Yesterday evening turned all chaotic when people couldn¡¯t log into Google services. Almost all Google services were down -- Gmail, YouTube, Meet, Google Docs and others -- across the world.??
This blackout, even though it lasted for less than an hour, definitely made billions of Google services users feel crippled and helpless.?
And oddly enough, this wasn¡¯t the first time such a blackout occurred this year. Just a few months ago in the month of August, we saw Gmail unable to accept attachments to email. While this was a small glitch, the one that occurred yesterday truly shook many.
In case you were one of the many, wondering if you¡¯d better look for other alternatives, we¡¯ve got some alternatives that are worth considering,
Google Search has to be by far the most used Google service on our list, so it goes without saying that should something go wrong with this, we¡¯ll all be in a whole lot of trouble. In case you¡¯re looking for an alternative for the google search engine, DuckDuckGo is definitely the one you should pick.?
Unlike the Google Search which tracks your data to target ads to you, DuckDuckGo is private and discreet about your browsing. Also, it¡¯s free and delivers fairly accurate results. Other privacy-centric search engines you can try are Search Encrypt or Swiss Cows. In case you don¡¯t mind getting tracked, other popular alternatives include Microsoft Bing.?
Google Chrome is the browser many of us use today, primarily since not only is it easy to use, but it also syncs well with our Android device, keeping everything nicely synced. In case Chrome isn¡¯t cutting it for you, the next best alternative is Mozilla Firefox.?
Mozilla has all the amazing features that Chrome possesses like support for extensions, but it also comes with a dedicated ad-blocker. Another browser you could try is Microsoft¡¯s Edge Chromium, which looks and feels very much like Chrome, although without hogging up a ton of system resources.
YouTube, for many of us, has become this portal for entertainment -- whether it is watching YouTubers or listening to music or watching trailers for upcoming movies, YouTube has now become indispensable. However, today, this entertainment is not just limited to this platform.?
While platforms like Vimeo exist as a direct alternative to YouTube, with the inclusion of Instagram Reels, IGTV or even Facebook Watch, users have started to connect with a different genre of entertainment that is not only generating crazy amounts of views but also has some really entertaining content to suit your taste.?
Almost all of us possess a Gmail account -- it is the account that helps us sign in to our Android phone, or sync our Chrome bookmarks and history. However, in a world where Gmail is no longer functional, having a second ID on a different service will come in handy.?
In case you¡¯re looking for an open-source alternative that helps maintain user privacy, you can check out Tutanota. Available on both iOS and Android, Tutanota offers users end-to-end encryption. Moreover, the experience is entirely ad-free and minimal. Although it only offers 1GB of storage in its free tier. Another popular alternative that you can use is Microsoft Outlook.?
For people working online, Google Docs was a boon as it allowed for seamless sharing and collaboration on ideas using its platform. However, in case Google Docs isn¡¯t working for you, you can try LibreOffice -- an open source- free office apps suite including apps for spreadsheets, word processing, presentations and more.?
The UI is clean and the app is free to download on Windows as well as macOS. This, however, lacks the cloud-storage capabilities that docs possessed. In case you missed that, you can sign up for Microsoft Office online with your Microsoft account, which offers a similar cloud experience as Google Docs.?
If you¡¯re one of the many who use Google Chats for your work-related conversations, you can check out Slack as an alternative, as it allows you to create team-specific rooms with ability to share files while also keeping things fun with stickers and emojis. Another app worth checking out is Microsoft Teams.
If you use Google Chat to communicate with friends, you can ask them all to switch to secure and encrypted platforms like Signal or Telegram that offer an additional layer of security to your conversations.?
Google Drive completely changed our lives, offering a seamless way to save our documents, files that we wouldn¡¯t want getting destroyed. However, if you¡¯re worried about Google Drive¡¯s instability, you can always check out Tresorit -- an encrypted cloud storage platform that constantly updates and manages team documents on the cloud, while offering security from ransomware and other threats. In case you¡¯re looking for other alternatives, you can check out DropBox or OneDrive by Microsoft.?
While it¡¯s true that YouTube Music has a wide variety in its music library, another platform with an equally loaded library of music is Spotify. Not only is it better UI-wise but it also has intuitive lyrics for almost every track now, that can make the listening experience more engrossing.?
You can also try the free tier with ads in case you don¡¯t want to spend money on subscription in the beginning. Other platforms that you can try include Gaana, JioSaavn and even Apple Music.?
On Android, Google Play Store is the place we go to download the apps of our choices. In case of Play Store isn¡¯t working for you, you can try out an alternative app store dubbed Aptoide that offers secure app downloads.?
There are other alternatives like APKMirror too, but since they have several users uploading apps, it isn¡¯t as secure.?
Google Maps is our go-to option when we¡¯re lost on a road trip. However, in a world where Google Maps doesn¡¯t work, it's best to have some alternatives handy. One of the alternatives is OsmAnd -- an open-sourced navigation app that¡¯s based on OpenStreetMap. The clean UI, even though isn¡¯t as intuitive as Google Maps (with respect to live traffic data) offers accurate navigation directions to keep you on the correct route.?
In case you want to try out other popular navigation apps, you can try Here Maps or Microsoft¡¯s Bing Maps that also offer an accurate and clean user experience.?