@vkc A better option would be if the US had solid privacy laws, like we have with the GDPR and DSA. Then consumers would not have to worry when buying any phone if their data will be sold out to their health insurer or law enforcement.

@vkc It would be great if GrapheneOS would work on more phone. I will not buy a phone from google to use it with GrapheneOS

Thanks for making this! I left android a few years back but since the only real alternative was apple, i just landed on another ecosystem of spying, but now with the added bonus of lock-in! Yay! I have graphene on an old pixel 4 that i use with a smart gimbal for my camera, and have wondered for a while how it would do as a daily driver. So i appreciate that you made this video. It sounds though, like you made a lot of concessions to make this work for you life. Granted, many of those are also good for your privacy, and i get why that's top of your list. But its getting more and more difficult to live that life, in my opinion anyway. The convenience of having so many devices that I used to have to carry bundled into a single device that is more than capable of meeting those needs, and then having to give up the features not because the device isnt capable, but because the most feature-rich or widely accepted apps in those spaces are the ones that are also worst for your privacy... Well, it makes me mad that this is where the technology i've believed in for my entire career has gotten us.

Please dont read this post as criticism, its more like a rant that came to mind while i was watching your video. Good work! And im happy that youve been able to make those changes in your life that will help improve your privacy. Sadly, i fear that most people will see your video, and immediately dismiss graphene because they are unwilling to give up the convenience that apple/google bring us.

The problem is if these is cheaper and to me, if has eink display

@vkc how is the camera app? Because for me that's kinda the main reason why I have a pixel pro.

Awesome TLDR about GrapheneOS! Thanks!

@vkc GrapheneOS is great!... if you have a Pixel phone.

@vkc
#VollaPhone uses MicroG to mimic Google Play Services.
Just like Graphene #VollaOS is a de-Googled version of Android.

@vkc you can user any custom ROM which doesn't ship gapps and install microg for compatibility and never enable device registration and notitications on microg. works on way more phones :)

@vkc
Watching from #GrapheneOS right now. :)

@vkc thanks for the informative video as always! I am still on Apple at the moment but looking for more privacy focussed alternatives for my next phone.

@vkc Awesome video, thanks! Hopefully we'll have a number of solid open solutions for the mobile space a few years down the line, no matter which devices we buy.

For me who really REALLY dislikes the mobile ecosystem, I am running a pocketcomputer with "Debian" installed, called Librem 5 with PureOS (daily driver) or Mobian (testing suite) without Waydroid (optional Android app support). Now I can do calls and other mobile stuff, but also PC stuff on my phone out of the box. And in additional I can repair or upgrade components (as 4G modem to 5G) by my own without repair shop and I can physically cut power of sensors as microphone and camera. Oh and did I say that linuxphones/pocketcomputers do not stop you from installing alternative OSes like PostmarketOS and that you have device-life-time software support (more than 10 years)? You never find such things with smart-devices. You even can choose between different desktop environments for phone usage or build your own modifications if you have such skills.

It is probably not for the average person (research what works, how well and what not before buying), but I want to be a pioneer that helps to make it a valid option for everyone some day. Especially if enshittification of smartphones prevents GrapheneOS from continue their project one day. I think GrapheneOS is a good project for people who cannot leave the smartphone ecosystem, yet, but on long run I hope it becomes obsolet. Not because it is bad, but I hope humanity moves on and make smart devices a thing of the past. Smart devices are not made for users, but for companies.

Some additional information to my phone usage: I message via Matrix, browse via LibreWolf (desktop Firefox fork for privacy), installing/updating things via apt (software center is also available), running KeePassXC (you also can enter a physical PGP card), flashing my physical desktop keyboard via phone, because if I break things, I can fix the code via touch screen keyboard and texteditor (or other IDE) and flash again. I even prepare Linux installation usb flash drives to install Linux on my families PC, so that I do not have to deal with Windows tools. It is a completely different experience to smartphones and I wanted it from the first day I saw smartphones. Oh and the best thing: I learned Linux on my phone and switched my desktop to Debian 2 years later (a week after Trixie release) without any troubles. :)

Thank you for talking about graphene's poor character on social media.

@vkc Thank you for the "Why to install" I've been cautious about the install because of android auto and sim card concerns

Thanks for another awesome video!

LineageOS is also a great option, though it isn't so focused on privacy as GrapheneOS.

"I remember on my old, traditional Android phone, I couldn't turn off certain permissions for certain apps." This is the single biggest motivation for getting a Pixel device. The idea that Google, or Samsung, or any other party, gets to say how *you* use *your* device, is deeply offensive.

Thank you for the great content. Good to know that there is an alternative to all this data hungry big-tech OSes.

I like Graphene I used it on my last phone but I had to get my new phone via carrier and need to pay it off before I can install it bc it's OEM locked until then

For eSIMs, I found Cape works fine if you add it after installing Graphene. As a plus, it can be found in the Accrescent store. They are pricy but I find their service is about as reliable and costs the same as an equivalent T-Mobile plan. The catch is that they didn’t even ask for an email at signup. You just install it, pay, and you’re off.

And I agree with you on the dev team. I do like Graphene and the security and piece of mind they give. I just wish they were more… how should I put it… respectable when they post online. I get what they’re saying and I feel it’s good to debate these things. But there’s a difference between a respectable debate and lashing out.

Thanks for the good explanation. You gave me some new ideas.

Thank you for the great video on GrapheneOS. I also switched from Android to GrapheneOS some time ago and don’t want to go back. Yes, there are a few apps that I miss, but it’s more important to me to have a tracking-free and secure smartphone than to have a few convenience features. What might make it a bit more convenient: instead of setting up a separate profile with Play Services, you can also create a “Private space.” This might be a bit easier to manage. I love the world of great open-source apps (without ads, subscriptions, and restrictions). Greetings!

@vkc The "why" as opposed to the "how" is extremely useful to me, thank you!

I'm on LineageOS without google apps. What do you think about LineageOS ?

Give me a decent Graphene phone for sub $300 that has a headphoen jack and I will inject it in my veins.

I'm still waiting for the OEM announcement :3

@vkc
in Europe we have ID apps that need Google Play Services to work, and even some bank apps
https://mastodon.social/@jdelacueva/116103089304791787

Happy to hear there are still people paying with cash 🎉
Greetings from Germany - land of the cash 😄

Awesome video, thank you so much! Also writing this from GrapheneOS 😊 Shame how Google is going from "Don't be evil" to just straight up "Fuck yeah, evil biggly!" and shutting down their open ecosystem: https://keepandroidopen.org/

@vkc
👍 thank you, miss

The GOS social media person turned me off to is for quite a while. a few months ago I caved and I'm glad I did. Their behavior still icks me though.

@vkc 👍