Big thanks to GrapheneOS and the lovely people behind it, that made this update possible 🥰 While The new UI of QPR1 is a bit different, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Already decreased a few of the buttons in the notification bar, works great!
For anyone else complaining about the looks and feel of the UI: GrapheneOS uses the standard UI from AOSP, just making changes where it makes sense for privacy/security functions. Remeber that the GrapheneOS does not have infinite amout of resources. If they make a change to the UI, they have to apply that change for every update going forward, increasing the amount of work for each update. That is the biggest reason why major OEMs is so late in providing timely updates, because they modify the AOSP design a lot.
When GrapheneOS chooses to not change the UI, it is a benefit to the project and for us. If you pick up a phone that is 5 years old, I'm sure you would think "yuck" when you see the UI. Android is constantly changing, always has been, and you do get used to the changes. Remember, a lot of UI/UX experts use a lot of research and resources to optimize UI for good interactions. There is a reason why Android looks the way it does.