I didn't see a ready made thread about this, so here goes.

I'm planning a change everything day (or week) very soon. One part of that is replacing android 13 in this pixel6a with graphene. Before I bring any device online after it has been changed, I will have changed all my devices similarly.

My purpose does not stem from fear of government intrusion, though I see privacy with respect to them as a plus. My purpose is more related to some stubborn malicious hacking.

I can't very well fault someone who drives a modern car away from civilization only to end up stranded with a boat anchor that he is clueless about in terms of it's operation at a low level if I continue to operate computing devices without a working knowledge of their security and privacy related components and controls.

Over the last three years, I have endeavored to fix that.

Now that I know a little about the controls of these things, I need devices that allow me access to the controls. I intend to get that.

I already have the programming skills I need, so when the day comes that I don't see a permission I want to set up I will join in the open source gama and make my fork what I want. I mean business.

But I start with a step. I will start getting control by way of whatever is available on a ready built distribution of graphene and go from there.

Other parts of my system will be similarly treated...laptop, router and other networked items whether wired or not, accounts, whatever it takes. I'm currently talking with t mobile to see what I have to do with respect to them.

If anyone out there is doing a similar thing, whether the way that I mention here or another way, I would like to hear advice that you are willing to share, and if you think I might be able to answer anything for you, please ask.

I'll even at least entertain assessments that view using graphene to this end is I'll advised. The caveats are that I will resist third party apps in favor of roll my own and that warnings that I'll brick my devices by doing ordinary things like messing with registries aren't needed. Several years of severely twisting my surface win10 registry left me disappointingly unable to brick my devices.

Hi I don't know exactly what you're planning to do/change with regards to GrapheneOS, but I would start by reading the documentation on top of using the OS to see if what is already available covers you.

Important pages to read:

https://grapheneos.org/faq
https://grapheneos.org/usage
https://grapheneos.org/features

It also sounds like you're willing to make your own builds and add your own features. For that, I highly advise following

https://grapheneos.org/build

Good luck!

Thank you for replying.

I don't really know that coding will be necessary. Settings and careful use of existing builds of graphene may do exactly what I want. Time will tell.

I will check out the links you sent.

    7 months later

    AccessDeniedBitch you may have seen that I've commented on some threads regarding Bluetooth and the ability to shut it down. I've found some places in settings that look helpful, but nothing, unless its in developer settings, that convinces me that its doing what I want.

    I thought maybe I had installed an app that requires it and that might cause android to gray out turning off BT at the system level. But I just cranked up grapheneos on pixel 6a unit 2, acquired a little for audit but mostly as a dev phone, yesterday. No apps other than the native ones are installed, and the BT system app won't let me deny its permissions.

    Prior to having unit 2 running, I was OK with maybe I'm just stupid. But now I'm not convinced...lol.

    A big thing for me is total control over radio links with my phone (except cellular..I can't imagine a carrier handing that over other than airplane mode).

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      • Edited

      AccessDeniedBitch I've found some places in settings that look helpful, but nothing, unless its in developer settings, that convinces me that its doing what I want.

      That's your problem then. Turning buetooth off via the quick settings tile or ADB has the same effect.

      AccessDeniedBitch and the BT system app won't let me deny its permissions.

      Please don't do anything to the system apps, you may brick your OS like this gentleman did.

      I guess you may have made bad experience with some kind of Bluetooth attack so your concerns are valid.
      Having said that I completely trust GOS devs when they say the attack vector Bluetooth is closed when you click the tile.
      That the BT system app has BT permissions is just logical. What if you deny them, are you sure of the consequences? Maybe your BT from there on is always on but you have no option to see/disable it.

      Also making your fork is valid. Just be aware that you have to apply/recompile/install every patch gos makes, otherwise you will be less secure by far in a matter of months/maybe weeks. And that is time consuming to say at least.