For the sake of argument, let me point out that you don't have to install google play services on Android device. (Unlike Apples's world, here you actually have a control over your phone)
Google Play Services really isn't that bad. Sure it's annoying and proprietary, but it doesn't give them any more control than what Apple has by default on their devices.
Google Play Services and bundled apps don't have to be enabled and sends less data to Google than the equivalent services on iOS, which must be enabled.
obvious iphone user - google play services has full control of your phone. find your phone on android works because of this. if you don't trust google you CAN use the phone without google play services(you have to jump through some hoops like with everything privacy related)
There's a far larger app ecosystem for Android without Play Services than any other mobile OS. It's very odd to try to claim that it doesn't have that problem. Android is truly a Linux distribution too, and is truly free software. You can promote your preferred mobile OS without making misleading claims.
The problem is that the majority of apps written on Android these days depend on Google APIs or libraries, to the point that an Android without Play Services is almost useless. (Yes, this is from experience.)
Even Google's direct competitors require Google to use an Android. Skype and Outlook are great examples of apps you'd be amazed to discover will not run at all without Play Services.
You need Google Play Services if you want to run the average app. There is no difference, in the consumer's mind, between Play Services and Android. Deliberately, on the part of Google - new geo services are Play Services only, for instance.
A phone with Google Play Services collects less data than an iPhone.
To wit: Apple knows every app you ever downloaded, and there is nothing you can do about it. Every time you click on an address link, it sends the address to Apple, and there is nothing you can do about it. Any time an app looks up your GPS location, that location is sent to Apple, and there is nothing you can do about it. If you want to write apps for your own device, you need to give card details to Apple, and there is nothing you can do about it. A phone with Google Play services doesn't suffer from any of these problems.
You're conflating GCM and the wider Google Play Services that is installed on most Android devices. As someone who actually uses AOSP without Google, it weakens your argument when you conflate the two.
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