Holy mackerel, this blew up.
So after that incident with the phantom 911 call, I analyzed my data situation and decided for the few apps that I actually needed data restored for, I'd 'figure something out', even if that meant using their 'cloud sync', which I LOATH. Words can't describe how much I HATE the 'cloud' and syncing data to it. I took the plunge to GrapheneOS, and using it 'as intended', I flashed it, and locked my bootloader and went from there, no root or anything. The problem is it seems like as much as HATE HATE HATE to, I may have to revert to the stock OS. Things I use just aren't working. I used Aurora to install apps (and haven't gotten very far into installing all of my apps), and I've found several that either don't work without the google junk or don't work at all. So far, the apps are Tapatalk, Accuweather, Weatherbug and OpenVPN. Technically, I could do without weatherbug (although it does have some useful data that accuweather doesn't have), but after looking at the crash log from Tapatalk, where it seemed like the problem was the lack of the google play store junk and installed it all from the GrapheneOS app application, both Accuweahter and Weatherbug started working - but Tapatalk still crashes every time. OpenVPN also doesn't work. Launch it and it sits at a splash screen.
And that's what I've found so far - I still have a LOT of apps that I use with varying frequencies, that I still haven't installed that may or may not work.
As much as I LOVE the idea behind GrapheneOS, it seems like the google monster has gotten it tentacles buried too deep into too many things for GrapheneOS to really work out unless all you do is use it for calls, SMS/MMS and Signal (those all work fine).
It's just that every time I've gone to some other ROM that still contained the google junk, everything just works, but going to GrapheneOS, which is a GREAT idea, lots of things just don't work.
If I'm wrong and there's a way to get these things working, ideally WITHOUT the google junk, I'd LOVE to be corrected.... But it seems like I may have to go back to a rooted stock OS so I can use titanium backup to freeze the junk I don't want active on my phone.
Edit: Oh, and on the seedvault comments, unless I'm missing something (which is possible), that doesn't work if coming from a stock ROM or 'other' ROM to GrapheneOS, the reliability of it aside. In my years of using AndroidOS, I've never heard of it before GrapheneOS.