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Posted by to3k 1 day ago

GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple(blog.tomaszdunia.pl)
1112 points | 803 commentspage 8
JCattheATM 21 hours ago|
It's very annoying that they restrict themselves to Pixels. I get they can't guarantee all the security features they want on other phones, but even a subset of those security features and the other advantages like the lack of cruft would make it very attractive to be able to run on other phones.
ysnp 15 hours ago||
I can understand the frustration, but it wouldn't be right to say they 'restrict themselves to Pixels'. They believe strongly in a standard for privacy/security of people's personal devices, and unfortunately only Pixels are close to meeting those standards. It's not even like Pixels are their ideal device.

I feel the frustration should be targeted at OEMs that don't meet very reasonable requirements like minimum 5 years of monthly (timely) security updates.

JCattheATM 14 hours ago||
> I can understand the frustration

It's not frustration, just disapproval.

> but it wouldn't be right to say they 'restrict themselves to Pixels'.

It's absolutely right to say that. You justify why in your next sentence.

> They believe strongly in a standard for privacy/security of people's personal devices, and unfortunately only Pixels are close to meeting those standards.

That doesn't prohibit them from releasing a version that runs on other phones, even if it's missing a few (and it would only be very few) features. Most of the graphene users are not using it because of those features.

> I feel the frustration should be targeted at OEMs that don't meet very reasonable requirements like minimum 5 years of monthly (timely) security updates.

Again, though, no frustration; I wouldn't run graphene even if I could as I have my own setup I'm quite happy with. Just disapproval at an arbitrarily high standard that isn't doing the good they think it is, and ultimately, actually does more harm in not making their product accessible to the hundreds of thousands of people it would benefit.

timbit42 13 hours ago||
They are working with a partner to get their own phone hardware, hopefully by next year.
rufw91 21 hours ago||
Has anyone tried monitoring traffic from this ROM and see whether their claim of having minimal analytics and booseted privacy is true?
ysnp 15 hours ago|
https://www.kuketz-blog.de/grapheneos-der-goldstandard-unter...
owlcompliance 15 hours ago||
I need to try this out.
the_arun 20 hours ago||
My observation is - It is the ecosystem that is sticky not just the OS.
empyrrhicist 19 hours ago||
You can install Google Apps as a regular set of user apps rather than a system-level admin monstrosity, and it mostly works - Play Store included.

Whether or not that defeats the purpose is an exercise left to the reader.

Aachen 16 hours ago||
You're not the first to notice! It's called the network effect
franczesko 1 day ago||
Why only pixel phones are supported?
lpcvoid 1 day ago||
Because google actually cares about hardware and software security. Read the FAQ: https://grapheneos.org/faq#supported-devices
zhouzhao 1 day ago||
>Because google actually cares about hardware and software security.

That statement might not have aged so well, especially consindering googles attempt to lock out apps from their devices, If the developers do not comply with being oficially registered.

lowdude 1 day ago|||
There is a difference between security and privacy or freedom of use. Locking down the device to only allow a subset of apps that Google has some control over (by requiring developers to register) is a measure that can increase security, even though it obviously takes some control away from the end-user.

The fact that the play store is not exactly known for exceptionally high standards w.r.t. malware, or that there are lots of valid concerns that come along with a company controlling who is allowed to supply apps for the device is a different topic.

izacus 1 day ago|||
Don't mix security and freedom. They're commonly opposed to each other.
palata 23 hours ago||
This is true, I don't get the downvotes.
erremerre 1 day ago|||
I believe (as it's open source) there is nothing impeding anybody else to compile grapheneOS in a samsung S10, which would not be as secure, but should still work as any lineage

However I haven't seen anybody try

timbit42 12 hours ago|||
They are working with a partner to get their own phone hardware, hopefully by next year.
anal_reactor 1 day ago||
Because phones have device-specific code. Effectively, each single model is running its own fork of Android. Naturally, Google has no incentive to change this - it makes it difficult to update (planned obsolescence) and install other software (like GrapheneOS).
jokethrowaway 21 hours ago||
I really don't want to give Google money so the Pixel is off for me until GrapheneOS supports something else.

For now I consider smartphones as disposable toys that can't be trusted with anything sensitive and use a computer for privacy.

I also don't like the idea of running Android, I still hope for a real linux phone at some point.

timbit42 12 hours ago|
You could buy a used Pixel.

Also, they are working with a partner to get their own phone hardware, hopefully by next year.

yamapikarya 22 hours ago||
is it worth to buy google pixel just for installing grapheneos? in my country, it is kinda pricey and of course it cannot install bank apps because almost all of them are must non root phone.
riedel 21 hours ago|
Break free from Google by buying their hardware and be dependant on them to actively support the device. Things are absurd at this stage. I guess there is different motivations behind mobile OSes.
ysnp 15 hours ago||
"Break free from Google," is not GrapheneOS's motivation, just so people are aware. That is the blog writer's motivation.
darepublic 18 hours ago||
So you were happy in your orchard/garden but then plenti arrived offering the forbidden fruit; android. This is the slippery slope that led us here, open rebellion against the tech patriarchy
arbirk 21 hours ago||
If Apple partners with Starlink, this is my next mobile OS
bialamusic 20 hours ago|
Combine it with OnemanBSD to be really FREE. Lookhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wHaoQhXOYY
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