GrapheneOS vs Android OS on the Pixel 7 review

I finally decided to switch to my Pixel 7. Before installing GrapheneOS on it, I wanted to use stock Android OS for a few weeks, so I could make a fair comparison video.
//SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:
☕ There's no obligation, but if you want to support the channel and what I create, click the link below to buy me a coffee, so I can stay awake while researching topics for future videos.
support.sideofburritos.com
//LINKS REFERENCED IN VIDEO:
sideofburritos.com/blog/graph...
//NEWSLETTER SIGNUP:
sideofburritos.com/newsletter/
//MOBILE PRIVACY GUIDE
sideofburritos.com/docs/setup...
//CHAPTERS:
Intro - 00:00
Android OS First Impressions - 00:20
Android Auto/Now Playing - 02:20
Thoughts on Stock OS - 03:10
Back to GrapheneOS - 03:37
Final thoughts - 05:02
//DISCLAIMER:
Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel, so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
This video is for educational purposes only.
#grapheneos #android #security #applescanning #android13

[@sideofburritos]

To set expectations in case there's any confusion - I based this comparison off my (basic) phone usage habits. If you're looking for a FULL feature set comparison between Android OS and GrapheneOS, this is not the video.

[@gregbirger5810]

Highly pragmatic, honest comparison. Good overview, thank you for taking the time to evaluate stock software vs GrapheneOS on the same device.

[@sideofburritos]

Thank you! Glad to hear it was helpful. I know my usage habits are basic, but I still felt it was a useful comparison. It also had the dual purpose of satisfying my curiosity, haha.

[@shortlytall7926]

I just upgraded from a Samsung S20 up to Pixel & running GrapheneOS, and one of the biggest surprises came from monitoring data usage: the Samsung was using nearly 1gb of data more per day doing the exact same things! I can only attest this to being all the telemetry data/whatever else is sneakily loads. Thanks SoB, you made my transition to Graphene a breeze!

[@sideofburritos]

Congrats on making the switch! Wow, that is pretty surprising. I'd be curious to know what might have been using all that data. Glad I was able to help!

[@jgn2112]

For anyone curious about making the switch to GrapheneOS but concerned, have no fear and do it! SoB (that's Side of Burritos, not the other SoB) made it easy. It's how I switched and I've never regretted it. Best of luck! Thank you for continuing to put out great content like this.

[@sideofburritos]

Thank you, @88AlphaSierra! Thanks for the kind compliment, happy to help!

[@sideofburritos]

@Wanderer, it can seem a little odd at first, but Google makes very solid hardware. The GrapheneOS documentation explains how they choose their devices - grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices. GrapheneOS puts a premium on privacy AND security. Many projects in the “privacy” realm put privacy above all else, even though you can't have privacy without security. In all of my research, GrapheneOS continues to come out on top. For what it's worth, I have other friends in the security industry and their research has led them to the same conclusion without any influence from me.

[@carlstardj]

Just started looking into Graphene OS and Pixel phones. This was the first video to come up, thank you.

[@sideofburritos]

You're welcome! If you're looking for some more GrapheneOS videos, I have an index on my site of my mobile privacy videos - sideofburritos.com/docs/setup-guides/mobile-privacy/. The videos tab on KZbin isn't the most organized way to see them.

[@iTheGeo]

Simple, no frills comparison, always useful to quench the very last few doubts remaining before moving onto GrapheneOS... Thanks a lot!

[@sideofburritos]

You're very welcome! Glad to hear that's how it came across!

[@robertkamer1820]

Thank you for cementing my decision. P7P here, have been using it for about 3 weeks now, and still adapting/finetuning/ learning.

[@sideofburritos]

Happy to help! It can be a bit of an adjustment, but it's worth the adapting/learning in the beginning. If you're like me and enjoy tinkering, it has the added bonus of being a fun process.

[@robertkamer1820]

@@sideofburritos Installing GOS was a breeze with your installation video. Curious about your coming video about your new setup.

[@Sci-Fi_Fan296]

Before I watched this video I was about to factory reset my Pixel 6a to default google but have now realized that I can create another profile in Graphene OS which might work instead. Thanks. I look forward to seeing your newer Graphene setup video hopefully soon.

[@nat6106]

Your vid comes at the right time. My pixel 6a on which I had GrapheneOS installed (thanks in good part to the good videos of your channel) broke. Getting the parts outside of the US is long and expensive. As a result, I plan to upgrade to the Pixel 7 and was wondering about if it could make sense to slip back to the easy option which is to keep the stock OS installed. This video saves me some time to get the answer: no haha Thanks again and keep up the good work!

[@sideofburritos]

Ah, that's unfortunate. Out of curiosity, what broke on your 6a? Glad I was able to help answer that question, GrapheneOS - "This is the way".

[@smurf_nfo2030]

Timely and very informative. I was just going to get an unlocked Pixel 7 at Best Buy and do this. Now I feel better. I've watched the videos and it looks pretty straightforward. Just one question; "Is it better to update an unlocked phone and then hook it up to T-mobile OR should I buy the phone and hook it up to my T-mobile account first and then update OR does it matter?" Definitely have to buy SoB some coffee for these great videos.

[@TonyGonzales]

Appreciate this video. I'm about to make the same journey with a 7A alongside Magisk.

[@MNRKR74]

Great video as usual. One thing that has always confused me with sandboxed Play Services, if I sign-in to my Google account using sandboxed GPS on the main profile, is it still private? Because currently I use a 2nd profile with sandboxed GPS where I am signed-in and I have a couple of apps installed for when I need them, such as Spotify and Garmin Connect.

[@sideofburritos]

Hmm, I think there are a couple of parts to this question. The first part is are you less private by signing in to the play store, yes. You're now an authenticated user, which means your account can now be tied to that session/usage. One way to help with this is to have a dedicated account for signing in to Play store on your phone, instead of using one that might have your identity associate to it, or past activity. You can think of this as if you downloaded Discord on your device. If you download the app, and go to the sign-in page, all that's known to Discord is that the app was downloaded/installed and a session was opened on the sign-in page. Once you sign in to the app, you're now an authenticated user with that session. There's more technical details to this, The second part is regarding the actual app. Nothing about the play services access changes because you signed in. They're still sandboxed apps and have no access beyond what any other app would have that you sign in to. This post has some great details on the play services and their implementation - discuss.grapheneos.org/d/665-how-big-of-privacy-risk-is-it-having-play-services-installed/25. That post also goes into detail on how an app can still use Google Services, even if Google Play isn't present - "Apps can use Google services without Google Play being present. You can see that Google Maps completely works without Play services with only a few missing features, as a nice example of how it's not required. The Google Ads SDK works fine without Play services too. Thinking that not having Play services means apps aren't able to use Google code and services is very wrong."

[@shab-re5334]

the best features on google os is hold for me in calls and the new feature with google assistant where it shows buttons to press when calling for a service I think if we install the assistant and phone app in grapheneos, it should have those features? have you tried using the assistant in a different profile? does it work perfectly? (grapheneos doesn't have a speech to text by default last time I checked)

[@klauskitkat9280]

Thank you for the great video, as always. And about the keyboard, Gboard is really much nicer, the thing about don't allow it to internet access, is that you can't use the built-in translator, wich is a BIG help in my case at least. But as I saw a comment that you made about apps being able to communicate without Play Services, that made me totally rethink about the idea of using it...

[@sideofburritos]

Just to be clear and avoid any confusion. If you block network access for Gboard, the app itself will be blocked from accessing the internet directly with or without Play Services. I just did a quick test and Gboard translate works without Play Services + network enabled, so either way it's sending the text to Google Translate. It comes down to a balance of usability & privacy. Quality translation is a tough one. Some other have suggested DeepL(www.deepl.com/) in the past.

[@1albumamonth]

I second deepl, it is generally better at translation than google as well (at least for German). Deepl is a German company and therefore subject to German and EU regulations, which generally means it is less privacy invasive. If nothing else it is another way to compartmentalize the data you send to different companies

[@jimmyg1455]

Thank you for the video. Does Google maps and banking apps work on graphene os?

[@stelioeffrena1571]

I'm loving GOS on my Pixel 7 Pro overall but the only thing I'm still not crazy about the stock black and white app icons... I know there are launchers to change that but they require a lot of permissions and I'm not sure the risk is worth it. Any advise on any particular launcher that doesn't compromise security/privacy? Thanks!

[@sideofburritos]

When you install a new launcher, it's installed like any other app with the same permission controls. I don't have any specific suggestions as I stick to the stock launcher, but I heard some people can use Nova launcher successfully with network access revoked - discuss.grapheneos.org/d/1409-it-would-be-cool-to-have-a-more-featured-launcher. That might be a good starting place.

[@eziowolf8627]

Great video, bud!

[@sideofburritos]

Thank you!

[@TangDynasty1983]

I've used the built-in screen recorder but experienced video/audio out of sync problem on the video generated. The video will stay at one frame but the audio keeps playing. But it worked fine a couple days ago. Has anyone have the same problem? Thanks.

[@JM-sn5eb]

Could you share some information about difference in camera apps and whats most important. Is there a big difference in photo quality?

[@philipokeeffe3358]

@sideofburritos do you have a video for installing graphene os for pixel 8a? Your video's are the most effective for me and my friends who aren't tech saavy but are using for privacy etc. Many thanks!

[@leflob938]

Very similar to my view but I cant help that I love to get new Pixel features, like the new 3D AI generated Wallpapers and thing in the Fotos app. I also really like the look and feel and I am very visual when it comes to those things (I guess) On the other hand I would love to deny installed Apps the acces to the interntet. Especially google Fotos. This app makes editing and the gallery view so good, but I hate the whole google linking and synchronizing / constant fear that i accidently upload pictures to the cloud etc. What updates do I get with graphene os? Will it also provide a jump to android 14 at some point or get the things we know from google e.g. themes of app icons according to the wallpaper etc.? What should i do?

[@mikusion]

wondering if graphene os will take some benefit from announced MTE (mem tagging ext) feature which seems to be present on pixel8 for the first time. They claims it should prevent even 90% of attacks from rogue apps - nice if true

[@danielevensen5539]

Thanks for this, man. I'm considering moving away from my iPhone to GrapheneOS, and you've convinced me to do it. Great stuff!

[@markm4367]

I'm getting a Pixel 7a, would like to go GOS, and am only jittery about one thing. I take a lot of food photos and they have to be perfect. I love the stock Camera enhancements (saw your vid comparison on that) and am wondering, can i run Google Camera but keep the rest in GOS without too much privacy loss?

[@user-rk2sy8df4s]

You can deny networking access to the camera. If you share images you should be aware of exif data stored..

[@Flashbrickanimations]

Could you make a graphene vs calyx os video, would be interresting to see

[@mrcvry]

With the sandboxed google framework, GOS is more compatible to stock android and more private.

[@Redeemed52597]

I don't see why anyone would choose Calyx over GOS at this point. I tried Calyx for a few months and it took them months to update from Android 12 to 13, whereas GOS took less than month if I remember correctly. Not only that, but GOS gets security updates way more frequently, has some robust security features lacking on Calyx, and has using sandboxed play services has the ability to run all sorts of Google Play apps not otherwise possible on Calyx.

[@Redeemed52597]

@@mrcvry Yes, Sandboxed Google Play makes the phone more compatible with Google services (e.g. notifications, GCam, GMaps, etc.), but how is installing Sandboxed Google Play (with it constantly running in the background on your phone with network permission) more private than installing Play apps anonymously using Aurora Store?

[@mrcvry]

@@Redeemed52597 I do not say it is. But if necessary you can use it and disable it again.

[@sideofburritos]

@Flashbrickanimations, I might. At this point (similar to what @mrcvry/@redeemedjustintime said), I don't see any reason to recommend CalyxOS as long as GrapheneOS is available and current.

[@Fbiy6]

Great vid

[@sideofburritos]

Thanks!

[@shank3111]

I am hearing a lot of negative reviews on pixel 7/7a like over heating, network connectivity, battery drain issues etc. Have you faced such issues with GOS?

[@NorthHollywood]

I couldn't get the 7 after hearing about the camera housing cracking due to cold weather. Living in Canada and with a polar vortex coming, it would not have turned out well.

[@sideofburritos]

Wow, I wasn't aware of this. Just did some quick searching about it. I'm tempted to put my phone in the freezer, but that would be a costly test. For anyone curious on the topic - arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/01/google-pixel-7-users-say-defective-camera-lens-will-spontaneously-shatter/

[@KingOfCorinth]

Subscribed. You're one of the few Graphene OS stalwarts who is actually reasonable. Much love ❤️

[@sideofburritos]

Thank you for that compliment, I really do appreciate that. I try to take a realistic, middle of the road approach.

[@onewa712]

Important question (for me): would using Gboard in graphene make a difference compared to a normal phone without graphene and using gboard as well? I'm using FlorisBoard but I loved writing in swipes, and with Floris this is a very troublesome task :( if I take off the internet access of Gboard, would that make a positive difference? talking about the fact that it's basically a keyloger

[@xE92vD]

You should be fine if you isolate and disable network permissions for Gboard in GrapheneOS.

[@ChaseDizzie]

Been trying to decide what to get as an upgrade for my third phone. Definitely feeling Pixel 6a with GrapheneOS.

[@El.Duder-ino]

Well made review and what I like is that your vids do not contain that stupid marketing/fancy effects BLOAT which is so much visible in the other so called "leading" YTB content creators. That cut in the end however was little bit harsh and maybe you should consider some slower ending referring to other vids from your channel with PIP links. Its just quite convenient to have some "THE END" in the end you know... Regarding Graphene OS I really would like to know from you as experienced over 2 years user if OS itself is trustworthy and its not doing some strange/weird stuff in its core/kernel or layers above of collecting your private data from your banking and financial apps? I mean if somebody actually checked what is being published by the open source community and that its a truly clean open source OS with user being in "root" control. I also wonder if Widevine rights to watch streaming services like Netflix and others is there after moving from the stock device? Just on the side: BTW another great vid about security to achieve user to be fully in control. I think there should be a paid model of sharing the personal data, where you are as a user paid for them and your privacy or you just simply turn them completely off and stay private, but unprofitable. That would be a fair deal we should see and it should guaranteed and checked...

[@Wolf-wd9cd]

I don't use Netflix but the streaming services I do use work fine. Discovery+, ITVX, Amazon prime video. Chromecasting works fine too.

[@El.Duder-ino]

@@Wolf-wd9cd so you are getting HD content on them on Graphene? Did you test the Widevine certificates? There's an app for that or you can get it somewhere from settings I guess... this is a Google thing so probably is not needed with Graphene have no idea... I am not an expert in this, all I know that on some rooted Android TV boxes I wasn't able to get sufficient certificates to stream HD content, but that was Google's Android not Graphene.

[@Wolf-wd9cd]

@@El.Duder-ino ..and yes to HD

[@El.Duder-ino]

@@Wolf-wd9cd Cool👍 Thx! About OS itself, was it confirmed by the independ devs that Graphene itself isn’t sending private data somewhere even after turned off by the user? I mean was it tested by some entity we can trust? Lets say u r going to move your personal finance apps to it, can u trust Graphene it doesn’t do something hidden in the background or it doesn’t have some hidden back door for those know its guts?

[@Wolf-wd9cd]

@@El.Duder-ino Weird.. my previous comment seems to have disappeared. The widevine app tests show that it is working, and I can watch in HD. As for the OS itself, its open source so if there was any shenanigans going on we'd hope that someone would point it out.

[@TheChameleon2008]

Are the camera results the same on both? I mainly bought the p7p for the cameras so it would be a bummer to give up nightsite etc

[@i_might_be_lying]

I'm looking for the same answer. I would like to, at least, use telephoto cam and have macro mode.

[@i_might_be_lying]

It looks like you can just install google camera which will work as on stock Android with all the processing and such. I've seen the video of camera comparisons (sorry, don't remember the link) where there was simple instructions how to install native google camera app.

[@cbrx9390]

How have you found battery life on GOS vs. stock android?

[@sideofburritos]

I didn't notice a difference during my testing. It will vary though based on your daily use cases.

[@phantazzor]

thanks for the video, I was thinking a lot of doing this, because I think I created too many profiles and constantly switching profiles !!! but I know that with the android os it will be really hard to give custom and temporary access to all the app. so I might just merge profiles together

[@sideofburritos]

The single profile is a nice option. I'm going to be testing a new configuration method in the coming weeks for my Pixel 7 which I'll post a video for. I think it has some potential (involves using a single profile for apps and then pushing/pulling them to others).

[@phantazzor]

@@sideofburritos ok cool, I keep my bank app on another one , but thats it

[@proto7688]

Im having issues with my pixel 7 running graphene when using banking apps and coinbase app, sometimes works and other times after imputing the correct login info it just cycles me back to a fresh login screen... not sure if app or os is the issue, i guess i need to try older versions of the apps but when i go back on stock os the login issues are resolved... anyone else experiencing this?

[@sideofburritos]

Try long pressing on the app -> select 'app info' -> enable 'Exploit protection compatibility mode' and see if that helps - grapheneos.org/usage#bugs-uncovered-by-security-features

[@El.Duder-ino]

Can u pls compare Graphene to the /e ROM which is becoming quite popular as well?

[@sideofburritos]

I may, but the only other OS I would recommend at this time if your device doesn't support GrapheneOS is DivestOS.

[@dread1089]

Will you make other open source OS reviews?

[@sideofburritos]

I may do one on DivestOS, but there aren't any other mobile OS's I would recommend. I also might do a GrapheneOS vs. CalyxOS in the future.

[@JohnDobbertin]

holy shit, I just activated Gboard on my current Samsung and it's awesome. I didn't even know about it until this video.

[@ybenjira]

Try it with the swiping, which he didn't in the video. It's magic.

[@rcarter]

I tried out grapheneos when I first got my pixel 7P and it's nice but I just can't do it lol. I've gone through and disabled as much as I can in the stock OS while still keeping the features I want. It's not perfect, it's probably not the best but I'm just at the point of not caring and wanting the convenience lol

[@sideofburritos]

What was a dealbreaker for you with GrapheneOS?

[@fellapuz3616]

Hows the battery backup?

[@khall187]

What about the camera capabilities? Pixel is highly software based for pics. Any difference here?

[@xE92vD]

The camera app that comes with GrapheneOS is basically the one that comes with the stock Android one, so they're the same apps.

[@digitalnomadtrader]

I get a strange behavior on the non-owner profiles in grapheneos. If I set the wallpaper it gets distorted by the aspect ratio, though it looks fine in preview. On the owner account it behaves fine. Not sure if that happens on stock. Mostly just commenting for the yuutoobe algos

[@sideofburritos]

Hm, that's interesting it's on non-owner profiles, but the owner is fine. I know there's a bug that was/is affecting it - discuss.grapheneos.org/d/2268-is-wallpaper-fixed-on-pixel-7-and-7-pro-with-qpr1. Looks like you can try and convert the wallpaper to 2268x2640 which circumvents the bug. Never tried it personally. Thanks for the comment for the googs 👍

[@digitalnomadtrader]

@@sideofburritos Thanks, that helps. It's pretty embarassing they've left this broken for years. On Linux with ImageMagick I run this from a folder tree of phone wallpapers to create a matching tree of "fixed" GrapheneOS equivalents. Note this also creates a black border at the top so the white top line indicators are visible. Otherwise, light wallpapers made it impossible to see those on GrapheneOS as well. find . -type d -exec mkdir -p ../gOSbugfix/{} \; find . -name '*.jpg' -exec convert '{}[0]' -resize x2084 -background black -gravity south -extent x2268 -gravity center -crop 2640x2268+0+0 +repage -extent "2640x2268

[@IceWolve]

So you lose pixel features like the call screening, call hold, etc as well switching to grapheneOS?

[@Glikieria]

Good question

[@xanty_3513]

Side of Burritos, I have a problem. I try installing f-droid but I am prompted with: f droid app not installed as package appears to be invalid Do you know how to fix it? If yes, can you make a video about it Those Indian guys are showing solutions on regular android. But we are Graphene OS, so..... it's not the same

[@JTucson]

I understand using GrapheneOS for granular data privacy is optimal. If you where to choose between an out of the box OS that had a user account. Would it be an iPhone or a Pixel 7 Pro? I know both are terrible but is one considered a better option?

[@sideofburritos]

If those were my options, I would likely go for an iPhone.

[@jimmysmith-ru8nb]

Sir, if i buy Google Pixel 6 in mall. that Phone i can do OEM unlock?

[@sideofburritos]

Yes, if you buy an unlocked pixel from Google directly OEM unlocking will work.

[@canfarts784]

I think the cat photo in the background is funny....I like it .... Ty

[@sideofburritos]

Thank you!!

[@QuikRay]

Does Graphene OS have tethering???

[@J0nDaFr3aK]

Does the Pixel 7 retain the 30w fast charging option with GrapheneOS?

[@xE92vD]

That has nothing to do with software, so yes.

[@p_x_]

GBoard remains the best keyboard available for me, function wise at least. Swipe, autocorrect, spacebar cursor moving, etc, it has everything and does it well. I disabled the network permission for GBoard. I don't know if it communicates any data through the other Google apps on the device. GrapheneOS Keyboard doesn't have swipe and generally leaves a lot to be desired. Anysoft Keyboard has a lot of features but I still found GBoard to be superior. It has been a while so I don't entirely remember what my issue with it was. Florisboard doesn't have word suggestions or autocorrect currently -- though it is in development. It also has spacebar cursor seek. IMO, this is the one to pay attention to for the future. Anysoft and Florisboard seem to be the FOSS keyboards with swipe typing, so definitely give those a try if you're unsatisfied with the default GOS keyboard.

[@WickedMuis]

Yeah, swipe writing is main reason for me to install Gboard. Downside of GrapheneOS as a duo/trio-linguistic person is that the keyboard does not feature more dictionaries. When I switch keyboard languages it will only come with English word suggestions (or auto-completion). For swipe typing that's crucial, so for any other language I still have to type "manually".

[@ireallyreallyreallylikethisimg]

@@WickedMuis I never understood how to swipe type how do you guys use that 😭😭

[@WickedMuis]

@@ireallyreallyreallylikethisimg On Gboard in the settings it's called "Glide Type"; what you do is instead of typing individual letters, you tap and hold from one letter to the next. It's often very generous and can guess the word you wanted to type correctly.

[@ZuckerbroTx3]

There is an app called OpenBoard. Its basically gboard without google.

[@WickedMuis]

@@ZuckerbroTx3 But it doesn't have swipe/glide writing.

[@Luke-ii9wp]

Even if you install play services being sandboxed as a user app and without any permission Google cannot collect any data about us. Maybe installed apps that use FCM for push notifications but nothing more so privacy is preserved

[@martinmontez5950]

When did Shia Lebeouf start doing phone reviews?

[@1albumamonth]

I would love to not use gboard, but (for now at least) it really is the best keyboard, and disabling network permissions make's it rather safe. I'd be interested to see how other people load out their apps on grapheneos, and if they substitute stock apps for different ones. Recently I've added a couple of google apps back into my life (aside from gboard) , phone and messages. I never trust calls to be secure or private ever, so from a privacy standpoint I don't have an issue with using google phone. Their spam protection and screen calling are killer features that arguably could aid in security. As for messages, it is a similar story. For the few friends who don't have Signal/Telegram, I don't trust that our conversations are secure with sms anyway, and at least between android devices chats are E2E encrypted with google messages. Plus the app looks markedly better than the stock sms app.

[@sideofburritos]

Your last point is a big one. For the people who refuse to use signal, it's nice to have the option of Google messages which has E2EE + a great interface. Like you, I don't trust any communication over SMS.

[@99999me1]

My favorite pixel feature is call screening. I will miss it when I switch to graphneOS.

[@sideofburritos]

According to this thread, you can get call screening to work - discuss.grapheneos.org/d/102-call-screening/7 *this is not something I have personally tried* edit: fixed grammar

[@tiagodomingues5706]

Still doesn't support Intune (work profile), that's a deal breaker for me.

[@Redeemed52597]

Not sure what I was expecting for a less than 6 minute review, but you left out quite a bit. On fresh installs of stock Google Android and GrapheneOS (GOS), here are some (but likely not all) usability features GOS lacks "out of the box": - Face unlock (GOS claims it is insecure because it just analyzes a simple picture of your face as opposed to using the sophisticated sensors the 4 series phones used, but I suppose Google uses some of their proprietary AI to make unlocking more secure than just a simple 2d photo) - Battery adaptive preferences feature - Screen resolution adjustment - Live translation (offline) - Live transcription - Voice to text - Text to voice - Rules (automation) - Smart storage (only removes files older than a certain date and has no backup detection) - Simpler screenshots - Now listening - Call screening - Google Assistant - Certain banking apps cannot work, even if you install sandboxed Google Play - Intelligent Image extracting - Smarter text extraction Although some of the missing features above can be implemented by installing sandboxed Google Play services and the appropriate apps (e.g. Google Speech Services app for TTS and speech to text, Google Lens for image and text extracting, etc.), not everyone who is switching to GOS for privacy will want to install Play services. Even though Play services are "sandboxed," most people will keep its Network connection enabled (so apps can be downloaded and seamlessly updated) which is a privacy concern, especially since there is no decent way yet for a user to prevent networked-denied apps from using IPC to share data with apps that do have network access. As a final note, for a comparison review it would have been nice to see some benchmark and performance tests comparing the two operating systems. [Edit to make content better organized.]

[@sideofburritos]

Thank you for the detailed notes on the features between the two. I tried to make it clear in the beginning and end of the video, this was a comparison for my use cases, not a full feature set comparison. I have pretty basic requirements and usage for my mobile device. If I ever make a full comparison in the future, it would contain more than just what I use.

[@harrymason6654]

Does bank apps works on GrapheneOS with sandbox?

[@sideofburritos]

Yes, there is a list here of banks and if they work - privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos/

[@mariuskaupas]

But does finger unlock and face unlock work ? what about google pay ? :(

[@sideofburritos]

Fingerprint works, face unlock was not implemented intentionally - twitter.com/GrapheneOS/status/1590473897031634944 Google pay doesn't work due to SafetyNet's ctsProfileMatch check

[@robinbuehler]

I've enjoyed this video! Tomorrow my Pixel 7 arrives and I'll continue my life as degoogled smartphone user.

[@sideofburritos]

Very nice! The 7 is a great device, hopefully everything has been going well with it.

[@WitchMedusa]

GrapheneOS Pixel 7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7, hnmmm which do I choose?

[@trtrhr]

isn't the Samsung Galaxy S7 old? why not get Pixel 7?

[@WitchMedusa]

​@@trtrhr Yes but it looks so nice! I think its cute & the Pixel 7 is big. The only reason I would get the Pixel 7 is for GrapheneOS

[@TheDevarshiShah]

does GMaps works without Playstore on GrapheneOS?

[@youngblood4826]

yes, it does! you may receive a notification from gmaps though that you are missing google play services. but you can easily hide this notification permanently.

[@TheDevarshiShah]

@@youngblood4826 that's great actually! I thought GApps won't work with Google backend utilities. Do you have list of apps that would NOT work though?

[@sideofburritos]

@TheDevarshiShah, exactly what @youngblood4826 said.

[@astroid99]

I just uninstalled graphene os for a few reasons that just made it not worth it for me. Please correct anything I'm wrong about because I like the idea of the project, however: 1 apps would never auto update on any app store. I tried 4 separate app stores and all of them required me to watch each update and manually install them even when I selected auto updates. 2. My bank doesn't trust the software. I followed all the tutorials on setting it up and still was unable to use Google wallet or my bank app to pay for things. 3. Public wifi. On all public wifi that requires a sign in. I needed to re-sign into said wifi every time I disconnect even if I disconnect for a second. My work uses this type of wifi and I need to sign into the wifi about 50x per shift. 4. I'm not really sure I'm getting a substantial increase in privacy. I still use my phone like a smart phone, it's not just a texting machine. Multiple applications acquire input. 5. Camera quality. On my pixel 7 the camera quality is worse than my friends pixel 6a and my other friends iPhone 12. However this phone won so many awards for its camera quality. Once I switched back to stock I instantly noticed the difference. 6. Updates and app installs. Some apps like Netflix recently stopped getting updates on graphene os, although the app still worked I noticed more and more bugs as time went on. Other apps like turo would not let me install the whatsoever due to my operating system. 7. Gym application. This is a small one but my gym Crunch Fitness has a app we use to sign in to the gym and has some other uses. The app would not stay open for more than 2 seconds without closing itself. No crash message just closes. After repeating this multiple times in a row I got a message saying that the app isn't working.... Thanks cheif. I believe there was some more but that was the majority of my complaints with the operating system as of June 18th 2023. I hope it or its competitors get way better.

[@sideofburritos]

1 apps would never auto update on any app store. I tried 4 separate app stores and all of them required me to watch each update and manually install them even when I selected auto updates. - Sandboxed Google Play will auto update. 2. My bank doesn't trust the software. I followed all the tutorials on setting it up and still was unable to use Google wallet or my bank app to pay for things. The tap to pay doesn't work. 3. Public wifi. On all public wifi that requires a sign in. I needed to re-sign into said wifi every time I disconnect even if I disconnect for a second. My work uses this type of wifi and I need to sign into the wifi about 50x per shift. Since the default is randomized mac address per connection public wifi doesn't recongize you and thus you have to sing in again. You can change it to "per network mac" to get around this. 4. I'm not really sure I'm getting a substantial increase in privacy. I still use my phone like a smart phone, it's not just a texting machine. Multiple applications acquire input. Not having google services installed as system apps is a substantial increase in privacy. On GrapheneOS they have the same permissions as any other apps. 5. Camera quality. On my pixel 7 the camera quality is worse than my friends pixel 6a and my other friends iPhone 12. However this phone won so many awards for its camera quality. Once I switched back to stock I instantly noticed the difference. You can install the Google camera app to make full use of the hardware. 6. Updates and app installs. Some apps like Netflix recently stopped getting updates on graphene os, although the app still worked I noticed more and more bugs as time went on. Other apps like turo would not let me install the whatsoever due to my operating system. I would suggest sandboxed play services. Likely you were using aurora store which has been having issues recently with their anonymous accounts. 7. Gym application. This is a small one but my gym Crunch Fitness has a app we use to sign in to the gym and has some other uses. The app would not stay open for more than 2 seconds without closing itself. No crash message just closes. After repeating this multiple times in a row I got a message saying that the app isn't working.... Thanks cheif. Apps do that because they are poorly coded and have issues. You can long press on the app icon, go to app info, and enable "exploit protection compatibility mode". - grapheneos.org/usage#bugs-uncovered-by-security-features I believe there was some more but that was the majority of my complaints with the operating system as of June 18th 2023. I hope it or its competitors get way better.

[@astroid99]

@@sideofburritos holy hell brother, you didn't need to do all of that but thankyou for doing it. Not only have you earned my respect, but my subscription, and gratitude. I'll need to follow those steps as well. Funny enough my bank cards got declined on stock android also so must either be a bank or phone thing. Once again though I didn't expect a response tbh. Thank-you.

[@sideofburritos]

You're welcome! I figured if you decided to come back to GrapheneOS it would be helpful, or maybe if someone had similar issues it could help them if they looked in the comments. Thanks for the gratitude, respect, and sub, it's very much appreciated!

[@BoimlerBrad]

I use all stock pixel apps on Graphene OS just remove network permission and no data I leave network on Gboard on so I can use gifs.

[@genericdude6551]

I just looked at the requirements for doing this graphene only to find that none of the browsers for Ubuntu are acceptable even though Ubuntu is an acceptable OS to install from.

[@Austinredstoner]

Have you ever tried /e/OS?

[@sideofburritos]

I haven't

[@towardsthelight220]

What's the best burrito in town?

[@nyhusandrew]

I love using Gboard with network permission disabled on GOS

[@sideofburritos]

It's a solid keyboard, works really well. I want to test out FlorisBoard as well as OpenBoard and do a comparison in the future.

[@chrisrojas7677]

I forgot my password, what do you recomend me to do?

[@sideofburritos]

Your only options are to guess your password or erase/reinstall your device. There's no way to gain access without your password.

[@TLM860]

What's the difference between microg and sandboxed google play services?

[@chasethreshing]

'They' also put 'GrapheneOS' inside your body.

[@TheChameleon2008]

😅

[@ven11235]

I have wondered about this as well, graphene OS seems like a sus name, but as long as all the software works out as being truly private then I am all for it. Do you think it is a coincidence or nah?

[@jeanclaudethedarklord6205]

I've noticed that roms like leneage OS consistently choose the worst color for the stock apps and it drives me insane

[@oneironaut2209]

Btw passwords can be end-to-end encrypted using passphrase

[@sideofburritos]

Which passwords are you referring to?

[@oneironaut2209]

@@sideofburritos Passwords saved by chrome and apps in google password manager.

[@CyberiadPhoenix]

Android auto is now available on GrapheneOS!

[@user-rk2sy8df4s]

I can't charge my headphones with the phone anymore... But it's worth switching.

[@QuikRay]

Graphene OS, here we come!

[@michaelcarannante72]

I really like to think I can trust Google and to a certain level I do not mind sacrificing my privacy for my convenience. Then again, this seems to be typical of my generation (Gen Z,) and not so common with the older folks.

[@sideofburritos]

It's one of those things that isn't an issue, until it's a problem. Once you know the inner workings, you want to get away from it. Most people (my family included) don't care much about it, but I think it'll become a much bigger deal in the future. From what I can tell, Europe takes it much more seriously than the US.

[@plume666]

The most disadvantage about custom roms were that I cant update the system if I closed bootloader again and with an open boot loader I was not able to download netflix ect. from the playstore. So I had to root the system in order to simulate a non rooted device with am custom bootloader. So I stay with stock android. Did anything changed in this situation? I just want a solid updateable system, a closed bootloader and want to use all my streaming apps.

[@anthonywilliams9415]

Didn't know people still rooted phones

[@sideofburritos]

The phone isn't rooted. Flashing a custom OS is something supported by Google on the Pixels.

[@ybenjira]

My car loves Android auto, and I've grown to like it as well, so I can't leave it behind... But thanks for the review!

[@sideofburritos]

You're welcome! I do miss Android auto, so I get it, haha.

[@meditationmotivation8364]

I love joq people are taking google phones out to block google. Ironic😂

[@c-LAW]

Have you tried CalyxOS? I preferred it over GrapheneOS because it performed much better and CalyxOS struck a good balance between privacy to convenience

[@mrcvry]

I think that was a long time ago. With the sandboxed framework every app I tried is working.

[@sideofburritos]

@cLAW, similar to what @mrcvry said, perhaps a long time ago there *may* have been a small performance difference on the first initial app launch (due to added security measures on GrapheneOS). But at this time, I don't see any reason to use CalyxOS while GrapheneOS is available and maintained.

[@TheoSmith249]

Try Brax OS. works well.

[@sideofburritos]

I would advise against BraxOS.

[@TheoSmith249]

@@sideofburritos reasoning?

[@sideofburritos]

@@TheoSmith249 One reasons is LineageOS doesn't support verified boot. You'll be much better off buying a Google Pixel and flashing GrapheneOS yourself.

[@TheoSmith249]

@@sideofburritos ok, thanks

[@chrishernandez2490]

Why does this guy sound like he's AI generated 😆

[@sideofburritos]

Because he is.

[@chrishernandez2490]

@@sideofburritos 🤯

[@TheChameleon2008]

@@sideofburritos Teach me bro!

[@ven11235]

I have been saying for years we would have celebrities that were completely fabricated by AI, with no basis in reality. Probably already happening.

[@madinventor6327]

I would never install stock Android - not even for a minute. 🖕Google.

[@grodsney]

based

[@sideofburritos]

I don't suggest it with GrapheneOS available.

[@WickedMuis]

How about Google having the entire Android phone market in lockdown, where the only android phone you can get that lets you install a different OS onto is .. a Google phone. So you still have to buy their stuff for it (unless you go Linux phones of course). Imagine they did that with PCs.

[@madinventor6327]

@@WickedMuis There will always be competition.

[@trtrhr]

@@WickedMuis name one Linux phones that you can actucally buy? and don't say Librem 5 those devices barely even ship. and of course you'll say pinephone.

[@ourladyofcordialcivility6882]

Braver than I am LOL