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  • Getting Ready for Pixel / Graphene. Advice?

Try to live without Google, you’ll be glad you did.

That means no Google on that phone.

I've been wanting to write a full guide for this for new comers, but for now I'll write a very brief version for you.

When installing make sure you use a chrome based browser or USB compatibility for the install wont work. I recommend Brave (if windows).

Once installed:

  1. Update
  2. Go through EVERY setting and subsetting and set them to your preference. This is important. It takes a bit of time but much less time than a regular phone as a lot of BS google settings aren't there to deal with.

Now you have a basic phone, but its really not ready for you.

Installing apps procedure:

  1. go to https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium , get and install Obtanium. This app will allow you to install apps from github and other sources and help you update them very conveniently.
  2. Open Obtanium, click Add App, and put the obtanium github address mentioned in number 1 in the "App Source URL" and click "add". Make sure "include Prereleases" is selected for this item. (only needed for Obtanium. For other apps this should be off). Now you have Obtanium installed and it can update itself.
  3. Install Aurora Store. Obtanium > add app > https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AuroraStore .
  4. Install Droidify. Obtanium > add app > https://github.com/Iamlooker/Droid-ify . this is the better choice for a front end for F-droid.

Now you have all the major sources (stores) to install apps from and to update the apps through.

  1. Get the following apps using obtanium by adding the addresses:
  2. Get these apps from Droid-ify:
    • Geometric Weather (best to get from fdroid)
    • OsmAND+ (map app - best to get from fdroid)
    • Metro - Local music player
  3. Get these apps from Aurora:
    • Brave
    • Magic Earth (map app)
  4. Get from Aurora or F-droid:
    • VLC (Video/audio player)
    • Etar (Calendar app)

Now you have a phone that is more or less on par with a regular phone in terms of functionality, all major elements work well, except no voice recorder. On basic GOS this is not the case as audio/video files don't play, there is no calendar, no note taking, etc.

Other apps you might want:

  • Read You (github)
  • Telegram FOSS (github)
  • Lawnchair v2 (Aurora)
  • Infinity (github)
  • KeePassDX (github)
  • Antennapod (f-droid)
  • Snapdrop
  • Trebleshot
  • Tasks.org
  • Exif Scrambler
  • Google photos
  • Google Camera
  • Google Maps

Google Camera and Google photos Will give you better post processing and better photos. If you want to install them I recommend installing both of them together in a secondary profile and keep them isolated in that profile and keep that profile fully offline.

If you need google maps, I recommend you install it in a separate profile by itself and behind a VPN. And don't let it know your own addresses (home, work, friends).

Notes:

  • Some apps I've included for your convenience/utility. Not required. (ViMusic, Browsers).
  • I recommend Simple Calender over Etar because I feel its slightly better (features and looks). If you find the look of simple calendar undesirable at first know that once you change the colors it will look MUCH better and very modern. I recommend you try Etar too and make your own mind.
  • Simple Gallery and Aves are both great, but they trade blows. Try both, decide for yourself. Look of Simple gallery can be improved through settings.
  • Keyboard can be a personal thing, but OpenBoard is superior to the default KB. Start there, and find better keyboards down the road.
  • Some apps can be gotten from multiple sources. Sometimes there are differences based on where you get them from. This is why I have specified sources for where to get some of these apps. My recommendations are based on privacy, google-free-ness, and ease of update.
  • if you add too many apps to obtanium it might give errors on auto check for updates, "too many requests" or something. In obtanium you can turn off auto check and just check manually once a day or two days.

    This was not an exhaustive list Just the most essential.
    In your note taking app, make a lists of where you installed each app from so that when it comes to updates you don't run into problems. Trust me, you'll see why this will save you massive headaches.

      User2288 Interesting list. There are a couple points or concerns I'd make here (like using a browser on GrapheneOS other than the default Vanadium with its security hardening) but I'll just limit to one real comment:

      • Telegram FOSS, this app burns through battery life like nothing else I've used. Had to ditch it for that specific reason, just really terrible. Would suggest looking at Nekogram X as an alternative, also open source, but without the dreadful battery life drain.

      To the original poster - if you want to receive notifications reliably for all your apps, there may not be a practical alternative to using the sandboxed google services available through GrapheneOS. Sure, many apps work fine, but many don't, and while it stinks that we need google at all for such core functionality to work reliably, its vexing when it doesn't. Good luck and welcome. With patience and thoughtful setup, there's nothing quite like the control you have with GrapheneOS, in my opinion.

      a month later

      Sorry I have not gotten back to my question. Between work and the loss of a family member, I have not been around.

      I want to thank everyone that responded constructively and informatively.

      I have finally decided to "pull the trigger" and I am going to install Graphene this weekend. (Haven't even opened the phone yet!)

      This weekend, I have literally nothing to do, so I will have the personal time to fill and spend with it!

        4 days later

        I need to revise my guide as I no longer fully agree with myself on every item on my original post.

        I also agree with @Shendai .

        TelegromFOSS is bad for battery.

        Aves has internal video player, Simple Gallery doesn't. Simple gallery has internal editing tools. I believe Aves doesn't.

        If you need extra browsers brave is a better option than bromite.

        LibreTube is better than NewPipe for privacy, but both have their merits.

        Checkout an app called UntrackMe. very useful for privacy when opening links in the browser for some common websites. Gives alternative frontends in the browser to read/view comon websites like youtube and reddit. Very handy for me.

        You don't necessarily have to install Google Camera and Google Photos in a separate profile like I recommended before. How and where you install them depends on your strategy and how isolated you want them to be. You can certainly test install them once in a separate profile to get the hang of the process as a practice run.

        • [deleted]

        User2288 I didn't know about the vimusic app, thanks for the link.

          [deleted]

          You're welcome.

          I think some spotify clients exist too but I haven't looked into it yet. Spot would give better quality, but vi music is really good for convenience.

          • [deleted]

          zeroNULLvoid Did you get to install GOS yet? How are you finding it? Did it so far fulfill your expectations?

            [deleted] I am getting the hang of it! Battery life is incredible, smooth, clean, does exactly what I want it to do, and keeps me more present in the moment. Installed F-Droid and Aurora, got Brave and my Proton suite - very pleased! Thank You!

            7 months later

            User2288
            Thank you for this great guide. Tomorrow is my starting day.
            This might be a noob question: if I plan to run different user profiles, do I have to install Obtainium, Aurora, Droidify and Co. on each profile? My guees is yes, because other use case and profile specific apps need to be installed through them into each individual profile. Or is there something like a super user, who can download apps and then grants them access to different profiles? Thanks ahead.

              Gee
              You can certainly install apps in the owner profile if the app will be used on multiple profiles. Doing this will allow you to use the "Install Available Apps" feature to "push" an app from the owner profile into whichever profiles you wish. You can then update the app from the Owner profile, which will update the app on all profiles.

              If you only want an app to be on a specific profile, then yes you'll need Obtainium/Aurora/etc. on that profile.

                Don’t load it up with all the crap that people think they “need”.

                • Gee replied to this.

                  Dumdum Great, thank you. Brings me a step closer to plan how to use my Pixel as simple as possible. Not so easy when you are operating with three different physical SIMs and eyeing towards melting everything down to one eSIM and one pSIM ...

                    Blastoidea That's exactly why I am asking these noob questions here, to not install more junk than really needed.

                    Gee
                    Also know that for installing and removing esims you will need official google software. Gos alone cant do it. I'm not sure if it can be done using the gos' "sandboxed google play". Check other threads on the subject of esim installation/removal.

                    8 days later