fria

Oh ok, so if you don't use iCloud (I don't) then they don't collect any browsing data? I definitely missed that!

beaverman20

Your principle approach sounds similar to mine, Privacy is a right. But I've decided to relax my threat model and go back to iOS for the convenience and UX. All the while minimising use to reduce digital footprint. Anything sensitive or critical I can leverage the Graphene Pixel and TAILS for.
I think 'hardening' iOS to reduce telemetry, and using PWA is good enough.

Using Graphene for me muddled the lines when trying to acheive 'perfection'(spoiler, its not possible). Telemetry will still be gathered if you are trying to live any semblance of a 'normal' life in the 21st century, forgoing advancements for privacy is a scale, and at the moment i need these luxuries and think I can mitigate some privacy loss.

fria
I like that you offer both perspectives. I just spent a few weeks tinkering with GrapheneOS, with similar questions as OP and appreciate your insight.
I came across your posts and can't help wonder what your 'setup' is. Are you following the same two device approach as myelf?

    throwaway22884 I like that you offer both perspectives. I just spent a few weeks tinkering with GrapheneOS, with similar questions as OP and appreciate your insight.
    I came across your posts and can't help wonder what your 'setup' is. Are you following the same two device approach as myelf?

    Thanks. I’m only running iOS at the moment but watching the GrapheneOS project progress from a distance. Maybe that’ll change one day but I’d prefer if Apple implemented all the Graphene features so I can continue using iOS just with better security.

      fria

      Sweet sweet, are you following any 'hardening' checklists ? I know theres profiles which can be installed but hesistant.

      Also i dont think this is derailing the post topic, I guess is giving another perspective to OP.

      • fria replied to this.

        throwaway22884 I just use the phone normally, the whole appeal of iOS for me is the ease of use and features.

        tango

        Yes, just do it! You will not look back in my opinion.

        I don't know about that. I found myself looking back constantly until I finally went back.

          beaverman20
          I've been using Graphene OS for about 8 months now on a Google Pixel 7a.

          There are a few anomalies in my experience, but honestly, I don't know if they are related to Graphene OS or to the apps. Notifications are the first thing that comes to mind as it's the only really outstanding UX issue. But I cannot say the root cause, whether it's something in the OS or a problem with the absence of Google libraries.

          Otherwise, I've been very happy with Graphene so far. I am running Proton VPN (it's always on). I typically have my Wi-Fi on at home, but always turn it off when I go out. Likewise, location is always off. I have tried it once or twice when using Waze for navigation, but I've found Waze to be a piece of garbage.

          My Google Pixel 7a's battery charge lasts about 36 hours, not great, but this could be a problem with the battery itself, not related to excessive power usage by Graphene or any given app. The Pixel phones are no where near as good hardware as a 'higher end' phone. But hey, for $250 bucks, I can upgrade 4 times for less than the price of an iPhone or Samsung S series phone...!

          I use K-9 email which serves multiple email accounts (the throw-away accounts). I use Proton Mail app, Proton Calendar, and Proton Pass. They all work fine.

          I use several messaging apps: Signal, Olvid, Zangi which all work fine.
          All these apps have issues with notifications which is why I suspect the notification problem is related to Graphene OS. But I find that the notifications arrive when I open the apps, so it just means that I remember to get into the app to see if there are messages.

          The only compatibility issues I've experienced are with a few apps such as my T-Mobile apps. I suspect that they do not have a version that is free of the Google spy libraries. But this is a non issue for me. I don't really need those apps.

          YouTube stops video play in the Vanadium browser after about a minute. But only once did I get lazy and click a video link that someone sent me to watch a YouTube video; it stopped after about a minute with a message to "download the app." Screw Gurgle; I use nothing from Gurgle.

          In sum, I think it's well worth your investment to get Graphene OS. Personally, I don't really see the need to have my banking apps, travel apps, whatever, on my phone. I can do it all from my desktop as needed and when needed.

          And I don't even need the US State Department global entry apps. Now, when I return to the US, I go straight to the Global Entry line in customs; they already know that I have Global Entry so I don't have to show an ID card or a status screen in the app on my phone.

          I say go for it....

          I used this video to guide me in installing Graphene OS the first time.
          https://youtu.be/ZAZlmYKrwfk?si=G9uTl7U6MiB1Ro_3

            rhimbo

            Regarding YouTube, try using Brave browser for it. Seems to work well for me and Brave even has a lot of custom toggles in the settings specifically for YouTube to make it even more usable!

              rhimbo

              Great, I think you'll like it. Alternatively, if you want an app that allows for downloading (in addition to getting rid of the ads, you can try pipedpiped, I'm liking it so far!)

                SgtSurehand

                if you love the fact that Apple collects your telemetry even when you opt out of all data sharing then by all means, dive back in, head first.

                Compared to what I get in return, yeah, I love the fact, love it dearly.

                rhimbo My Google Pixel 7a [...]
                The Pixel phones are no where near as good hardware as a 'higher end' phone.

                All "-a" series Pixels are intentionally designed to be cheaper and lower end. Similar to the iphone -S series.

                If you had a P7 or P7Pro, you might find higher end hardware closer to 'higher end' expectations

                  zzz
                  Yes, agreed...!

                  I am mildly annoyed at the Pixel 7a being low end. I notice that the hardware (I believe it's a result of low-end hardware) does not pick up gestures very responsively, in fact sometimes missing them. Examples are presses of virtual buttons, swipes from the top of the screen, etc.

                  But it's nothing I cannot live with. That being said, I think my next phone will be a higher end Pixel such as a P7 or P7Pro... well, perhaps an 8 or 8Pro now.... ;-)

                  Hi, Pixel 7 Pro with GrapheneOS here! If you on the budget, and wanna try GrapheneOS for the first time so why not choose the Pixel 7 Pro? It has large screen ratio, durable, slim, bigger battery life, >$500, and connectivity defintely better than Pixel 6/6 Pro, and it runs very well on GrapheneOS compare to stock Android! Yes! Android is complicated when settings up, but it will amaze you when you understand everything compare to baby iPhone. I learn a lot from Android community, and feels more lightfull in my life when using Android compare to iPhone.