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votes
Thoughts on graphene OS?
I got a pixel 9a recently and am debating whether to install graphene OS on it. My main motivations are wanting to avoid AI bloat, potentially improve battery, and reduce tracking. Though, I'd rather not have to spend time continuously troubleshoot my phone for stuff that doesn't work properly. Also, graphene OS is considered quite secure, but is there a plausible risk I need to worry about of the project losing support and eventually becoming less secure than stock Android? If any of you run graphene OS, what are your long-term experiences with it?
I've been running Graphene on my Pixel 8 Pro for the last year and after the initial configuration period, it's been rock solid. No need for continuous troubleshooting at all. Only a couple of apps have needed tweaks after initial install and it was just a quick disable of an overly secure toggle in the app settings.
Being able to deny apps network permission is nice and not having to deal with the AI crap is great.
I've had it installed on an 8 Pro for 1.5 years and I find it very, very stable. I've had one small issue in the past (a display freeze that was fixed by locking and unlocking again), and I don't even know if I can attribute that to GrapheneOS or AOSP.
I don't run Graphene myself but have a few friends that do. They've had a good experience themselves, though sometimes RCS gets a bit fucky and their messages only send as SMS. Not entirely sure if that's Graphene's fault or the carrier however. Other than that, no issues, no constantly tweaking settings to get the basics functioning.
I've been using it for a year or two now with no complaints and zero interest in switching back. Setting things up took more thought than a standard android setup, but no issues, just more choices to make since very little comes preinstalled.
I've heard some bank apps don't work, though I just use my desktop for banking and never had a need to install the app. Only app I've actually wanted to install but couldn't was Craigslist for some reason, but the mobile site works fine.
I've been slowly de-googling for a while now, and one thing I'd share with anyone considering the same: you don't have to go all in at once. You can switch to graphene OS and still just install all your normal google apps if you want. It's security focused by default, but that's just the default. Being "secure" isn't the end-all be-all, the real value, in my mind, is the ability to actually make those decisions as fits your needs.
Works as expected, which is like stock Android. I have very rarely needed to change defaults to make apps work, but it will depend somewhat on how you use your phone. The major cons for most people are probably that Google Wallet NFC payments won't work and your bank might not allow you to use their app
I'm significantly more worried about changes to the AOSP and the push for Play Integrity adoption than the Graphene devs randomly deciding to close up shop. If Graphene were to stop development before your phone's support window expired, I guess you'd just back up your data and swap back to stock in order to keep up with security updates.
If you're interested in switching I would look through their documentation (FAQ/Usage) as they address many common questions and concerns in-depth. In most cases if you own a supported phone and are security/privacy conscious there isn't much reason not to use GrapheneOS.
I'm similar to others - been running it on a Pixel 8 for about a year and a half, zero complaints. It Just Works™. I'm using it with their Google Play compatibility layer so it's not as hardcore degoogled as it could be, and I'm sure that has a lot to do with my extremely smooth experience.
Only issues I've encountered were (1) an app demanding a higher level of verification from the Play Integrity API than it needed (not a sensitive app, absolutely no reason to do so when literally every other app I've ever used, including banking apps, works just fine without it) and (2) being unable to share location in Google maps, but I'm not positive that that one's not my fault since I didn't want to use that feature anyway and disabled a bunch of relevant stuff.
I'm not super comfortable with some of the behavior of the organization's leadership or their public communication practices, but the OS itself is fantastic. Happy to answer any questions you have.
I've been using GrapgeneOS on a Pixel7a for a few years.
The only complaint I have is that connecting my blue tooth headphones requires some thought...
Besides that Ive had no problems besides the ones mentioned already with payments and a small hickup with banking for 1 week over 2 years ago.
I've been running it for 4+ years. No trouble shooting, it just works. The biggest issue I've had is getting android auto to work. Once its working its fine though.