Do I really need a Googgle account?

[Android Question]

Newbie but not too much of a dummy here.... Playing around with my first Samsung Galaxy Ring aka first smart phone. Not really interested in setting up a Google or Samsung account.. do I need to?
Can I just load Android apps from other sources?
Thanks in advance for any and all input.

 

[Rukbat]

You can. But if the phone gets lost (or "lost"), and you don't haver a locator app on it, you won't be able to use Google's locator app. (And if the phone is off, you can still use Google's location history to get an idea of what happened.) If you lock yourself out of the lock screen (you NEVER forget anything?), you can't get back in with your google data. You'll have to manually back up your contacts. No Google Voice. (You can set it to forward to your cell and your home number, so if someone calls you on that number you get the call whrever you are and, if at home, with the cellphone off.)

There are a lot of benefits to having a Google account. It's free, so all it costs you is a few minutes to set it up.