GrapheneOS Is the stock OS ability to "Install app in Private Space" planned for GrapheneOS? I read this option was removed as it was not relevant for GrapheneOS implementation. Is there a best practice for installing the same app in both Owner and private Space to avoid versioning conflicts ?

Killjoy not at all, no. The owner profile has the most insight into the other profiles, you can imagine it as an "admin lite". Play Services should exist in owner profile only when you need some app that needs to run 24/7 and relies on Play Services. Apart from that it's wiser to just cram Play Services into a work/secondary user/private space profile.

    Does anyone know if you can access the full settings in the Private Space? Specifically to set up a fingerprint unlock or custom keyboard in the Private Space. The reason I ask is I'd like to set up KeyPassDX and I typically use biometric unlock and Magikeyboard, but not sure I know how to do it.

    Happy to create another thread if that's better.

      d0ckR

      d0ckR
      I had a similar issue with a bank app inside the Private Space, but somehow the SMS app from the main profile would open instead. I've also had to install Fossify Phone and Fossify SMS just to make sure the relevant requirements are picked up by the bank app, but even with with this setup I'd send the SMS and the verification would fail. I think more than the Phone permission itself it also needed to read the phone number advertised by the SIM or something like that. After retrying the verification a few times, at some point it finished with success, which could maybe work for some as a workaround, but I wouldn't say it is reliable.

      My main issue of the Private Space is from the NFC payments. I have my main banking app on the owner profile which has its own NFC functionality, even if it needs Google installed for some reason. This app is set in the settings as the default for NFC payments and it works just fine.

      Once I unlock the Private Space, however, I can't pay with the banking app from the owner anymore, even after locking the Private Space or restarting NFC. It looks like NFC doesn't get the bank app anymore and it is only solved by a full reboot.

      I do have a bank app on the Private Space, as I said above, but it is not enabled and either way I've tried locking the private space too. Could it be some issue with the NFC management between the owner and the Private Space, one that doesn't get solved not even by closing the Private Space?

        • Edited

        kopolee11 Does anyone know if you can access the full settings in the Private Space? Specifically to set up a fingerprint unlock or custom keyboard in the Private Space. The reason I ask is I'd like to set up KeyPassDX and I typically use biometric unlock and Magikeyboard, but not sure I know how to do it.

        It is possible to use fingerprint unlock and magikeyboard with KeePassDX on the private space. I know it is possible to access the relevant settings through the KeePassDX settings. The settings are available on a private tab in the normal settings on the owner profile.

          p338k You're right, not sure how I missed that. Thank you!

          Killjoy I'm new to GrapheneOS so please forgive me if I'm wrong. I read multiple people here who want to put Google Play/spyware apps in the private space, but doesn't it make more sense to put that in the main profile and then use trusted / open source apps in the private space?

          That is what I am going to do. I don't think it make more sense as such; regardless of what profile you put Google Play and their apps in, they cannot see or talk to apps in any other profile. Some prefer to put Google Play and their apps in the private space, because that way they can be shut down by simply locking the private space, so they cannot even track when you use your phone or not. But I prefer to have all privacy sensitive things in the private space, so I can keep that data and those files encrypted and locked away most of the time, in case my device is taken. And that is of course only trusted open source apps. It depends on your use case.

          splattergames not at all, no. The owner profile has the most insight into the other profiles, you can imagine it as an "admin lite".

          Apss running in owner profile should not have more permissions than apps running in any other profile. Especially no kind of admin like permissions. This includes Google Play and Google Play Services, which are just regular apps in GrapheneOS without any special permissions.

          vagrantly321

          By installing App Manager from F-Droid, searching for the Settings app and, under activities, lunching the Settings Homepage Activity, I was able to access the full Settings app of the Private Space. If anyone is interested to modify some options that are not currently inside the Private tab of the Owner's settings app, this is a simple workaround.

          So at this point I've checked the NFC settings, and surprisingly the bank app that I set as the default for NFC payments in the Owner profile was listed here in the Private Space as the default too, even though it doesn't exist here at all. It is worth to mention that it even has the little icon indicating that it is part of the Private Space. I'm not sure if installing the same bank app also in the Private Space would provide a temporary solution to this, but I might give it a try and write here if it works until an official fix.

            Hello,
            Actually I have 2 user profiles at GOS: primary, without GSF and secondary, with my banking apps and GSF installed.
            Is possible to migrate from this 2 user profiles to only a user profile (main) then install GSF and my banking apps at private spaces then no install GSF at main profile without lost privacy/security or is best to continue using 2 users?
            Thanks

              GrapheneOS You can have a single Private Space and a single work profile in the Owner user.

              Would it be possible to implement not just one, but multiple private spaces for use on GrapheneOS? Would be a game changer, because you could have good usability while still being able to control which apps can talk to and see each other.

                GrapheneOS

                Thank you. On that note, how are app communication scopes going along?

                4 days later

                vagrantly321
                turns out that after installing the same bank app also on the private space, in the NFC settings I still see this bank app with the private space little icon but now I see also the same bank app without this icon, which is the one from the Owner profile. So I picked this one without the icon as the default and now the Owner bank app gets picked every time for NFC payments, even with or without the Private Space open. This is great since it solves my problem and I can pay with the phone, I just hope that this workaround or anyway this double app thing (owner + private space) won't stop being visible inside the NFC settings without a proper NFC fix.
                Btw In the private space I didn't have to activate the same bank app, somehow it was enough that it is installed for me to see inside the NFC settings the Owner app.

                  vagrantly321 this! Is super helpful! Hopefully Gos can just surface the settings link in the future so we don't need the extra app but good find!

                  cdflasdkesalkjfkdfkjsdajfd
                  Yes this is a very good use case that is making using GrapheneOS with good isolation of Google Play Services dependent apps much much more convenient. I can recommend this setup if it fits your threat model. I personally haven't seen any drawbacks from this setup if compared as my previous setup of using a secondary profile. Only huge increase in usability, especially for those ude cases where you have messenger apps with dependency of GSF for notifications. Now you can actually see the notification and not just a generic notification forwarded from the second profile, as before (with the "send notification to current user" setting toggled). No need to constantly switch profiles and authenticate.

                  I have not tested but this maybe also partly mitigate the annoying AOSP fingerprint bug that in reality only let you have two fingerprints stored. Since you don't need to switch profiles as often it doesn't matter if fingerprint auth doesn't work when switching profiles.

                    TrustExecutor Thanks, I think I will try. The only thing is if my bank apps are in the private space and private space is unlocked and I loss the device... I think maybe secondary profiles prevent this.

                      cdflasdkesalkjfkdfkjsdajfd I do not see the issue. You do have a screen lock with a reasonable timeout duration, right? If you do not have a very high threat model then AFU protection is most likely enough. The reboot timer makes sure your phone will be in BFU state long time before Cellebrite and the likes can brute-force your PIN. Especially if you have the timer on something low.
                      The same scenario you describe can happen if you have your secondary profile active when your phone gets lost. It is practically no difference here.

                      @GrapheneOS
                      Would it be possible to add functionality to install apps to Private Space from the Owner? Like currently possible with secondary users?
                      That way you could install sandboxed Google play in the owner profile and install apps from the Play store inside the PS, without having install sandboxed Google play in the PS.

                      cdflasdkesalkjfkdfkjsdajfd
                      No, see: https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/16670-private-space-on-android-15-grapheneos/62