this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2025
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[–] [email protected] 34 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Man I want to move to Graphene so bad. I want all the google ripped out of my phone.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Move to Lineage OS or Calyx OS

Don't be fooled by the Graphene OS Mafia

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What do the other two do better?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Lineage OS is a fairly generic ROM based on AOSP so it supports the most devices

Calyx OS is a privacy focused ROM without all the Graphene OS BS. The Graphene OS team and community are quite toxic and have a "my way or the highway" mentality. They don't support MicroG and focus more on security than privacy and freedom.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

@possiblylinux127 @Tattorack See also this table: https://discuss.techlore.tech/t/comparison-chart-of-grapheneos-divestos-and-calyxos/5618

A bit outdated since Divest is gone (😢), but a core difference is that Graphene prefers proprietary google stuff that is sandboxed and not given any privileges, while Calyx prefers free software versions that might have other issues (eg incomplete, or unsigned coming from third-party sources).

[–] TJDetweiler 1 points 1 day ago

Does YouTube vanced/revanced not work on Graphene?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It was incredibly easy to do and a refurbished pixel 8 is way cheaper than a new phone.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

They are also way too small in terms of storage given that they don’t support external cards (Apple is similar). Google/Apple definitely want buyers to also buy their subscription storage services or pay the high premium for the next storage level.

I’m on an XR right now and it feels older, but still very much usable. I wish companies offered options to only get security patches instead of having to buy new phones every few years, that’s the 1 thing I hope Google keeps around and doesn’t walk back in the future.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago

They come in as high as 512gb and 1tb. I agree that they should have microSD slots, but the builtin storage options are sufficient.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Its decent except google amdoid aosp policy changes are screwing it over

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah, part of why I want to get one soon is to have a semi recent phone before they can't do graphene properly anymore

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago

Not being able to do graphene properly will hit everythibg if they screw up aosp i think

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

what's stopping you? was the very first thing I did, don't regret it for a second -- https://ocv.me/b/img/IMG_20230811_121845_049.1ssy.jpg "i'm about to finish setting up my pixel alright" :p

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The cost of buying a pixel is the only thing stopping me. I don't have enough to replace my aging phone with much of anything, let alone a pixel.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (4 children)

You can save quite a bit by getting a refurbished Pixel - looks like the cheapest "Google certified" option (so it comes with a 1-year warranty) is a 6a for $250, which is nearly half off MSRP. I've been using my 6a since launch, so it's been going for 3 years now and I have no desire to upgrade.

You can definitely get cheaper smartphones, but $250 for a 6a feels like a pretty big bang for your buck.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

i got 8a for 300 thats prob one of the best deals

[–] masterofn001 2 points 2 days ago

I got a pixel 9 for $240 CAD via carrier promotion in Canada.

I held out getting a new phone as long as I could and they offered a new pixel 9 for $5 per month for 24 months

Not to trade in after 24.

It's mine. For 5$ a month.

When I received it I didn't turn it on for a week.

Read as much as I could to decide that Google would only ever see the single boot to enable developer mode and enable OEM unlock to flash graphenos.

It seemed intimidating, but the process to install is very smooth.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

I used Swappa to buy my last phone. Not certified, but much cheaper. The condition of phones is "graded," and the sellers have an incentive to keep their reputation on the platform high. I had good luck, the one time I used it, at least.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

When I can afford $250 I'll keep it in mind. 🙂

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

in that case I would feel comfortable going with a refurb like theloweststone mentioned; pixels are the only(?) android devices which let you swap out the bootloader in a safe manner, so even a phone that's been in shady hands should be fine if the boot hash matches. And if you know another person with graphene you can do the attestation just to be certain.

but since the future of GrapheneOS is slightly shaky at the moment, I've looking at alternatives for when my current device inevitably bites the dust -- fairphone and pinephone both look like decent choices at first glance. It's an unfortunate situation but just gotta roll with it!