need a Google account to use an Android phone? Here's what you'll lose—and gain—if you choose not to sign in.

www.makeuseof.com

How to Use Android Without Google: Everything You Need to Know

Want to use Android without Google? Here's a full guide to going Google-free on your Android device to regain privacy control.

www.makeuseof.com

How to use an Android phone without logging into Google - Quora

www.quora.com

And this tells you how to remove an existing account, which you may have to do if you previously signed in before resetting - that will force you to re-sign in as a security measure. The sign-out instructions are after the sign-in part.

Add or remove an account on Android - Android Help

To access your email, contacts, and calendar, and to get apps from the Google Play Store, you can add accounts to your phone. When you add a Google account, info associated with that account auto

support.google.com

If the phone did have an account tied to it before, you need to sign out in Settings > Accounts (or Accounts and Backup) > Manage Accounts > find the one for Google and tap "Remove Account".

You can go to your account on a PC through a browser, look for devices and it'll show you the signed in devices. Make sure it's out. Then, when you reset, you should have a "skip" button when it wants you to sign in.

Same for the Samsung account if it was previously set with one. Got to sign out of it too before resetting anything from scratch.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Agreed, Google wants to know everything about you including DNA. Maybe I send them a stool sample to complete their investigation. Maybe the whole thing in case a little bit is not enough.

Would you believe me if I said I was sorry for being crude?

But I cannot bypass the Samsung nag. I can deal with Google to the extent I can live with it, but the fewer places I give information, the better.

Got my laptop browser locked down to the point it is almost unusable, but this one escapes me.

 

[Bullwinkle]

I hate it when people who start threads leave tech question threads open. If they worked it out, or not, it is nice to know what works and does not work.

FWIW, YMMV, etc., I finally got the Galaxy working and it seems fast enough. I did everything I could, but could not bypass the system update. Wish I could have used it a while with the 13 OS just to see what the differences were.

I did not insert the SIM card until I was sure the new phone would work OK, and the Galaxy would not allow me to set it up without a connection, so I finally let it use the wi-fi. Got contacts transferred over, but no text messages, pictures, or downloads.

I'm retired now, but owned a business since 1977, and there is still some client data that I would rather not be intermingled with everything else that Google has snooped out. Trying to cut down on online exposure.

Anyway, I'll find an offline way to transfer the photos and downloads, and let the texts stay where they are. Pretty sure I can wire it to a computer, download from the old phone and send to the new one. But not the text messages.

Thank y'all for the suggestions and links.

 

[mustang7757]

Welcome to AC!
I understand your concerns about privacy but today's world that is a hard thing to do with everyone wanting access to something.
You have carrier breaches that they get your Soc # /address/birthday , even credit bureau breaches ECT..

I've been using Samsung and Google devices with their cloud back up for many years and nothing came about. You want to use Samsungs back up platform because it offers the best in Android for backing up and restoring and keeps Samsung apps that u normally use up to date otherwise it would be better to stick to a google pixel device to keep it to only Google having your data.