Least horrible alternative to GrapheneOS?

embroider_unknotted344

I thought that it was both possible and also easy (ie. without significant modifications) to install GrapheneOS on a non pixel phone. If it requires "porting" (which I don't understand) then I guess it's a moot question. My next question would be, if I do have a secondary phone like Samsung or ColorOS, I wonder which OS would come next in terms of privacy and security, though for this use case privacy would come first. I don't really know what OS's are recommended these days.

Blastoidea

embroider_unknotted344

No, it isn’t.

Not possible.

embroider_unknotted344

JB11

Agreed. This is a very common take in privacy communities, the belief that not using technology is a viable alternative. It is by definition not an alternative, it's the lack of one. You aren't winning the game by choosing not to use technology, you're just choosing not to play. And the people who suggest things like this, like not using a phone or living in the woods, have no intention whatsoever of actually going through with it.

DohnJoe

non-pixel phone with GOS is more secure than non-pixel phone with whatever flavour of Android they have (including Samsung).

This contradicts what @Novalissoide has said so I'm not sure who to believe here.

JB11

embroider_unknotted344 I wasn't thinking anyone would respond to me so I went inactive.

I am one of those guy's who says he'll live in a forest someday, funny enough. It's not that I won't, it's the push. What'll push me or someone else to turn fantasy into reality? :P

embroider_unknotted344

Blastoidea Well that is definitely wrong. GrapheneOS is open source. It is certainly possible. Worst case scenario you have to edit the source code to make it work for the hardware. Best case scenario someone already did it and shared the "port" or "image" or whatever the term is. It's not a matter of whether you can use GrapheneOS on non pixel devices, it's a matter of a) how easy it is to do so and b) whether GrapheneOS is more private and secure than that phone's default operating system.

Blastoidea

embroider_unknotted344

Example?

Plus, if you do that, it is no longer GrapheneOS.

embroider_unknotted344

Blastoidea

If you do that it becomes a fork of GrapheneOS. Still GrapheneOS by all intents and purposes.

I don't know what example you want me to give you. Tor? It's a heavily modified version of Firefox. Still Firefox under the hood. Except that's a bad example because it's built with the intention of making something different. What I'm suggesting is a fork that just modifies it enough to be compatible for the hardware, not built with an entirely different use case. If I was a dev I would be able to explain this better, but I'm not.

Eirikr70

embroider_unknotted344 This quest of the relative security of GrapheneOS on non Pixel devices is absurd. There is no such thing as generally stated "GrapheneOS on non Pixel devices" but there might be a few implementations of forks of GrapheneOS on non Pixel devices. Their relative level of security strongly depends on the skills of who ported them and their understanding of what is broken and what can be done about it. So if someone knows of such an implementation, it might be discussed the security of that implementation. But nothing as general as GrapheneOS on non Pixel devices.

embroider_unknotted344

Eirikr70 I think you're splitting hairs. A fork of GrapheneOS is still GrapheneOS, just in an unofficial capacity, there are numerous examples of this throughout open source applications, just like Molly is an unofficial implementation of Signal, and just because it is unofficial doesn't make it inherently insecure, it can be insecure for other valid reasons but not because it is unofficial.

I wasn't aware of the difficulty of installing it on non pixel devices, I thought you could install it without issue, given it's not really publicly available then there's no reason for me to continue discussing this.

WAU3604

embroider_unknotted344 I think you're splitting hairs. A fork of GrapheneOS is still GrapheneOS

I think you are still not understanding what has been said, you keep abstracting in this thread about the security of "GrapheneOS on Non-Pixel devices" however you haven't given any actual implementations of it on said "non pixel devices".

If you can actually point to:

a specific device, like GOS on a 2025 Motorola Razr Fold or some other device, then we can actually talk about specific things about the security and go in more depth about the processor, secure enclave, verified boot, etc. of the device and how it will or will not maintain hardware security of GOS.
a Specific code implementation/fork of GOS for said device, then we can actually discuss the specifics about how the security model was maintained or if the person just did a shotty job and didn't fix any security issues that the software has on said device.

As from what I can tell from this thread you seem to be complaining about non specific answers when you are giving people a very vague notion about "GOS on Non-Pixel devices" which can only be answered in a general vague "it will be a worse experience than GOS on a pixel".

NoahRaketic

embroider_unknotted344 What you're saying is not correct. A fork of GrapheneOS is not GrapheneOS. Similarly, if you were able to root an existing build of GrapheneOS, then it is not GrapheneOS anymore. The same concept applies.

otterfoghornrainfall

embroider_unknotted344 Graphene's ability to be secure and private is dependent on hardware features that are currently only available on Pixel devices. Even if someone were to install something based on GOS on another device, most if not all security and privacy enhancements would be rendered void, and other vulnerabilities likely created.

Signal and Molly is not an adequate metaphor, as individual applications are designed to be hardware agnostic, depending on an operating system instead. There are plenty of open source software projects that are hardware dependent, something like arduino comes to mind as an example, open source code for only specifically built hardware. While GOS is a fork of Android, it has more specific hardware requirements than AOSP, which is designed to be broadly supported.

Eirikr70

embroider_unknotted344 "This house built on a rocky ground seems so strong. Let's build the same on my swamp!"

embroider_unknotted344

JB11 I think it's a fine goal to have as long as you're realistic about it. Do you actually like the idea of having to build your own fires, maintain a hut, kill and cook your dinner, while potentially risking your life? I think it's realistic enough if you're just living in a cabin close to civilisation, a few miles/km near a town. Not in a literal forest in the middle of nowhere. And not permanently. If you're serious then go camping as an experiment, should be a good test. You need to have bigger reasons to want to do that than privacy.

schweizer

Let's talk about how GrapeheneOS behaves on iphones! Irony off.

linux-dev

nagano We have 4 pixels from 6,6a,7,9 none of these devices has any issues. The only complaints are the optical fingerprint sensors. But my Pixel 9 with ultrasonic sensor is way better.
IMHO the 9 is a big jump in all aspects. But hopefully, we will get great specs at a normal price, once we see motorola special device, we will see.

Any non stock android, or ios is good for privacy. iOS privacy is good if you trust apple, but iOS sends data constantly, jut pick up the phone and it already contacts apple, no way to turn this off. If you want to use carplay, you have to enable siri (and read what they write when you enable it, transcripts send to apple). Thus unless you turn on airplane mode apple always knows were your are. My company does not allow to enable siri, doesn't matter if you use the opton button press for siri.

I have used pretty much everything stock, lineageos, calyxos, iOS, grapheneos.

Calyxos was pretty good, especially when you compile your own builds, where you change ntp,dns and a few other defaults, use your own boot keys. Calyx firewall was really nice.

Grapheneos is cool with it's storage spaces and fast updates.

ORESHNIK

iPhone last gens, with well setup, no iCloud or Siri with all turned off all is much more privacy and safe than basic android, android last 5 years sends 5x times more telemetry ACR data to many companyes, its holeshit. But if you are using messengers - get laptop with Linux.

littlerack

ORESHNIK
A nickname ORESHNIK - what does it mean or refer to in the modern culture?

In modern culture, "Oreshnik" (Орешник) most commonly refers to:

Hazel grove / hazel tree — retains nature/folk connotations in nicknames, local place names, and brands.

Military/weapon name — widely used since 2024 as the popular name for a Russian intermediate‑range/hypersonic missile, so it now carries military/geopolitical connotations in news, memes, and commentary.

Nicknames/handles — used as online pseudonyms, gamer tags, and restaurant/shop names in Russian‑speaking communities, often evoking rustic or earthy character.

EverettHitch

ORESHNIK I don't know where you get that from. Google among others gets pretty much involved in Apple ecosystem as well not just through web browsing but app tracking too, so I do not consider it a worthy alternative.

ORESHNIK

littlerack its mean weapon

MrSandman

Johnnyloans Since Apple has implemented the age verification check in th UK (and it will come eventually everywhere) I wouldn't use them.

jjewel

Any Android phone with a custom room like LinageOS. Been using one for years and never had problems. You decide how much security/privacy you want to put in it and trade convenience and functionalities in the process.

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