Kryptos Are you referring to Google Voice (formerly Grand Central) or voice recording? If it is the former then not yet but they do have LINE available. If it is the latter then there are plenty of options.
Pixel Watch and GrapheneOS
mylesofsmiles I meant Google Voice. Not familiar with Line.
Has anyone considered what they might be giving up in terms of privacy / security if they pair a Pixel Watch with a Pixel running GOS? Since the watch can establish its own internet connection, it would not seem that we can rely on GOS to restrict network access.
I really hope I am wrong about this, as I would love to acquire an LTE Pixel Watch, but do not want to neutralize the gains I have made in privacy / security just for the convenience / functionality the Watch brings to the table?
Sorry if I appear to be hijacking this thread. If so, please let me know and I will spawn another. Congrats to the individual(s) who got it working.
mylesofsmiles Hi, did you ever get around to testing Google Pay with the Pixel Watch, paired to a GrapheneOS phone? I'm thinking of also buying a Pixel Watch (WiFi version), and I'm just wondering if everything works on GrapheneOS.
Duct9143 Not yet unfortunately. I really want to test it out but I am experiencing some health issues that prevent me from safely going out in public for the time being. I was able to successfully add my card and it is reflected in my Google Account as well. I don't see why it wouldn't work but I will give you an update if the opportunity to try it presents itself. The only reason why it doesn't work in GrapheneOS is because it isn't certified hardware whereas the Pixel Watch is so theoretically it should be fine.
- Edited
Kamaehuakanaloa I briefly touched on this earlier. In order to pair the watch with your phone you need to give Google Play Services some extra permissions. If you aren't comfortable with trading some privacy for convenience and the ability to have a functional Google Pay implementation then I wouldn't recommend getting one. I am not too concerned because I restrict what the watch can access through GrapheneOS and the respective privacy settings on the Pixel Watch itself can be disabled. Now if you want to get carried away you could experiment with a program like this one: [https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachments/wearos-tools-v4-0-rar.5735771/?hash=8b942d3d9c2e0addf1dfcc703861041b]
mylesofsmiles Appreciate the link. I will like experiment with this on my sandbox Pixel 7 Pro.
Saw in another thread that there are plans to put GrapheneOS on the Pixel tablet. Any plans for the Pixel Watch as well?
BalooRJ I don't have any inside knowledge, but would venture to say that GOS on a Pixel watch would be significantly more challenging than GOS on a Pixel tablet. The native tablet is already running Android, whereas the I am pretty sure the Pixel watch is natively running wearos. But anyone please feel free to correct me if I am incorrect.
My suspicion as well.
And as you mentioned earlier, ISTM that the wearos watch - given its dependency on Google stuff on the phone, and especially in LTE version - would serve to increase the attack surface of your P6/7.
For me, a smart watch is very important (presently have an Apple watch), and FWIW am looking at Zepp/amazfit watches running gadgetbridge as a possibility; don't have a P7 yet.
mylesofsmiles do you know which permissions the watch needs exactly? And does it need them permanently or just for the initial setup?
Duct9143 Initially when I was setting it up I couldn't pair the watch until it had enough permissions to connect to my phone and Google Play Services. The watch app is using the following permissions: Calendar, Call logs, Contacts, Nearby devices, Phone and SMS. All are relatively harmless from my perspective compared to the additional utility they provide but everyone has a different threat model. Could you get away with fewer permissions? Possibly? I am not the one who is going to try it though because everything works great as it is!
5 days later
mylesofsmiles How's the watch working out for you on GOS? Do you get security updates? I'm also curious if the step counter is accurate. Battery life?
4 days later
mylesofsmiles I too would like to know how your experience has been. Did you find any permissions that you were able to delete post installation? Also, is your watch bluetooth only, or does it have LTE, and if so, were you successful in getting the LTE activated on your carrier?
6 days later
I was finally able to get a chance to test out GPay today on the Pixel Watch and I am pleased to report it works flawlessly!
Fhggyy5767 Yep, it works great. It does everything I allow it to without any issues. I have the LTE version and can easily get the 24 hours they claim. I could technically go longer but I charge it nightly to have enough battery for sleep tracking. I did turn off always on display, tilt to wake and always on Google Assistant which definitely help extend battery life.
mylesofsmiles Hello. I'm glad you replied. My Galaxy 46 stopped tracking sleep about a week ago. I was hoping you didn't get burned out on your watch and vanish. lol. I'm excited about picking one up again.
Kamaehuakanaloa It has been nearly perfect. I have the LTE version and I haven't bothered playing around with permissions because I granted each one as I went along to use features as needed. I mentioned it earlier but I will write it again: you can't activate LTE service from GrapheneOS. You have to use another device with your SIM card if T-Mobile (US) is your carrier.
mylesofsmiles I remember you saying that you had to activate on another device to get the LTE running. Can you please post the settings you had to permit to get the watch up and running again or point me to the post you made with the settings? After I get it up and running I'll experiment with revoking as many permissions as possible while keeping everything running and post those settings back on this thread.
mylesofsmiles Actually if you already know the minimum amount of permissions needed I'll follow your guide.