Installed Graphene OS
(midwest.social)
PrivacyThe installation was very easy! It's very greatful that my data doesn't send to Google any more.
Next step, compile lineage for your Galaxy S3 from 2012 and use it to watch movies
i am very stupid when it comes to phones... how can I wipe android and install graphenous. I will buy a new chip/SIM for my last phone to test/see how it works. Reveal your magic please. I just want a basic phone (text, call, maybe even a map/weather app and like a note app). I can use cash money or bank cards for paying for stuff- don't need an app/service for that, perfectly capable as an adult to manage paying for shit without an electronic device.
You need to get a Google Pixel, then go to the GrapheneOS web installer on your PC and follow the instructions.
Welcome to serenity in the middle of the storm. Isn't it great at first boot after install where you only have a clean canvas with a couple of apps and absolutely no bloat?
What weather app you using?
That's 'Brezzy Weather'. Has been my favorite weather app for a couple of years.
Breezy is such a treasure. Logging the network activity on any typical mainstream weather app really gives you the chills. I finally found this privacy-respecting and really beautifully designed app and I am so glad it exists.
Not a privacy nightmare I suppose?
Absolutely not. You can choose whatever sources you want (your mileage may vary). You have the option to block location and just add the name of the cities you want to keep an eye on as well. It's a delight to use.
I use Openweather as my source for most data points.
Looks like Breezy
Welcome!
You can always add widgets if you want something to break up the gridded icons. 🫡 Welcome to the fam.
Which ones do ypu recommend?
- Breezy Weather
- ProgressBars (for displaying days until payday as a desktop icon)
- AnotherMonitor (to display remaining SSD space on an icon)
Breezy Weather is abs excellent. Perfectly functional but also looks beaut! Not something you often see in open source. Highly recommended!
Try Klara
Where do you get it from. Aurora doesn't list it for my pixel 9. F-droid?
Yep just double checked and i got mine from F-droid
You can get it from F-Droid, but I prefer to use Obtainium to install from the original git for as many apps that have the releases in the git repo.
This is the best way👆👆👆
I wish I didn’t give away my pixel to my friend.
im still waiting for the linux phone of my dreams tbh
I'm pre invested in the launch of the next Jolla phone, which runs sailfish
I feel my old n900 will remain the only one I ever had...
Still have it?You can try maemo Leste on it. https://maemo-leste.github.io/
Far from usable as daily phone, but they are making good progress despite their small team. Dillo works as Browser for sites without js, SMS works well, calls are possible, Bluetooth is missing but everything else pretty much works.
Of course the 256MB RAM pose a heavy limit for todays apps. You have to choose ones which use it sparingly. E.g. mupdf, gnumeric instead of libreoffice and so on.
But its awesome for mobile ssh and, little games like SNES ones. I am starting to use it as second phone.
It still works but sadly it got the "no sim card" syndrome, so no longer a daily phone option...
Had that on one of mine too (my main one I used for many years). Yes thats very bad, nearly unfixable and you can only use it with a second phone which provides a hotspot.
But in case you want to get rid of it it would be great if you sent it to the team for development purposes (You can reach them on their mailing list https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/maemo-leste) or even I would be happy if you send it to me, so that I have spare parts and maybe I will dare to try to fix the modem.
(Some people had success with stripping all temperature sensitive parts and plastics from the mainboard and baking the mainboard in the oven)
In case you want to to keep it, believe me, I fully understand :) Maybe one day you will get the urge to fiddle with it again.
Graphene really is the next best thing. If you can get your hands on a used Pixel or splurge for a new one, you won't regret converting. At least until there's a production-ready gnuPhone
I don't really understand why Pixel is that evryone likes/they support.
I can't accept the fact that there is no external sd card support.
I believe I am getting old because I am very stuck on this point, even more than the headphone jack.
Nevermind I just saw Motorola is actually making a deal with gaphene OS. They were my next future phone with sd cards and even styluses- if this goes through, can't wait!
Pixels are the main target of aftermarket ROMs because they are reference Android devices with highly available unlocked developer modes. Most companies producing phones do things like add propriety changes that require substantial workarounds for relatively basic hardware functionality and make it much more difficult to even install an aftermarket ROM.
Really this is all a consequence of capitalism itself and the need to lock in ecosystems to establish controlled markets (allowing for controlling one's own profit). Every phone could be fully unlockable and hackable by the end user, but companies specifically prevent this in order to maximize their own profits.
Apple did a hell of a job teaching people that means it’s more fancy.
Yeah but apple actually takes care of its customers. They are one of the few ones that is exactly what it seems, and isn't expensive or cheap. Most people saying apple devices are overpriced simply aren't the target demographic for the products.
Most people saying apple devices are overpriced simply aren’t the target demographic for the products.
"poor people making poor people noises" is all I'm getting out of you. what are you doing on lemmy dont you have an ai chatbot to flirt with?
You sound fun.
takes care of its customers
They sure don't do that from the good of their heart,
apple devices are overpriced
they make their customers pay for a 'service' that robs them of their freedom
Apple routinely slows down its phones with every major update, promoting people buying $1k+ phones every 2-3 years.
isn't expensive
Bullshit. Upgrading from 1 TB of internal storage to 2 TB on a laptop is not a $250 expense. Before the memory crisis, I could have bought a brand new M.2 SSD with the full 2 TB for less than that.
yeah but it is nearly double that now
Its expensive for you and me, but not for someone who needs apple to handle it for them. That's the whole point. If you can do it yourself, or know someone who can do it for you for free, then you aren't the customer Apple is looking for.
I see! Thanks for this explanation.
No problem friend. It is fairly hard to handle all those other phones - see how LineageOS keeps it's supported list fairly small!
Do you mean internal SD card slot? Because pixels absolutely support external sd cards
the built in micro sd card reader is usually called "external SD" in android..
I also like having expanded storage. But if you actually care about privacy?
You want the minimum amount of data on your phone at any given time. Your recent camera roll, any cached music and apps, and that is really it. Everything should be offloaded to your private storage ASAP
Because for as shit as google and apple are? You can also remote wipe those devices. less effective if it is a government agent that has it, but it is a thing. And, depending on the storage setup, that sd card might be raw dogging it to begin with.
It shouldn't be difficult for a custom ROM like GrapheneOS to make the user explicitly allow a microSD card to be mounted if that would cause any security issues.
And welcome to software development. Every feature needs time (money), engineers (money), and testing (money). With most testing continuing in perpetuity because any pull request could break it.
And when you add on that graphene is a nonprofit baked FOSS project... Well, if it is as simple as you think it is then get to making a pull request, I guess?
I'd be happy to make a PR as soon as there is officially supported hardware that supports microSD expansion.
Couldn’t you encrypt the SD card? And while you’re at it encrypt the internal storage also. Linux should support that, right?
I understand sd card is a security risk. But you don't have to use it.
The utility is the key.
I'm just 100% against corporations enshittificating their products so you pay hundreds more for a 50$ part.
It is because there are hardware security features that most other Android phones do not support and Graphene OS is going for maximum security and privacy. Besides, they're coming out with their own hardware by partnering with Motorola shortly.
I can't accept the fact that there is no external sd card support.
OK, this is going to sound dismissive, and I really don't mean it to be. But why?
For data transfer, you can still use the USB port (I do it all the time). Other than that, there's more than enough storage available onboard for any reasonable amount of usage. I don't even really keep anything critical on my device at all, so what there is is kind of overkill already.
I just don't understand the need for an SD card with storage being as plentiful now as it is. I want to understand.
If you want to carry your whole music library around, a big SD card makes that work. I understand streaming is the trendy thing and I was using Navidrome myself, but I rolled back my plan and switched to SD card for it. I've saved money.
Another use case is for carrying a heap of ROMs. I've also done this until I realised gaming on my phone was uncomfortable and bought a dedicated device.
Having the SD card wasn't a dealbreaker for me when I bought this phone but I do really like having it.
I've always said I'll listen to music more when I get through my podcast backlog and audiobook backlog. Neither of those seem particularly...imminent, lol.
An ezpz 256 gigs without spending an extra $200 used to be orgasmic is all I can say
I'm a data hog. Storage is cheap and it should be available on my phone also.
People always saying physical Media is important, and most of the time they tink of cds and dvds.
I use my sd cards for physical Media sorage.
I used my camera and accidentally recorded 40 gigs of video.
With external card I do not have to worry.
Music, books, picture heavy pdfs, movies full tv series sits comfortably in my palm.
Interesting. Thanks for letting me know.
I think of myself as a data hog also, but only on my computer; I'm mostly a minimalist on my phone.
It really depends on how much you are using your phone.
If I would go back 20 years I would be attached to my desktop pc and my ebook reader pocket pc. ln that case I would not need extra storage for my phone. Tho thinking of it... I had two different external cards for that handheld even back then. :)
I feel your pain on storage and headphones but Graphene is worth the sacrifice to me. I also like that my 8a will get updates until at least 2030.
They're not that impressive specs wise, somewhere between mid range and a "real" flagship that has a Snapdragon Elite chip. The only reason to get it is the top of the line security features that allow GrapheneOS to function. Or the software if you're into Ai and such and don't want Graphene, but that's like the opposite of privacy.
I'd argue that Graphene is a better thing since it's based on an OS that's been designed for mobile from the ground up. I expect it's going to be a while before Linux UX on mobile catches up to desktop, but Graphene works great already.
Sad thing is that Linux used to be ahead on phones. Everyone swore by N900 and it was sabotaged by ms buykilling Nokia.
It would've been a cool world if we got Linux that could work seamlessly between desktop and mobile. Imagine if you had architecture where apps were built as services with an API, and then you could connect either desktop or mobile UI to them. Heck, at that point you could even make custom UIs across apps, or pipe them together the way you do with shell scripts. And then you could also have a device like a phone which has all your apps and data, and you could plug it into a dock with more memory, GPU, etc. So, you wouldn't have to juggle a bunch of devices and sync data between them.
By those standards, Halium + ubports might be worth while, it's using enough of the android binaries to get the job done but is still real linux.
For most use cases though, you don't really have much of a benefit of running Linux over Android on a phone though. There's enough Linux compatibility on Android already to make it work seamlessly with your Linux devices. In my opinion, as long as the stack is open source and well supported, it doesn't really matter whether it's Android or Linux based.
The binary blobs handling drivers are both the rub AND the part we can't seem to work without.
reverse engineering this stuff is pretty challenging unfortunately
Is it actually usable for everyday stuff though? I heard that bank apps are pain in the ass among other things. Maybe this new deal with Motorola changes things.
You can install Google app store in a container, and all the apps I've used work fine on it out of the box. It absolutely works fine as a daily driver.
That’s great! Well, I think I’ll give a shot when my iPhone dies.
(Edit: Maybe) You can't do mobile deposit, but surely you can still just use the bank's website.
I can do mobile deposit with both my credit union and Discover.
Well, I stand corrected. Even less reason to not switch to Graphene.
I have been using it for 2+ years exclusively. I had a few issues with mobile deposit with my old credit union, but I moved to a new one and it works. So does the Discover app. Pretty much everything else is great, and I worry much less about my phone spying on me.
what about something like fairphone? why is pixel better?
Graphene only supports pixels currently.
They have hardware encryption tech other phones don't have that graphene uses
Fairphone can't run Graphene and the other de-Googled Android ROMs that it can run aren't nearly as secure
The Motorola in 2027?
Maybe. But for now I'm on an 8a.
The Pinephone was a fun expiriment. I want that pinboard switch on other devices, but the linux dev/update cycle is very unconducive to the needs of most daily drivers.
what kinds update cycle do you mean? cuz with a bigger userbase that will be greatly improved im sure, i use arch (btw) and i would love a similar experience on a phone. Maybe librephone will get the stone rolling. One can dream.
Does anyone know if Google pay and banking apps from India (UPI) work on GOS? Pretty much impossible to live in an Indian city without these apps now
Here is a list of apps that don't work.
https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-guide#apps-banning-grapheneos
Google pay will not work. As for the banking apps, it'll depend on how the app is implemented. I can pay with my Chase app, but no Google pay (yes, I tried, Sue me 🤣)
I personally don’t have GrapheneOS, but as far as I know, Google Pay doesn’t work, but banking apps should (from what I’ve read)
Unless something has changed in the past couple years, google pay doesn't work.
Here's a compatibility list for banking apps: link
https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos/
PhonePe works perfectly fine. Bhim UPI works sometimes but definitely needs play services and does not work on private profiles. Need to be installed in main profile.
Most apps will work with just sandboxed play services installed. But, If your app has implemented play integrity checks then you need play store installed, and you need to be logged in too. Only then you'll be able to use banking apps.
It really depends on the banking app, for example mine used google play store to download but doesnt need it to run at all (updates happen from it though). So i can run it on my main profile with GPS (google play store) disabled.
Protip - Download something like the Shelter app so you can set up a Work profile space and install the apps that need GPS to run n then this can be the space where you have these apps. Shelter has a really handy feature that lets you get notifications from these apps when on another profile n can send files between. Best of all you can pause the work space, basically stops all apps.
At the start i had quite a few GPS apps here but I've slowly using less n less. At the moment there are three apps there that I need for work but only rarely so really need to unpause that space like 2% of the time.
P.S - try and ensure the apps on your main profile are not downloaded from GPS/Aurora Store. You can check the app info to see which store you downloaded them from. If you can, get them from other stores (others have given good tips on those already) or their own websites/githubs. Basically want to have zero connected apps n can disable google play store n services on your main profile.
How do you take a picture of your phone?
context for the confused.
Absolutely legendary thread.
here we go again
I was there. I was there 3,000 years ago...
Those were the times.
With my AI nightmare camera glasses!
You have to be really, really fast. But it can be done. I find that if you can accurately speak in dial up tones to your phone, you should be able to snap a photo while you’re communicating with it.
Wait, how did you take a picture of you taking a picture of your phone?
i want it too. motorola, pls.
Are you saying, "Hello Moto?"
Welcome to the fold!
Just a heads up, GOS doesn't recommend the F-droid app as apparently there's some security concerns. SideOfBurritos on YouTube talks more about it. An app like Droidify or Neo Store would be better and still uses the same F-Droid repositories. I use and really like Obtanium which allows you to download and manage apps directly from their websites, GitHub, F-Droid, & more.
Is there a way to install Obtainium other than downloading it from a seemingly random website?
You can download the APK right from their website as well as I believe their GitHub.
Their website also has the certificate hash to verify with AppVerifier
Thank you for the information!
Seconded on Obtainium. Basically any FOSS app is gonna have a repo there with releases regardless, and you can always just use an f-droid repository if they only publish releases there.
Plus, way easier to export a list of installed apps to restore them at a later date!
and you can always just use an f-droid repository if they only publish releases there.
So Obtainium users can install F-Droid apps through Obtainium?
Yep! It's not the same experience as F-Droid (e.g. it's not gonna be you scrolling through a list of apps, picking the one you want, and hitting install. Obtainium is more of a "get the URL to where the app's releases are, paste it in here, add it, then hit install, plus you might have to do a little config so it selects the right release if there are multiple", but once it's set up, it's set up.
I fully replaced the F-Droid app with Obtainium for actually installing and updating apps, but I still keep the F-Droid app around just because I can go on there, search up apps, do a little browsing, then take the app I want and put it in Obtainium.
Yes, Obtainium supports installing from F-Droid repos. It's a bit more of a pain compared to using something like F-Droid, though.
Good to know. Any informative reads on this? I like burritos but prefer them as the main dish.
Here's the Side of Burritos video with two followup videos in the description (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzpVI4zaso0)
I don't really know much about it to be honest, and the video is pretty old, and someone in the comments says the issue is fixed but I haven't seen that anywhere else. I just use Obtanium anyway since you can get most FOSS apps from GitHub, a for ones that don't, you can still find F-Droid apps. SideOfBurritos also has a more recent video about how to set up and use Obtanium if you're interested.
I've been meaning to try out Obtanium anyway since the Linux Unplugged podcast talked about it.
Welcome ! Quick tip: Google has a database of cell towers that helps getting a location quickly and helps starting the GPS connection even indoors.
You don't have that on GOS. So when you use localization with organic maps, you'll notice it struggle to find you. You have to have a clear view to the sky to get a ping and then you can use it inside your car for example.
I also use https://github.com/barbeau/gpstest to get the ping more quickly.
GrapheneOS has some services of its own that improve location speed and accuracy when enabled: SUPL and PSDS. They're both implemented in ways that try to preserve privacy. See here for more info:
https://grapheneos.org/faq#default-connections
With these enabled, it's usually quick to get your precise location.
I have both enabled but still difficult to get a ping without a clear view to the sky. I will try network location though.
You can improve a coverage alternative with one of the many apps which discover and upload cell towers to Beacon DB.
Thank you, I did not know about that. I'll look into it. I see it's on Accrescent
Cheers mate. I'm running GrapheneOS on my Pixel 9a.
Got a guide? I have pixel 8a.
Edit: Nvm I Ecosia'd it. Found lots of stuff.
nice background anime maids are based
Do you have that without the icons? :3
https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/116294852
Thanks!
It's really easy. I installed dirty unicorns and a few others onto an Android phone years ago and had to install a program and follow a bunch of steps, adb, etc. GrapheneOS can be installed from a browser using another phone or tablet with each step basically a button on the site. I was a little surprised how simple it was.
Yeah I installed Graphene years ago on an old Pixel 4a and I remember it being a bit of a process. But I just got a new Pixel a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised how easy it is now.
I just got a Pixel 9 last week and put GrapheneOS on it. Couldn't be happier with it so far. The install was completely painless using web installer. All my apps worked out of the box. Google Store works fine in the sandbox. UX is good, and you don't have any of the crap Google normally loads like all the adaptive services, and all the other junk that runs in the background.
I have a pixel phone being shipped to me now, can’t wait to post one of these too.
Thats the spirit xD
Is that... chrome... I see in shortcuts?
It's Vanadium. It comes with GrapheneOS
It's Vanadium, chromium based but hardened. It's part of the default app lineup for GOS
Congratulations!
Yeah, I would like graphene, if not for the fact that they require me to brimg money into the google echo system...
It has always been an option to buy a used phone, immediately unlock the bootloader, and install GrapheneOS on it while avoiding installing Google apps entirely.
Then Google gets none of your money.
That's a lame excuse to not reap the benefits GrapheneOS provides
Used phones exist and if you buy ANY android phone google has been paid at some point for licensing not to mention whatever junk the carrier puts on them to subsidize costs.
But at the same time, you are signaling that you give money to a phone where is OK to actually change what it runs without much questions (for how long? Not sure). In a way, it's an incentive to do something positive (even if it is google).
Also as someone mentioned, getting second hand phones is possible although I understand it can be a big gamble at times
Let's hear the review!
