This weekend it's happening - The Switch To GrapheneOS

ListformBusyBox

I've taken some steps to reduce my reliance on Google, such as self-hosting Immich for photo storage and using Proton Mail instead of Gmail. I've also switched to Proton Drive and Self-Hosted SftpGo instead of Google Drive, along with Joplin with Self-Hosted WebDAV, to replace Google Notes/Keep.

This weekend, I plan to install GrapheneOS on my Pixel 8 and create a set of profiles for managing apps. I've compiled a list of potential profiles, but I'm unsure about the best categorization for some apps.

Admin Profile (Unused)
All programs that don't require Google Play Store?

Daily Profile

Proton Mail / Calendar / VPN
Joplin Notes
Immich
NewPipe
Aegis 2FA
Calculator (recommend?)
Clock (recommend?)
Signal Brave Browser (Firefox? Should I install a non-privacy-related browser here?)
SMS messaging (I'm trying to get everyone to switch to signal)
OSMAnd or Organic Maps (which is more privacy-focused?)

Social Media Profile
Reddit (should I replace with another client?) Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, Facebook Messenger

Google Stuff Profile
Now, I need help deciding where to categorize these apps as I'm unsure of whether they need Google Play Services.

Google Maps (for work, sometimes necessary)
PlexAmp (daily use)
Coospo Bike Computer App (nearly daily)
Strava (nearly daily)
TD Banking App (requires Google Play Store, unknown until I get this project underway)
Discord (weekly use)
WhatsApp (weekly use)
Vizio App (for controlling Vizio TV)
Broadlink (IR blaster type device in living room)
Geeni (smart bulbs around the home)
My Account Virgin Mobile (necessary to check billing/data usage)
Librera
Hikvision (CCTV cameras at work)
All Trails (mountain biking in spring/summer)
Netflix (rarely)
Tubi (rarely)

I'm particularly unsure about the camera app 📷, as I currently use ProShot on my stock Pixel8 phone. What do people recommend for a De-googled GrapheneOS phone? Is there some definite best practices I should do after the install?

zzz

ListformBusyBox

Calculator (recommend?)

If the basic built-in calculator isn't advanced enough for your needs and you have experience with graphing calculators, I'd recommend Graph 89.
https://github.com/milaq/graph89

Note that you have to go to the Texas Instruments website (on a desktop machine, weirdly they don't like letting you download on mobile) and download the ROM of your favorite graphing calculator. Load it into the app, and then you have an awesome little graphing calculator app.

SMS messaging

In my experience SMS is unreliable in secondary profiles. I tried it at first back in 2023 and then quickly gave up. If you rely on getting SMS messages in a timely way without some being dropped, you need to be in the Owner profile.
Could be different now in 2025, I don't know. Worth giving it a shot if you have the patience to experiment.

Brave Browser (Firefox? Should I install a non-privacy-related browser here?)

About Brave vs Firefox, see here:
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/20618-brave-browser/17

Elsewhere on the forum, GOS mods and devs tend to recommend Vanadium for best security and Brave for better fingerprinting resistance (privacy).

OSMAnd or Organic Maps (which is more privacy-focused?)

Both are pretty good with privacy IMO. I find Organic Maps to have better usability. Try them both, see what you like.

Social Media

Evil companies, social harm at scale (just my opinion though, ha, no judgement)
If you must have them, maybe you could get away with just lurking using alternative frontends to enjoy more privacy. A handy list is here:
https://libredirect.github.io/

You can also use LinkSheet to automatically change links from normal social media to alt frontends
https://github.com/LinkSheet/LinkSheet

Strava

Gnarly app, gets implicated in a breach of sensitive location data every few years. Might be an easy one to replace with something more privacy respecting, if interested:
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/16966-fitness-app-was-used-to-locate-the-worlds-most-powerful-people

Aside from apps, agreed with others to start easy/simple and ratchet up gradually as you adjust. Important to remember that burnout is also a threat.
Congratulations on the big move, GOS is life-changing and awesome, best of luck!

natoal

ListformBusyBox

I believe you can actually download detailed map data and use it offline.

Brave does not break websites as often as Firefox. You will likely need at least one chromium browser

Wadder

ListformBusyBox welcome to the community.

I think the following article (https://seprand.github.io/articles/best-user-profile-setup/) might help to formalise your approach further, albeit you seem to be well prepared.

With regard to the hikconnect app, I have found that the notification system seems a little delayed and sometimes none responsive, regardless of using private space or a new user profile, although that maybe due to the fact I have all the hardening feature turned on.

I've also found that if you use play services in one profile and download hikconnect (don't allow network access) and push the app to a new profile with no play services. You can use the app with no issues outside of the one I mentioned above (notifications).

geni101

Personally with everything you have said I would just keep to one profile with google play and services installed to start of with.

You can slowly work out what is best for you and then spend time searching here on the forum to get some ideas. There are many posts similar to your questions.

Also spending time at first looking for different apps is not easy, I'm sure there will be a lot of trying some.. Deleting some and so on then you can decide when your happy with your apps to what profiles ( if any) you put them in etc.

Just taking the step to move to GOS has massively improved your security and privacy journey so congratulations for doing the move.

Also have a read thew there website for good instructions and advise.
Good luck

pandul

geni101
This is the way.
It's best to start easy and then build it up.

proclaim

I recommend you to selfhost Joplin server , works better compared to webdav . Also enable encryption for notes.
About Immich you selfhost on VPS or home server ? If you selfhost in VPS I will not recommend it because Immich are not encrypted , maybe Ente is better option but is hard to selfhost and is need a lot work .
About maps, personaly because Im trucker and need info about every place I go also comments (reviews) , satelite, and street view, I don't find any better alternative to google maps, I try every posible app to replece it, but no one is complete . I will also recommend to stick with Vanadium , is just more secure also I like the simple disign .

edit: about clock, calculator,keyboard, files and camera.
I stick with default apps, and not need fancy lookings apps thats to same things .

natoal

proclaim

You using Google Maps on ur browser or as an app?

ListformBusyBox

proclaim I'm self hosting Immich, seems to be working fantastic, as far as Joplin it just seemed to be easy to use WebDAV since I already had Sftp-Go setup. I am going to try to start using Organic Maps for work (I usually do deliveries for work 2-4 times a week)

SovereignCopper

If you just want to read stuff on Reddit, consider using Redlib instances (e.g. via LinkSheet and its LibreRedirect feature). If you want to be able to reply, consider using RedReader.

For Facebook, SlimSocial is a much better option than any of their apps. For the others (not just social media, but also streaming services etc.), if at all possible, just use their mobile websites instead of their apps.

For a Firefox-based browser, you could consider IronFox, a very actively developed fork with the same ideology that Mull had (hardening and privacy improvements). It also enabled site isolation (fission) by default.

ListformBusyBox

natoal I setup a profile that most of the 'junk' tracking type apps go into (Google Maps App, FB , Insta, Discord, WhatsApp) etc. Seems to be working ok.

proclaim

natoal
Hi, I use the app , and also I use only owner profile

Installed Google services . The only G. apps I use is Maps and G. Play .

I also have in my truck two GPS , ( Tomtom and Igo Primo + chinese tabled ) they works especialy for truck . But sometime I need to look better about the route and the destination address, how is look , some reviews, with extra info, parkings close to the client, how is look the destination address from satelite view , and a lot of other things, with the help of streetview.

For this for real profesional work , I think no other map app is real alternative to Google Maps.

I try every app, and all sucks.

proclaim

ListformBusyBox
Yes Immich is great and I selfhosted just for the about three months , but since I use VPS (hetzner + storagebox) and all photos I backup with Immich are not encrypted in the VPS cloud , I don't use for my photos . I just don't trust to any other cumputer to store my important files (like docu or personal photos) unencrypted . For this for about two eyers my main app for this is Ente (not selfhost for now) .

I just prefer to not selfhost apps with sensative info if is not encrypted.

The only I selfhost now is - Joplin server (with enabled encryption in this way I have my notes encrypted on the server, Radicale for Cardav and Caldav , Jellyfin for media streaming, Authentik to protect some of my apps , Searxng my private search but I manteined private not public instance , Pingvin share and other small apps , but nothing important stored in the VPS storage , maybe only my contacts/calendar but for me thats not a big problem , like as example my photos.

edit : Important docu are stored in my VPS but via Cryptomator + webdav .

Pavestone2734

One of us! One of us! One of us!

brookie229

RedReader for Reddit client - that's all I've got. I use pretty much all the default apps including Vanadium with the exception of my calculator which is the paid version of Keyboard Calculator (remnant from my BlackBerry days but still maintained).

natoal

You could even use an RSS feed, last I checked Reddit has great compatibility