Just installed GrapheneOS on a used Pixel 8A this week. Started using it full time yesterday! If anyone has any questions about the install or use, let me know! I'm new to Lemmy so I'm not sure how (or if) notifications work, but I'll try my best.
Nothing makes me chuckle more than blocking the complaint notifications from Google that it needs to be let out of its sandbox.
Enjoy! I've had graphene os for years now on multiple pixel A phones. I couldn't live without it at this point. It is such a great thing to have when all other OSs are doing everything they can to slurp up your data.
Been thinking about it but it means ditching my S21 Ultra which I've used forever so I'm trying to modify my phone enough that it's basically useless to them, rooting, revanced, uninstalling their services when I can, using alternate emails that are bot linked to any google account for their apps, disabling all the tracking etc etc.
The day something like Graphene gets built for Samsung phones, I will make the switch instantly.
Hell, if I can I'll get it on linux phones and use that instead...
Not trying to be dense, but what is the point of Graphene OS? I've seen it mentioned in circles of de-googling and privacy but I'm not exactly sure what the differences are between it and regular Android. Will my day to day experience be very different? Or is it mostly the same but has privacy/security stuff working in the background?
I have a Pixel 6 Pro I bought used, and would be interested in something like this if it means distancing my data away from Google.
generally, it separates core functions of your phone from google, and lets you decide how much data to share with google via permissions (can be none, can be like stock android), just like any other app.
they also put lots of work into hardening the os against attacks such as the ones used by police and spyware companies to unlock phones, and are basically the only phone configuration consistently safe against those companies.
the day to day experience is pretty much the same as stock android, as long as you install google services. main issues with it (I have heard, I haven't ran into these on my install) are some banking apps, and google pay doesn't work.
I just did this, and it's so easy to install. It took me a minute to figure out apps I want to use because I grew up with Google technologically speaking. https://grapheneos.org/install/
I still have the Google store for some stuff (Google Fi) but use aurora first. A lot of the apps I chose to use keep data on my phone and do not require internet access.
Notes:quill pad
Bank: web (haven't tried the apps)
Mail: web (I don't use it a lot anyway)
Signal and Google messages
Food tracking: energize
Period: drip
Contacts: idk, but it's offline and not Google.
Maps: organic maps
Calendar: fossify calendar (the fossify stuff is nice)
Readera: epub
Voice: audiobooks
Antennapod: podcasts
RSS: capyreader
Browser: vanadium (comes with it in gos)
Pear launcher: I used this when I was on stock to change the home search bar to Firefox. I didn't even question if I needed it, but I suppose the stock GOS search is vanadium not chrome, so I could drop this one.
Mullvad
Syncthing to help make sure I have backups of my subscription files for my offline stuff.
GrapheneOS is made for people who still need some Google products. You can run everything full Google mode, with Playstore, GCam, etc.. But better and privacy-respecting.
Of course not installing anything Google would be even better. But that's it: with GrapheneOS you have a choice.
Been running it for years and I'm still using Gmail and Maps. No issues. There's lots of info surrounding the topic of using Play Services etc on GrapheneOS.