• Off Topic

  • Recommended MicroSD Reader for Pixels with GrapheneOS?

I currently have a Samsung Galaxy S8. It's quite an old phone, but it's been reliable. The only issue is, well, privacy.

I'd love to try GrapheneOS, but I see it's limited to Pixel phones.. One issue I've always had with Pixel Phones is a lack of microSD Card Readers, and (from what research I've done) I believe that seems to be the case with the current supported Pixels.

Am I wrong, is there a GrapheneOS-supported Pixel Phone that has a microSD Card Reader? If not, is there a recommended Third Party microSD Card Readers for Pixel Phones? I have a lot of data on my microSD Card, and (given I am looking for a privacy-focused Android) would rather NOT be storing those contents in Google's Cloud. Relying on the Google Cloud, to me, seems to defeat the entire purpose of the phone.

The S8 has 64 GB Internal Disk Space and my microSD Card is only 256 GB, so I suppose the solution might just be to get a Pixel with a great deal of Disk Space. Still, I like the convenience of being able to swap microSD Cards between devices on the fly.

    The only problem with any sdcard dongle, is that it has to be plugged into the USB port. Aside from that, pretty much any standard dongle will work just fine, nothing special.

    Why do you suggest that "google cloud" is the only alternative to local storage though? There's TONS of ways to implement a totally PRIVATE network server that you can use for data storage (not just files, but things like contacts and calendars also, and everything else you can think of). Look into Nextcloud. Its open source software that you can run on YOUR OWN server, including at home if you have a reasonably fast network connection.

      names_are_useless What you probably are refering to is the phone has so little storage capacity that it is required to add an after-market SD card to even install all the apps you want, not to mention all pictures captured.

      This issue was eliminated when the phones came with 128GB or more storage. It's further no issue when you can move the pictures and videos to wherever else either via network or USB drives.

      Those who capture tons of pictures will never have enough storage on the phone.

      Also; noone should have just 1 copy of anything, especially on something that frequently drops into the ocean.

          dgzeij I don't know how frequently you drop phones into the ocean, but most people never have. Aside from that, yes, I agree that backups are essential.

              flighty_sloth Stop turning e-waste material into actual e-waste... early...

              @names_are_useless External, USB-based MicroSD readers don't need to have special security or privacy properties. They can't, it's the OS that has to have most of the protections that can apply to any USB device that plugs into the phone.

              If cloud sans privacy concerns is an idea you're ok with and that's something you're into or a challenge you're up to, set up some self-hosted/managed cloud servers! If not, that's fine, but MicroSD isn't really useful if the phone doesn't have a reader built in. You could switch to a USB-C thumb drive, which would be more useful overall since some also offer USB-A in some creative ways, and are more compact and convenient than MicroSD to USB-C dongles + the almost obligatory USB-C to USB-A dongle.

              The most that could happen for most people (and this is still pretty rare) is some USB device be a "rubber ducky", but that's pretty useless even on stock Android already, and has even less power on GrapheneOS with its security-minded USB handling.

                bookreader I've set up ownCloud on my own private server, I'm aware I could do this. However, I also travel a lot to places where my Data Connection is spotty ... a lot of parts of the US still have spotty coverage. Telling me to just "rely on my own private cloud" is not what I'm asking for here.

                @dgzeij I backup my files on my phone onto External Drives regularly, I'm well aware. I told you my current phone has 64 GB Internal Disk Space and my microSD Card has 256 GB and a lot of that disk space can get eaten up real quickly (and it's not just pictures) so telling me "This issue was eliminated when the phones came with 128GB or more storage." when I already can store more offline with my current phone then what you just mentioned is ... not helpful.

                @RemoverFan If you read further up, you'll see I mentioned I've setup my own private ownCloud Server. But, I also state that I often have to go to parts of the country regularly with spotty Data Connections. I was rather hoping for suggestions for smaller-sized peripherals, not large dongles I'm having to carry around with me.

                I really hope I'm not coming off like a dick: I was merely asking if there were any recommended small-sized peripherals for microSD Card Readers for Pixel Phones. I like having removal data I can swap on the fly without needing a Data or WiFi Connection. It also saves me the time of transferring my current files to a new phone when I can just insert the already carefully-organized (in terms of files and folders) microSD Cards I already have. I'm generally getting the impression there isn't any recommended peripherals, which is a massive shame.

                  The main things I’d be looking for are:

                  • USB 3 support, so faster access to files (some Pixels are 10Gbps, not sure if all are)
                  • a convenient shape to not put stress on the phone connector. For example I could imagine something that spanned the width of the phone to reduce the side-to-side wiggle you often get on USB-C ports, maybe with some rubber bumpers to support it against the phone

                  But software wise anything should work.

                    @fromTom Something like that, but a more form-fitting design as I'd be wanting to use it most of the time (and thus have a case that covers it as well).

                    Foggy What you're describing is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for! Any recommendations?