I see quite a few people claiming that Graphene OS is the only way to stay private on Android or that anything but Graphene OS is insecure. In this post, I will describe why I personally do not care for Graphene OS and some alternatives I would suggest.

First off, let’s address the security features of Graphene OS. A lot of the security of Graphene OS comes from AOSP itself. In fact, AOSP has a very good track record. If you get malware on your device, you most likely can just uninstall it. For reference, here is the Android security page: https://source.android.com/docs/security/features

There are some Graphene OS unique security features. For instance, it has a hardened kernel and restricts access. I think this is actually pretty useful but I haven’t seen a need for it much in the real world. The tightened permissions are nice, and I think that is the main benefit of Graphene OS over AOSP. It is also nice that device identifiers are restricted from a privacy perspective. However, from my perspective, you should not run apps that are bad for privacy. Running it in the web browser will be more secure than bare metal could ever be.

One place I strongly disagree with Graphene OS is the sandboxed Google services framework. They say having Google in a sandbox is more secure. It may be more secure, but it isn’t going to be as private as MicroG. The real benefit of MicroG is that it is community-built. It isn’t a black box like Google framework, and any data sent back is randomized. I think it is a mistake for Graphene OS not to have support for it, even if it is also run in a sandbox.

Another thing I have noticed is that Graphene OS prioritizes security above all else. That doesn’t mean it isn’t private as it itself is great for privacy. However, if you start installing privacy-compromising applications such as Gmail and Instagram, your privacy is quickly lost. The apps may not be able to compromise the OS, but for them to be used, they need permissions. To be fair, this is a problem that is not unique to Graphene OS, but I think its attempts to be closer to Google Android make it more tempting for people to stick to poor privacy choices.

I think other ROMs such as Calyx OS take the ethical component much more seriously. Unlike Graphene, it promotes F-droid and FOSS software like MicroG. Graphene purely focuses on security while Calyx OS focuses on privacy and freedom. On first setup, it offers to install privacy-friendly FOSS applications such as F-droid and the like. I realize that MicroG is not perfectly compatible, and some people need apps, but I think alternatives are going to always be better.

One of the most annoying parts about Graphene OS is the development team and some of the community. They refuse to take criticism and have been known to delete any criticism of Graphene OS. Not only that, they have a history of trying to harm any project or person they don’t like.

Here is a page that isn’t written by me that sums it up: https://opinionplatform.org/grapheneos/index.html I think their take is fairly extreme, but I agree with them in many ways. I also understand how upsetting it can be to be censored.

  • jet@hackertalks.com
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    3 months ago

    Fair phone talks the talk, but they haven’t walked the walk when it mattered.

    TRRS headphone jacks (not walking the walk)

    The bootloader issue you mentioned (not walking the walk)

    Deliberately using misleading language about phone support and security updates (OS updates vs hardware security updates)

    Don’t get me wrong, I WANT ANOTHER OPEN PHONE MANUFACTUROR, right now there is only google pixel…

    • Vik@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Fully agreed on Fairphone. The mission is noble but the execution has been poor. I saw a revent interview with Nirav Patel, hoping against hope that framework would turn to phones next.

      In the end it seems the most degoogleable phone is the pixel.

      • TCB13@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        The framework guys could turn into making tablets with open bootloaders, not the locked bullshit that all vendors from Samsung to Chinese brands like to do. Let’s face it, a lot of us want a tablet running a full OS, not iOS or Android and those locked bootloaders make it impossible.

        • Vik@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          I think that would be a very reasonable next step for them for sure.

          With that said (and make no mistake, I’m no fan of apple), you can get a decent range if work done on an iPad, though I would love an open alternative.

          • TCB13@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            I’m no fan of apple), you can get a decent range if work done on an iPad, though I would love an open alternative.

            I don’t doubt that but a full OS… is a full OS.

            • Vik@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              for sure, enabling professional work where needed is all well and good, though you still need to consider the user experience with that form factor in mind.

              I kind of dread to think about using Linux DEs on a tablet. Maybe gnome would work okay. I’m not sure if plasma features a tablet mode. If so, I’ll want to check that out on the steam deck.

              • TCB13@lemmy.world
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                3 months ago

                I kind of dread to think about using Linux DEs on a tablet. Maybe gnome would work okay.

                I’ve an iPad Pro (1st gen, 2.26 GHz dual-core 64-bit, 4GB of RAM) with keyboard, if I could run Debian+GNOME on that thing it would completely replace my laptop. When you’ve a full keyboard that form factor is just as useful as a laptop. Not very powerful but good enough for a full browser and a couple of document processing applications and whatnot.

                To be fair, I would even buy one of those Lenovo P12 Pro tablets with 8GB of RAM and 8 CPU cores if there was a way to run Linux. Those machines with those specs would most likely provide an experience as good as most laptops when paired with bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

                • Vik@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  I mean it’s still a touch centric device first and foremost. I’m not so familiar though, what year were iPad pro’s introduced? I wasn’t aware you could flash Linux on those, that’s pretty neat.

                  I used to have a keyboard folio cover with the original retina iPad (I think third gen?) back in the day and got the majority of my writing done on it, but I still relied heavily on gesture navigation and what not.

                  Maybe I’ll try gnome on my steam deck as a quick test.

                  • TCB13@lemmy.world
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                    3 months ago

                    I wasn’t aware you could flash Linux on those, that’s pretty neat.

                    Well, that’s the problem: you can’t. As I said, if I could run Debian+GNOME on that thing it would completely replace my laptop. But I can’t.

    • TCB13@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      , I WANT ANOTHER OPEN PHONE MANUFACTUROR, right now there is only google pixel…

      Yeah, that’s an issue there.