Using android without a google account

[vistadude]

So I changed jobs and my company gave me an android phone running OS 2.3.5. I'm new to android and have used an iphone for awhile now. I text my wife with google voice on my iphone currently, and my iphone loses signal at my workplace.

So the android phone they gave me is definitely locked down. The camera app doesn't work and they required me to install Good enterprise for email, contacts, and calendar. I am able to sign into my google account and check gmail and download apps, but I'd like to avoid signing in my google account since my company tracks our usage (they install keyloggers on our work pc's and they make it clear that they can track our mobiles to remotely wipe them), but it's not clear how much they track.

The problem is, I want to use google voice for texting. I was able to download the apk without using the google play store but it seems I have to login to my google account, and I'm not sure, but it seems that if I do this, the whole phone will sign into the google account for all google services. Is there a way to sign into google voice but not sign into everything else? Also, would my company have access to my passwords?

Thanks in advance. I'm hoping to find a new carrier that works both at work and at home but so far, nothing does.


Edit: I should mention I have not signed into my google account, but I know a lot of my friends have.

 

[MRU]

Can you not just carry a 'personal' phone for your own use and leave the work phone as it is clearly intended rather than look for solutions to circumvent the lockdown.

Seems like easiest solution and one which will avoid any inappropriate use on the company handset.

 

[Primejimbo]

how about making a google email just for the work phone, would that idea work?

I did that when my company used android phones a few years ago. I made a google email for it so I didn't have personal emails and stuff on y work phone.

 

[vistadude]

That's what I'd like to do, but so far at&t, tmobile, and sprint either have decent signal at home or at work, but not both. Verizon might be the only option but so far I don't know anyone on Verizon yet to confirm that.

Can you not just carry a 'personal' phone for your own use and leave the work phone as it is clearly intended rather than look for solutions to circumvent the lockdown.

Seems like easiest solution and one which will avoid any inappropriate use on the company handset.

 

[Tarzanman]

That's what I'd like to do, but so far at&t, tmobile, and sprint either have decent signal at home or at work, but not both. Verizon might be the only option but so far I don't know anyone on Verizon yet to confirm that.

If you work for a place that draconian....i would avoid putting any personal information at all on the phone (no emails, no texts, no nothing). Seriously. Use the phone for phone calls and nothing else. If it were me, I would keep the ringer on silent... never picking up the phone to answer incoming calls and only responding later via voicemail when I felt like it.

If the company wants to treat it like company property then you should as well. Leave the phone at the office. Life is too short to have your employer and the flunkies in IT breathing down your neck 24/7