If you've been paying attention to the news, you've probably heard about GrapheneOS. The Android-based mobile OS hit the news a few weeks back over a dispute at the U.S. border, in which a traveller is alleged to have wiped their GrapheneOS-powered phone using a "duress" password — and now faces charges of destroying evidence.
You may have heard about GrapheneOS but never gave it much thought for one reason or another. I know that was the case with me, and while I knew it was based on Android I hadn't ever done much digging into exactly how it differed from the Google-provided Android experience.
But this news got me curious, and I realized that it was about time I got to grips with what Graphene actually has to offer.
What is GrapheneOS?
GrapheneOS is an open source mobile operating system that emphasizes both security and privacy. It's completely free to install, and the project is supported by donations.
The software is built with the Android Open Source Project, and is focused on one of the biggest issues many people have with Google's mobile OS — the fact that it's severely lacking when it comes to protecting user privacy.
GrapheneOS also strips out most Google systems and bloatware, which means you won't set up your phone and find that it's filled with a bunch of apps that you can't remove. The software also features a bunch of dedicated privacy features that you won't find on most Android phones.
GrapheneOS device support: Which phones does it work with?
GrapheneOS is currently only officially compatible with Pixel phones, with the site listing all Google-made phones up to (and including) the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The Pixel Tablet is also supported.
The software's official support pages confirm that other devices do support GrapheneOS "at a source level," but without official support it means that more work is needed to actually install the software — which makes everything a lot more complicated.
Earlier this year Motorola confirmed it had partnered with GrapheneOS, with the aim to "strengthen smartphone security and collaborate on future devices engineered with GrapheneOS compatibility. " In other words, future Motorola devices will eventually support GrapheneOS as well. But we don't know which devices will offer it, or when they will be released.
How do you actually install it?
I've never really been one for tinkering with software, and it's never really been something that interested me. I did try my hand at rooting one of my Android phones about ten years ago, to see what I might be missing out on, but never made much progress.
All the hard work is done by GrapheneOS's Web Installer, which makes the process more or less idiotproof. Best of all, you don't even need to root your phone.
The phones I had at the time came from companies that weren't very big on letting people mess with their phones' software, and trying to root them proved to be a task worthy of Sisyphus himself. Obviously, being the quitter that I am, I gave up and never bothered to try that sort of thing ever again.
That's partly why I never gave GrapheneOS a second thought. I wasn't sure what to expect when I finally decided to try and install it on one of my older phones.
GrapheneOS has a full guide on how to install the software on a compatible phone, and at first glance looks a little intimidating. It has its own table of contents, and that's never something you want to see when you don't really know what you're doing. Fortunately, the whole process is actually pretty simple, and based on my experience it's quite difficult to screw up.
I'll admit that I did screw up a couple of times because I wasn't reading the instructions carefully, and the worst thing that happened was that I had to wait for my phone to restart — at which point I ended up exactly where I left off.
All the actual hard work is done by GrapheneOS's Web Installer, which makes the process more or less idiotproof. Best of all, you don't even need to root your phone.
Reverting back is proving to be a little trickier for me, simply because I couldn't get GrapheneOS's web installer to recognize that my phone is available and needs its bootloader unlocked. That's going to require some troubleshooting on my end.
What is GrapheneOS actually like?
The first thing I noticed about GrapheneOS is just how sparse the software selection actually is from a design point of view. This is a version of Android software that is effectively free of all Google influence, and that means the number of pre-installed apps is at its bare minimum.
After years of using smartphones running Android and iOS, this is actually quite refreshing. It's like finding yourself in a quiet, minimally-furnished room after walking off a crowded city street. The lower emphasis on Google products also makes the setup process a lot smoother, since you don't have to link to Google accounts or deal with setting up features like Gemini.
It's a similar story with the built-in App Store. Since there are no Google apps pre-installed, this is the place that lets you install certain Android features like Android Auto, the Thermometer app (if you have a compatible Pixel) and other app stores — including Google Play. There are only 14 apps available, and anything else you need has to be acquired from a different source.
The distinct lack of color when GrapheneOS loads up for the first time is rather jarring, if I'm being totally honest. But that's a non-issue that quickly solves itself once you actually start using the phone.
If you're familiar with stock Android or Google's Pixel Launcher skin, then GrapheneOS isn't going to be that much of a surprise. The developers haven't taken many, if any, liberties with the general feel of the software. This means navigating and accessing the various settings menus is pretty simple, and doesn't require having to relearn where everything is. You can't say that for other smartphone brands.
It's not exactly the same under the hood, though, and there are some extra optional features that are designed for security and privacy reasons. This includes the duress password, PIN scrambling, and a bunch more things I don't have room to list here. There's a lot to come to grips with, and so far I haven't actually made a huge dent.
Sadly, there is one catch I've found so far, and that's the fact my phone always warns me that I'm loading up a different operating system. It doesn't require you to confirm you want this to happen, but it is a little annoying that you don't seem to be able to switch this off.
The Google Play conundrum
You may wonder what the point of having GrapheneOS is if you're just going to install Google Play? The sad thing about Android is that some apps won't work without Google Play Services installed, which means sideloading or using a third-party app store won't work.
You can still enjoy access to apps that are only compatible with Google Play, but without handing over unfiltered access to the software.
Banking apps are the one that caught me off guard, and it meant that I would either have to rely on browser-based banking (which is not ideal) or bite the bullet and install Google Play.
Thankfully, GrapheneOS does have a compromise, and sandboxes Google Play Services so that it doesn't have the same level of privileged access you'll see with a typical Android OS. This effectively means you can still enjoy access to apps that are only compatible with Google Play, but without handing over unfiltered access to the software.
As this thread on Reddit put it, the idea behind Graphene isn't to deGoogle. The software comes with a Chromium-based browser after all, albeit with more security-focused features than the stock Chrome app. You can deGoogle if you like, but that's not something that is forced upon you.
Sideloading is possible, since Graphene is an Android-based operating system, but it's up to you to decide which app-installation option is the right one for you.
Bottom line
The switch over to GrapheneOS wasn't as drastic as I expected it would be. Not only was the installation an absolute cinch, the fact it looks and feels so close to stock Android means that there isn't much of a learning curve when it comes to getting started. All you really need to do is figure out where all the extra privacy and security features are.
The switch rom Google services is certainly very appealing. While I wouldn't go completely cold turkey (I need my banking apps), the fact that Google Play is available in a sandbox means that you don't appear to be missing out on much by ditching the Pixels' particular brand of Android. It's rather like having the most important parts of the Android ecosystem, but without compromising your own personal privacy in the process.
Switching back to the Pixel's Android OS has proved a little difficult, and I'm not entirely sure where the problem lies. So for now, I recommend that anyone hoping to try GrapheneOS for themselves either knows more than I do about installing Android software, or tests it out on an older device first to make sure they like it.
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