OPEN SOURCE your Android Phone: open source Android ROMS and apps

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Try OnlyOffice, the best open source office suite for Linux: bit.ly/3IQRWfY

[@Mexicomank2]

Just a correction micro g is incompatible with graphene os . Instead graphene can use sandboxed google play services which is google play services pretty much as a app vs system wide were the user controls its permissions on what google play can get like, treating it like any other app .

[@theogre8452]

Neo launcher

[@aaronplays_]

Hey man, I really need a beginner friendly tutorial for installing /e/ OS in my phone. I'd also appreciate a link where I can request for a phone model if it's currently not supported. Also, I need to know how to backup the default Android version and how to revert back to it if /e/ OS is not working out for me.

[@Rony-kb5jv]

brave, open source!😂🤣🤣

[@hlelpツ]

• Aurora Store - Play Store alternative • KeePassDX - Password manager F-Droid official client is pretty rough around the edges, luckily there are 3rd party clients that work better, I've tried many and I've found Droid-ify to work best for me but there's AuroraDroid (by the same dev as AuroraStore) G-Droid, FoxDroid and many others. • Material Files - File manager • Termux - Linux terminal for Android

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Nice recommendations, thanks!

[@ioneocla6577]

I use self hosted vault warden. A bitwarden compatible implementation with all bitwarden paid features

[@KnightRiderOfVoid]

Neo storw has worked perfectly for me, aurora droid has some features I'd like but fails a lot to sync my repos when using vpn. After ot fails it becomes pretry much useless until I forcefully stop the app. I will try droid-ify, but for a simple and reliable fdroid store with configurable repos, neo store has served me well.

[@MarkHobbes]

F-droid official app is slow, ugly and buggy as hell

[@dan3817]

Small correction about Lawnchair 12.1 It doesn't require Android 12 to run, it can run on devices as low as Android 8.1 (tho atm 8.1 support is broken), only feature requiring Android 12.1 is the integration with the recents menu and gestures through the Quickswitch module

[@chinmayghule8272]

I used the launcher just now. It seems that it's still in alpha stage (12.4, which is the latest at the moment) and I found it kind of wonky. LIke it added a few apps on the home screen and there was no way to remove them. The app "Lawnchair 2" on the Google Play Store is more stable. If anybody wants to try, then I would recommend the play store one.

[@KnightRiderOfVoid]

@@chinmayghule8272 lawnchair2 is on f-droid, sure it's pretty much the same app, but it's nice that you can find it in an open source store instead of google's play store

[@dan3817]

@@KnightRiderOfVoid Actually Lawnchair V2 isn't on Fdroid, what's there is the much older V1 version Reason why v2 wasn't published on Fdroid was due to some issues with Fdroid rejecting the app due to it needing a prebuilt jar during compilation time to enable the recents/gestures integration There were plans to solve this but from my knowledge they haven't bothered with Fdroid in after v1

[@dan3817]

@@chinmayghule8272 As for the apps you can't remove, are you sure you didn't enable locking the homescreen in settings?

[@KnightRiderOfVoid]

@@dan3817 yeah my bad, as I use neo store and have other repos enabled. I sometimes forget an call fdroid to any fdroid alternative. Thanks for pointing that out. You can find lawnchair2 in the extra repos if you use neo storw or aurora droid, for those wanting to try it.

[@ozerune]

please make this a recurring series there are so many good open source apps but sometimes they can be difficult to find

[@TheLinuxEXP]

If the video does well, sure!

[@PrograError]

@@TheLinuxEXP even if not, maybe do an annual version as an update at least ?

[@therealtrabo]

I'd say it's done well​@@PrograError

[@MrGamelover23]

Grapheneos lets you have sandboxed Google services, they don't use microG because it's insecure. Security and privacy are two different things, and it turns out that Google stuff is really secure even if it isn't good for privacy.

[@motoryzen]

"security and privacy are two different things" Bullshit. Tell that to anyone who has been forced to live in crime infected areas of the world. The less someone knows about your and your property, the MORE secure you are in that the enemy doesn't know how to infiltrate your life as easily. It's not rocket science.

[@motoryzen]

@_____ yes..good luck with that. Lol

[@MrGamelover23]

@_____ it's sandboxed and runs as a standard app as opposed to a privileged app, it only takes the data from the app you're currently using.

[@rolandssavdons7993]

Note that some important apps (banking, for example) require a locked bootloader and Google APIs to use. Unless you're using OnePlus or Pixel phones (AVB v2), you're running a risk of bricking your device when locking your device's bootloader. Something that I learned just this afternoon.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

My banking app worked on my Amsung phone using /e/, but yeah, some have issues

[@MarkHobbes]

Yes, and there is a problem for Samsung phones that even if you lock the bootloader, reinstall the stock rom and sell it. The person who will use it, won't have access to a lot of Samsung services due to the fact you once unlocked the bootloader, Knox is ruined as the security for the Samsung phone. In some phones, the stock camera won't work, neither will Samsung Pass, Samsung Pay, Secure Folder, Dual Messenger and so on...

[@marcelplch8725]

@@MarkHobbes You are thinking wrong. Except for the re-sell, all you mention are benefits. You DON'T want those things to work if you care about privacy. As far as banking goes, switch to a bank that doesn't force you to compromise your security by an Android app. I mean, seriously, think about it. It's a bank. It holds probably all of your money. And you put all the trust in the OS with the least security support?

[@MarkHobbes]

@@marcelplch8725 For me and you it may appear to be useless or a problem for privacy, but not for majority people who want everything to work as intended officially by Samsung. Unlock the bootloader is a no-go if you want to sell it later.

[@Rod_SCL]

I disabled the KZbin app on my phone and watch all vids on brave browser, no ads and I enabled the option to keep playing videos with the screen off (great for music and poscasts).

[@raj18x]

Did the same with kiwi browser

[@classicallemur1190]

Niagara launcher is really a hidden gem of a launch in my opinion. updates often and strikes a good balance between ergonomics, minimalism, and eye candy

[@njayman]

I use it and now I can't go back to the default launcher. It's so convenient.

[@prajhualak]

Niagara is awesome but proprietary :(

[@njayman]

@@prajhualak sadly yes 😔

[@RandomUserName92840]

Niagara is also wife/ old people friendly. The list of letters just makes sense. Not open source iirc

[@classicallemur1190]

@@prajhualak oops saw they had a GitHub pace and assumed

[@LBP2Saperoth]

Neo Launcher is a great and open source, it is a great alternative to Nova Launcher. it has a google feed replacement that is just an RSS feed reader. they also have some other tools like a store for f-droid.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Nice, I didn't know about this one!

[@davidbronke5484]

I'd love to try Neo Launcher out, but I can't find it in either F-Droid or the Play Store. Do you have a link?

[@iamaj7]

I found Organic Maps to be more user friendly than OSMand Keyboard : Openboard is a good keyboard based on AOSP, but personaly I use Unexpected keyboard which is developed with developers in mind. If you are using command line applications or other compilers, this will come in handy with its unique swipe to input feature.

[@aciddev_]

florisboard is also a good option

[@editoron]

Your SOC is very important if you want custom android roms. Is easier to optimaze for Qualcomm Snapdragon than for Samsung Exynos. I had Redmi Note 7 with SD 660. And compatibility with other roms was very good (with Lineage OS is still running very well).

[@mat_max]

What are those other roms?

[@editoron]

@@mat_max for example: Pixel Experience, Havoc OS...

[@theprathamdupare]

@@mat_max For Redmi Note 7 - pixel experience, arrow OS, PIxelPlus UI, Project Elixir , these are not open source. There is an old ported build of Calyx OS for RMN7.

[@editoron]

@@terrydaktyllus1320 I personally install custom roms if android updates are slow or software support is short. I bought A33 because of software support (4 android updates and 5 years of security updates)

[@editoron]

@@terrydaktyllus1320 My Redmi Note 7 is still Android 11. But that's my older phone. Also I have noticed more bugs than with MIUI (android version from Xiaomi) Which is probably normal. But system was way smoother. Probably better optimalization. It's worth mentioning that I was also using Lineage os with opengapps (Google mobile services) + Sometimes I like to change the Android version.

[@PakoSt]

Generally, custom ROMs are very good. The true problems come with portions that use proprietary sub-systems like the camera. The exposed Android Camera APIs are generally a fraction of the methods used with OEM cameras that take advantage of undocumented APIs targeting the firmware blobs (especially for post-processing and the like which could be coupled with OS level changes for whatever ungodly reason). This is doubly true for multi-camera setups. Microphones may use similar low-level processing but generally are less of a problem. Battery optimisations with always-on screens are a suspect if the used kernel isn't a derivative of the OEM one or if some part of the implementation is hiding within the OS layer like Samsung specific methods for example (because reasons...). Modem staying alive or the like, are within that group but less of a problem - usually the modem stays alive/ hibernated/ wakes up as expected. We have the usual BS with DRM or other "security" measures that immediately try to raise a red flag if they do (very questionable) checks to verify if the device is rooted. Banking apps or lower resolution with Netflix are the most common examples of problematic behaviour caused by those checks. On the other hand, there are historical examples of OnePlus, Xiaomi and so on not passing those security checks with their official ROMs so... Yeah 😁 The banking apps or wireless payment can be annoying - this depends entirely on whether the individual views such functionality as a desirable feature or not. If we go down the rabbit hole of VoLTE or WiFi Calling, counter intuitively the custom rom may enable this functionality in some cases (looking at LG's region implementations and crazy network provider systems...) There is one usual caveat with any custom ROM - depending on the family of the custom ROM, security updates can be a question mark. Just getting an update, doesn't mean it includes a security one. Sounds scary but given the OEM most likely has already nixed support for the device, _any_ update is an improvement. Overall, if camera quality isn't a must, custom ROMs are more than enough and can prolong the life of the device by a lot with minimal effort.

[@amine250]

There's always GCam

[@MarkHobbes]

Not only the camera, but in the stock rom if you have access to Radio app, if you switch to another rom, you'll lost this and only be able to use the radio with internet connection on.

[@MarkHobbes]

I know many people who make everything open source in their phone with exception to the camera. They still prefer Gcam or any of the inumerous versions made by devs all around the world. Loosing the hability to make excellent videos and photos nowadays is a real drawback to many people, especially if you've paid for a expensive phone.

[@MarkHobbes]

If you wanna use bank apps, just do not root and use a well-known rom like Lineage that it won't be a problem.

[@amine250]

@@MarkHobbes root is not yet a problem for most banking apps, Universal Safetynet fix magisk module still passes safety net. However, when most apps start implementing the new play integrity API, custom roms are gonna have a hard time

[@Lampe2020]

5:34 Termus's PlayStore version is no longer supported and they switched to F-Droid. So they were available on both a long time now but the PlayStore one will receive no further updates and tells you to switch to the F-Droid version.

[@samik10]

A happy LineageOS user here. It's amazing to have Anroid 12 and up-to-date security updates to my phone even years after manufacturer's end of support.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Lineage is great to extend the life of a device!

[@shab-re5334]

correction, lineage can only provide software updates, not firmware updates as your manufacturer has stopped them this is still better as you get newer android releases and software security updates, but that's it

[@sudosyyu]

Would love to hear all your configuration (apps and stuff), I want to install lineage os but im so inexpert

[@NinjaSpotted]

Regarding open-source apps that I use from F-Droid: mvp - Video Player Organic Maps - Offline maps support, even public transportation (google maps doesn't) Fritter - Checking Twitter (no account) Frost - Facebook client (with account) Open Note Scanner - Camera Digitalizer to pdf document/image NewPipe - KZbin Player Tachiyomi - Manga Reader

[@MarkHobbes]

Organic Maps aren't perfect if you live in Brazil

[@gamersworld4176]

any alternative office suite? like libreoffice ?

[@thalleshenrique9752]

Nick, just a small correction: Lawchair doesn't demands Android 12 (maybe just for some Monet/Material You related features, but it still runs on older devices). I used the recent version just fine on an old Android 9 device.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Weird, that's what their website seems to indicate? Still, that's cool!

[@nescius2]

correction for 10:46 - even with the customization and settings your pictures might look more real than the ones spanned from the default app. ..you can fake (apply -photoshop- gimp cream) your picture on the adult computer whenever.

[@oalfodr]

I pick my phones based on whether they have good support for lineageOS. My favorite apps are aegis for 2FA, simple gallery, YT vanced, and termux

[@oalfodr]

@@terrydaktyllus1320 Agree. I am using Poco F3 now. It performs better than some expensive phones and I could buy several such phones for price of one Samsung flagship.

[@shrobbyy]

Bromite is pretty much the best browser you can have on Android. It's only available in F-Droid via adding their repo but definitely worth trying out.

[@nxlxrbrim]

NeoStore is better, moden app store bit better then Fdroid.

[@Akselmoi]

I recently got Fairphone 3+ with /e/os preinstalled from Murena. It's solid phone and the os works just as well as regular android (with banking apps too!) and highly recommend it.

[@rfdiego777]

I find FairEmail a good alternative to K9, it has a lot of useful settings (both great apps anyway). Also, apart from all the privacy concern, changing the ROM to an open one can really boost the performance of your device ( I still use a 2017 Samsung which with his original ROM was unusable)

[@UnixCorn_7]

Totally agree with you about FairEmail. About changing ROM, I put my motorola on lineage and now, it's really buggy, I think, it's depend on the device.

[@rfdiego777]

@@UnixCorn_7 sometimes the builds of lineage take time to work properly (on my samsung a5 2017 the first release of lineage 18.1 had some issues, they resolved them in a few months with the following builds). Also I think the Motorola Rom is pretty lightweight, the Samsung one is full of stupid bloat (so for me was a great improvement, but maybe it's not the case for everyone)

[@orkhepaj]

k9 is crap

[@TheWilldrick]

There are some really good FOSS apps around that I think you overlooked. Starting with here KZbin, NewPipe (especially Legacy) is really good, is lighter on the battery and on older devices that would struggle to play a 360p video if the ad video started loading in the background of the actual video. There's Signal for messanging, but also SMS. It has some neat features like detecting 2FA codes in some cases and showing a "copy code" right on the notification popup, along with SMS blocking or custom ringtones/rules per contact. Infinity for Reddit is another one that is really useful, lightweight and simple.

[@LimBrian]

Found a launcher called kvaesitso recently. I believe its still somewhat beta but has a great search functionality nearing that of gnome's/kde's search function, things like calculations, auto wikipedia searching, etc on top of the standard "search for apps I have".

[@All_things_fun]

Yes it's very awesome

[@aprilmauricio9975]

this and niagara launcher are my favorites

[@dexterman6361]

I personally would NOT recommend fdroid, because of how they crypto-sign the apps. ALL the apps on fdroid are signed with fdroid's key, NOT the developer's key (one of the reasons why signal isn't on fdroid). There are very valid criticisms for why this is bad. Aurora store seems to be the next best option. I wish that this also be covered Good video as usual!

[@anselmschueler]

For public transport navigation, you should use Offi! It works best in Germany but I think it supports other countries as well.

[@davidbronke5484]

I'll second this; I find that Offi is actually way better than Google when it comes to public transportation in our area. (south of Heidelberg) Google doesn't think we can get anywhere by public transportation, even though we can walk to the bus stop in under 5 minutes.

[@wclifton968gameplaystutorials]

I've found that KTrip is pretty good here in the UK which yes, runs on Android, luckily I prefer using the "TfL Go" app which includes a network map (and because I live in London). I have also tried "Transportr" which is also pretty good...

[@theshadowofmoon2762]

This is i use open source software on android phone Keyboard : open board Browser : kiwi browser Pasword manager : bitwarden

[@duyinhhoang5472]

About Lawmchair 12, it Doesn't requires Android 12. The number 12 just said about the version os the Launcher (Lawnchair 9, 10, 11 and 12). I'm running Lawnchair 12 on my Android 11 phone

[@luis_vm]

Some others open source apps that you can find on f-droid: Seal (downloader), Music (listen and download music), ning (see devices in your network), feeel (workout app), blokada (system-wide ad blocker), Stealth (reddit app), neo store (f-droid alternative app), NewPipe (youtube app without google api), joplin (take notes and sync with cloud), material files (file manager)...

[@navdeepsharma4032]

florisBoard beta(best OSS keyboard) & OpenBoard, keepassDX, Librera Reader, Molly fork of signal, MJ PDF Reader, Nitter a twitter client, QR Scanner, Tracker Control, wifiAnalyzer, Hex launcher & Lunar Launcher, OrganicStreetMap & StreetComplete this app is for improving OSM, Standard Notes for end to end encrypted note taking app(also the best note taking secur), Scrambled Exif & ExifEraser(for erasing meta data only images), bromite a chromium based OSS browser, Forkgram(fork of telegram) & Moonlight Game Streaming(for local game streaming) these are few list of OSS apps.

[@v00017]

It's generally recommended to use a different F-droid client like Droid-ify, as the official F-droid client is very outdated. Also 'Secure Camera' by GrapheneOS is another camera app option that works really well.

[@IngwiePhoenix_nb]

Any good way to install it on plain LOS?

[@therealb888]

@@IngwiePhoenix_nb ya just install their apps.

[@vienyish]

@@therealb888 from where?

[@Tachi107]

9:29 Secure Camera, from the GrapheneOS project, is also pretty nice (but doesn't generally work well on cheap devices). On some devices, it even has access to the same post processing pipeline as the stock camera app

[@koenkoppens]

Aves Gallery is a great Gallery app as well. Great features for album management (including tags etc).

[@user8921]

For maps, I use organic maps it's more user friendly.

[@iamsantanubanerjee]

Warning though for anyone thinking of installing a custom ROM: 1) You will probably lose your phone's warranty, if any 2) Most of your financial apps might not work with a custom ROM I have never applied a custom ROM myself, so take my words with a pinch of salt. I am only stating what I have read online previously.

[@snowmean1]

My biggest concern regarding third-party ROMs is how good they are at onboarding latest AOSP security patches, and if there any OTA updates? The idea of running Android without latest security patches, or re-flash entire ROM with each monthly security patch scares me more than Google spying on me in the shower...

[@ADITYA-zc1bd]

Why no mention of Bromite? If using fdroid, it's the best chromium option.

[@nico1337]

I prefer FairEmail instead of K9 and for Navigation definitely Organic Maps!

[@youtube.user.1234]

Perfect timing, I was just researching about android and it’s custom ROMs and you posted this :)

[@BloodAsp]

100% Reccomend Graphine OS for many reasons. They are they real deal in terms of security.

[@youtube.user.1234]

@@BloodAsp yeah but they only run on google pixel phones I guess, and pixel phones are over my budget. I’m looking to get a phone under 20,000 INR (Indian Rupees) which can run Cherish OS or Calyx OS. Till now I’ve kept the Poco F1 and the Poco X3 Pro phones in my list

[@burakdede2001]

VLC is on Apple App Store despite it being licenced under GPLv2 (bi-licenced with MPLv2)

[@PrograError]

well... apple is infamous walled garden... there's no choice if you want to use it on stock...

[@AnzanHoshinRoshi]

Thank you, Nick. F-Droid is all right.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Yeah, it's pretty good!

[@hotsauwz]

Pretty hard to browse tho

[@SabinTV-NP]

@@hotsauwz agreed

[@Kog_media]

I started using e foundations installer on a Samsung galaxy S9+ a year ago and Wow, it’s awesome! Completely de googled the phone, protects from all kinds of surveillance crap ware. Highly recommend this solution, supports many types of phones.

[@gregandcin]

GrapheneOS users shouldn't use microG. They should use the Sandboxed Google Play Services package for GrapheneOS. Also, Neo Launcher is a great launcher that is still being developed!

[@burhanbudak6041]

Does Gpay work with the sandbox?

[@gregandcin]

@@burhanbudak6041 No, that still relies on Safety Net being good, which most ROMs have issues with

[@burhanbudak6041]

@@gregandcin oh, Graphene doesn't signature spoof or allow Magisk.

[@mrcvry]

You do not want to use Google Pay. It includes the worst of all sides.

[@oliver5082]

maps me was sold and isn't open source anymore. But its former devs forked it and continue developing it open-source and tracker free. Its called Organic Maps. It's great, you should try it.

[@didaktikerocford4370]

I would put Midori next genration into the browser category too. Very customizable, privacy respecting and (afaik) open source too + it uses the webkit engine. It works really good for me (as an daily driver). Sadly the desktop version is now chromium too. Everything else is as always very well put together. Nice video.

[@konstantink07]

As for galleries, there's also Quickpic Mod and Aves. That one even includes a map feature

[@branislavavramovic2601]

When it comes to private and secure alternatives, I would recommend Divest OS and Calyx OS. Those are pretty good. I'm using /e/ OS atm, but I hate their launcher and even though I switched to Lawnchair, it doesn't integrate well with the system.

[@Tachi107]

3:17 microG is not recommended on GrapheneOS, they use the standard Google services installed as regular user applications (that is, they have limited access to your device). It's literally written in the webpage shown in your video :)

[@iagocity]

I have lineage os on an old phone, it doesn't only come without any Google app but it's also very optimized. Sadly, the manufacturer of my new phone doesn't allow rooting or installing custom ROMs.

[@maxarendorff6521]

I use iodeOS on my Fairphone 4, it's great! My favourite maps app is Organic Maps. It's the best maps app on the F-droid store and much nicer looking than OSMAnd.

[@brostoevsky22]

The OpenBoard keyboard is quite nice. Unfortunately it doesn't support spell check for all of the languages I use and speak. If they only added Norwegian support I'd use it. They have support for most all languages or have a keyboard without spell check.

[@schatteneis1188]

for public transportation there is Öffi, i don't know how much it works in other countries but it's great if you live in Germany and want to replace the proprietary DB Navigator app

[@path9494]

Organic Maps is the actual open source successor to MAPS ME, after the project was sold to a commercial company. That's were the old developers continue their work. Other recommendations: AdAway (a must if you have rooted your phone) Bromite Browser (add the bromite repo to your f-droid) Etar - Calendar app with offline calendars F-Droid Classic - better then the original app KeePassDX or AuthPass Leon URL Cleaner NewPipe - A better YT app QKSMS - for SMS/MMS

[@RealGigaMind]

My Redmi K20 pro is running basically on open source app. I use open source contact, messages, gallery, file manager, calendar, clock, music player, video player, text writer, scanner and Firefox browser.

[@DerrickBest]

Project Elixir ROM is a really smooth custom ROM for Xiaomi devices. I've been using it on my Redmi Note 9S for 6 months now. I have OrangeFox recovery. And it's the best ROM I've used. I've had zero issues. I'm using Android 13. When I would have been stuck on Android 11. I get many updates. If you know what you're doing it's a great alternative.

[@Stikkelsbær]

I really wish Fairphone was sold in North America, then I would be more tempted to go down the FOSS route with a smartphone.

[@Egirl_Emily]

CrDroid (a fork of lineageos) is also good for more customization and more supported phones (even newer). The rom also comes without gapps by default and only lineageos pre-installed apps

[@MarkHobbes]

I haven't found A31

[@Egirl_Emily]

@@MarkHobbes Cherish OS 4.0 is with Android 13

[@fernandozornosa6398]

Firefox focus a great piece of software,secure,fast,without bloatware and nuke,delete browse history,great video thanks.

[@guesswho2778]

yeah the public transport stuff flat out didnt work at all where i live and i live in adelaide, south australia with a relatively large amount of people in it. thats the main issue preventing me from using a different maps app, though i did find some that i will be using once im no longer so reliant on public transport.

[@shinyoda1987]

Sometime ago, I searched a smartphone compatible with a Rom Android privacy focused and an OS for smartphone based on Linux (Yes, dual boot on smartphone is possible). I know, Android is based on Linux but I searched for one that is more open source. The most interesting result that I found is the FairPhone 4 with /e /os and Ubuntu Touch. I don't know if that work well (I don't want to change my smartphone just to test that) but, because the FairPhone 4 was release not so long ago (October 2021), the support development of /e /os and Ubuntu touch for it is quite active. I discovered later on that it is possible to "install" a Linux distro on Android with the app UserLand but I don't know the differences between the use of this app and Ubuntu Touch

[@BtZealot]

I deleted several of my Samsung Apps including the calculator. I downloaded Simple Calculator and the thing is awesome! It even has a customizable widget.

[@tanujnotes]

Thank you for featuring Olauncher! 8:45

[@dongino9592]

I was about to comment on your last video about phones and this appeared, nice video as always

[@anibalism]

Personally I prefer FairEmail to K9. However, some features are paid only and you can only get them through the Play Store it seems.

[@ChiconDent]

I was able to download from FDroid and then upgrade the paid options without the Play Store. There is a link in the app, but it is a bit hard to find.

[@brandonpetersen9232]

In my opinion, a downside of FOSS apps is their look and feel of them. The aesthetic they give is like 5 years old, making them feel outdated, and depending on your opinion and use of your device may not be a concern for you. But, on the other hand, I understand the developers, often only one or two people, don't have the time and funds to produce an app that looks like a modern flagship app. I'm a computer science student, and the apps I've made feel older and even more outdated than most FOSS apps, so I know it's hard and can praise the developers for the quality app they produce

[@Mexicomank2]

Just a correction micro g is incompatible with graphene os . Instead graphene can use sandboxed google play services which is google play services pretty much as a app vs system wide were the user controls its permissions on what google play can get like, treating it like any other app .

[@MysticMylesZ]

A big issuse with open street maps me so far is that the text matches the language of the area you're looking at...

[@ViciousTurducken]

Hey Nick. Big correction on GrapheneOS. It does not use MicroG, it uses a sandboxed version of google play services. MicroG is for other roms, such as lineageos and CalyxOS.

[@jalo4242]

You could have included Mull in the browser section. It’s a firefox spin with security turned to 11.

[@IamTheHolypumpkin]

I'm very glad that my current Phone Manufacturer and the previous Manufacturer where both very open on rooting and custom ROMs. Until the end of August I still used a OnePlus 3 with Arrow OS but the last 6 months with it where a pain to use because I had constantly repair things. Now I switched to a Fairphone 4 so I can easily repair it for hopefully the next 10 years I plan to use it. I mostly degoogle by using nextcloud but the migration takes time (especially Google photos to 'Les Pas'). Calendar, Notes, Tasks, Cookbook and all my files are all already on Nextcloud. But I still fighting with nextcloud because my particular setup is very complex. Because I currently worth on other development and sys-admin stuff I had not time to finish my migration yet.

[@enigmaster84]

What I don't understand (as I haven't looked hard enough) is why can't there be a generic ROM which can be installed on any phone as with GNU/Linux distros, leaving you to either be lucky and find a compatible ROM or to build one yourself. I replaced my OS on an old S5 Neo just for fun and it was a pretty learning experience, but I couldn't find a compatible ROM for another phone and I'm not savvy enough to build one myself, and I guess there are many more phones which could benefit from a new OS for many reasons, mostly being abandoned by their manufacturers

[@Aras14]

For microG one big drawback is, that you lose some of your paid apps.

[@Aras14]

@_____ nah, I am using microG and yes most of my paid apps just work without demanding a license, but minecraft (fixable with a 'launcher') and touch retouch don't work as they check for a license. In short: Download/Install - Yes Use - Most (only without license checks)

[@opensourceis9996]

I use Kvæsitso as my default launcher. It's by far the best launcher I have ever tried. Available on Izzyondroid. The developer also has their own repo. Another good option is starlight launcher. Not quite production ready in my opinion, but an interesting project nonetheless. It's also available on Izzyondroid.

[@opensourceis9996]

In my opinion, Organic Maps is much better than OSMAnd. It's available in the default F-Droid repo.

[@I_Pliskin]

GrapheneOS doesn't use microG anymore they develop a new way to have Google play services with encapsulation. This is the best way to do it.

[@ThunderFarter]

4:10 installing graphene OS is very easy, no way to break your phone 😅, May I ask how /e/OS is more Private / Secure then graphene OS? /e/OS does still prioritize usability and app compatibility over security at times

[@Apollon8rylos1954]

Kvaesitso Launcher is on Fdroid. It is a new launcher, with a minimalist take.

[@everywan]

Instead of F-Droid, I use an alternative front-end called Aurora Droid as well as Aurora Store to replace Google Play Store itself. For email, I use Fairmail and may switch to Thunderbird Mobile when released.

[@the_legend5]

FairEmail is a really nice email client and probably one with the most features I have found so far out there.

[@jazzemartine]

One caveat with microG is that the first party google apps which you may need for work(google docs, google drive, google classroom, etc) do not work. Other than that everything is cool. Also for some people custom rom may never be available due to either hardware locks(Samsung Knox) or lack of proper community.

[@Kiloristy]

One of the bes maps if used so far actually is Organic Maps. It is way quicker and nicer than osmand and it is also based on the osm data base

[@orestisfraSPDR]

Simple Music Player (the one with red note with white background) is an amazing FOSS music player. It's a perfect replacement for any crappy music player you might find preinstalled

Hey, I managed to install e/os to a Galaxy S10 yesterday! :-) Coming from IOS this is an interesting and quite pleasing experience. I really enjoy lawnchair, had neo launcher before (which was not bad either). Thanks for your tipps - and it's great to read all the recommandations in the comments.

[@tiagoreis5390]

With graphene os you could use aurora store to have the google play services in a secure manner... no micro-g services...

[@vanodon2257]

I been using Postmarket os for padt 3 years and loving it.

[@estellebright2579]

Someone watching this from iPad Pro using KZbin app while not using Linux of any sort is probably the furthest away from FOSS as possible >_

[@Alexandros_Alpha]

My favourite Rom is CrDroid. It's highly customizable. You should check about it.

[@matthewsjardine]

I used to root and flash custom ROMs on my Android devices all the time. It was a lot of fun playing with the different ROMs and mods available. I stopped doing it a while back. I found the devices never quite performed the same again after, even if you flash the OEM ROM back on the device. Provided I only get a new phone every 2 to 3 years, this started to be a real problem for me. I would void warranties and mess with my phones. I had to take a hard look and decided to stop.

[@justahumanwithamask4089]

Koler is probably the best foss caller app on android

[@antoinepins8322]

An other interesting rom worth mentionning is CalyxOS. It only runs on pixel phones (plus some others like fairphone and one plus 6 I believe), but it has the advantage of being much more secure than any android system out there (excepting grapheneOS). It is super easy to use, has microG and all this stuff that grapheneOS doesn't have, and it is kept really up to date. I'll have the android 13 update on my (discontinued by google) pixel 3 in a few weeks if nothing goes wrong. Great experience I recommend it.

[@zarbok0]

have you tried Evolution X for op6 (I have a op6T)

[@Ik0As]

*Worth

[@mrcvry]

Graphene is now more compatible than Calyx. Try it.

[@globetrotterdk]

I just purchased a Galaxy Tab A7 in “new-other” condition (no box or other contents) At boot, I can skip the Samsung store and apps. How private would the tablet be if I only install and use open source apps from f-droid and the like? Will apps still be phoning home to google? I have considered /e/os, but the device isn’t yet officially supported, so installing requires using Odin4 and Samloader , which are apparently official Samsung tools, but as they haven’t been officially released, it is necessary to download a file from an unknown source on the Internet, to get a “more secure system” running. The irony isn’t lost on me. I guess I will have to wait until mid-February before I can get /e/os installed 🤔

[@raxcentalruthenta1456]

My primary reason for never bothering with open source roms is that none of them ever support the phone I have at the time. There's no point in even tying if nobody supports it. It's really only a viable for those who have an older flagship that isn't supported by the manufacturer anymore.

[@igorgiuseppe1862]

loved this open camera, its a shame it cant record with the screenoff or minimized. still, its more lightweight than the default app and better.

[@gab9281]

A great ROM for pixels devices ( used it 2 years on my pixel2) is protonaosp -> keeps a similar launcher to the original one, is faster and is compatible with safetynet out of the box

[@ReDesignEverything]

For me, my phone is actually my least-used computer since I work from home and am always at my computer desk with a nice large multi-monitor setup. So much better for usability than a phone! Even so, I'm still going to switch my phone to LineageOS when I get the time. For this exact reason reason I specifically bought a used Galaxy Note 10+ since it's the most recent phone with stylus support and an official LineageOS build, and since I barely use my phone I don't need it to be a recent model.

[@yuu-kun3461]

AmazeFileManager is pretty cool. Imagepipe to clear metadata. Exodus to see app permissions. Orgzly or Simple Notes. QR & Barcone Scanner if your phone doesn't have it. OpenScan I know can be used to scan documents. AirGuard. Survival Manual if you want some stuff to read. There is also a Grocy client, but you need to host the server. Jellydin audio player Syncthing and many others

[@Hachado]

Hey Nick, I'm pretty sure Graphene deliberately and specifically does NOT use Micro G instead using a much more secure and interesting sandboxed Google play compatibility layer.

[@JoelJosephReji]

You can replace your social media with good old RSS and Atom feeds. I use Feeder from f droid which is open source and is a great minimal feed reader

[@QuimChaos]

i was looking for a music player for android for a long time, specially one that respected my library, and i think i found it in Simple Mobile Tools!

[@WadieGamer]

K9 Mail was the one I needed in my life, Gmail lately has become an ad billboard instead of a mail client.

[@duckrutt]

Man I haven't been involved i the ROM scene since the Galaxy S days. Samsung not releasing the full kernel source. The international version getting Froyo while the US variants got stuck on Eclair. Finally getting our code merged into CyanogenMod. Good times. Note: I was part of Hacksung but Atinman did the heavy coding work. I mostly poked around looking for differences in the various kernel releases. We got the Captivate working so I couldn't have hurt the team too much...

[@doug-zilla]

What about phones that you can flash with these versions of Android? Most phones are configured to prevent rooting.