allcool Sorry for the late response. I am using GOS in Brazil with Claro and it doesn't connect to 5G. Only 4G. Pixel 6 here.

    allcool If you or anyone else find out about how to unlock 5G I would love to hear.

    d9780

    I’m not aware of a way to randomize imei, would love to learn more…

    In my County it is nearly impossible to get a sim anonym (for me at least)
    what can i do too have Signal whith out personal identifiers?
    Or is ther a nother app whitout phone nummer login an same text and calls features whitch same secrurity?

    i thinking about dithing my sim complitly and youse my phone with eternet at home and mobile on wifi. What have i to do, to make shure im private and secure?

    a question a bit off topic:
    What is the best praxis to download an app, if its possible to get the app from the official website, github, f-droid and playstore?

    i am new hear so thanks vor answers. :)

      overpass Try getting a SMS verification with https://sms4sats.com/ (you can choose to have your number registered in another country if you want).
      I've managed to get an almost anonymous telegram account that I've used in the past as a burner account.

      Then, since you are only renting this number for a single SMS you should use a PIN (https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007059792-Signal-PIN) as it will serve as a registration lock.

      10 days later

      I can just use no SIM card w MYSUDO and not even connect to a cell tower so IMEI will not b read by anyone I think......
      Of course I can only use it when I am hooked up to wifi.

        d9780

        Will be nice when mysudo allows you to create an account directly on graphene. Last I checked, you have to use a stock android or iOS device to get setup.

          applesbana
          My understanding as you can scan the barcode and copy the account from another device after you download it from Google Play services

            d9780

            Yeah, it’s unfortunate for those without a second device. Also if you ever wiped your graphene phone and had to recreate the account, you will again need access to the non graphene phone

              applesbana

              How do I take a backup snap shot of my entire Graphene pixel and save it in case I lose my phone?

                d9780

                I don’t believe that is really possible today but hopefully someone corrects me if I’m wrong

                2 months later

                [deleted] Hey guys, I am thinking about this topic also for quite a while and I disagree with your statement here that you don't achieve anything by changing your SIM. It's true that the carrier connects the IMEI with the IMSI the first time you use the new SIM card because you register in the carriers network with your IMEI. But: It's way more complicated to track you based on your IMEI than with your IMSI. Not everyone inside the mobile phone network has access to your IMEI. Different service providers that are necessary are also located in different country's. You have one company that provides the cellular network towers, then you have the SIM card providers and you also have the roaming providers. Maybe there are even more but that are the ones I think about. The SIM card provider needs your IMEI to register your SIM and tie it to your phone but the roaming provider and the cellular tower providers don't need and don't have access to this information. Of course they could get this information from the SIM card providers but it's an extra step for them. So changing the SIM card at least changes the identity for 2 of the 3 providers I mentioned here.

                Another thing to keep in mind is that it can be very good to protect your privacy if you use SIM cards that are issued in a different country that you are living in. Why? Because it's a lot harder for the network provider to get information about your identity if your card is not issued in your home country. For example: If you use a SIM card from Croatia and you live in the Netherlands, you can use this SIM like any other SIM from the Netherlands because you have free roaming. The mobile network provider in the Netherlands now just has your IMSI but because he has not issued the SIM, he does not know your identity and don't know your IMEI. Also the roaming provider does not know it. They would need to do a lot more work to get your name and any other personal information.

                So to summarize this: Of course it's still possible to crack down on you, depending on your threat modle and what you do. If you are Snowden or Assange, that would not protect you because all the providers need to comply with the law and there are many ways to identify you, but if you just want to protect your data from analysis through 3rd parties and big tech, it can give you some better protection and it get's a lot more difficult to get all the data tied to your identity.

                Additional steps that can help: Try to avoid SMS and the cellular network for phone calls. Use e2e encrypted messenger for your chats and phone calls as often as possible. Try to hide your network data by using a VPN and TOR in a good combination. Think about buying a VoIP phone number to do the calls and SMS that can't happen anywhere else. Because of that, it's harder for people who try to do a man in the middle attack with IMSI catchers to sniff on your SMS and phone calls because you use a network connection. Also then, none of the mobile providers can sniff on this data now (still you have the VoIP provider who can store data but it's harder for any other service provider to get access to the data). An additional benefit of that is that you can use your flight mode more often and convenient when connected to Wifi because you will still receive phone calls.

                For everyone who struggles to get a physical no KYC SIM I would recommend look into silent link. They offer a great service for anonymous eSIMs that can be bought with Bitcoin and Monero. No additional information required. Keep in mind that in most country's where you are forced to do KYC when activating a SIM, it's still legal to buy and use a SIM that is already activated.

                I would recommend this videos for anyone who is interested on that topic:

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUVS-1_hUBM (Seth for privacy and Silent Link)

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh2tQOlMQiY (Matt Odell from Citadel Dispatch and Silent Link)

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpDl887w4KA (Rob Braxman Tech)

                  Subject1613 The SIM card provider needs your IMEI to register your SIM and tie it to your phone but the roaming provider and the cellular tower providers don't need and don't have access to this information.

                  Is that true at all? I'd be surprised to hear that the IMEI isn't visible to the local side of the cell network. Case in point: "IMSI catcher" datasheets have been advertising the ability to go by IMEI for ages.

                    rustybird It's possible for IMSI catchers to also get your IMEI but afaik it's not that easy for anyone else except the SIM card provider to get this information while operating just their normal service. But I'm happy to learn something new and maybe I'm wrong on here. Also it could vary in some country's?

                    What I also have in mind is to switch from using a Smartphone with built in SIM to just use it in flight mode and connect to a mobile Router. A mobile Router is cheaper to replace to keep sure that also your IMEI changes when changing the SIM. Also, there is a Router I found where it's possible to change the IMEI (if you are planning to do that, first check if it's legal in your country). Here is an article describing how it works: https://www.srlabs.de/bites/blue-merle. Another way and probably less risky would be to look for a mobile Router where you can easily change the LTE Module. With that you keep sure that your IMEI is changing and you won't run into issues where you maybe set an IMEI that is blacklisted or is already active in the network. Anyone knows if that is illegal in country's where it is illegal to change the IMEI? The LTE Module in the article is available for about 80$. Maybe it also works with cheaper mini PCIE LTE Modules. There a plenty of them available for like 20-30$. Also it could make sense to buy used ones and change it frequently even if you maybe run into other issues caused by it. Would of course still be difficult to also replace your SIM that often. Hopefully we will soon have an eSIM compatible mobile Router where you can also easily replace the LTE Module cause eSIMs are easier to buy anonymously through silent.link. The guy from silent.link I linked above also talks about that it might be possible to change the IMEI of the eSIM in the future so that would be easier way. So much to think of here. It's crazy how much time you need to spent this days just to be able to keep your location and personal information privat.

                    7 months later

                    I hope this isn’t thread necromancy, if so, sorry, this just seemed to be the best place to ask.

                    So GOS has this sandboxing profiles thing, right? Kinda like a virtual machine? Can each sandbox profile have its own SIM and phone number, etc?

                    From what I’ve read here it sounds like they can’t exist separated / independently from the IMEI, right?

                    I am currently on an iPhone 8 on Verizon (yes I know) and now that it’s no longer supported for regular software updates and will soon not even be supported for security updates, I’m going to take this as an opportunity to get a Pixel (haven’t decided on 7, pro, or 7a yet), a new network, a new number, and put GOS on it.

                    There’s… a lot in this thread.

                    I’m not Snowden or Assange or, I dunno, James Bond or whatever. I’m also not rich or a politician or whatever. If I was, I’d be paying someone else to deal with this, lol.

                    I just think that big companies get targeted by hackers is scary, and the fact that those same big companies just hand over info on their customers to governments willy-nilly is also scary. Dragnet search warrants are not something I want to get tangled up in.

                    And I also just think all this data collection is just plain creepy.

                    So hopefully that gives you a vague idea of my threat profile. I’m literally just some guy who just wants to be safe.

                    The Silent Link data only + VoIP calls/texts (mmo.chat?) seems like a gigantic hassle for a level of privacy and security that I’m not sure if it is either overkill or just “security/privacy theater”… aka a gimmick that doesn’t actually do much more than what GOS does on its own? I’ve seen a lot of conflicting opinions here.

                    What about Efani? It’s a bit expensive but I’d still like to know if it’s of any use, I’m just kinda trying to get my bearings.

                    What about invisiv? https://invisv.com/pgpp/ The Mobile Core plan is waaay more in my budget. I know privacy comes with a premium but that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to shop around.

                    Or is there a regular-ol’ MVNO that isn’t operated by a bunch of slimy data brokers who bow and kowtow the moment any government asks?

                    Again I’m not building a fusion reactor in a clandestine subbasement under my neighbor’s garage, I’m just a dude who feels icky about modern privacy norms. (And who is extremely tired of spam calls :P )

                    Thanks.

                    • de0u replied to this.

                      GlytchMeister Can each sandbox profile have its own SIM and phone number, etc?

                      Not really. User profiles separate apps from each other, but there is still one phone. The app sandbox also restricts and separates apps, but less - roughly similar to iOS.

                      You can run VoIP apps, which can have phone numbers, in one or more user profiles.

                      GlytchMeister There’s… a lot in this thread.

                      True. It should arguably be read with/after a careful reading (or three) of the material on the GrapheneOS web site (which discusses user profiles, storage scopes, etc.).