Is GrapheneOS idiot-proof? Are there any drawbacks at all?

DeletedUser720

CharlieMander No it is not idiot Proof. I'm a idiot and have had some issue

Strange, I thought "idiot-proof" is when something, if used by idiot, can't harm the idiot, in the first place. But, probably, I'm wrong.

CharlieMander

DeletedUser720 I love GrapheneOS... I'm slightly annoyed I was able to disable my Physical Sim Card... It has caused me some issue this week... And still have not been able to fix it.

I should not have complained. I love GrapheneOS. I'm pissed off about my Sim Card. But if that's the worse thing its still worth it ×10. It was my fault in the first place.

Johnnyloans

CharlieMander I should not have complained. I love GrapheneOS.

You're all good dude. Feel free to ask any questions or bring up any issues. Many people are glad to help. :)

You were correct that idiot-proof can mean anything. Even something as trivial as somehow disabling all vibrations or something.

Make a new thread for this but some ideas:

Settings > system > reset options > reset mobile
Settings > network > sim > on doesn't work?

you might have to check for an error in the logs of this but there's a bunch of personal/SIM info in it.
Settings > apps > all apps > 3 dots top right > show system > search for "sim" > tap on sim toolkit

xxx

Yes it is 'idiot-proof' very simple and easy to setup.

DeletedUser688

hdusuensnsh Installing GrapheneOS is very straight forward when using the WebUSB-based Installer and using preferably google chrome with no addons/plugins installed. Take your time to read every step and be patient.

In terms of usability, the problem is that some apps rely on google play services too heavy and won't work at all. In addition, some random apps might have bugs that make the app not usable (example: login doesn't work) or are not even installable (example) through Google Play when using GrapheneOS compared to the OEM OS.
In addition, getting features like Android Auto or RCS working needs some extra configuration, which can be confusing.

So all in all, I would not recommend GrapheneOS for you. If I was you, I would take an iPhone into consideration, which is the next best thing.

Novalissoide

DeletedUser688 RCS working needs some extra configuration

A lot of the big recurring issues was recently fixed, and the new configuration is not that hard to employ.

https://imgur.com/a/uvdcS50

DeletedUser688

Novalissoide of course, but it's not enabled by default. It's generally correct to have the user enable it on their own, but for a non-technical user, this might be a hassle.

NeilandEllen

I'm new to this forum and hoping someone can help me. I've never used GOS but I'd like to buy a refurbished Pixel Fold and put GOS on it. However, Pixel Fold updates end in 2028. Will that impact the usability of GOS after 2028? I don't want to buy the Pixel Fold if GOS won't function correctly after 2028. Thank you in advance :)

Novalissoide

NeilandEllen GOS won't function correctly after 2028

https://grapheneos.org/faq#device-lifetime

Pixel Fold OEM minimum support end June 2028
Pixel 9 Pro Fold OEM minimum support end August 2031
Pixel 10 Pro Fold OEM minimum support end October 2032

'OEM minimum support end', it is like equal to End of Life for that device.

DeletedUser720

NeilandEllen 1st fold, or fold 9?

Novalissoide

NeilandEllen And it is strongly adviced against keeping using a device past EOL.

Johnnyloans

NeilandEllen However, Pixel Fold updates end in 2028. Will that impact the usability of GOS after 2028?

It'll function all the same. It likely will not receive security updates anymore in June 2028. This is the same as on stock OS by google.

For any pixel phone, get carrier unlocked & bootloader unlocked for GrapheneOS.

Here's the update lifespan of pixels:
https://endoflife.date/pixel

NeilandEllen

1st fold.

Novalissoide

Johnnyloans It'll function all the same. It likely will not receive security updates anymore in June 2028

But this is why we often put it like this: When GrapheneOS isn't receiving updates anymore since device EOL, it stops being a GrapheneOS device.

NeilandEllen

Wow. I've never seen such a responsive forum. You guys are awesome! Many thanks for your speedy feedback. Sounds like I'll be okay :)

MineralWater

It's very easy to install when you just follow the steps of the web installer instructions on the webpage. As long as you got a working usb c cable (yuo probably need to try several) and the device is found by the installer, you can't do anything wrong.

If you made to install it, it's also very easy to go back to the factory stock android firmware.

So don't be feared to try it out, there is almost zero chance that you damage your phone.

Graphene OS is easy to use. You can install the Play Store and Play Services and then you can use all apps that are available on the official app store. Just some banking apps and some official government apps (but don't have to) might not run.

Google Pay doesn't work. In Germany you can use PayPal for wireless payments via NFC-this might be rolled out to other countries in the future.

The Google backup solution and find your phone don't work either.

Outside USA the RCS messages work fine since some weeks-its explained in the forums how to enable it.

All in all the OS is wonderful if you don't want any AI integration and prefer to have control which apps can connect to the Internet and what rights these are granted.

If you want AI features integrated into the system Graphene OS might be not the best choice. You still can use AI apps, but the convenience (or annoyance) of having AI built into the system is gone.

I would encourage you to try it out for some days. Start slowly. I would suggest for the start to use only the owner profile and to install the Play store and services.

If you managed to configure everything to your liking, you can do some research in the forums about the specialities of the Graphene OS and see which of these you find interesting.

Start with the apps you want to use daily, maybe messengers, email etc.

And if you aren't satisfied or feel like that you feel better with the original stock android firmware the Phone came with, then you can revert everything.

If you have questions just ask in the forum, in almost all cases you get answers within some hours.

metalsped

The only gripe I have with GOS is that I had to give up RCS messaging until its refigured back out... just regular SMS/MMS at the present time. I don't use banking apps, or anything past music, browsing, etc. Basic smart phone stuff, and it works just fine. Zero complaints otherwise, with much more control over what you allow to access your life. Way more upsides than downsides.

rjo12

No system is truly idiot proof. As per a quote that is sometimes attributed to Albert Einstein "Two things are infinite: The Universe and Human Stupidity; and I'm not sure about the Universe". A corollary is that no system can be designed that is immune to every idiot.

As to drawbacks of GOS;

Any Apps that require the device and operating system to pass Google's "Strong Integrity" will not work. This is not a fault of GOS - Google refuses to pass any system that does not (among other things) have Google Play and Google Services installed as privileged system applications. Affected applications include some banking Apps, some government Apps, Google Pay, and (curiously) a few games.
Some people (such as people who are used to iOS) complain about GOS not having a "complete" suite of Apps on first use. It is necessary to find such Apps (e.g. through Play Store, or via other means) and install them yourself.
Currently only recent Google Pixels are the only devices supported for installing GOS (the only ones that provide hardware features that meets security-related requirements for GOS). [There is, however, an announced partnership with Motorola, and it is anticipated Motorola will commence sell devices that meet requirements in 2027].
While it is possible to find companies who sell devices with GOS pre-installed, the price is often substantially more than simply buying the device and installing GOS. This is viewed as a drawback by non-technical people who just want a device that "just works" out of the box.
Setting up to use RCS requires jumping through more hoops than it does on a "stock" Android device.

For people who care about privacy and security (the focus of GOS is, over-simplistically, improving user privacy by use of security measures) the drawbacks are acceptable. For some people, those drawbacks are even an advantage offered by GOS - it depends on perspective. For example, the fact that GOS does not have a lot of "productivity" apps installed by default is viewed as a benefit by people who do not want those apps.

Sandboxing just means that Apps are run in a manner that limits their ability to interact with (share data with) other Apps. Apps can still communicate in some specific ways if both take deliberate actions to enable it, or if granted particular permissions i.e. sandboxing prevents (or, at the least, significantly limits) a malicious App from interfering with the behaviour of some other App.

The bootloader is a program responsible for booting the device, and loading the operating system. It is implemented as firmware i.e. it is software that is installed by specialised means in physical (e.g. flash) memory on the device. Most phones ship with a locked bootloader, so someone with the phone in their hand cannot easily reflash the bootloader, monkey with storage partitions, or install a different operating system. Installing an alternative operating system, like GOS, requires unlocking the bootloader - which also has the effect of erasing all user data (apps, contacts, etc) from the phone. Not all vendors support unlocking the bootloader, and not all vendors that do allow unlocking support relocking. GOS supports (and requires, as a means of improving device security) re-locking the bootloader after it is installed - some other alternative operating systems do not.

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