Making GrapheneOS mainstream

I have lost count of the number of comments on Reddit where someone refuses to use GOS because they have to give money to Google. A GOS phone would remove that excuse but I may have heard the GOS phone is dead but I will not swear to that.

I have no interest in Google (except for SGP for the notifications) but I certainly wouldn't think less of anyone who wants more Google in their life.

someone1223 so that more apps will be supported?

There's not really a big issue with app support. The only real issue that GrapheneOS users face is when apps refuse to work because they're using Play Integrity or SafetyNet and GrapheneOS "fails" attestation just because Google hasn't included GrapheneOS.

someone1223 I've heard that GOS based smartphones may come in the market. What's it's status? When can we expect a worldwide release?

Unless there's a new thing in the works that I haven't heard of, this just didn't happen. I don't know the details.

someone1223 How can we make Gsuite apps more compatible with GOS? Considering we do have play store now, it should be relatively easier to integrate more apps, right?

Most Google apps are already working very well without issues. Android Auto is coming soon. There are some Google apps that need more invasive access to work. Maybe they'll expand support with the compatibility layer in the future, but as far as I know there aren't any plans to do so (but I have no inside info on this, so I could be totally wrong).

someone1223 are there any plans for the OS to get officially recognised by Google so play integrity works (if play store is installed ofc)

I don't think that GrapheneOS can "plan" to do anything about this. It's entirely up to Google to add GrapheneOS, or for GrapheneOS users to contact app developers about support, or for Google to be forced by courts to change their practices.

someone1223 What about more features? I know folks at GOS focus on security first, and that shouldn't change, but would there be scope to integrate any 3rd party apps for features for mainstream users? The sad reality is Pixel comes with a lot of cool stuff and for privacy, we need to abandon it all. It'd be cool if we had some of our own cool features.

I think this is subjective. I think all of these features are cool features.

someone1223 I'm not a member of the GrapheneOS project. I'm just a random community member, so I don't know the answer to this question.

someone1223 How can we make Gsuite apps more compatible with GOS? Considering we do have play store now, it should be relatively easier to integrate more apps, right? Also, are there any plans for the OS to get officially recognised by Google so play integrity works (if play store is installed ofc)

I haven't encountered any app compatibility issues but I only use a handful of apps so there's that. But from what I've heard and read most apps do work just fine except for banking apps (reason is given in another post) and apps with way too invasive permissions. In any case, if you encounter a problem with a specific app, it's usually a good idea to drop by in the Graphene forums or check the GitHub for open issues and let the devs know something went horribly wrong. There may or may not be a fix for that on the Graphene side of things - or you contact the app developer and let them know.

someone1223 What about more features? I know folks at GOS focus on security first, and that shouldn't change, but would there be scope to integrate any 3rd party apps for features for mainstream users? The sad reality is Pixel comes with a lot of cool stuff and for privacy, we need to abandon it all. It'd be cool if we had some of our own cool features.

I don't want to beat the dead horse but privacy and a wealth of cool features are in most cases on opposite sides of the spectrum. I liked the cinematic wallpaper thing google released a few weeks back and tried to make it work in a dump profile but as far as I know the wallpaper app needs some deeper system integration which is only possible in stock os. It's a cool thing and my inner child was disappointed but then I was like "whatever" and revoked the apps network permissions before dumping the entire profile - just for revenge and to flex my muscles, ya know. In short, having nearly 100% control over my phone is the coolest feature I could ask for these days. Maybe some days fancy features and privacy and security will be more on the same side of things. But for now I guess you have to choose.

someone1223

1.) Those are called Pixels, you own one if you run GrapheneOS

2.) That's up to Google

3.) That would be an investment for the GOS team I would imagine

someone1223 The sad reality is Pixel comes with a lot of cool stuff and for privacy, we need to abandon it all. It'd be cool if we had some of our own cool features.

I think your statement is very subjective, firstly it's wrong to say that you have to give up everything in the name of privacy, secondly most of the features you're missing are AI features, I played around with them on the stock OS then today they're not missing me at all, the only feature I'd like is Google Pay but it's not possible, so I still have my Pixel 4a.

I don't know how to make GrapheneOS mainstream, or if that's really the goal, but I think it would take 3 things to start, more users interested in security / privacy on mobile, fewer users afraid because the hardware is designed by Google, and more users stop buying misinformation and FUD on social networks and from scammers.

Personally speaking, i love our own cool features
Those features excite me and are the main reason i use this OS.
I´d much rather see the team working on those then AI etc.

Also i am sure that the team is working at 150%.
If we (the community) want more/faster feature updates the only thing we can do is sponsor the project
88% towards $6,000 per month goal via Github Sponsoring is effin nothing for what the project is doing. Of course i dont see the whole picture here as there are other ways to donate that are not transparent.

According to strcat on Matrix a few weeks ago, there's currently a lack of developers but the funding to hire new ones are currently not lacking. People are reluctant to join the team as developers because of the ongoing harassment campaigns against GOS. They are actively hiring: https://grapheneos.org/hiring

The GOS account on Mastodon/Twitter made a detailed response on the challenges of replacing / building on the stock apps:
https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/111273340265340569
https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/111273354523009571

Depends what you define as mainstream. Very common in the security research / privacy communities.
Most people are not after the features GOS prioritizes anyway, they just want better cameras/cheap price etc.

I'd say it is as mainstream as Linux on a desktop. Not for everyone, but the ones who do use it know why.
There are almost no features available on stock Pixel that you can't have on GOS and Gapps.

Relaks The GOS account on Mastodon/Twitter made a detailed response on the challenges of replacing / building on the stock apps:
https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/111273340265340569
https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/111273354523009571

Thanks for providing those links! It's good to know the outlook is positive.

someone1223

That was my point, Linux among techies is comparable to GOS in the security/privacy communities.
The fact it requires modern and specific phones limits the adoption for sure, but the goal is to have
a private/secure OS, most people don't prioritize or even care for it enough to invest time in reading
about it. Our parents for example.

I hope I don’t get whacked for this, but I’m having trouble understanding why we care whether GrapheneOS is “mainstream” or not, and why it should be made to run on less secure phones than Pixels.

Blastoidea why we care whether GrapheneOS is “mainstream” or not

I imagine its a mixture of (a) some people wanting to help bring privacy/security to others (similar to people who want to bring freedom/democracy to others) and (b) some people making an unfortunate equivalence between "mainstream" and "successful". Its good for GOS to be successful (so we can continue to benefit from it obviously), but I don't see why it needs to be mainstream to be so. The project should continue so long as it maintains a talented developer pool and passionate community.

Blastoidea Mainstream means more resources and less (although they are quite few) incompatible apps. It also means globally a better protection of the privacy in the society, thus a better society ...