Part 1: What you’re getting into
See also: Part 2: Nice Apps from F-Droid
Standard Android is bad: not only is its source not available, it also spies on you—through many apps that are often preinstalled by vendors or provides as well as the operating system itself.
Over the past year I’ve eliminated nearly all non-free (as in Freedom) components on my Nexus 5 and replaced them with Free Software—software that respects your rights and freedoms.
A word of advice: If you plan to free your device as well, there is no need to do it all at once. Start by replacing isolated programs one-by-one and your ride will be much smoother.
This is my blogpost about this topic. There are many like it, but this one is mine.