Question regarding installing GrapheneOS on a phone via a phone with GrapheneOS

qelevug

Hello, I am looking to install GrapheneOS on a newly bought phone using a phone that currently has GrapheneOS installed, Vanadium on GrapheneOS is listed as a valid WebUSB installation method but I am wondering about the privacy implications of connecting my GrapheneOS phone to a GoogleOS phone via usb, would the Google phone be able to do anything spooky to my GrapheneOS phone? Such as read things it shouldn't, install things it shouldn't, compromise the privacy/security of the phone in any way.

Thanks.

treequell

qelevug would the Google phone be able to do anything spooky to my GrapheneOS phone? Such as read things it shouldn't, install things it shouldn't, compromise the privacy/security of the phone in any way.

No, and you be can rest assured of that by following the post-installation steps to verify the installation. That way you can be confident that the OS you installed really is GrapheneOS.

For more details of those steps see https://grapheneos.org/install/web#verifying-installation

qelevug

treequell Thank you for the response! I understand that the phone I am installing on will be fine, my question was more about the device doing the installing, as in what access to the installing/host phone (has graphene installed already) is granted by connecting the two phones to the GoogleOS phone (graphene being installed on).

In essence I am asking if a two-way bridge is created between the two phones rather than just giving my current GrapheneOS phone access to the files of my new GoogleOS phone, as I wish to avoid giving the GoogleOS phone any access at all to my GrapheneOS phone.

My apologies if the question was not well phrased originally.

Also is it possible to enable WebUSB access without giving the regular usb pop-up permission to connect to the phone? That would be the ideal situation.

Thanks again.

treequell

qelevug In essence I am asking if a two-way bridge is created between the two phones rather than just giving my current GrapheneOS phone access to the files of my new GoogleOS phone, as I wish to avoid giving the GoogleOS phone any access at all to my GrapheneOS phone

The phone that runs stock Pixel OS currently, and that you want to flash GrapheneOS on, should be at the bootloader interface (fastboot mode) before you connect the two phones via USB. That's the intended way of doing the install. There's no benefit of plugging the phones together earlier.

At that point in fastboot mode, the whole stock Pixel OS is encrypted at rest, so the stock Pixel OS can't access anything. It will of course be wiped from the partitions of the phone during the process of flashing GrapheneOS onto it.

Hope that helps to answer your question.

qelevug

treequell Perfectly answers all my concerns, thank you so much!