7 ms·

Daily Driving GrapheneOS

156 points by zdw 8mo ago

shablulman 8mo ago
[flagged]
drnick1 8mo ago
2027 will be the year of the Graphene phone.
sankalpmukim 8mo ago
good writeup. I've been meaning to set this up for myself too. I keep uninstalling apps from my phone every other day because if I use something very little, I am afraid the app is collecting data from my usage in some way or the other. I have a fairly new ish Pixel phone, do you think I'll be able to go back if I don't like it?
- vbezhenar 8mo ago
  Yes, it's super simple to install GrapheneOS and to revert to the factory OS on Google Pixels. It is done from Chrome browser with phone connected via USB cable, no need to install anything. Of course when you'll switch, you'll lose all data on your phone, basically like factory reset (but esims survive I think).
  - razingeden 8mo ago
    eSIMs survive the grapheneOS install… Because when I had set it up, grapheneOS itself couldn’t install or set one up unless it was previously installed under the old OS. So I had to set up my carrier and then install grapheneOS. It can install eSIMs on its own now so this doesn’t matter other than confirming the eSIM carries over. I’ve never reverted to stock android and I’m never looking back so idk if the eSIM survives the round trip.
- microtonal 8mo ago
  I have a fairly new ish Pixel phone, do you think I'll be able to go back if I don't like it? Yeah, it is very easy, it's described here: https://grapheneos.org/install/web#replacing-grapheneos-with-the-stock-os https://grapheneos.org/install/web#replacing-grapheneos-with... Similar to GrapheneOS, Google also has a web installer (linked from the above section). Just in case you didn't know - both installing GrapheneOS and recovering the stock OS will remove all data as well.
- n8cpdx 8mo ago
  Both install and reversion to stock OS are incredibly easy. Just back up first.
- hrmtst93837 8mo ago
  [flagged]
skeptic_ai 8mo ago
I’ve tried but: couldn’t get my card to work on wallet. Can’t verify. Uber couldn’t verify payment so I couldn’t take a ride when needed.
- rudhdb773b 8mo ago
  Contactless payments are often a problem, but adding a card for Uber (directly in the app) should work. I use it frequently, along with Grab, Bolt, Maxim, etc.
- foxes 8mo ago
  It's googles fault that cards can't work in graphene. Google needs to whitelist graphene basically to work in the wallet app. On that note, given that graphene is focused around security and privacy, perhaps not givng your payment data to google is probably a good thing
  - skeptic_ai 8mo ago
    Can’t use my phone to pay becomes kind of useless
- bestouff 8mo ago
  Strange, i'm using Uber regularly with GrapheneOS.
- riedel 8mo ago
  Wallet was one of the reasons I abandoned my well working lineageOS phone on a redmi note 10 as it was a cat and mouse game over month. I feel as long as a vendor does not support an os and Google is so hostile against modifications, it is not a good feeling that they can pull the rug at any time. I was multiple times in the situation when I wanted to pay with the phone and was in the end rejected. I think we need to take NFC wallets and esims away from phone/os vendors again. A seperate NFC enabled vendor independent trusted platform would be IMHO the way to go. Especially with ID wallets and universal bank wallets on the way in Europe. This that they cannot use security as a killer argument to keep us in their walled gardens. I know the solution is cards or a second phone, but affordance counts.
vbezhenar 8mo ago
TBH What I wanted from the world is AOSP distribution. Built similarly to GrapheneOS in terms of distribution, ease of install. But I just don't feel I need all these privacy enhancements and stuff, I'm perfectly fine with ordinary system compiled from Google sources with proper update schedule. Also I don't want to see anything installed out of the box, except maybe single app to install AOSP apps, F-Droid, Play Store, just APK from the given URL. So basically almost empty mobile OS which user fully customizes, no predefined choices, no custom patches.
- riedel 8mo ago
  So what is wrong with lineage in this case?
  - vbezhenar 8mo ago
    I know very little about lineageos. Their website contains very few docs, so I don't really understand what's this project is about. They don't mention Pixel 10, so I guess it's not supported. GrapheneOS website in comparison contains a lot of things to read, so after a hour of thorough reading I had good impression what GrapheneOS is.
    - omnimus 8mo ago
      Are the websites really that different? (i use iphone) I checked both homepages and impression I got is that Lineage is android that focuses on long term support (the name points that out) and Graphene is not android (ok?) and it's focused on security. Your Pixel 10 is not in Lineage devices so i would also assume it's not supported. (maybe it's too new?)
      - kennywinker 8mo ago
        Yes, as I understand it lineageos is focused on supporting phones AFTER the mamufacturer stops supporting them - a pixel 10 is still supported afaik.
    - 8mo ago
cocoto 8mo ago
Personally I would just love Apple to be forced by governments to open up their hardware by releasing complete documentation of their hardware and allowing to install another os or dual boot. iPhones hardware is really good and would love booting Linux on theses. And then force every services company to provide an API to their services so we have an alternative to their app. I guess Motorola partnering with GrapheneOS will not change anything in this space because contactless payments and some apps will not work and fundamentally because the sales will be way below mainstream brands like Apple/Samsung. Governments need to step up here.
- mastermage 8mo ago
  There is only one government that might be inclined to do that and thats the EU. But good luck lobbying this.
  - cromka 8mo ago
    Not necessarily this, but a legislation mandating long-term (10 years) support for software and security updates could result in Apple offering Linux after they decide they don't want to continue releasing macOS for older hardware.
- fph 8mo ago
  Contactless payments work in Graphene OS. Not with Google Pay, but with other apps like Curve and Paypal.
Rnonymous 8mo ago
I wish i could switch but bank apps and contactless payments keep me on stock pixel.
- unethical_ban 8mo ago
  Is this a European thing? Why not use a credit card?
  - oerdier 8mo ago
    I think it's healthy for a population to not have as part of day-to-day life to pay with credit, effectively paying with money you might not actually have, going into debt. How many US citizens are crippled by credit card debt, and the interest on it?
    - n8cpdx 8mo ago
      You can pay with credit card as a convenience + fraud protection mechanism without ever paying interest by just paying your bill off every month. When chip and pin was first rolled out, Europeans were shocked by the low security of swipe cards in the US. The reason that wasn’t an issue for Americans was (and still is) that credit cards have excellent fraud protections. If someone steals my credit card, it is the bank’s problem, not mine. The risk of paying by debit card on a regular basis is unfathomable to me, even with fancy tech to try to make it secure.
      - oerdier 8mo ago
        I wasn't suggesting individuals shouldn't be able to pay with credit. I have a credit card myself, which I use when I can't pay with debit. I was suggesting that for a population as a whole, having paying with credit being so commonplace leads to crippling debt issues, which as far as I can believe "the reports", is an issue in the US. Your comment on the risk of paying with debit cards surprised me. I've never considered it a risk at all. It made me realize that perhaps here (in the Netherlands) we have consumer protection systems in place, in addition to the payment systems, that prevent any issues.
ZlibraryKO 8mo ago
I’ve been using GrapheneOS for a couple of years now, and it’s been perfect for me. Contactless payments used to work fine, but then my bank switched to Google Wallet. Since then, I’ve just kept a physical card tucked behind my phone case so I can use it when needed.
tl2do 8mo ago
I admire the de-Googled approach of GrapheneOS. As a lawyer, privacy concerns resonate with me too. I love the rebellious attitude of tech that presents an alternative choice in an overly duopolistic market. That said, I wouldn't last 8.4 months like the author. Even though he admits to some Google app usage, I'm in too deep — I'd never be able to get out. But if I get the chance, I'd like to try it on a secondary phone. Those solid black icons are one reason. They look cool.
- throawayonthe 8mo ago
  you can use mostly google appsand still benefit (e.g. unlike google android, play services aren't privileged and are sandboxed like any other app) https://grapheneos.org/features#sandboxed-google-play https://grapheneos.org/features#sandboxed-google-play also you can restrict some apps network permissions, for example i use the google camera app with the network disabled :p
- traxler 8mo ago
  Not wanting to discourage you from trying Graphene, but the icons are probably not a good reason. Can always install an alternative launcher and icon pack on stock android. Running Graphene for a long time now, everything works perfectly fine, but I don't do mobile banking.
  - rcMgD2BwE72F 8mo ago
    I do mobile banking and use GrapheneOS daily (2 online banks + 2 trading platforms). I also work in mobile app/SDK publishing as a business dev and it's critical that I can install my clients' apps (thousand+) in private space. It works great for me.
- mastermage 8mo ago
  my take on this is to some advocates probably shocking. But I think you don't need to perfectly switch and never touch anything google again. I personally just encourage people to take a look at what you are using, and if you could gradually change some of it. Who knows sometimes alternatives even offer better services. I am not saying never use anything google ever again. Just question your tools regularly and peruse the alternatives.
pjmlp 8mo ago
While this is good news, the cynical in me is waiting for Motorola GrapheneOS, with the changes that make it actually relevant for normies, and then the whole idea goes the way of netbooks.
- microtonal 8mo ago
  GrapheneOS had an estimated 400,000 users three months ago (based on update downloads) and the user base seems to be growing quite fast. I think for Motorola, potentially a few million users buying flagships for GrapheneOS are a very attractive market. So, I'm not cynical.
traxler 8mo ago
For all the "My Banking Apps don't work", I'd raise one question: Do you really need access to banking apps on the go? I get that it can be handy and maybe you legit do, but I'd wager most people don't really do. If you can pay by phone you can pay by card and the card has less potentially to weirdly break. And if your bank demands a phone app to be used, you can always have a cheap stock android lying around at home. Can't get stolen or lost. Doesn't give big G any data on you, because that phone doesn't have anything but those apps. But I also understand "just have a second phone" is not a tempting idea for many people. I am not much of a phone person, so I'm not a good case study, but it works fine for me.
- pietro72ohboy 8mo ago
  I cannot speak for every country but in the Netherlands, your banking app also serves as a 2FA instrument if you place orders with your credit card. A pop-up notification will ask you to confirm if you have indeed placed the order. While I will admit that it is possible to predict such use cases and take your phone along, it is becoming a bit difficult to predict what part of some account or service's login flow will require a confirmation with your device.
  - microtonal 8mo ago
    Luckily, all/most Dutch bank apps work on GrapheneOS. (Not saying that you claimed they didn't.)
  - traxler 8mo ago
    Huh, interesting. I only have those 2FA popups for card payments online or in apps, never for payments in stores.
    - vladvasiliu 8mo ago
      I'm pretty sure that's what your parent is describing. In my case, I often spend multiple days at my parents' house. Now, I mostly don't order online, but sometimes something comes up and in that kind of situation, most merchants will have me go through the verification. Since this doesn't happen frequently, I'm more likely than not to not have hauled my secondary phone, especially since I very much prefer traveling light. Now, could most of those occasional purchases not have waited for my return home? Eh... most probably could've. Doesn't make it less annoying, though, for no good reason.
barcodehorse 8mo ago
I run a degoogled Samsung, keep all my banking apps in a work profile. Ive been seeing a lot of people have issues with Graphene and banking apps, but wouldn't the work profile function on there too? Could you install the Google Play Services on the work profile and run it separately to your main phone?
- iugtmkbdfil834 8mo ago
  I personally would not put work profile on a phone intended for privacy. In other words, you likely can, but the question quickly becomes: why would you want to? It undermines its purpose.
- ibotty 8mo ago
  The problem is the device attestation. See https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-guide https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-gu... for details.
fmajid 8mo ago
I am coming to GrapheneOS from iOS, as recounted in https://blog.majid.info/quit-apple/ https://blog.majid.info/quit-apple/ My experience with seedvault is not as positive as the OP, it fails for about half my apps. I guess I have another year to fix this when the GrapheneOS enabled Motorola flagship comes out. I carry both my iPhone 16 Plus and my Pixel 8 Pro, but limit my iPhone use to mobile banking, Apple Pay and Find My.
- subscribed 8mo ago
  Seedvault is godawful and I'm saying it as a someone using GOS as a daily driver. Utterly awful. Two backup runs can give different results (failing in different places or failing to restore everything), and I haven't heard of the one person it works for every time. I wish I could just run Titanium Backup :(
  - DANmode 8mo ago
    Log into webapps, sync files, new phone set up.
dahateb 8mo ago
I have been using GrapheneOS now for 8 month and its been quite a smooth ride. The biggest worry I had was flashing it onto a brand new Pixel phone I had just bought. Everything else works fine though. Currently using 3 (german) banking apps and I haven't had a single issue. Also still using Google apps like camera and maps. Also Gboard as the default GrapheneOS keyboard is a bit uncomfortable. Really nice that you can just remove the network permissions and it works like a charm
akimbostrawman 8mo ago
GrapheneOS OOTB experience and feature set make any other phone feel cheap even iphones. 0 ads, 0 bloat, 0 unknown connections with maximum security.
milan777love 8mo ago
I wanted GrapheneOS to deliver on its promises so bad, it sounds so good on paper. And I should be the ideal user, a technical guy whose quality of life is directly impacted by a lack of privacy/security, highly motivated to use it correctly. But the reality is that you can't have your cake and eat it too. Just leave your phone at home, this is a toy for privacy enthusiasts. A well intentioned but fruitless hobby.
- microtonal 8mo ago
  You made an account just to attack GrapheneOS without even providing any arguments why it is supposedly a toy?
  - milan777love 8mo ago
    I used it for a few months after buying a Nitrophone but it was pwned with the same ease as regular Android, in days. So I just use it as a regular Pixel 8a now. Wish I went for Qubes instead maybe then I would've had more luck.
haskman 8mo ago
PSA: For folks looking for a swipe enabled keyboard on GrapheneOS without using Google's gboard, try Heliboard - https://f-droid.org/packages/helium314.keyboard/ https://f-droid.org/packages/helium314.keyboard/. It's 100% FOSS, but can also use the binary blob from google's gesture typing library "swypelibs" to provide swipe typing. Since helium can't access the internet, I am okay with that.
- backscratches 8mo ago
  I think they recently finished reimplementing the swipe library so now it no longer requires blobs.
  - yencabulator 8mo ago
    Sounds more like "recently started", https://github.com/Helium314/HeliBoard/issues/2226 https://github.com/Helium314/HeliBoard/issues/2226
- noman-land 8mo ago
  How does this compare to FlorisBoard?
  - haskman 8mo ago
    Florisboard does not have swipe gesture typing which is basically a deal breaker for me
    - noman-land 8mo ago
      It has had it for a few years.
- r0l1 8mo ago
  Also try the Urik Keyboard APP from f-droid
  - 8mo ago
samhclark 8mo ago
>Google Messages - for most of the last 8 months RCS was broken on GrapheneOS, but it's back now and Google messages is still the only option for messaging with family members on iOS. I'm glad to hear that's finally fixed. That was my only pain point with GrapheneOS, but it got so bad I bought an iPhone when the 17's came out. If the deal with Motorola helps GrapheneOS get better integration with the carriers, get a heads up about RCS changes ahead of time, get help fixing it, I'd happily switch back. I loved using GrapheneOS and iOS frustrates me daily.

156 points by zdw 8mo ago

shablulman 8mo ago

[flagged]

drnick1 8mo ago

2027 will be the year of the Graphene phone.

sankalpmukim 8mo ago

good writeup. I've been meaning to set this up for myself too. I keep uninstalling apps from my phone every other day because if I use something very little, I am afraid the app is collecting data from my usage in some way or the other. I have a fairly new ish Pixel phone, do you think I'll be able to go back if I don't like it?

vbezhenar 8mo ago
Yes, it's super simple to install GrapheneOS and to revert to the factory OS on Google Pixels. It is done from Chrome browser with phone connected via USB cable, no need to install anything. Of course when you'll switch, you'll lose all data on your phone, basically like factory reset (but esims survive I think).
- razingeden 8mo ago
  eSIMs survive the grapheneOS install… Because when I had set it up, grapheneOS itself couldn’t install or set one up unless it was previously installed under the old OS. So I had to set up my carrier and then install grapheneOS. It can install eSIMs on its own now so this doesn’t matter other than confirming the eSIM carries over. I’ve never reverted to stock android and I’m never looking back so idk if the eSIM survives the round trip.
microtonal 8mo ago
I have a fairly new ish Pixel phone, do you think I'll be able to go back if I don't like it? Yeah, it is very easy, it's described here: https://grapheneos.org/install/web#replacing-grapheneos-with-the-stock-os https://grapheneos.org/install/web#replacing-grapheneos-with... Similar to GrapheneOS, Google also has a web installer (linked from the above section). Just in case you didn't know - both installing GrapheneOS and recovering the stock OS will remove all data as well.
n8cpdx 8mo ago
Both install and reversion to stock OS are incredibly easy. Just back up first.
hrmtst93837 8mo ago
[flagged]

skeptic_ai 8mo ago

I’ve tried but: couldn’t get my card to work on wallet. Can’t verify. Uber couldn’t verify payment so I couldn’t take a ride when needed.

rudhdb773b 8mo ago
Contactless payments are often a problem, but adding a card for Uber (directly in the app) should work. I use it frequently, along with Grab, Bolt, Maxim, etc.
foxes 8mo ago
It's googles fault that cards can't work in graphene. Google needs to whitelist graphene basically to work in the wallet app. On that note, given that graphene is focused around security and privacy, perhaps not givng your payment data to google is probably a good thing
- skeptic_ai 8mo ago
  Can’t use my phone to pay becomes kind of useless
bestouff 8mo ago
Strange, i'm using Uber regularly with GrapheneOS.
riedel 8mo ago
Wallet was one of the reasons I abandoned my well working lineageOS phone on a redmi note 10 as it was a cat and mouse game over month. I feel as long as a vendor does not support an os and Google is so hostile against modifications, it is not a good feeling that they can pull the rug at any time. I was multiple times in the situation when I wanted to pay with the phone and was in the end rejected. I think we need to take NFC wallets and esims away from phone/os vendors again. A seperate NFC enabled vendor independent trusted platform would be IMHO the way to go. Especially with ID wallets and universal bank wallets on the way in Europe. This that they cannot use security as a killer argument to keep us in their walled gardens. I know the solution is cards or a second phone, but affordance counts.

vbezhenar 8mo ago

TBH What I wanted from the world is AOSP distribution. Built similarly to GrapheneOS in terms of distribution, ease of install. But I just don't feel I need all these privacy enhancements and stuff, I'm perfectly fine with ordinary system compiled from Google sources with proper update schedule. Also I don't want to see anything installed out of the box, except maybe single app to install AOSP apps, F-Droid, Play Store, just APK from the given URL. So basically almost empty mobile OS which user fully customizes, no predefined choices, no custom patches.

riedel 8mo ago
So what is wrong with lineage in this case?
- vbezhenar 8mo ago
  I know very little about lineageos. Their website contains very few docs, so I don't really understand what's this project is about. They don't mention Pixel 10, so I guess it's not supported. GrapheneOS website in comparison contains a lot of things to read, so after a hour of thorough reading I had good impression what GrapheneOS is.
  - omnimus 8mo ago
    Are the websites really that different? (i use iphone) I checked both homepages and impression I got is that Lineage is android that focuses on long term support (the name points that out) and Graphene is not android (ok?) and it's focused on security. Your Pixel 10 is not in Lineage devices so i would also assume it's not supported. (maybe it's too new?)
    - kennywinker 8mo ago
      Yes, as I understand it lineageos is focused on supporting phones AFTER the mamufacturer stops supporting them - a pixel 10 is still supported afaik.
  - 8mo ago

cocoto 8mo ago

Personally I would just love Apple to be forced by governments to open up their hardware by releasing complete documentation of their hardware and allowing to install another os or dual boot. iPhones hardware is really good and would love booting Linux on theses. And then force every services company to provide an API to their services so we have an alternative to their app. I guess Motorola partnering with GrapheneOS will not change anything in this space because contactless payments and some apps will not work and fundamentally because the sales will be way below mainstream brands like Apple/Samsung. Governments need to step up here.

mastermage 8mo ago
There is only one government that might be inclined to do that and thats the EU. But good luck lobbying this.
- cromka 8mo ago
  Not necessarily this, but a legislation mandating long-term (10 years) support for software and security updates could result in Apple offering Linux after they decide they don't want to continue releasing macOS for older hardware.
fph 8mo ago
Contactless payments work in Graphene OS. Not with Google Pay, but with other apps like Curve and Paypal.

Rnonymous 8mo ago

I wish i could switch but bank apps and contactless payments keep me on stock pixel.

unethical_ban 8mo ago
Is this a European thing? Why not use a credit card?
- oerdier 8mo ago
  I think it's healthy for a population to not have as part of day-to-day life to pay with credit, effectively paying with money you might not actually have, going into debt. How many US citizens are crippled by credit card debt, and the interest on it?
  - n8cpdx 8mo ago
    You can pay with credit card as a convenience + fraud protection mechanism without ever paying interest by just paying your bill off every month. When chip and pin was first rolled out, Europeans were shocked by the low security of swipe cards in the US. The reason that wasn’t an issue for Americans was (and still is) that credit cards have excellent fraud protections. If someone steals my credit card, it is the bank’s problem, not mine. The risk of paying by debit card on a regular basis is unfathomable to me, even with fancy tech to try to make it secure.
    - oerdier 8mo ago
      I wasn't suggesting individuals shouldn't be able to pay with credit. I have a credit card myself, which I use when I can't pay with debit. I was suggesting that for a population as a whole, having paying with credit being so commonplace leads to crippling debt issues, which as far as I can believe "the reports", is an issue in the US. Your comment on the risk of paying with debit cards surprised me. I've never considered it a risk at all. It made me realize that perhaps here (in the Netherlands) we have consumer protection systems in place, in addition to the payment systems, that prevent any issues.

ZlibraryKO 8mo ago

I’ve been using GrapheneOS for a couple of years now, and it’s been perfect for me. Contactless payments used to work fine, but then my bank switched to Google Wallet. Since then, I’ve just kept a physical card tucked behind my phone case so I can use it when needed.

tl2do 8mo ago

I admire the de-Googled approach of GrapheneOS. As a lawyer, privacy concerns resonate with me too. I love the rebellious attitude of tech that presents an alternative choice in an overly duopolistic market. That said, I wouldn't last 8.4 months like the author. Even though he admits to some Google app usage, I'm in too deep — I'd never be able to get out. But if I get the chance, I'd like to try it on a secondary phone. Those solid black icons are one reason. They look cool.

throawayonthe 8mo ago
you can use mostly google appsand still benefit (e.g. unlike google android, play services aren't privileged and are sandboxed like any other app) https://grapheneos.org/features#sandboxed-google-play https://grapheneos.org/features#sandboxed-google-play also you can restrict some apps network permissions, for example i use the google camera app with the network disabled :p
traxler 8mo ago
Not wanting to discourage you from trying Graphene, but the icons are probably not a good reason. Can always install an alternative launcher and icon pack on stock android. Running Graphene for a long time now, everything works perfectly fine, but I don't do mobile banking.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 8mo ago
  I do mobile banking and use GrapheneOS daily (2 online banks + 2 trading platforms). I also work in mobile app/SDK publishing as a business dev and it's critical that I can install my clients' apps (thousand+) in private space. It works great for me.
mastermage 8mo ago
my take on this is to some advocates probably shocking. But I think you don't need to perfectly switch and never touch anything google again. I personally just encourage people to take a look at what you are using, and if you could gradually change some of it. Who knows sometimes alternatives even offer better services. I am not saying never use anything google ever again. Just question your tools regularly and peruse the alternatives.

pjmlp 8mo ago

While this is good news, the cynical in me is waiting for Motorola GrapheneOS, with the changes that make it actually relevant for normies, and then the whole idea goes the way of netbooks.

microtonal 8mo ago
GrapheneOS had an estimated 400,000 users three months ago (based on update downloads) and the user base seems to be growing quite fast. I think for Motorola, potentially a few million users buying flagships for GrapheneOS are a very attractive market. So, I'm not cynical.

traxler 8mo ago

For all the "My Banking Apps don't work", I'd raise one question: Do you really need access to banking apps on the go? I get that it can be handy and maybe you legit do, but I'd wager most people don't really do. If you can pay by phone you can pay by card and the card has less potentially to weirdly break. And if your bank demands a phone app to be used, you can always have a cheap stock android lying around at home. Can't get stolen or lost. Doesn't give big G any data on you, because that phone doesn't have anything but those apps. But I also understand "just have a second phone" is not a tempting idea for many people. I am not much of a phone person, so I'm not a good case study, but it works fine for me.

pietro72ohboy 8mo ago
I cannot speak for every country but in the Netherlands, your banking app also serves as a 2FA instrument if you place orders with your credit card. A pop-up notification will ask you to confirm if you have indeed placed the order. While I will admit that it is possible to predict such use cases and take your phone along, it is becoming a bit difficult to predict what part of some account or service's login flow will require a confirmation with your device.
- microtonal 8mo ago
  Luckily, all/most Dutch bank apps work on GrapheneOS. (Not saying that you claimed they didn't.)
- traxler 8mo ago
  Huh, interesting. I only have those 2FA popups for card payments online or in apps, never for payments in stores.
  - vladvasiliu 8mo ago
    I'm pretty sure that's what your parent is describing. In my case, I often spend multiple days at my parents' house. Now, I mostly don't order online, but sometimes something comes up and in that kind of situation, most merchants will have me go through the verification. Since this doesn't happen frequently, I'm more likely than not to not have hauled my secondary phone, especially since I very much prefer traveling light. Now, could most of those occasional purchases not have waited for my return home? Eh... most probably could've. Doesn't make it less annoying, though, for no good reason.

barcodehorse 8mo ago

I run a degoogled Samsung, keep all my banking apps in a work profile. Ive been seeing a lot of people have issues with Graphene and banking apps, but wouldn't the work profile function on there too? Could you install the Google Play Services on the work profile and run it separately to your main phone?

iugtmkbdfil834 8mo ago
I personally would not put work profile on a phone intended for privacy. In other words, you likely can, but the question quickly becomes: why would you want to? It undermines its purpose.
ibotty 8mo ago
The problem is the device attestation. See https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-guide https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-gu... for details.

fmajid 8mo ago

I am coming to GrapheneOS from iOS, as recounted in https://blog.majid.info/quit-apple/ https://blog.majid.info/quit-apple/ My experience with seedvault is not as positive as the OP, it fails for about half my apps. I guess I have another year to fix this when the GrapheneOS enabled Motorola flagship comes out. I carry both my iPhone 16 Plus and my Pixel 8 Pro, but limit my iPhone use to mobile banking, Apple Pay and Find My.

subscribed 8mo ago
Seedvault is godawful and I'm saying it as a someone using GOS as a daily driver. Utterly awful. Two backup runs can give different results (failing in different places or failing to restore everything), and I haven't heard of the one person it works for every time. I wish I could just run Titanium Backup :(
- DANmode 8mo ago
  Log into webapps, sync files, new phone set up.

dahateb 8mo ago

I have been using GrapheneOS now for 8 month and its been quite a smooth ride. The biggest worry I had was flashing it onto a brand new Pixel phone I had just bought. Everything else works fine though. Currently using 3 (german) banking apps and I haven't had a single issue. Also still using Google apps like camera and maps. Also Gboard as the default GrapheneOS keyboard is a bit uncomfortable. Really nice that you can just remove the network permissions and it works like a charm

akimbostrawman 8mo ago

GrapheneOS OOTB experience and feature set make any other phone feel cheap even iphones. 0 ads, 0 bloat, 0 unknown connections with maximum security.

milan777love 8mo ago

I wanted GrapheneOS to deliver on its promises so bad, it sounds so good on paper. And I should be the ideal user, a technical guy whose quality of life is directly impacted by a lack of privacy/security, highly motivated to use it correctly. But the reality is that you can't have your cake and eat it too. Just leave your phone at home, this is a toy for privacy enthusiasts. A well intentioned but fruitless hobby.

microtonal 8mo ago
You made an account just to attack GrapheneOS without even providing any arguments why it is supposedly a toy?
- milan777love 8mo ago
  I used it for a few months after buying a Nitrophone but it was pwned with the same ease as regular Android, in days. So I just use it as a regular Pixel 8a now. Wish I went for Qubes instead maybe then I would've had more luck.

haskman 8mo ago

PSA: For folks looking for a swipe enabled keyboard on GrapheneOS without using Google's gboard, try Heliboard - https://f-droid.org/packages/helium314.keyboard/ https://f-droid.org/packages/helium314.keyboard/. It's 100% FOSS, but can also use the binary blob from google's gesture typing library "swypelibs" to provide swipe typing. Since helium can't access the internet, I am okay with that.

backscratches 8mo ago
I think they recently finished reimplementing the swipe library so now it no longer requires blobs.
- yencabulator 8mo ago
  Sounds more like "recently started", https://github.com/Helium314/HeliBoard/issues/2226 https://github.com/Helium314/HeliBoard/issues/2226
noman-land 8mo ago
How does this compare to FlorisBoard?
- haskman 8mo ago
  Florisboard does not have swipe gesture typing which is basically a deal breaker for me
  - noman-land 8mo ago
    It has had it for a few years.
r0l1 8mo ago
Also try the Urik Keyboard APP from f-droid
- 8mo ago

samhclark 8mo ago

>Google Messages - for most of the last 8 months RCS was broken on GrapheneOS, but it's back now and Google messages is still the only option for messaging with family members on iOS. I'm glad to hear that's finally fixed. That was my only pain point with GrapheneOS, but it got so bad I bought an iPhone when the 17's came out. If the deal with Motorola helps GrapheneOS get better integration with the carriers, get a heads up about RCS changes ahead of time, get help fixing it, I'd happily switch back. I loved using GrapheneOS and iOS frustrates me daily.