Using Big-Tech Apps on GrapheneOS

Newbie2026

Hello Members,

Is it ok to use some Big-Tech apps on GrapheneOS phone?
Or at-least is it better than using them on iOS and Android?

My mentor, a YouTuber called "Side Of Burritos" advises not use any big tech apps at all on grapheneOS for privacy reasons.
While his advise might be an ideal scenario, in my case some of these apps are absolutely necessity.

So basically what I'm asking is that -

Will I have some privacy using some of the apps (Sandboxed by creating a different User/Profile) on GrapheneOS
rather than using them on a regular iPhone OS.

The apps in question are -

Gmail
Instagram
Telegram
Uber
Whatsapp
YouTube

Appreciate all responses in advance.

Thanks,
Newbie2026

eduardomelon

Newbie2026 Is it ok to use some Big-Tech apps on GrapheneOS phone?

Yes, why wouldn't it be ok?

Newbie2026 Or at-least is it better than using them on iOS and Android?

Yes. I would like to suggest you, to read through the features page, to get an idea how GrapheneOS improves upon the already very secure AOSP:

https://grapheneos.org/features

Newbie2026 My mentor, a YouTuber called "Side Of Burritos" advises not use any big tech apps at all on grapheneOS for privacy reasons.

I am sorry to break it to you, but if that's what your mentor said, he is wrong. What's the point of GrapheneOS if you can't use the apps and services you need? The GrapheneOS devs put in a huge amount of work to make sure that app compatibility and sandboxing work properly. Why not make use of it instead of getting a second burner phone?

Newbie2026 The apps in question are -

Gmail
Instagram
Telegram
Uber
Whatsapp
YouTube

There are a lot of possibilities to mitigate the data collection these apps can do on your phone.

For example:

Use them in a separate profile where you only install privacy invasive apps
Use them in a private space, which has the benefit of being quickly accessible, while preserving proper isolation
Try to avoid installing apps in the first place and use PWA's (Progressive Web Apps)
Use privacy friendly alternatives
Accept that there is fundamentally no way to use these apps/services in a way that preserves your privacy

nologo

Newbie2026 Is it ok to use some Big-Tech apps on GrapheneOS phone?

You can use whatever you want. There are very good reasons to be suspicious of 'Big Tech', but whether or not you use stuff by Alphabet or Meta is a personal choice.

Newbie2026 Or at-least is it better than using them on iOS and Android?

Yes, it is. Especially the sandboxing of Google Play Services, which means these services don't have 'root' privileges, makes using apps depending on those services less of a privacy nightmare.

However, GOS does not magically make all the problems inherent to logging into and using services like Facebook or YouTube disappear. Personally, I do not use those and I think this Burittos person does have a point. But this is an ideological stance, not a technical or GOS issue.

not-a-rola

Newbie2026 Gmail

Web version or third party IMAP4 access, like K9 Mail.

Instagram

Web.

Telegram

Web or open source clients from F-droid.

Uber

Known to work with web only.

Whatsapp

The .apk can be downloaded from their own website, the one from Aurora Store is also ok. They probably don't check the app installation source.

YouTube

Newpipe, Pipepipe, you name it.

bennyblanco

Basically, you can do what you want and what feels works for you, we share some data all the time online and IRL, so it's never 'NEVER' for me, there's usually some kind of trade off. Social media is a privacy nightmare from beginning to end that being said.

YouTube I usually use logged out either via Newpipe or Brave.

I'm also curious why people use a separate profile for things like whatsapp, it seems more hassle than it's worth considering they're sandboxed anyway to begin with (even on regular android & IOS). GOS also forces Google Play to the state of a regular app, so there's no central collection and elevated privileges like on regular Android so I don't fully understand the need for another profile on GrapheneOS, especially if you make use of Storage Scopes.

I'm not sure how iPhone works in this regard, so not sure how it compares privacy-wise in connection to the OS.

nologo

bennyblanco I don't fully understand the need for another profile on GrapheneOS

There's a nice list of possible advantages in this article: https://seprand.github.io/articles/best-user-profile-setup/

bennyblanco

nologo Interesting, thanks. I never thought of IPCs being an issue. Doesn't sandboxing take care of unwarranted IPCs anyway? I guess there's always a risk somewhere to someone though.

Having a profile to delete seems a good idea, rather than nuking everything via Duress or whatever though. Never thought of that.

bennyblanco

If you're using Grapheneos with a google account, the Google apps are going to track you to some degree known matter what, just to achieve basic functionality so even if you have them in different profiles, Google will still collect some data and tie to your Google account. Its going to be a lot better though than running stock android where every google app will be running with unfettered access. Same with the Meta apps, they'll still collect some data, but you can minimize it (how much point there is to that when you're giving them data willingly is another question). It's always worth making use of app permissions and storage scopes to minimize what you're sharing.

nologo

bennyblanco Doesn't sandboxing take care of unwarranted IPCs anyway?

The app sandbox does not prevent IPC from happening. All apps on Android are sandboxed, but apps can communicate with each other through IPC - if both apps are built to do so. There's an older post by Unwat about IPC with some good information: https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/1549-more-questions-about-ipc/2

Newbie2026

@bennyblanco
@nologo

Thanks for the responses. However, you explanation is too technical for me.
I'm sorry, but could you simplify it for me.

Thanks

bennyblanco

Newbie2026

So basically all apps are sandboxed by default on Android & IOS. Each of the apps you mention collects data and 'sends it home' from its own separate 'box'. But also, on Android, Google Play Services also collects data from your apps and activity elsewhere on your phone and puts it all together in your user/Google account. Google Play Services has special or 'elevated' privileges applied by google to collect data across your apps and devices. Its easier to imagine it being an 'extra layer' on top of all your apps that oversee what they're doing and send that info to Google. On Grapheneos though, Google Play Services are forced to run in a regular sandbox, with none of Google's special privileges applied, so they can't see outside their box.

This all happens with having to use a separate profile.
Using certain apps in their own profile would given you extra piece of mind if you think these apps are maybe doing something they shouldn't or talking to or spying on other apps.

You'll probably find there's no way to use these services without sharing data. It's their very reason for existing, especially in the case of social media.

nologo

Newbie2026 not sure if I understand exactly what you want to know, but I'll try to explain some basics (as far as I can, I am no expert myself).

all apps on Android run 'sandboxed', in their own environment which is seperated from other apps and the system. If an app needs to access something outside of its own environment, your files for example, it will need permission to do so. You notice this as soon as you install an app: all kinds of permissions are asked.
This sandboxing is not specific to GrapheneOS, but a part of Android in general.
on GrapheneOS, you have fine grained control over permissions. GOS has brilliant features called Storage Scopes and Contact Scopes. Please read about those here and here. Those features are extremely useful in controlling what apps can potentially access and what not.
apps (or processes) can communicate with each other through IPC (inter-process communication). So even though apps are sandboxed, they may exchange data. This can be very useful, but as a user you may not want data to be shared between certain apps.
IPC does not just happen. Both apps must have been specifically built to do so. With proprietary software, we usually simply don't know if IPC is being used.
if you want to isolate certain apps from other apps, you can use user profiles (or private space). IPC can only happen within a profile. An app in your owner profile cannot communicate with an app in a secondary user profile.

DeletedUser620

eduardomelon What's the point of GrapheneOS if you can't use the apps and services you need?

I just want to comment on this one. The main point is to have a smartphone that isn't spying on you. You can then use various apps of your choosing and ideally those would also be apps that don't spy on you. I don't agree that the main point is to use all the usual privacy nightmares.

bennyblanco

You've got a lot of control via permissions as well for each of your apps, on regular Android, almost everything is permitted for each app when in doesn't need to be. Its an eye opener looking at the lists of permissions that AREN'T' allowed in Grapheneos compared to regular Android.

DirtyDan

I think there are VERY valid reasons to avoid installing Big Tech and social media apps. It's not just paranoia, there is a documented history of them bypassing mobile privacy restrictions to gain access to more user data. They're looking for more than just the data you give them. They want access to everything.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/meta-apps-have-been-covertly-tracking-android-users-web-activity-for-months

https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/21/meta-allegedly-bypassed-apple-privacy-measure-and-fired-employee-who-flagged-it/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260210-tiktok-is-tracking-you-even-if-you-dont-use-the-app-heres-how-to-stop-it

https://www.rd.com/list/phone-apps-spying-on-you/

As much as I love GrapheneOS, it's difficult to guard against things that haven't been revealed yet. And we right now have multi-trillion dollar companies, employing some of the best engineers in the world, with an incentive to keep coming up with new ways to bypass privacy/security settings.

At the very least, install on it on a separate GrapheneOS profile.

Better yet, access it through an alternative client or in a web browser designed to be ephemeral.

Better yet, access it in an ephemeral browser, in a virtual machine, using a VPN.

Better yet, stop using them, export your data, and permanently delete your accounts.

konem

not-a-rola

not-a-rola like K9 Mail

K9 Mail is “Thunderbird for Android” now.

eduardomelon

DeletedUser620 I don't agree that the main point is to use all the usual privacy nightmares.

Sure, that's your subjective opinion, which you are entitled to. The fact is that GrapheneOS does not make specific recommendations, on what apps or services you should or shouldn't use on your phone.

People have families to take care off, professional obligations and other circumstances that "force" them to use apps and services that don't prioritize privacy.

I agree with your sentiment that we should strive towards solutions, which prioritize privacy, especially, when it is possible to make the switch.

DeletedUser620

eduardomelon

https://grapheneos.org/

GrapheneOS is a privacy and security focused
GrapheneOS also develops various apps and services with a focus on privacy and security.
GrapheneOS will never include either Google Play services or another implementation

The word "privacy" appears 9 times on just the main page.
It's a reasonable conclusion beyond a subjective opinion.

eduardomelon circumstances that "force" them

Yes of course, but that doesn't change that starting point.

eduardomelon

DeletedUser620 The word "privacy" appears 9 times on just the main page.
It's a reasonable conclusion beyond a subjective opinion.

These statements refer only to GrapheneOS and the apps and services they provide.
You seem to extrapolate them and assume they apply to third‑party apps and services, which they do not. The main page — or even the whole website, for that matter — does not mention which apps or services you should use at all.

DeletedUser733

eduardomelon

I agree, GrapheneOS out of the box is Privacy/security personified.

Any additional apps a user may install are at their own risk, any G@@gle apps installed is just playing with fire.