Want Google out of your life? It’s pretty easy to find alternative search, email, and photo storage providers, but it’s much harder to come up with a mobile operating system that’s free of Google. The obvious answer is an iPhone, but if you want Google out of your life, you probably don’t want to immediately replace it with Apple. While a little better from a privacy standpoint, Apple is still not great.

Fear not, privacy-conscious WIRED reader, there are alternatives to Android. Technically speaking, most alternative mobile operating systems are based on Android, not alternatives to it, but these various projects all remove Google and Google-related services (to varying degrees) from the system. Typically that means all the Google services are stripped out and replaced with some alternative code (usually the micro g project), which is then sandboxed in some way to isolate it and restrict what it has access to. The result is a phone that is less dependent on Google, pries less into your privacy, and sometimes might offer a more secure experience. However, at their core, these are all still based on Android.

If you want a true alternative to Android, there are a few. I am sorry to say, free software fans, the best and most functional alternative to Android is still iOS. Most people looking for Android alternatives are not, however, looking to switch to an Apple device. There are a couple of Linux-based phone systems out there, most notably SailfishOS, which can run Android apps (I will be testing this next), but in my testing, none of the Linux-based operating systems are ready to be your everyday device.

Best Preinstalled Phone: Fairphone 6 With /e/OS

The best de-Googled phone experience for most people is going to be Murena’s /e/OS version of the Fairphone 6. Not only does it offer the full /e/OS experience out of the box, with a strong focus on privacy and blocking apps from tracking you, but the Fairphone hardware is repairable, the battery replaceable, and the bootloader is locked. The catch, if you’re in the United States, is that the Fairphone 6 only works with T-Mobile and its MVNOs. Somewhat ironically, it worked great on GoogleFi when editor Julian Chokkattu tested it last year. I tested it using T-Mobile’s prepaid plan, as well as RedPocket’s T-Mobile-based service, and had no issues with either.

The Fairphone 6 gets even better when you put /e/OS on it. Thanks to the privacy-first design of /e/OS, apps no longer track you, but they do still work 99 percent of the time, which is often not the case with some apps on alternate OSes (looking at you, banking apps).

The core of the privacy features in /e/OS revolve around the Advanced Privacy app and widget. Here you can block (or chose to allow) in-app trackers, and there are other features such as hiding your IP address or geolocation when you feel like it. The IP and geo-spoofing are nice for limited-use cases, but the main privacy feature for most of us is the ability to block trackers in apps—and it turns out there are a lot of those.

Murena also ships /e/OS with a very nice custom app store, the App Lounge. It’s similar to the Play Store, but with extras like privacy information about each app. Under each listing in the App Lounge you’ll see a grade from 1 to 10, where 1 is horrible for privacy and 10 generally means no trackers. The App Lounge also grades apps according to which permissions they require. The fewer permissions (like access to your photos or geodata), the higher the rating.

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on TikTok, you’ve probably heard someone rave about Lola Blankets. They’re draped over couches in Get Ready With Me videos, folded at the foot of perfectly made beds, and name-dropped in podcast ads.

I wanted to be skeptical, but the hype is sadly real; we tested the blankets at WIRED and have included them in multiple gift guides and roundups, from the Best Weighted Blankets to the Best Housewarming Gifts to the Best Gifts for Mom.

From February 14 through February 16, Lola Blankets are 45 percent off with code WINTER45. No exclusions. This is the kind of discount that makes the math very compelling. Buy two, one for yourself and one as a present for a loved one, or a furry loved one (see below).

Lola Blankets come in two styles: the Original and the Weighted Blankets. WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell adores the Original (in Malibu Blue). It comes in an assortment of colors, patterns, and collaborations, plus five sizes: baby, medium, large, Lola XL, and travel. The double-sided fabric is an Oeko-Tex Standard 100-certified faux fur blend of 95 percent polyester and 5 percent spandex, with four-way stretch. It’s zero-shed, stain-resistant, and double-hemmed for durability. I can confirm that durability matters. Mine has survived everyday use and the affections of my cat, who has fully claimed it as her throne BTW.

Courtesy of Lola Blankets

Lola Blankets

Weighted Lola

Sony makes some of the best electronics we’ve tested across a dizzying array of categories, from TVs and audio gear to cameras and gaming consoles. Sony products constantly occupy top slots on our Best TVs and Best OLED TVs lists, Best Wireless Headphones, and Best Cameras guides. If you’re shopping for products from any of those categories, you can pay a little less with our Sony promo codes for deals like 45% off Bravia Televisions, 30% off Sony headphones and earbuds, 15% off cameras and lenses, and more.

Sony Promo: 45% off Bravia Televisions

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Use Sony Coupons and Save 30% off Sony Headphones and Earbuds

Sony has been synonymous with portable audio since the Walkman, and wireless headphones like the WH-1000XM series offer great performance and durability. We’re constantly putting them atop our list of the best wireless headphones thanks to excellent sound, feature-rich design, and noise-cancelling that ranks among the best in the business. With Sony online coupons, you can get great deals on Sony’s latest WH-1000XM6 headphones, which we loved for their upgraded sound and class-leading noise canceling, as well as the still-great previous generation, the WH-1000XM5.

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Sony Discount: 15% off Sony Cameras and Lenses

Sony makes some of the best consumer cameras on the market. In fact, we recently named the Sony A7V the best mirrorless camera you can buy, and the previous A7 IV was similarly fabulous. Both are on great sales through these new offers, letting you grab serious image quality with 15% off our favorite Sony cameras and lenses.

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