GrapheneOS: the private and secure mobile OS
grapheneos.org
GrapheneOS is a security and privacy focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility.

After using LineageOS for long time, I have finally moved to GrapheneOS. I use a lot of banking and financial apps which I never felt comfortable using on LineageOS due to lack of proper sandboxing, unlocked bootloader etc.

GrapheneOS works flawlessly just like Android. You don’t even notice there’s hardening underneath. Also it protects from Google’s evil location tracking using WiFi/Bluetooth or even when the Location is turned off. I don’t understand how people in general are comfortable with Google tracking all the time. You can use Google Play and Play Services in a sandbox that works just like regular installation, but without deep tracking.

If you haven’t tried GrapheneOS, try it. You won’t go back to regular Android.

      • Einar@lemm.ee
        283·
        3 months ago

        Doesn’t change that this only runs on Pixel devices. I simply don’t want a Pixel device for various reasons. Used or not, Graphene won’t run officially on a Sony, a Fairphone, etc.

        • Imprint9816@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          344·
          3 months ago

          If the security benefits of a pixel is less important then the fact Google made it then GOS is simply not meant for you.

          Its silly people complain about it being only compatible for pixels but never seem to blame other android brands for making significantly less secure phones. The responsibility should be put on phone makers to create secure phones that meet GOS requirements, not to expect GOS to make a less secure OS.

          The whole AOSP environment is very Google centric so its pretty weird to think because your not buying a pixel that you are somehow avoiding Google.

          • Einar@lemm.ee
            18·
            3 months ago

            I have more considerations than security, like a headphone jack and other details. But you have my upvote anyways, because you make a lot of sense. I agree with you. 🏅

            • iheartneopets@lemm.ee
              10·
              3 months ago

              I do agree that the lack of a headphone jack absolutely kills me. It’s a reason I haven’t pulled the trigger either way on a new phone yet. On the one hand, I want a secure degoogled phone that maintains a lot of functionality with GOS. On the other, I want a modern phone with a headphone jack a la Sony. I go back and forth constantly.

            • Imprint9816@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
              31·
              3 months ago

              That’s fair, and the reasons why someone buys a phone is a personal choice.

              I would suggest with things like a headphone jack that, while its annoying to buy an adapter (usb-c to headphone) it may be worth the cost vs sacrificing something like hardware security.

              Sadly a lot of the time consumers are forced to choose between security and privacy or convenience.

      • curry@programming.dev
        6·
        3 months ago

        My country’s second hand market sucks donkey balls. Import fees are crazy if you even dare to use Amazon instead of cheap Chinese shop. I just wanna scream.

      • pathief@lemmy.world
        5·
        3 months ago

        I’m always wary of buying second hand phones. How healthy is that battery going to be?

    • exploder@sopuli.xyz
      30·
      3 months ago

      Yeah, it’s kind of wild and ironic that one of the most private OSes requires a Google phone.

      • refalo@programming.dev
        172·
        3 months ago

        Not only that but it relies on the Pixel’s black box “Titan” security chip, that google pinky-promised to open source but never did…

        • aa1@lemm.ee
          173·
          3 months ago

          The Titan security chip is not a black box. The Titan M1 gas been scrutinazed by blackhat: https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3503921.3503922

          Just because something is not open source does not mean you can’t verify it (no, i’m not shilling closed slurce; no i don’t think closed > open; no i don’t think closed source is more secure)

          • refalo@programming.dev
            34·
            3 months ago

            That work was not available when GrapheneOS was developed, and is not necessarily applicable to devices released after those findings… I still consider it a black box.

            • aa1@lemm.ee
              23·
              3 months ago

              That work was not available when GrapheneOS was developed

              What do you mean ? This has nothing to do with GrapheneOS in the first place (which by the way has been created in 2014. The article i linked refers to 2021).

              I still consider it a black box.

              Reverse engineering is a thing. It always has been. If every piece of closed source was a blackbox how can you explain exploitation ? How can bad actors exploit Windows, MacOS, CPU firmware and so on ? Your argument here is not practical. Also, why should Google put a backdoor inside a chip ? They already get every information they what directly from the people agreeing to use their software. So, why bother ? Moreover, every phone on the market has closed source firmware.

    • modus@lemmy.world
      13·
      3 months ago

      Buy a Pixel second hand. Then you’re just reimbursing someone who already made that mistake. ;)

      • radau@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        51·
        3 months ago

        Just research ahead and don’t buy one with a known hardware defect such as the 5As which are notorious for frying motherboards and screens. Went through 5 of them with the extended warranty over my phones life and they all died while in my hand abruptly. Less than a year or life per device almost always failing around 8 months for me.

        If grapheneOS wasn’t so damn good I would’ve left pixels after that, Pixel XL abruptly died, 2XL had both cameras and the fingerprint sensor die out of nowhere, then the 4 5As. On an 8a right now and love it so fingers crossed it lasts!

        If they had a user repairable device that ran it I’d buy it in a heartbeat