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I don't trust Google to not put hardware back door in their hardware. It's an ad company after all.
social contract around Android has always been Google provides the Android as an operating system that's open source while everyone else just manufactured actual devices I don't want my Android phone to be built by Google on hardware level.
Tbh not even on software level either .. beyond core aosp - I don't need any other Google services they force down our throats
I don't trust really Google anymore but I think GrapheneOS without Google services should take care of any risk.
If GrapheneOS was available for other devices I might switch but that is not the case. Maybe this Motorola deal will produce something but that's still a ways out if it ever happens.
I'm on GrapheneOS too, but I think hardware backdoors are a genuine concern. There's not much an OS can do to fight a hardware backdoor. So I don't entirely trust it but it's better than not trying for privacy. In any case, the risk of hardware backdoors is present on pretty much every device we compute on. There's not a lot of fully open hardware out there, especially for phones.
GrapheneOS is coming to Motorola soon™
Even aosp is a risk, support postmarketOS for truly free mobile phones.
The linked article sums my position up perfectly. I've had a Nexus 6P, a Pixel 2XL and now a Pixel 6 Pro which, were it not for a cracked screen and (small but increasing) issues with overheating, I'd be happy to stick with.
However there's no way I'm even considering a Pixel for my next phone - much too expensive and fuck all that AI bullshit.
Not sure what I'll go for, and not looking forward to a phone with an OEM skin on the OS but Google has finally driven me away from the Pixel line. It's a shame.
That is why I'm considering the used Pixel 8. GrapheneOS will support the Pixel 8 through October 2030. Maybe by then this Motorola deal will bare fruit.
this is exactly what I've done, and I'm very happy. used pixel 8 with GrapheneOS. works well!
You only get AI if you stick with the stock OS or don't do anything with it.
The advantage of the Pixel is they can be factory unlocked, which permits root or flashing a different OS.
My current phones are Pixel 5 - they $100 these days, and run great with Graphene or Lineage
Nexus 4, 5, 6 and 6p here. The 6p was a disaster. Everyone's battery shit the bed and they screwed a lot of people over. Brutal.
I've heard several similar things about the pixel brand. Not sure if the battery issues were due to software or hardware. But having a reliable battery is on top of my list of phone features.
Not sure what I'll go for, and not looking forward to a phone with an OEM skin on the OS but Google has finally driven me away from the Pixel line. It's a shame.
If you want a clean OS, both Sony and Fairphone offer devices with relatively clean stock OS + good support for custom ROMs (and in the case of Fairphone, mobile Linux too!)
The Xperia devices have headphone jack AND microSD slots! Fairphone's devices are super repairable, which is really nice too, but no jack (they do have microSD slots though).
the thing about pixels is that putting lineage/graphene/whatever on them basically turns it into a completely different phone, all the complaints about AI and whatnot largely dissapear and they become what i'd call about the best experience you can have on a smartphone. Easy to install lineage (dunno about others, presume it's equally easy), just works, no bullshit.
GrapheneOS is literally the easiest OS install ive ever done. Easy step by step guide, and directly from the browser.
I havent used lineage, but i remember putting CyanogenMod on my galaxy S3 was quite the hassle. Whats the process like for lineage?
Oh god I'd memory holed cyanogenmod... The stress
Google is a trash company would be the major reason not to buy a Pixel.
Precisely why I will buy a used Pixel and put GrapheneOS on it.
Brands like OnePlus and Motorola have made major improvements to their camera systems as well.
OnePlus is gone from the US market.
Motorola doesn't have any non foldables here.
US android market doesnt have any options left other than Google and Samsung and that's just terrible.
It's all of the US own making. Ban everything Chinese including EV's, and lately routers. Than make a monopoly for the 3 manufacturers left. Meanwhile in China, I can buy whatever I want. Any brand, manufactured locally or internationally.
Hell, the iPhone is not even in the top 5 of best selling phones here. That is called competition - something the US lost track off thanks to the lobbyists.
But you keep doing you and just get left behind. https://www.wired.com/story/us-government-foreign-made-router-ban-explained/
Pixels are not and have never been about speed or power. They've always been about security, for which they're still the best. Also the only hardware supported by GOS (for the same reason) which is really the biggest reason to buy them, in my opinion. But I used them even before that (P4a was my first, it was $350!) for cleanliness and software features.
the #1 reason it's what i've been using is just that they don't have any locked down nonsense compared to other brands, unlocking the bootloader and flashing another OS is absolutely trivial and stuff just works.
Currently running GrapheneOS on a pixel 8. It's the best mobile experience I've ever had.
No problems with banking apps refusing to work?
Depends on the bank. My banking app works fine.
Info on why an app potentially wouldn't work: https://github.com/PrivSec-dev/banking-apps-compat-report/issues/342
A list of known working apps (there are different lists though): https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos
If an app doesn't work the first link also contains a template email to send to your bank to ask for graphene support.
you can get around a lot of detection with stuff like microg/kernelsu and other layers of arcane bullshit technomagic
Some banking apps work fine. There's a list somewhere. Fortunately my bank does work
I had the original Pixel, and now the 5, not sure if I will get one next time but this one is still good.
It's kind of like my car - I have a 6 speed 2014 Honda, it does everything I want & nothing I don't want. Newer ones are better in some ways, but not in ways I want.
I don't want a fancier phone or car, I want a more reliable one that does the things I want it to do. Not stuffed with "features".
Haha, same boat. Pixel 8 and a 2012 manual Kia Soul. I'm going to drive that thing until it can no longer be driven.
There are dozens of us!
Yeah only one of my kids learned to drive the manual but I love it. Lately I take an electric bike everywhere so hopefully the car lasts. The only one I'd trade it for is the Civic SI but those are $$$ and as long as my car will go I will keep it - they can last, especially the stick shift ones.
I got a Pixel 8a more than a year ago to use GrapheneOS. It's performance is somewhat similar to my Poco X4 GT but it runs a little bit hotter specially when running a private space. Last month it died immediately while I was using it. The phone immediately turned off without any warning. The problem was found to be a hardware one and that some component (i guess it was a transistor) was shorting in the board. Luckily there was a shop near me that was able to repair it.
If it weren't for GOS and maybe for its camera, I would not use and recommend pixels with its very mediocre performance and possible hardware problems.
Y’all think GrapheneOS will ditch Pixels?
And if they do… where would dev focus move to?
GO team already announced a partnership with Motorola earlier this year, idk if it's more of a collaboration to bring GrapheneOS security to Motorola devices or what. Excited to see how that turns out
Oh I forgot about that. Yeah, that’s promising.
I would bet the GrapheneOS devs see the writing on the wall with Google.
I've had 5 pixel phones, and 4 of them have stopped booting after about a year of use.
Meanwhile my last Galaxy phone lasted over 6 years.
Even with their cheaper retail price, they haven't been more affordable to own for me.
That's really weird. I'm on my 4th Pixel (9 Pro), and my kids are still using my handed down 4a and 6...
The only one that has ever failed was the 4a from that firmware update that killed the batteries, and Google replaced the battery for free and now it's running like a champ
I recently bought a Pixel 9a specifically to put GrapheneOS on it, and so far it's been good. Especially the battery runtime was a pleasant surprise, I can get two days of moderate use out of it before having to plug it in again. The only thing that is significantly worse than my previous chinese crap spyphone from 2019 is the camera. I'm not sure if the stock camera app in Graphene is bad or if it's the hardware, but the image quality is really poor.
You can download other camera apps and see if they do a better job. For example the stock pixel camera app can be downloaded from the play store.
PS. I've heard people getting crazy battery life with https://codeberg.org/s1m/savertuner and its expanded battery saver settings
I made the move to Android with my current phone (Pixel6 Pro). I won't be sticking with Google phones after this. I already replaced my pixel watch.
On us market we are basically out of options. Its just Google and Samsung now
The problem with older Pixels is that Graphene will stop supporting them.
That is why I am looking at the Pixel 8. It is supported for 7 years taking it to October 2030. The Pixel 6 only had 5 years of support which ends in October of this year.
I had a few phones before my first pixel and always struggled to run apps - there wasn't much space in those days, or much in the way of processor or memory.
I think my first Pixel was in the 2 era. I remember my wife or I had a 3 - and I think it was a 3a at that, but I don't care THAT much to remember too precisely.
I know after that I had a 4a, then a 6a, just because that's when I needed to replace phones because the battery was starting to get annoying, or in the case of the 6a, the charge port was blocked and it didn't have wireless charging, and financing though Fi was a better deal than trying to fix the phone.
I've had an 8a for over a year so far.
All of the Pixels have been good for me. I consider battery to be a normal thing - I preferred the old days with removable batteries, but this is the current life we have, so whatever.
I can't afford to buy bleeding edge, but I like my pixels. They don't feel bloated to me, and I've been able to easily disable the behaviours I don't like, which aren't many.
I do appreciate the camera.
When it's time to replace this one...... I'll see what the cheaper pixel looks like and it will quite possibly be what I go with. My phone does everything I want from it. Maybe it gets a little warm while taking video or doing things that can eat battery when it gets warm, but 99% of the time, it lasts all day, does whatever I need it to - just fine.
I began my Pixel journey with the 4 XL with CalyxOS, before switching to GrapheneOS. I had to stop using the phone because of the well-known bloated battery issue.
After a short stint with a OnePlus 6T and DivestOS, which was brief due to the phone's processor failing, I returned to the Pixel line with the 6 Pro with GrapheneOS. I had to stop using the 6 Pro because of the Tensor modem failing to get signal or connect to cell towers where I know I would've gotten reception otherwise. Also, the phone would overheat occasionally.
My current Pixel phone is the 8 Pro with GrapheneOS, and so far it's been the best one I've had, though I have noticed that other phones, like recent Samsung Galaxies and iPhones have better picture quality than the 8 Pro depending on the environment.
With GrapheneOS announcing their partnership with Motorola, I'm hoping to switch to a Moto phone in the future, ideally one with a better camera and processor than the Pixel line. Google absolutely sucks with hardware, with each Pixel having some egregious hardware issue that makes the phone nearly unusable in some cases.