I’ve never used a google account on it. That’s the point.

It is not necessary to be in the google ecosystem to use the shield (pro) to its full capabilities.

If you aren’t connected to the internet when you set it up it should not require you to log in.

I’m not confident it does require login even with an internet connection on the shield pro, but it’s been a while since I set mine up.

I bought a shield pro last year and never once logged in to google during setup or any time after.

I side load Plex from the direct download links in the forum (Plex pass is required for this I think but there are def other ways to get the apk). I do not run the shield as a sever as I have a dedicated box for that.

Nothing special about the setup at all, I just prefer a minimalist approach to software so I disabled everything on the shield that wasn’t necessary to run Plex.

E: should be clear this is a shield pro

I run a shield for Plex and have never logged into my google account on it. I’ve disabled play store and most google services. Also I keep the android on the stock version.

Works flawlessly.