Sitting on the fence to use Graphene OS on Pixel 9 for my use case

distortedsoulz

Hi all,

I'm planning to install GrapheneOS on a Pixel 9 which I’ll be buying directly from Google (so it’ll be unlocked). I’ve been doing a lot of reading both on the official GrapheneOS site and across this forum. So firstly thank you to the developers and community for all the work and insights you’ve shared.

I care about privacy and security but I’m not sure if GrapheneOS is right for my situation. I currently use a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE for everything - social media, banking, web browsing, phone calls, SMS, etc. I’ve recently switched to the Brave browser to take some steps towards better privacy.

That said, Google and various apps likely already have a lot of my data. I’ve seen posts suggesting that using social media apps even in separate profiles can only reduce, not stop data sharing. Given that I’ll likely continue using those apps on the Pixel 9, I’m questioning whether switching to GrapheneOS is worth the trade offs (like potential app compatibility issues or reduced functionality over time).

If my data is already out there, is it too late to make a meaningful difference? Is it worth the effort if I’m still tied into apps that compromise privacy anyway?

Would really appreciate your thoughts, especially from others who were in a similar position.

Thanks!

mmobder

distortedsoulz my answer to this is a combination of GOS (to limit system data "leaks") and RethinkDNS-like app with ad/tracker block lists (hagezi etc) to further reduce known leaks not only from browsers, but from the apps.
Though I gave a lot of data before, not gonna to continue it.

That indeed requires some efforts, depending on your app set (primarily banking), but it's not huge.

teezeh

distortedsoulz If my data is already out there, is it too late to make a meaningful difference?

No, and it is never too late.

distortedsoulz Is it worth the effort if I’m still tied into apps that compromise privacy anyway?

Absolutely.

distortedsoulz trade offs (like potential app compatibility issues or reduced functionality over time)

I had so serious app compatibility issues so far. Reduced functionality? I never used Gemini and Co anyway.

And you can always return to stock, of course.

billinmtl

My data is attached to my original google sign in account that I have slowly migrated away from but continue to use on my Chromebook for all things Google.

I really did not have any paid apps, so opening a new generic google sign in to my GOS phone removed me from the previous data stream. The account is used solely to download apps from the playstore.

For myself, the only issue I've had is the lack of Google Pay availability on GOS due to restrictions. I got around this with a smart watch with the feature.

I am not a power user, and have had very few apps not work - or if sketchy did not work in the browser

Good luck, and since it is so easy to flash back to stock OS, probably no harm in trying it versus reading about it

VEECCdYKYi

Even if Google has a lot of your data but, starting to degoogle now means that Google will get a lot less data from now on. Think 10 years from now, how much data, profiling and influence Google has over you if you continue to use Google. If you stop today the influence will be a lot less, and any data Google already has gets less and less valuable for them as older it gets. And if you thinking about it today, my guess is that you'll regret it in the future if you don't.
Even if you want to use Google services with GrapheneOS, you have much better control of your data. And if you change your mind for some reason it's not hard to welcome Google back into your life. It's not like Google has high barriers to use their spyware products.

Switching browser, email service and search engine are easy choices. Degoogleing is a process.

distortedsoulz

Thank you to all those that have replied. Appreciated.