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AnaNg
Hi AnaNG,

Welcome to the community! Quick answers:

  • It would be very hard to mess up your phone.
  • Yes. To put it in the most basic terms, GrapheneOS is your Galaxy's Android minus Google, but plus additional security & privacy features. Superficially, it looks and works essentially the same.
    • Yes. But I would advise against it for two reasons. 1. It is not that hard to install. Juat follow instructions precisely. You might run into an issue, then you just change a setting or try a different browser/computer and try again. Beyond that, ask for help. 2. You don't need to trust a third party (people who'd install GOS for you). A third reason would be saving money.
  • Yes. It's trivial to use/transfer TOTP apps. I prefer FreeOTP by Red Hat. Ask for help if you run into issues. Many people here, including myself, would be quite happy to help!
  • I abstain from Google, so have no idea what features GKeep has. However, I can't imagine apps like Notally (local) or an excellent Standard Notes (local/cloud) not filling your need.

I would suggest watching a channel 'Side of Burritos', he covers Graphene OS at length. Don't go to YouTube site/app. Use a different front end (basically go to yewtu.be if you don't know what that means). This puts a layer of separation between you and Google.

Welcome and good luck!

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    Alternatives to KeepNote are numerous. I have used most of them at some stage. Notally and Carnet are the two visually closest to KeepNote, in that you can toggle between list mode and color coded grid mode.

    Regarding TOTP, if Authy can generate an exported backup file, then you can use it to import into a new Authy instance on another device. I'm not familiar with Authy, but I do use Aegis - for this very purpose of export/import (backup/restore).

      Don't be too worried about installation. I second Side of Burritos, I love his channel. I purchased an unlocked pixel 7 from bestbuy for $480 including taxes. Only issue I have with the phone itself is the speakers are a step down from my iPhone 11 and having volume and power buttons on the same side is annoying.

      As for notes apps I tried 6 of them and Notally was best for my needs. Although I don't think it can sync across devices.

      Don't get bogged down during setup trying to balance your security/privacy levels all at once. Start simple and progressively improve.

      AnaNg I second side of burritos watch a video ahead of time .
      I've flashed multiple times the only issue I had was using a bad USB cable. Get a quality usb cable and plug into motherboard not a front port . grapheneos instructions explain this .

        AnaNg

        That said, how easy is it to screw up a phone when installing an OS?
        Web installer makes it super easy, it can break, but hardly to a point where its a brick, unlike the old days of rooting phones, I believe a lot of the web installer is the same as Googles official one?

        Does ROM=Phone OS?
        ROM isn't really the correct term, however you are correct, GrapheneOS is an Operating system based on Android (it flashes all the internals also)

        Can I order a phone per-configured with GOS from a trustworthy source?
        Just buy it from a local shop if you can, Nitro do sell pre-built GOS phones, at a significant cost

        For authentication apps like Authy, is it simple reinstall process to the new phone?
        You have multiple options, Fdroid (Droidify, Neo Store ideally), Sandboxed Play Services or Obtanium can all get Aegis, obviously you need to export the existing vault (.json format), but otherwise it works exactly the same
        Just to add, misread the above, for Play store based apps you can use Sandboxed play store, Aurora Store, or as a last resort APKMirror

        -Is there an app similar to google keep notes for GOS?
        Not natively installed, think as GOS as a base, then you configure how you need, use F-Droids webpage to get an idea, then go from there, I believe BeauTyXT maybe something that fits your needs?

        Skyway I've flashed multiple times the only issue I had was using a bad USB cable. Get a quality usb cable and plug into motherboard not a front port . grapheneos instructions explain this .

        Agree. Basically, every piece of advice in the installation directions is there because if you don't do that thing exactly that way you will turn a 99%-successful process into a 75%-successful process. The cable matters a lot. Where you plug it in matters a lot. Whether you have the right drivers matters a lot. Which browser you're using matters a lot. Doing any step "pretty close" to the recommended way opens you up to failure. Doing everything the recommended way works really well!

        Welcome, good luck, best wishes!

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          de0u

          Very true, but I wanted to mention for sake of AnaNG: making these mistakes is extremely unlikely to brick your Pixel. All it will do is make you repeat the process until you do it "right".

          So our admonitions aren't to scare you, but to save you time.

            de0u

            [deleted]
            Yes I've failed install and just had to restart no problem. Out of all my cables the amazon basics is dedicated to flashing , only one that never failed . YMMV

            [deleted] I wanted to mention for sake of AnaNg: making these mistakes is extremely unlikely to brick your Pixel. All it will do is make you repeat the process until you do it "right".

            Agreed. Just be sure you are following the directions from the GrapheneOS web site, as opposed to random Internet rumors. Especially with the command-line tools, it is possible to brick a device - the web installer is a big risk reducer, so arguably start there first. Be wary of any advice about editing flashing scripts - only experts should be doing that.

            If you are carefully following the official directions, the installation process is very likely to work, and genuinely quite unlikely to brick your device. The GrapheneOS team has invested a lot of time into building a reliable process.

            Please note that I do not speak for the the GrapheneOS team.

            @AnaNg

            Make sure to THOROUGHLY read the FAQ, Features, and Usage pages of the GOS website. It will help you enormously.

            The install process is VERY easy and reliable. Just follow instructions precisely. Use good cable and must use Chrome or Brave browser.

            Once GOS is installed it doesn't have all the basic apps that regular phones have. You will need to install. The following link will help you. Read this post and the other post that it refers to:
            https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/5267-basics/9

            You may have to do lots of reading at first. Don't be discouraged. It will pass.