With the recent news of Apple disabling iCloud encryption in the UK I'm wondering if now is the time to switch from iOS to GrapheneOS, however I have a few questions before I consider switching.
Firstly I know the ideal way to use it is without Google play services, however it looks like thats needed for my banking app (which also apparently only works under the owner profile so I don't have the option of having a separate profile for Google play apps). I believe it would also be needed for notifications on Whatsapp and Facebook messenger (I know they're shit but I can't convince everyone else to move). In terms of how much data Google/Apple can harvest how does GrapheneOS with sandboxed Google play services compare to iOS which I believe also sandboxes all apps by default? I've always used iOS previously so I don't fully understand what Google play services does on stock Android or how much better the sandboxing truly makes it.
Secondly what are the best options for backups? It seems like seedvault is USB only, ideally I'd like to be able to backup to my home server. The main thing would probably just be my photos and Whatsapp messages if its not possible to do full device backups.
I also have a couple of questions about the pixel hardware. There's currently an offer on so I can currently get a pixel 7a for £280, that seems like a good price but I know the pixel 9a is releasing soon, is the 8a likely to drop much in price after that? I don't know how quickly the prices drop but considering the 8a is currently £500 I can't see it dropping to <£300
Also I hear a lot of good things about the pixel cameras, is that still the case with GrapheneOS or is that just because of Google's proprietary camera app? I'm not a massive camera user so its not a deal-breaker either way.
Lastly, I know this will mostly be speculation but I'd be interested in people's thoughts on the future of GrapheneOS and alternatives with stuff like the play integrity API. Do you think it will get to the point where 90% of apps no longer function or do you think most developers will ignore it?
Graphene likes to push the use of user profiles (just called "users" in the OS) but I find that to be a trash experience myself. Instead, you can enable work/personal profiles right within the single user account and keep sandboxed Google Play and the apps requiring it all within the work profile. You can restrict location and other permissions for Google and don't even need to log it in for it to work. You just need the Island or Insular app to enable profiles.
The Google camera app works perfectly for great photos with the pixel hardware and last I checked it doesn't even require network access or Goodie Play - except it won't embed GPS in photos without Google.
As you can probably guess, the amount of data Google gets will really depend on your setup! I like to use NextDNS to further filter connections. (Pihole might be better but it's more effort.)
Regarding seedvault, you can have it save to a webdav location, Nextcloud, or directly on the phone. If saving on the phone you could just have SyncThing or something similar auto sync the file to another device.
Saved. Will be swapping to Graphene as soon as I get a new phone, and that work/personal thing is about to be a life saver for all these garbage apps I'm forced to have installed