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  • Using an iphone + GrapheneOS

Apologies if it has already been discussed, but I'd like to ask here what is everyone's opinion on using an iphone and a pixel with GOS in combination?

How much is it worth, what advantages and disadvantages...

I was thinking about using an iphone only for telephony and banking apps. The iphone would provide mobile internet hotspot for the Pixel. Would then use GOS like normal for everything else (search, browsing, navigation, every other app and also banking apps, because why not...)

Does this sound any good? Let me know any other ideas for this setup

    ekeere I ended up going this route, except I only use the iphone for the three things I need that grapheneos doesn't provide:

    apple pay (because when my credit card gets hacked, my bank can just spin up some new cards for my account and I can use the new cards immediately via apple pay)

    My bank, who refuses to accept change but who has also gotten me money back in the past so I am grateful

    And apple airtag, there's just nothing that can compete with apple products all geolocating their airtags.

    So I just have an old iphone SE stuffed in a box somewhere that I forget about until I need it

    ekeere
    Hi ekeere,
    since I have purchased my first Pixel phone, I use both platforms exactly as you asked it.

    A practical example for greater security:
    Apple Pay is better and more secure than using your credit card as a plastic card for contactless payments when shopping locally, because no retailer gets your real credit card number.
    In addition, you never have to enter your credit card PIN at the payment terminal (with a plastic card, you are forced to enter the PIN after approx. 150 EUR turnover, then the counter starts at zero again).

    And maybe you need apps, which you cannot get for Android or they need Google Play running in the background and you don't want that?

    • If you can cope with such a combination, i.e. if it doesn't bother you, then
      you can also operate your Pixel phone more easily without Google.
    • Even without a SIM card if you use the iPhone as a Wi-Fi hotspot and use an (e)SIM with an Unlimited tariff.

      Eagle_Owl Yeah, I much prefer their approach on payments without transmitting the real card credentials and, unlike google, without having to connect to their servers.

      I tried iOS a bit, but the control over what permissions apps ask for, beyond "camera&microphone", is quite inferior than even stock android with AppOps+Shizuku and a simple adb command. So I could never go full iphone. But something tells me it's better to have the SIM in the iphone with minimal apps, instead of the pixel..

      Good to know we can combine and take advantage of both platforms' strong points.

      Personally, I would find it too much of a hassle to manage two phones, and wouldn't want to expose myself to privacy issues (the phone and the makers of whatever apps you do run there).

      But if that works for you, it's still better than nothing.

        nei

        Agreed, two phones is a no go for me as well. My phone usage is somewhat basic anyway: calls (sim card and often using voip for business calls), iMessages, signal messages, listening to podcasts while driving, sometimes listening to youtube videos on brave browser. That is really it and I try to do most of my browsing and important things on my computer instead. So in my specific use case, I'm comfortable using an iPhone as there is very little in terms of analytics/telemetry to grab from that device.