I was thinking about using graphene OS, but I’ve read some lemmy users dislike this OS due to perceived misleading advertising and the pixel 7a you’re supposed to install graphene on because it’s from google (an advertising company).

Another option would be lineage OS, but there is so much false information about this OS, namely compatible phones that simply don’t work with this OS and no support.

what works for you? I want a phone with no google, that doesn’t force me to use the manufacturer’s ecosystem and that won’t show the apps I don’t want or need (on an asus I own you cannot neither get rid nor hide bloatware)

  • Gert@lemmy.nzEnglish
    0·
    2 years ago

    GrapheneOS is perfect. Pixel phones are Google hardware yes, but works like a dream once GOS is installed. NO MORE GOOGLE !!! Frequent OS updates, love it

    • disgrunty@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 years ago

      I loved it too until I forgot my wallet one day. It’s the one thing I had to go back to stock Android for because I forget everything but my phone constantly.

          • pumpkinseedoil@sh.itjust.works
            0·
            2 years ago

            Ty. Saving others some time:

            Contactless payments work fine on GrapheneOS. It’s not like there’s something fundamentally incompatible about them. It just so happens that the most prevalent implementation (Gpay) requires a Google certified OS. The options right now are as follows:

            People find alternatives (such as their bank) which provide this without using Gpay and don’t require a certified OS themselves.

            This is implemented, which would at least temporarily allow people to use apps that require a certified OS on GrapheneOS: https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/1986

            Apps currently requiring a Google certified OS whitelist it as per https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-guide (though it is of course very unlikely that Google themselves would do this)

            But:

            Barclays in the UK is only one example of contactless payments working without Google Pay, there are other banks in France for example for which we’ve had reports of similar contactless payment systems working. They exist; though I’m under no illusions that they’re prevalent, since I imagine from their POV, implementing Google Pay is much easier and maintainable.

            On the spoofing CTS checks thing, I did not mean to insinuate that you or some other user would be the one to implement this. When I said “an option is for this to be implemented”, I meant the development team adding it to GrapheneOS. The issue is currently open and was opened by someone on the development team, so it’s not a feature that the team has ruled out. As with everything on GrapheneOS, though, the best way to approach it has to be determined, which can take time.

            On your 3rd point, lobbying Google to whitelist GrapheneOS by using that guide is realistically never going to happen. Other OEMs that have to go through certification and pass CTS (compatibility test suite) which GrapheneOS doesn’t (because it adds things like new permissions which deviate from the compatibility goals that Android has set) would be outraged if that ever happened. In fact, I would wager that it would be a much more realistic scenario for someone to invest millions into funding a company that provides an alternative to Google Pay without puttng it behind a CTS check, rather than Google ever whitelisting GrapheneOS.

            When someone says “contactless payments don’t work on GrapheneOS”, it’s not immediately clear to everyone that what is meant by that is “there aren’t good options for people to use right now” and I wouldn’t want someone to think that contactless payments are fundamentally incompatible with GrapheneOS, or that it breaks them somehow. Contactless payments via Gpay on GrapheneOS don’t work as of right now for the exact same reason why the McDonalds app in some countries (I kid you not) doesn’t. SafetyNet / Play Integrity API and their ctsProfileMatch and MEETS_DEVICE_INTEGRITY checks accordingly.

  • Cwilliams@beehaw.org
    0·
    2 years ago

    Stuck on a relatively new Galaxy rn, but if I could install a custom ROM, it would be GNOME shell mobile

  • Citizen@lemmy.ml
    0·
    2 years ago

    I’m using /e/ os for more than 3 years on different devices (with some customizations) and it works like a charm. An important aspect is that you can install e on any phone that has the bootloader unlock and supports GSIs - theoreticaly any device that runs Android > 9

    /e/ has a gsi image which is neat!

    I don’t use nor promote any banking apps or other G**gle/proprietary dependendent apps.

    Why nobody talks more about e.foundation /e/ OS?

    Enlighten me please 🙂

  • modcolocko@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    0·
    2 years ago

    just so everyone is aware grapheneos only support’s pixels because it is specifically designed for taking advantage of the hardware security features found in google’s tensor and titan chips. and thus installing it on another phone would kinda miss the point (and vastly increase the scope of the project)

    google is also basically the best company when it comes to phones for custom roms, as they provide stock images, a simple bootloader unlocking process (that doesn’t void your warranty as far as i can tell), and generally the aosp and software support that comes from being the phone of the developer of android.

  • Lettuce eat lettuce@lemmy.ml
    0·
    2 years ago

    Not sure why GrapheneOS is getting down voted so much here, did I miss something recent that happened?

    I’ve been using GrapheneOS on my Pixel 6a for around 2 years and really like it.

    If I couldn’t use GOS though, I would probably go with DivestOS. I haven’t looked deep into other alternative Android ROMs.

    • aa1@fedia.io
      0·
      2 years ago

      The reason why GrapheneOS is hated here is because one single user who spreads constantly misinfo about the project.

  • sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.todayEnglish
    0·
    2 years ago

    I’ve used Lineage on multiple devices, Calyx, and Graphene. Graphene by far has the least issues (basically none), and the best compatibility in my experiences. Being able to relock the boot loader is perfect for a mobile device too.

  • MXX53@programming.dev
    0·
    2 years ago

    I am on a pixel 7 with graphene OS. Been great. Ive been using this phone for about a year or so now.

  • Kilgore Trout@feddit.it
    0·
    2 years ago

    I’ve read some lemmy users dislike this OS due to perceived misleading advertising and the pixel 7a you’re supposed to install graphene on because it’s from google

    There is no misleading advertisement. Go with Graphene if you own a Pixel (from Pixel 5 up) or you can find a cheap second-hand one.

    there is so much false information about this OS, namely compatible phones that simply don’t work

    Care to share which devices are you talking about? If a device is officially supported by the latest LineageOS version, it works.

  • sleepybisexual@beehaw.org
    0·
    2 years ago

    I like grapheneos, very close to stock android without google shit

    • you got bonus settings like the sensors toggle

    Lineage is kinda bad privacy and security wise, from the little I know its not fully degoogled

    • theroff@aussie.zone
      0·
      2 years ago

      Lineage is kinda bad privacy and security wise, from the little I know its not fully degoogled

      My understanding is kinda the opposite:

      • GrapheneOS ships with a sandboxed, FOSS Google Play Services which can optionally do a bunch of Google things (use their APIs, login to Google etc.) plus they have some hosted services that can substitute Google services (like geolocation).
      • LineageOS basically doesn’t ship with any Google Play style API/frameworks at all. It’s a pure AOSP experience. Any apps on F-Droid work but third party apps (like ones found on Google Play) are hit and miss. If you can just use F-Droid for all of your apps then LineageOS is probably a much more private and secure offering.
      • LineageOS for microG is an unofficial fork of LineageOS which includes a FOSS Google Play Services compatibility layer, a bit like GrapheneOS. As far as I know it doesn’t have the same level of sandboxing as Sandboxed Google Play on GrapheneOS.

      Both GrapheneOS and LineageOS publish monthly updates with upstream security patches for all supported devices.

      Both GrapheneOS use network-provided DNS by default.

      Apparently both GrapheneOS and LineageOS connect to connectivitytest.gstatic.com via http as a Captive Portal test by default,althoughh this was as of 2019-2020 and both might have changed since then.

      • springonion@discuss.online
        0·
        2 years ago

        GrapheneOS ships with a sandboxed, FOSS Google Play Services which can optionally do a bunch of Google things (use their APIs, login to Google etc.) plus they have some hosted services that can substitute Google services (like geolocation).

        GrapheneOS doesn’t ship with any Google services by default. We do provide an easy and safe way to install the Google Play components if desired, they are run under the same sandbox and constraints as any other ordinary app you install. Because they expect privileged access that they don’t get on GrapheneOS, we add a compatibility layer that essentially teaches them to work under the normal circumstances that is the sandbox. If you don’t want them you don’t have to do anything, they are not present in that case.

        LineageOS basically doesn’t ship with any Google Play style API/frameworks at all. It’s a pure AOSP experience. Any apps on F-Droid work but third party apps (like ones found on Google Play) are hit and miss. If you can just use F-Droid for all of your apps then LineageOS is probably a much more private and secure offering.

        LineageOS does make connections to Google by default, as does AOSP. GrapheneOS changes those connections while LineageOS doesn’t. They can be viewed here:

        https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm

        Keep in mind, that table isn’t exhaustive. It lists the regular connections AOSP makes and how each OS handles them, but doesn’t include information on any additional connections that occur.

        You can absolutely download apps from F-Droid on GrapheneOS, what makes you think you can’t, and how did you conclude that LineageOS is more private and secure?

        Both GrapheneOS and LineageOS publish monthly updates with upstream security patches for all supported devices.

        LineageOS is pretty commonly behind on updates. As an example, it seems that LineageOS 21 (based on Android 14 QPR1) came out in February of this year.

        https://9to5google.com/2024/03/12/lineageos-21-review/

        You cannot ship the full security patches without being on the latest version of Android, which is Android 14 QPR3 now. Of course, if the device is EOL, that’s doubtly the case, and no OS can fix that.

        Apparently both GrapheneOS and LineageOS connect to connectivitytest.gstatic.com via http as a Captive Portal test by default,althoughh this was as of 2019-2020 and both might have changed since then.

        I don’t know if this was the case in 2019, but it certainly isn’t the case now. On GrapheneOS, you have the choice of using the GrapheneOS server for the internet connectivity check, changing it to Google’s server or even disabling it altogether.

      • jawsua@lemmy.one
        0·
        2 years ago

        Most of this is right, but needs some things corrected.

        LOS is kept up by individual maintainers of the devices, and so it can cover more of them. But that also means you expand your attack surface to lineage, maintainer, microg, etc. And that’s just on supported devices. Unofficial devices are even more wild-west, having much delayed releases, OS updates, security updates, everything.

        Not only that, but Lineage requires that you unlock your bootloader and often have your phone rooted to be able to do everything. This introduces special points of insecurity and possible issues in the future.

        GOS is from a single source, for a single line of phones, and uses a designed method to load cryptographically signed ROMs onto the device, and then validate updates using the same method. The Play Services are sandboxed and disabled by default, so you can just never use them if you want. Overall, this makes for a more cohesive device. One that is more private and more secure. Especially so, when you can buy a new Pixel device and have guaranteed updates for as long as Google will do so for the same device.