GrapheneOS has been on my radar for years and has always intrigued me as someone who values privacy and who has a practically nonexistent social media presence. I’m currently an iOS user and have been for a decade. However, I’m not deep in the Apple ecosystem. My iPhone is the only Apple device I own.
I’ve been researching for days, and I like what GrapheneOS has for features from the granular control of app permissions to separate profiles for compartmentalizing one’s life. However, in my research I’ve unearthed some claims that I frankly cannot disprove without biting the bullet and buying an expensive Pixel phone just to test. That’s not something I want to do. In this video at the 4:57 mark it’s mentioned that apps were bypassing blocked network permissions and that apps phone home on boot. The presenter claims to have tested and verified the traffic using NextDNS but offers no evidence to back it up other than his word. Prior, he mentions hostility in the GrapheneOS community. Not sure if there’s merit there. Every community has its bad apples. More to my point, is what he claimed about apps circumventing blocked network permissions and being chatty during boot true? Either way, I’d like to see proof. Please don’t point to GrapheneOS documentation that says it works. Obviously, I want to trust the open source nature and talented developers, but those claims are too big to for me to ignore.
As I said, I’m an iOS user. I have Advanced Data Protection enabled on my iCloud backups with a recovery key I’m supposedly solely in possession of. I’ve already gone through settings and tweaked app permissions, location settings, etc. But after what happened in the UK where Apple disabled Advanced Data Protection due to regulatory requirements, I couldn’t help but feel disillusioned. I don’t want to be betrayed by a company in the future that claims to be my friend im the present, if they’re trustworthy at all. The small friend group I have would probably switch to Signal. Phone calls with grandparents and family would need to happen still. I know that’s a privacy concern, but it really can’t be helped. I know a SIM greatly reduces privacy, but I don’t know if I’d be able to go SIM-less just yet. Would GrapheneOS be a good fit for me or is it better to stick with iOS and minimize my digital footprint there where possible? I ask because my current iPhone is likely nearing EoL. If GrapheneOS is the move, I’d like to get a head start while I still can turn back if things don’t work. If it everything goes well, I’d switch to the OEM phones the GrapheneOS team is working on when they’re released.