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  • Migration to Graphene - Four Week Review & Observations

UPDATE: I got two of the apps (Hertz, United) to work by switching from Orbot to Proton VPN, then flipping on the split tunneling feature. This was the holdup for many apps which won't tolerate a Tor connection. Going to try it with a few of the others but so far this is very encouraging. Tile unfortunately still will not run, I keep getting the message about "Google play services unsupported" Nest also did not work with this trick saying the app "had trouble communicating."

If there is any serious disadvantage to not using Orbot and instead swapping it out for Proton, please advise. I am already a customer for email so their VPN was a no brainer for me.

UPDATE 2:
Interesting thing is the Uber app will turn on when I use Proton with split tunneling, but it says it will not run without Google play services running (even though it is already running). I think what this means is with this app (and probably also with Tile) I would need to allow location, sensors, and maybe some other permissions like nearby devices to run. I would only want to do this if it had to ask each time. Not sure if that method would fly with these apps if they had to ask each time but I will be experimenting with these settings next.

I also got Meta messenger to work using the split tunneling feature in Proton VPN. I have Messenger in a separate profile, will see whether I get message notifications in my Daily Driver profile - i think I should.

Oddly enough, while Instagram actually ran fine with Orbot, when I switched over to the Proton VPN I had to use split tunneling to get it to work again.

(PS in my OP, I meant Amazon products, not Android products.)

    New2MeOS

    The ability to create multiple profiles is fantastic.

    This isn't a GrapheneOS specific feature, but we do have relevant improvements to it and normally Google Play can't be contained to a profile and has cross-profile access since outside GrapheneOS it can't be used as regular sandboxed apps rather than being deeply integrated OS components with extensive access.

    Orbot tends to disconnect randomly.

    Orbot is poorly written, buggy and inefficient. Tor is making their own Tor VPN app to replace it. Orbot doesn't have great compatibility with modern Android and lots of issues. This is not caused by GrapheneOS.

    Nest app does not load.

    You might be missing dependencies for it. Try installing the Google Search app too. Try searching the forum for this.

    ProCam X Lite is a nice alternative to the native camera app. Even so, I think the pictures on the S22 Ultra are a bit better

    You can use Pixel Camera for the same experience as the stock Pixel OS. Our own Camera app is going to be improved to catch up in various ways but Pixel Camera is hard to compete with and can be used on GrapheneOS.

    Meta products - mixed bag

    These apps work fine on GrapheneOS. They partially depend on Google Play but can work without it. To have WhatsApp, etc. work properly without it, you need to change some things.

        New2MeOS Uber works well on GrapheneOS without granting extra access to Google Play. You enable the network location service provided by GrapheneOS if you need location detection to work without GNSS reception. You don't need to grant Location to Google Play services since we reroute apps requesting location from it to asking it from the OS by default. Not really clear what issue you're having with Uber and why.

            GrapheneOS

            Orbot is poorly written, buggy and inefficient. Tor is making their own Tor VPN app to replace it. Orbot doesn't have great compatibility with modern Android and lots of issues. This is not caused by GrapheneOS.

            That's good to hear (ditto about the camera app improvements). I'm also finding that Proton VPN was so restrictive a lot of apps only worked with split tunneling, which I think means there's no VPN at all for those, just open traffic. So I went back to using Orbot and now United and Hertz apps are both working using it! Weird, I didn't do anything to the settings in Orbot.

            You might be missing dependencies for it. Try installing the Google Search app too. Try searching the forum for this.

            I looked around and it seems kind of a dead end; same for Fitbit, another Google takeover casualty. I installed Google Search anyway but still no effect on Nest. What dependencies could there be aside from Google Play Services and Google Services Framework?

            These apps work fine on GrapheneOS. They partially depend on Google Play but can work without it. To have WhatsApp, etc. work properly without it, you need to change some things.

            I got Meta messenger working in a separate profile and though notifications are enabled, I'm not getting notifications across to my daily user profile. What might I be missing?

              GrapheneOS

              Uber works well on GrapheneOS without granting extra access to Google Play. You enable the network location service provided by GrapheneOS if you need location detection to work without GNSS reception. You don't need to grant Location to Google Play services since we reroute apps requesting location from it to asking it from the OS by default. Not really clear what issue you're having with Uber and why.

              I went into settings and under location ensured Uber was granted access (I presume this is one to which you refer). Google Play services does not have location activated; good to know it is not needed.

              I flipped the location switch off, then opened the app. It asked for location access. I hit "only while using the app" and it opened. I got the same message plus a yellow banner at the top of the app saying "location sharing is disabled. Tap here to enable" I tapped, it took me to the setting you mentioned, location was shown as already on from my previous action. Strange, can't get past this.

              The app nevertheless opens, but very slowly. I got to the part where I entered location for ride pickup and because I'm using Tor and location is spoofed, I needed to enter my start and destination addresses manually. This may be a case for split tunneling using Proton VPN for the sake of convenience as entering all this info accurately from a random street corner in an unfamiliar city would be a headache. But yes, it looks like Uber could work after all. Thanks.

              • de0u replied to this.

                  Bismark
                  How does it know your location, though, when you open Uber? I assume you are running Orbot...

                      New2MeOS
                      It would be for me a browser permission, I think vandium. Uber does show a local map with uber cars nearby, and updates the map as the driver nears, so it seems like everything works. Because of this I keep it on my main profile and that is nice. If I clear vandium (cache cookies...) I need to log back into uber when I open the link. I have no problem with that. There is another app that runs in vandium that I use for weather allot. Its called windy. Its very nice as well.

                        New2MeOS The [Uber] app nevertheless opens, but very slowly. I got to the part where I entered location for ride pickup and because I'm using Tor and location is spoofed, I needed to enter my start and destination addresses manually.

                        I am puzzled. Using Uber fundamentally requires Uber to know your actual precise location to pick you up and drop you off, plus (I think?) non-anonymous information to pay. Given that, what is being concealed from whom by using Tor?

                            de0u Correct, that's why if you want to use Uber this way, you will need to enter both your start and ending addresses, accurately, whether using Tor or VPN. You still need to have your credit card uploaded into their system, so no way around that.

                            It's obviously not a practical app if you need to use it a lot, but it is possible.

                                New2MeOS i'm curious aswell, what is being concealed from whom by using Tor in this specific usecase?

                                  New2MeOS I apologize for having been unclear. My question is: since Uber must know your location at the start of each trip and the end of each trip, and (via the driver) throughout the trip, and must know payment information... what advantage is there to using Uber over Tor?

                                      de0u There isn't one. I'm only interested in using Uber, period, on a Graphene device. Whether that is a reliable VPN or Tor doesn't matter to me.