GrapheneOS: 9 Months Later and No Turning Back!

I have been an Apply iOS user since smartphones came out and made the switch in December 2021 to the Google Pixel 5 running GrapheneOS. Been using it ever since. Below are the apps that I have installed:
F-droid (but recently switched to Droidify)
Aurora Store
Proton Mail
Proton VPN
Proton Drive
Simple Calendar
Simple Gallery (no longer using and back to GrapheneOS stock Gallery)
NewPipe
Antennapod
SimpleLogin
Bitwarden
Authy (but recently switched to Aegis)
Bromite
Forcastie
Stocks Widget
Chase
Tesla
Signal
Collabora Office
*******
Please consider supporting the channel using the links below, thank you!
Affiliate links:
amzn.to/3M80WAV Google Pixel 6 (IMPORTANT choose an UNLOCKED phone, and buy from a reputable dealer)
amzn.to/3LZDFky Google Pixel 7 (IMPORTANT choose an UNLOCKED phone, and buy from a reputable dealer)
amzn.to/3VahiLD GL.iNet Beryl Travel Router
amzn.to/3SGcNGH PNY USB Drive that works with GrapheneOS

[@autiseedllc8661]

Ya "side of burrito" is a good place for Graphene OS info. BUT i wanted to see a long term user perspective. Well done sir.

[@Mafia2262]

nice thx a lot , but maybe y can make a video about the camera what modes y can choose how fast or good it works and what kind of camera app it is on Graphene?.

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

amzn.to/3RmN4ll

[@infotruther]

ty

[@mikr0bi]

Thanx for video. May I ask how did you put that front camera cover to the sreen? Where can I get it? What case do you use?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqXFk5uVfrCDndE

[@AkshayCS1]

Does Google's SafetyNet attestation work? If so, what attestation does it pass?

[@simakosk]

how did the battery liefe changed after changing to Graphene? want to degoogle my 4a but dioent know what i should try, calyx or graphene

[@robertthomas6824]

Does anyone find it weird that the only phone that can take this operating system is a phone made by the same people that you are trying to get out of your phone?

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

No. Who else is going to produce hardware that will integrate more seemlessly with Android, than Google?

[@ThroughDarknessComesLight]

Yea it is weird

[@Dagoth_Ur_1]

@@heinzkitzvelvet XDA made a phone Pro1-x i think it's called. Not sure if it's Graphene though, probably LineageOS

[@jaysinghh_]

@@heinzkitzvelvet but most of time user won't be having that much tech knowledge about these things. the most valuable data are of people who are trying to hide their data from companies

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

@@jaysinghh_ true. Most people don't think about how much information companies have about them. But I do. The number of people looking for a way out is growing. I LOVE the idea of a phone experience that doesn't cost you everything, just to make use of the device you paid your money for. GrapheneOS is great!

[@ChristianWagner888]

Great to see how well GrapheneOS works as a daily driver. Are you not concerned about Tesla or Vanguard? I would consider them to be a serious threat to my privacy. Possibly a worse threat than Google, Samsung or Apple!

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

My concerns are mainly Google and Apple. I was a Gmail user, so I moved to Proton. And I didn’t like the fact having to be signed into my iOS device at all times. Plus using NextDNS, Apple devices are sending telemetry constantly, it’s insane watching the logs. For Tesla, the car itself is literally a tracking device, so nothing I can do there. I like my car too much lol. I’m not sure how Vanguard is a threat that’s different from any other investment brokerage. For me, I need to invest to reach my financial goals, so I use it. Regarding the apps themselves, I need the Tesla app. But for Vanguard, I may be able to get away from the app and just login using the broswer.

[@CosmicSeeker69]

​@@ThePrivacyWayfinderFirst ever visit to your channel - and this is insanity. Your promoting a security conscious map app, but are locked into Tesla and Vanguard. Nonsense is two words: No Sense - and that sums up this situation

[@Luke357]

@@CosmicSeeker69 This. I wouldn't trust them with a dollar let alone my investments or my car.

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Thanks for your viewpoints, I’m not promoted anything here and just sharing my experience regarding how I set up my device. 100% respect if you don’t agree with my choices, every person can make their own decisions. So if anyone is reading this and you despise Tesla, don’t get a Tesla. If you absolutely dislike Vanguard and their practices, don’t use Vanguard. That goes for any app, manufacturer, company, etc. Again, I’m not here selling or promoting anything. I’m clearly no security or privacy expert, I don’t work in IT. Just sharing my setup and experience. Thanks all!

[@fommuz]

I am still looking for a way to synchronize bookmarks encrypted. is there something with e2ee?

[@milk_drinker]

Nice video! How do you find Signal notifications & battery life without Google Play services? Last time I used graphene, the Signal APK would demolish battery life. I also recommend SyncThing if you have a Linux computer and want to sync files between the two devices.

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Notifications for both messages and calls come through nicely and I have not experienced any battery life issues. So maybe there were updates since you last used GrapheneOS. Did you move away from Graphene?

[@murderbymodem]

In my experience, notifications barely worked at all without sandboxed Google Play Services installed. Signal drained battery life yes, but at least it actually had a method of giving you notifications without Google. Sure it sucks a ton of battery and the notifications are usually delayed..but it's better than most apps that just won't be able to give you notifications at all. I daily GrapheneOS, but realistically it was impossible to use normally without utilizing their sandboxed Google Play Services feature.

[@windowsxpp]

@@murderbymodemis it a compromise on privacy if we have to use google play services to get notifications? I’ve no clue how much google taps into their fire base cloud messaging system for analytics and user tracking

[@harishsekar4133]

whats the dialer and messages app used ? is it google's one ?

[@boss0killer]

I don't see any reason to have a VPN connection permanently enabled. Centralizing all network traffic through one VPN provider also has its security pitfalls.

[@swiss_chokolate4969]

You could switch exit „node“ some times, but if you dont want to let your ISP then vpn is good

[@TheDevarshiShah]

Which maps app you're going to use? is it open source one? Which app can be used without revealing identity, which won't create location map trail and all?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

I’ve only been using Organic Maps for car navigation so far and has all of the basic features. I use it in offline mode with Network access disabled. I first download my state map at home, then I disable network access, and use the map. You do need location services turned on for GPS. However, without network access, I know for sure that Organic Maps is not getting any tracking data. In addition, on the OS level, I do not have any Google services installed and not logged into Google on my main profile. So I know my gps is not tied to my Google account. Of course you never know for sure, but at least I’m more confident than a stock android or on an iPhone.

[@null7581]

calendar is not "a simple calendar" it's simple calendar. That's the name of the app-simple calendar by Simple Mobile Tools. There's also simple gallery, camera, draw, recorder, contacts, flashlight and music player.

[@seapeajones]

To be fair, it's also a very simple calendar.

[@oldaccount7463]

Years ago I heard reviewers saying that it was slow to open apps or sluggish pulling up the apps drawer or switching pages on home screen. Does it feel similar to other android or iOS devices while navigating the phone?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

It might be a tad slower than my iPhone 11 when opening apps, but nothing significant in my opinion. I’ve only been using the OS since Dec 2021, so maybe it was worse in prior years and updates have improved the performance. Regarding switching pages on the Home Screen or opening the app drawer, it is very snappy on my pixel 5! So no issue there. A good test would be to load my GrapheneOS and iOS phone with several of the same apps and do a side by side opening of apps. Now I’m curious and might do that 😄

[@villageroma]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder a tad slower than your iPhone 14?!?!... lol I challange you with my old iPhone 8 how about that

[@Bambotb]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder why do you need an iphone ?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

I use my iPhone as my video production rig now. I enjoy using FilmicPro for video shooting and LumaFusion for editing. I also have my thumbnail creation app and KZbin app on it for posting vids. Also I don’t know why I said iPhone 14 in my prior comment. I have an iPhone 11.

[@junglee-bee]

🙄 I have a work iPhone running iOS 16 & a personal Google Pixel 6 running GrapheneOS. I see absolutely... no... sluggish difference. But then again, this phone is not meant for people who prefer bells and whistles. The OS is bland but to-the-point. Even the keyboard lacks emoji for which u need to download a no-nonsense OpenBoard from Fdroid. GrapheneOS is great but only if u r ready to tweak when necessary.

[@infotruther]

if use forcasti or some other Foss app will I be tracked by google and or other tracking company's

[@mfdarvesh1]

Thank you for nice video, can we alter IMEI in Graphene OS ?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

You cannot alter IMEI on GrapheneOS. However, there is a new product called PGPP (Pretty Good Phone Privacy) by Invisv that aims to solve this need. I haven’t looked into it much, but might be of interest to you.

[@stevenswall]

How are the quicksettings? Are there 6 of them in 1 row or are they the busted giant ones from newer Android versions?

[@fargoththemoonsugarmaniac]

This was the most ridiculous move from Android in a long time. Like, why?!

[@febryanvaldo]

Why you use Authy while Bitwarden include TOTP (authenticator) right...?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

I now use KeypassDX for password management and have switched from Authy to Aegis for TOTP 2FA. But you could use the password manager for 2FA. I just personally like to separate these just in case my pw manager gets compromised, the attacker will not have the 2FA codes. Completely overkill for the average person, which I consider myself average with no crazy threats, it’s just fun for me 😂

[@meyerschwartz5475]

Is it private to root the pixel through a non-free operating system? For example Windows or macOS.. Great channel by the way

[@shwi2523]

You might want to consider getting proton mail as well since your in the ecosystem. Great Video 👍

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Yes, I’m a proton unlimited subscriber, so I use proton mail, proton vpn, and proton drive. Awesome service!

[@zenonzazira]

He says he has proton mail in the first minute and a half of the video?

[@meyerschwartz5475]

​@@ThePrivacyWayfinder Haven't you seen Mental Outlaw's videos on proton? Apparently Proton is a fed honeypot.

[@meyerschwartz5475]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5a7koyIacqXb8U

[@CosmicSeeker69]

​@@meyerschwartz5475😯

[@bayleydowlen]

Do you know of a list of phones which work with graphine OS? and is it possible to use mainstream social media apps such as instagram without being tracked?

[@bazli115049]

If im not mistaken it is only works with Pixel 6 device because of hardware security the phone has.

[@Mark99487]

Only pixels are supported, pixel 3 -> 6 specifically, however 3s are at their end of support life. Best to get a 5 or 6. Technically you can use it on another phone but its very technical to set up. Depends on what your idea of tracking is.

[@anthonyc1845]

How do you like the battery life on the pixel phone? I know iPhones can easily double the battery life of the pixel phones but I don’t have a pixel to compare it to

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

My pixel 5 lasts me all day and still usually 30-40% remaining before I plug in at night. Although I do have many things disabled like location services, so that might help. My use is only general browsing, checking email, and watching vids on NewPipe. Nothing really too intensive that would drain battery (like navigation).

[@Rubokopter]

Im thinking of trying this with a Pixel 4a which I can get for like 150€. Would you still recommend it?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

The Pixel 4a will receive security updates until August 2023. So if you plan to just try GrapheneOS short term (until Aug 2023), then I’d say that’s a good plan. However, if you’re hoping to try GrapheneOS and ultimately keep the same device if you like it, then you should probably find a Pixel with longer security support. Just my opinion 😀

[@sevbait]

Can you control clock speed/undervolt for perf/watt reasons on Graphene?

[@chloe-sunshine7]

I just want to leave a comment here so I'll get a notification for replies because I'm interested in this

[@sevbait]

@@Carahato thank you

[@claytonh4917]

Can u run youtube vanced on graphine

[@AlTheEngineer]

Thank you for the video. I really wish they would make this OS work on devices other than the Pixel .... I just hate the Pixel hardware :(

[@volta1812]

I feel the same way. It's because the Pixel is the only Android phone which allows you to relock the bootloader after flashing, while other manufacturers void your warranty e.g. Samsung who literally have a fuse that blows up.

[@mrcvry]

A app list in the description would be great.

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

I’ll work on this today 👍

[@localboxcrox]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder its been 5 days

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

All set now, sorry for the delay!

[@DimitriSfaellos]

So you do not have a problem with apple using you data? Only Google?

[@stevenswall]

Can you change the quick settings to show more than just 4 massive buttons?

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

You can change what buttons you put there, but the shape and size are set.

[@jhelie4732]

what phone carrier are you using? not sure which i want to pick for my pixel

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

I’m using Mint Mobile. Switch from Verizon, been great in my area.

[@jhelie4732]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder were you able to carry over the same phone number ?

[@AGENT47ist]

For those who are wondering about how fast GrapheneOS is, or if they want to keep doing what they do in their normal daily phones, they got it wrong. This OS is designed only for privacy and security for mobile, it's not for using apps like Google, Gmail etc. Sure you can, but it was not designed for that. The GrapheneOS was designed to take you off the grid, and give you privacy and security from the constant surveillance of the big tech. Also keep in mind, that this is not for everyone. It's for people who do other stuff like talk freely in apps etc. As far as Google services go, yeah the F Droid and Aurora will sandbox the Google Apps, but still that isn't the purpose. So my personal recommendation is this: Keep your every day phone, and use a pixel with GrapheneOS when you want off the grid. Make sure to use Tor over VPN

[@icebreaker4197]

How u even do TOR over vpn?

[@asdfgoogle]

Thanks dude. That's the impression that I have been getting the last couple of days while I've been doing research on the subject. I really appreciate your comment!

[@AGENT47ist]

@@icebreaker4197 First you connect to your VPN, and then open the TOR brower and connect to the network

[@windowsxpp]

Thanks for the insight. I was planning to move away from iOS to GrapheneOS (which is a significantly big jump), I was researching a lot on this to decide if I want to upgrade to a new iPhone or a Pixel and now it’s clear that I can’t go with Pixel for GrapheneOS. I was planning to use google services on Graphene to get notifications, etc., but looks like it defeats the purpose of Graphene. I’ll probably get an iPhone SE 3 and then later get a cheaper Pixel 6a to get off the grid slowly.

[@Jst4vdeos]

​@@windowsxppGoogle services are sandboxed in graphene so you won't have issues getting notifications but it saves you from the privacy concern. The only thing graphene can't have that stock android does is android auto honestly

[@JM43438]

hello, i have question: if i buy google pixel 6 with standard android and flash grapheneos on it myself, do i have to additionally open up the phone and make any specific hardware modifications (take specific hardware out) to make sure my phone is secure and private? if yes, where can i learn about it?

[@SurfyStories]

No hardware modifications

[@JM43438]

@@SurfyStories are u sure? cos iirc i remember Edward snowden mentioning something about taking something out of the phone

[@JM43438]

@Klara Kristina but without the microphone, he cant use the phone to speak, correct? if so, then theres no use to take it out

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

@@JM43438 Snowden is a different animal altogether. If you've got a Nations government hunting you down because you embarrassed them, you've got much bigger problems than, 'should I take hardware out of the phone, and how?' 99.999999999999% of people on this planet will never have to deal with what he is dealing with. I think you'll be fine.

[@salapolivalenta77]

Is there any chance to use waze or google maps for navigation without google services? Maybe with microG? Thanks

[@xslvrxslwt]

Should be possible with mG and unified nlp

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

You might as well stick with a normie phone.

[@neilhess2518]

I'm really considering doing this to my pixel 5. Would you do this all over again if you only had your pixel and no other phone to fall back on?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Absolutely, I only use my pixel device and have used my iPhone for personal use since making the switch. You will find some apps won’t work exactly as expected without Google services, but as long as you are open to finding alternatives then it’s great!

[@johnX1]

Thank you for video! But i have one comment..using VPN, but providing all your history to external DNS company thats huge fail in my opinion. Why you dont block directly on phone? there are apps for that in F-froid. Thank you

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

I agree with you and I’ve been coming to this conclusion more and more. I’m actually leaning towards the “blending in” mentality, using default dns and making some connectivity changes on the phone that make check seem like it is coming from a regular android as explained in the FAQ grapheneos.org/faq. I’m also thinking about my use of VPN and disabling it on my phone but keeping it on my home router. The thought is that cell data tower ip address is shared with many people (I think?) but my home ip is unique to my location, so my router will hide that with VPN. Lol kind of why I called this channel The Privacy Wayfinder, I’m still experimenting and still figuring out what I’m comfortable with. No one size fits all in this privacy/security space imo. Thanks!

[@johnX1]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder Youre doing great, GrapheneOs is best choice imho, im also using it besides an iPhone. Good Job, keep going :)

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Thanks!!

[@baconstorm2259]

I have not been able to get chase to work, did you ever run into issues besides what's shown in the video?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Yes, in my 1 Year update video, I mention that Chase no longer worked on GrapheneOS. In the Chase App system settings, have you tried enabling the "Exploit protection compatibility mode"? I haven't tried it, but seems to be worth a shot. I'm not sure what the ramifications are though when enabling that mode on the app.

[@baconstorm2259]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder Yes, I don't remember if I saw your other video or just figured it out. But enabling that did fix it. I also have no idea what the ramifications are.

[@VishnuSR11587]

Which is better for Pixel 3, grapheneOS or CalyxOS? GrapheneOS doesn't support Pixel 3 anymore, but calyxOS is providing Android 13 for pixel 3.

[@Jst4vdeos]

You answered your own question

[@goban22222]

Can you deposit checks using the camera in Ally and Chase?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

I can confirm it works on Chase, just looked at my history and I did a remote deposit on Sep 6th. I thought I did a remote deposit on Ally, but couldn’t find anything in my history. I clicked on the deposit check button and it seems to be fully functional, but I’ll test on my next check.

[@goban22222]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder How did you install the banking apps?

[@goban22222]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder Did the test deposit work on ally?

[@infotruther]

which is better quad9or nextdns?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Both have good privacy policies and neither have had any major public issues far. I actually use quad9 on devices that I don’t want to control domain blocking. Then I use NextDNS if I want to enable block lists.

[@ArtOfHealth]

Can graphene get flashed on a Pix 6 issued by TMO? Thanks

[@adispenser]

yes

[@ArtOfHealth]

@@adispenser Thanks

[@pipeliner8969]

you should bring your videos to Odysee too! It's better for Privacy related channels and for smaller channels

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Thanks for the info! I’ll definitely look into that platform! 👍

[@pipeliner8969]

@@Carahato but still Odysee is better than youtube

[@pipeliner8969]

@@Carahato yes but still - the desktop app has worse user experience compared to Odysee

[@max_ishere]

You should try darknet diaries podcast

[@olusegunadebayo5306]

Does it have FM radio about to switch away from Samsun because I miss FM radio.

[@BSpears]

Why not use Proton Calendar?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

I'm not a big calendar person and I don't need to sync my calendar across devices. So using Simple Calendar, I can have everything local on my device and it is one less thing to be out on the cloud. Yes, it'll be on Proton's servers and I fully trust them, but if it doesn't need to be on the cloud then I'll avoid it. Good question though!! :)

[@northernswedenstories1028]

can you install this on any phone or?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Only on google pixel phones

[@seapeajones]

Sigh. So we can choose privacy & lose all convenience, or be bought & sold by data harvesters. I would happily PAY for useable privacy software @ this point.

[@windowsxpp]

Unfortunately it is very black and white when it comes to privacy vs convenience. I was thinking about switching from iOS to Graphene but after reading their documentation and watching several videos, it looks like I’ll be jumping from one “walled garden” to another. It’s either giving up some privacy to get a good UX+UI but still be in the big tech matrix, or completely getting off big tech’s radar to inconvenience myself by self hosting services and hoping the basic things such as backup and notifications still work.

[@omaragosto7008]

Is it good enough reject jail brake hacking ???

[@stephenrex83]

What does this mean?

[@omaragosto7008]

I don't know my friend, Someone told me about it and I don't really know was hoping this guys could explain.

[@MuddyHelmet69]

I want to use it but I can't jailbreak my Motorola phone so what am I supposed to do

[@chloe-sunshine7]

Unfortunately Graphene only supports Pixel phones. You'd have to switch, or find a way to unlock your bootloader and port it over.

[@infotruther]

vanguard is illuminatti

[@angryteapod1765]

the best thing is *you will get security updates untill the end of time* .

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

Or at least until the end of life for the phone.

[@mittswitty]

Wish I was smart enough to develop and code. I just can't use phones with camera cutouts and notches so I sacrifice some things in order to use SONY Xperia phones. I'd install GrapheneOS in a heartbeat if I could.

[@windowsxpp]

Sony Xperia 1 iv is imo the best phone and I’d buy it in a second if it was available in my country

[@pwilkutowski]

im guessing this video is demonetized by google :)

[@deepsingh76504]

Does it support dual SIM ?

[@awzsdrcfgybhjimklp]

That will always depend on the model for the country it is sold in

[@ralphlouren6332]

Don't used Authy, not is security.

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Agreed! Since that video, I’ve since switch to Aegis and love it. It’s offline and not synced to cloud, which might be an issue for some. But I like it being offline

[@quadsis5569]

why do you own a tesla vehicle? they literally spy on your camera and location etc.

[@mistervallus185]

proton mail is a fed honeypot

[@brucewayne2955]

It's open source... And not American. It's from Switzerland who have higher data protection standards than Europe. Europe has WAY higher standards than the U.S.

[@mistervallus185]

@@brucewayne2955 the cia has enough influence to persuade any country to give up data. Anyways here’s the proof: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3TbkHqVh5WIo7M

[@slingshot99]

@@brucewayne2955 They'd rat you out if your government asks them to hand over your information.

[@_virendrasingh]

The man don't even want google to send him stock news.

[@Karthig1987]

I use Google maps a lot lol

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Respect, no judgement here! 👍 I think I might try OSMand or Organic Maps. But I’m sure they’re no where near as good as Google Maps.

[@Karthig1987]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder Hoping for the day where (finders crossed) all free open source (is that foss?) apps achieve at least usability and feature parity that i can use a pixel but ditch google completely. Also how is it cameras wise? Like can you load Gcam separately as google software magic is well magic except for video being shit

[@joeclectic]

Please hold your phone steady when making tutorials. I got dizzy trying to follow the shaking phone. Maybe use two hands?

[@JonnyParker-]

That is a 5g phone isnt it ? Kinda defeats the purpose of being private . Also using fingerprint ? Dude .... ohh man and the guy has a Tesla ...... ahhhh im out of here.

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

🤣

[@3dmixer552]

basically you downgraded your os to android 5

[@lwoklidfr1898]

what's the point of that trash os if it only supports Google phone?🤦‍♂️🤣 you don't want google apps then buy a google phone then degoogle its bs you know?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

😂

[@ChristianWagner888]

Currently the Pixel phones are the only devices that fulfill all requirements as stated in the GrapheneOS FAQ, but additional device support is desirable: “As an open source project, the way to get something to happen in GrapheneOS is to contribute to it, and this is particularly true for device support since it's very self-contained and can be delegated to separate teams for each device. If you want to see more devices supported sooner, you should get to work on identifying good devices with full support for alternative operating systems with verified boot, etc. and then start working on integrating and testing support.” Which other Android phones have: “full support for alternative operating systems with verified boot”? That’s the first hurdle to overcome.

[@lwoklidfr1898]

@@ChristianWagner888 when it comes to modifications other brands has it more than pixel phones so finding a modified boot.img is not really hard, and pixel phones sucks and too expensive with little features to offer compared to what Chinese brands have with same price range, that's why for me pixel phone is not worth buying just to get a degoogled phone🤷‍♂️ that's why CalyxOS and GrapheneOS sucks since they prioritize google pixel phones, at least e/OS can supports a wide variety of devices as long as LineageOS exists and keep expanding.

[@slingshot99]

@@lwoklidfr1898 Chinese phones are compromised on hardware level. I wouldn't touch them with a 6ft pole.

[@swissaddict1291]

Sorry if you have already explained it somewhere, but why do you cover the front camera even while using grapheneOS? I am wondering if I should be doing the same

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

After listening to The Hated One’s interview with a Graphene developer, I decided to remove my camera cover. That developer stated that there is no way for apps to bypass the camera on/off toggle, which made me feel more comfortable removing it. It’s a good interview to listen to if you haven’t yet.

[@swissaddict1291]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder Thank you for clarifying, and for the interview recommendation. I just added it to my watch list so I will give it a listen over the weekend.

[@saurabhsukhdeve748]

why someone have to flash a diff rom on pixel devices ??? seriously android 13 is far better than it

[@shaymaeel-jaouahiry6278]

privacy 101

[@adiosluan]

But the most visualy boring OS I've ever seen.

[@nirv]

Enough with the affiliate links. Also, you don't need a VPN. Stop pushing that snake oil.

[@JR-rp7vr]

I just got a pixel 6. A couple questions... Did Graphene just recently make Aurora store available? I thought I remember Graphene not being able to use google play apps like CalyxOS can through Aurora?? If we can use apps found on google play store through, Aurora store, I see no reason to flash to Calyx now?? Thanks!!!

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Since I’ve been using GrapheneOS (Dec 2021), I’ve always been able to use Aurora Store. Any app I can’t get through fdroid or droidify, I’ve been using Aurora Store. Hope this helps!

[@JR-rp7vr]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinderThanks for quick reply...but are you able to download apps like crypto wallets or coingecko market watch app?

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

@@JR-rp7vr I’m not a crypto user, so not sure. But I hope someone else reading can reply here!

[@JR-rp7vr]

@@ThePrivacyWayfinder Ok bro, thanks for your help. One more question though. Just to clarify....Can you still download apps like google maps or pretty much anything you see in google play store, on Aurora with GrapheneOS, like you can on CalyxOS? I know some will say, "What's the purpose of downloading apps that defeat the privacy purpose of Graphene," but my point is to simply understand what the actual limitations are of GrapheneOS, that's all. Because I'm in limbo trying to figure out if I should flash my phone tonight with either Calyx or Graphene and don't want to be too limited and not as concerned with maximum privacy as others with my daily phone. I have offline/ no sim phones for that reason. thanks again! Subscribed.

[@LEGENDARYSAIYANGOKU]

Can i install grapheneos on my Asus rog3? If I unlock bootloader and root my phone thn install grapheneos and relock the bootloader?

[@MAGIeYUU]

Other than tesla shit, looks good

[@regeditxregeditx9790]

libretube is faster and has sponsorblock by default

[@ThePrivacyWayfinder]

Thanks!! I might have to check that out soon