New Graphene OS user's first impression

Matth

So, I've been thinking about de-googling my life for some time and have had the idea to use an alternative OS for some time. I made a previous attempt to use Lineage OS with a second-hand Samsung phone I bought, but unfortunately I realized too late that the specific version of my model was not supported and almost bricked it. I had to sell it again at a loss, and then waited till the new Pixel 7 came out. Although I want to leave less of a data trace, I am not very consequent (yet). So some of the setup I have chosen is probably not acceptable for many here. My post is mostly for others that are considering making a move and wonder what to expect.

Since early November I'm using the Pixel 7 Pro. Installation was pretty smooth and after an initial glitch with authenticating the installation, it worked just fine. I followed the advice of a clean owners profile and setup three different users. One is for my "private life", one for my "work life", and a third for some questionable stuff that I hardly ever use.

For the ease of use, I installed the Google suite on all profiles, mostly to install the wanted apps. I do try to delete the Google user in the settings so that I can enjoy Google Maps (and other Google Apps) without being logged in. However, having to log in again is always a bit of a hassle, in case I want/need to update an app or install a new one.

Below is a list of somewhat negative findings that I have come across so far (compared to my previous phone). I am obviously comparing this phone (Pixel 7 Pro) with the one I had used for the last 3-4 years (Huawei P30 Pro) and grown fond of, as in general I perceived it as quite a good model. While the hardware and some comfort function are pretty good, I was and am aware that the software on it is probably questionable in terms of privacy. Yet that doesn't mean, everything is bad about it.

Switching between the profiles is quite a hassle, and I'm unsure if I will put up with that for long term. Although it is a bit like having 3 phones without the need to carry 3 bricks around. What is most annoying with switching profiles is the fact that the fingerprint works really shitty. It's slow, and I most of the time need 3-4 attempts to get it working. And what is really the worst, that after each failed attempt, it immediately asks for the PIN code to enter, instead of just letting you try again. Compared to my previous Huawei, the experience is really like day and night. The Huawei was fast and reliable, while the Pixel (or is it Graphene OS?) is really bad.
Charging is slow, and battery life is sort of similar, if not slightly worse with the new phone. And you would have thought that over time they improve.
One other glitch is swiping horizontally. While most apps are kinda ok, Wechat is particularly bad. Sometimes I really can't swipe left/right, and most of the time I need to do it very carefully, swiping absolutely horizontal (90°), from an precise point or it won't work. Again, I'm not sure whether that is a hardware issue, Graphene OS or the app.
One thing that is also a bit annoying, is the lack of shared memory to access certain photos/files from one profile to the other. I use Session with "Note to Self", but it is kinda cumbersome to do. Yet I understand the necessity and benefit of having separate data silos.
The (Google) camera app sometimes acts up and doesn't take photos, despite me pressing multiple times. There's a big lag, or so much that I miss the best snap-shot. I should try a bit more the stock camera app, but I do like the additional functionality of the Google cam app. While the photos are pretty good, missing out on some snapshots makes it again a bit of a mixed experience.
Option to display the content of incoming SMS in the notification bubble. When receiving verification codes, it is always required to open the Messaging app and switching back, while in most cases all you need is a code and could continue straight ahead
Bitwarden filling in in Vanadium doesn't work (initially it did, but then suddenly stopped, although Bitwarden has all the permissions)
Casting the screen to my TV doesn't work at all (previously it also did work in some apps, but somehow that stopped working too)
Not being able to add a background (withoug the image being totally distorted) is a bit annoying, as it would help to separate the different profiles a bit
Having to swipe down twice to adjust the brightness (instead of a single swipe) is a minor nuissance as well. Especially since I have the feeling that the screen is a bit on the dark side in general (compared to my old Huawei). And I also got the impression the image is a bit on the yellow side and not as "white" as my previous one.
Having to swipe down twice to switch the user is also one swipe to many, as this is a very regular task. Some simple short-cut/gesture would be very welcome
Getting the camera open quickly is also less comfortable than previously, as the double pressing of the button is not ideal. Although that might also have to do with the case I am using. But the software solution to swipe up from the lower right corner on my Huawei was very simple and fast(er).
Sometimes my phone seems to be like frozen for a few seconds and busy with something. Didn't experience that with my Huawei
When getting a notification from a different profile, it takes up to 3 tabs to get to the "Go to profile" shortcut. Why can't I just tab on the notification itself?
I'm also missing the few shortcuts on the locked screen for recording a note, the calculator, the timer and the torch when swiping up on the locked screen. That feature was very practical on my old phone

My findings above are mostly about the usage of the OS, as I don't question the technical aspects. These are great and certainly a big improvement over the alternatives.

But there are also quite a few points that I start to love and wouldn't want to miss anymore.

The Storage Scopes are a really huge benefit. Especially for invasive apps like Wechat (which apparently scan your whole photo library multiple times a day). With this you can really limit them to see only what you allow them to see
The allow "only this time" permission for apps is something I didn't know yet. I love that and use it regularly
App pining is great, although I have not yet used it much. I guess I first have to get used to this
Despite some warnings, I haven't found an app yet that doesn't work on Graphene OS. All my various banking apps work just fine, or then I haven't noticed the problem yet
The grouping of open tabs in Vanadium is very helpful. Not sure if other browsers have that, but it's the first time I notice it (on a mobile) and the visualisation is perfect
The notification from the different profiles works reliably and is certainly a must to use multiple profiles

While the positive list is quite a bit shorter, that has probably to do with the natural resistance to change. I tend to stick to grown habits and adapting to new procedures is sometimes a challenge. I am overall quite happy with the move, having a feeling to have reduced my data trail a tiny little bit. My configuration would certainly leave much more potential, but I for me it's for the moment good enough.

I'd welcome any hints on how to alleviate any of the above points, in case I didn't figure out the optimal solution yet.

mythodical

Matth just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to share your experience. As a fellow former P20/P30 Pro owner, many of my observations are the same. For all of its faults as a company, Huawei made phones what were among best, and at price points that couldn't be beat.

I find that the Pixel 7's touch capacity is significantly lacking compared to Huawei devices. Swipes are often not registered at all, or registered when they shouldn't be. The screen seems particularly sensitive around the designated fingerprint area, even when just browsing regular apps. I will often swipe that area of the screen to navigate up and down, and instead of doing that it will activate text selection mode, forcing me to tap away or press the back button. Initially, I thought it was a matter of getting used to a new device, but I am increasingly convinced it's an issue with the on-screen FP reader.

I've given up on gesture navigation for the time being and have gone back to the traditional 3-button system navigation. Swiping between apps just wasn't work reliably enough for me, and I found it an absolute pain to use apps like KeepassDX which requires me to go back and forth between the last opened app to review notes for work, etc. For me, gesture navigation is lacking customization that would make it much more usable, such as double-tapping the bar to toggle the last app and long-pressing the bar to open the recent apps overview.

I don't use multi-profiles myself, largely for the reasons you mentioned but also because I don't use Google Play, so I don't feel the need to isolate certain apps. You may already know that your background issue is a side effect of the profiles too; backgrounds render fine in single-profile mode.

Your observations of battery life and screen brightness match mine as well. Charge times seem comparable to me, but overall screen use appears to drain the battery much faster than on Huawei phones (some Pixel reviews have touched on the Pixel 7 screen's high power draw).

I do wish Android provided a means to set the minimum "standard" brightness level and then simply adapt from there. I find that the current default is too dim, and I am constantly needing to double-pull the notification menu and adjust the brightness slider.

Matth Option to display the content of incoming SMS in the notification bubble.

If I'm understanding your dilemma about notification visibility, you can opt to show sensitive notification content on the lock screen by going to Settings > Privacy > Notifications on lock screen

Despite these Google/AOSP shortcomings, having the ability to sandbox Google Play (or remove it entirely) and toggle per-app network permissions is a game changer, and I am more than willing to sacrifice some creature comforts to have these options.

Matth

mythodical
Thanks for the feedback. That is quite reassuring that I don't feel alone.
And regarding the SMS. It's not that I want to display those on the lock screen. It's while the phone is unlocked. But as @cyberparty mentioned below, that has again to do with profiles. On the owner profile I can see the content of the SMS, but when I'm in another profile, it doesn't show (only that I have received a message).

cyberparty

Heya,
Just addressing some of your points to hopefully alleviate questions or problems.

Switching between the profiles is quite a hassle, and I'm unsure if I will put up with that for long term. Although it is a bit like having 3 phones without the need to carry 3 bricks around. What is most annoying with switching profiles is the fact that the fingerprint works really shitty. It's slow, and I most of the time need 3-4 attempts to get it working. And what is really the worst, that after each failed attempt, it immediately asks for the PIN code to enter, instead of just letting you try again. Compared to my previous Huawei, the experience is really like day and night. The Huawei was fast and reliable, while the Pixel (or is it Graphene OS?) is really bad.

The fingerprint reader isn’t tremendous on the Pixel 7/Pro, but its sensitivity can be increased by increasing the screen sensitivity in the settings:
Settings -> Display -> Increase touch sensitivity

Charging is slow, and battery life is sort of similar, if not slightly worse with the new phone. And you would have thought that over time they improve.

The Pixel 7 Pro limits the charging wattage to 23W, in contrast to the Huawei P30 Pro’s 40W.

One other glitch is swiping horizontally. While most apps are kinda ok, Wechat is particularly bad. Sometimes I really can't swipe left/right, and most of the time I need to do it very carefully, swiping absolutely horizontal (90°), from an precise point or it won't work. Again, I'm not sure whether that is a hardware issue, Graphene OS or the app.

If it varies per-app, it is likely that it’s a bug with the app itself. I’m not experiencing any issues on my Pixel 7 regarding this.

One thing that is also a bit annoying, is the lack of shared memory to access certain photos/files from one profile to the other. I use Session with "Note to Self", but it is kinda cumbersome to do. Yet I understand the necessity and benefit of having separate data silos.

This is by design. Are you certain that your use case necessitates the use of multiple profiles? What are you attempting to separate? I only ask this as it would be a shame if the annoyance you’re experiencing with the lack of convenience outweighs the benefit you’re getting from it. The profiles feature is able to separate apps and prevent them from enumerating any other apps outside of its own profile as well as having its own separate storage. Is this benefit a factor in your decision? For some people’s purposes with regards to daily usage, it’s totally okay to just put most things in one profile and be done with it. For those who are, for example, concerned about Google Services sharing the same space as their usual apps or who want apps that have optional dependencies on it (like Signal using websockets for notifications unless Google Services is present, in which case they will use this for notification delivery), they can separate the apps, and any apps not in the same profile as GSF will not be able to rely on their features should they be able to do so. They can also ‘end’ profile sessions to put the apps and data at rest if needed.

The (Google) camera app sometimes acts up and doesn't take photos, despite me pressing multiple times. There's a big lag, or so much that I miss the best snap-shot. I should try a bit more the stock camera app, but I do like the additional functionality of the Google cam app. While the photos are pretty good, missing out on some snapshots makes it again a bit of a mixed experience.

A number of users have noted experiencing long processing times from previously shot photos when using Google Camera, especially with Portrait mode. Is this a mode you use?

Option to display the content of incoming SMS in the notification bubble. When receiving verification codes, it is always required to open the Messaging app and switching back, while in most cases all you need is a code and could continue straight ahead

Is this in regards to separate profiles? On the owner profile, this is the default behavior. On non-owner profiles, the app must be accessed instead.

Bitwarden filling in in Vanadium doesn't work (initially it did, but then suddenly stopped, although Bitwarden has all the permissions)

This is a bug with the Bitwarden app. Bitwarden, like some other password manager apps, hardcodes the browser package IDs for which it enables autofill. Vanadium recently changed its app id to app.vanadium.browser, from org.chromium.chrome. As a result, Bitwarden needs to add Vanadium to its list. A pull request exists for this exact problem, it just needs to be merged: https://github.com/bitwarden/mobile/pull/2199
Looks like it was approved recently.

Casting the screen to my TV doesn't work at all (previously it also did work in some apps, but somehow that stopped working too)

More info may be needed. Which apps are you attempting to cast with?

Not being able to add a background (withoug the image being totally distorted) is a bit annoying, as it would help to separate the different profiles a bit

This is an upstream AOSP bug.
https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/1461
It will need to be fixed by the AOSP team.

Sometimes my phone seems to be like frozen for a few seconds and busy with something. Didn't experience that with my Huawei

Hard to say whether or not this is a GrapheneOS issue, an AOSP issue, or a hardware issue as of current. Do you know if this occurs on stock Android on this device, also?

Having to swipe down twice to switch the user is also one swipe to many, as this is a very regular task. Some simple short-cut/gesture would be very welcome
When getting a notification from a different profile, it takes up to 3 tabs to get to the "Go to profile" shortcut. Why can't I just tab on the notification itself?

These behaviours are how profiles are currently implemented. More features for making the profiles easier to switch to and from are planned, but it requires developer work, resources, and for community members to step up to help make such things happen.

Having to swipe down twice to adjust the brightness (instead of a single swipe) is a minor nuissance as well. Especially since I have the feeling that the screen is a bit on the dark side in general (compared to my old Huawei). And I also got the impression the image is a bit on the yellow side and not as "white" as my previous one.

Getting the camera open quickly is also less comfortable than previously, as the double pressing of the button is not ideal. Although that might also have to do with the case I am using. But the software solution to swipe up from the lower right corner on my Huawei was very simple and fast(er).

I'm also missing the few shortcuts on the locked screen for recording a note, the calculator, the timer and the torch when swiping up on the locked screen. That feature was very practical on my old phone

These are all default behaviours of the AOSP, on which GrapheneOS is currently based. Huawei is a massive corporation with plenty of resources and developers to add such features to their own distribution of Android and maintain them. Unfortunately, GrapheneOS doesn’t have such resources readily available. This isn’t to say that it could not potentially develop comparable features in the future, but it would need resources and dev work that cannot afford to be wasted. It also requires community members to step up and help with the project.

Hope this helps

Matth

cyberparty Highly appreciated for the detailed reply.

The swiping might have to do with the fingerprint sensor, as @mythodical wrote above. I will have to test that a bit more.

And I have already increased the touch sensitivity, but that didn't help much.

I'm separating private and work. For one thing, I don't want to provide Facebook with all my contact details, yet I do need their apps for work. So this way I can have a contact list for work, and one private one which is of no concern to Marc. An additional benefit is, that I can run certain apps twice with different profiles/users. Which wouldn't be possible with a single profile.
But yes, it might not make that much of a difference in terms of privacy, as Facebook certainly will receive most of the same data from my private friends that do not separate things, and happily share their data (and contact lists) with everyone.

I will check that with Portrait mode. It is possible, as sometimes I took (or tried) to take pics of my kid, and then I just kept pressing and pressing...

The SMS behaviour is confirmed, I just tried that. Funny enough, on the owner profile it does show, in a separate user profile not. Oh well.

And great to hear that the Bitwarden app should soon work again. That's quite a bit of a pain at the moment to use the clipboard (besides that it seems to be a security issue as well).

For the casting, I tried in Plex, but also tried to just share my whole phone screen (main menu) to the TV. There's another TV app (Sunrise TV from Switzerland) but that never worked.

I have never used it with stock Android, and don't plan to reset it for now.

And yes, I am aware that resources are very limited, that's why I very much appreciate the project in the first place. Even so much, that Graphene is the first and only project I supported so far financially.

mbrs

Matth Is there a solution to the SMS not showing (preview) on the other profile. In the owner profile I can preview it, not in the other. I have to verify my bankaccount and need to do that thru sms (on the google useraccount). But then my banking account stops and need to repeat the proces. How can I preview the sms code on secundary (not owner) account?

cyberparty

Matth

Highly appreciated for the detailed reply.

No worries, happy to help!

I'm separating private and work. For one thing, I don't want to provide Facebook with all my contact details, yet I do need their apps for work. So this way I can have a contact list for work, and one private one which is of no concern to Marc. An additional benefit is, that I can run certain apps twice with different profiles/users. Which wouldn't be possible with a single profile.

Using profiles to separate personal life and work is a decent use case, especially to stop mixups with accounts or data.
It should be worth noting that Facebook should not have access to your contacts so long as you explicitly deny its permission to do so via the OS permissions. This is enforced by the sandbox.

And great to hear that the Bitwarden app should soon work again. That's quite a bit of a pain at the moment to use the clipboard (besides that it seems to be a security issue as well).

I agree it's a bit of a hassle. Bitwarden offers an option to 'clear' the clipboard, however, this has a couple of caveats: Bitwarden 'clears' it by copying a space character, so if your keyboard implements clipboard history and you don't disable it, the password will remain in the history until it is wiped. Furthermore, if you copy something different after copying the password before the timeout, Bitwarden will still copy a blank space afterwards.
Autofill removes this hassle when it comes to password apps, though you do need to grant extra permissions to the app to allow it to do that. Make sure you only grant it to apps you trust.