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dcc

I noticed in my Battery Usage that "Ambient Display" consumes about 10-13% of battery. I see no setting for Ambient Display but I have "Always show time and info" off. I have "Tap to check phone" on, but turned it off and still had the same consumed battery.

I noticed discussion of this apparent bug here:
https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/382942064?pli=1
https://www.reddit.com/r/pixel_phones/comments/1ht6cxv/ambient_display_usage/
https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/315204170/ambient-display-is-disabled-but-high-battery-drain?hl=en

Is this something to worry about? I guess I'm not savvy enough to see if this is going to be fixed. I assume after it's fixed in AOSP it will be incorporated into Graphene?

avaluedcustomer

Recognizing this is off topic, but just to clarify - by "an ISP offering filtering" I meant at the level of the router or gateway. Many ISP gateways do not offer the ability to add house-wide DNS filtering at all, and require hacky workarounds which most parents are unable to perform.

Scott

The only OS-level Android option is Google FamilyLink, which GrapheneOS could theoretically implement, just as it's implemented Android Auto. These are proprietary apps which require Play Services to have control over the device, which is normally prevented by Graphene's placement of Play Services into the normal app sandbox. However, reviews of the FamilyLink app itself appear to be mixed, and it seems likely it will not be a priority for the GrapheneOS team anyway.

There are other third party options which do not work at the operating system level. My personal recommendation is a service like NextDNS for DNS filtering at both the device level and the router level, and then installing an app like Norton App Lock with device administrator abilities which will prevent a user installing a VPN to bypass DNS filtering, or changing the custom DNS settings. If you want stricter controls and friendlier alerts, perhaps you just need to consider a stock device such as an iPhone for temporary use until they come of age. Also, definitely recognize that none of this is a replacement for limiting & supervising a minor's access to the internet.

Personally, it is frustrating that AOSP does not implement filters at all. Same with ISPs. In 2025, it seems bizarre that most internet users (both children and non-tech-savvy adults) are still using unrestricted and unprotected devices on a totally unfiltered internet.

I've been wrestling with trying to get Google Phone on Graphene to recognize Visual Voicemail, and getting Google Messages to recognize RCS messaging. And now I'm wondering why I bother.

Google Phone sends phone call data to Google, and Messages sends hashes of text messages to Google. What third party options are you guys using to avoid this data collection? Or do you prefer the security of the Google apps?

Thanks.

Tomelena

'Graphene's refusal to boast about anything other than their privacy features has me concerned."

Are you from the subcontinent by any chance? I feel there is a language barrier here where you are coming across as more belligerent than perhaps you mean you be.

Modern Pixel handsets are very power efficient as it is. I believe you are still thinking about phones from the old days when rooting and running customized phones was very beneficial.

At any rate, it's pretty easy to flash Graphene, especially if your new phone is "just sitting on the desk" - ie, you have no pressing reason not to experiment. And it's easy to flash back to stock.

There are some power user options in Graphene which I believe are NOT available on stock, such as emergency wiping, and multiple users (to partition apps). You'd have to read the FAQ for more explanations, or just experiment! Good luck.

My car does not have Android Auto. It does have a Bluetooth adapter which starts when the car starts.

With stock Android I was able to simply tap the Android Auto app on my phone and launch Android Auto. Will I be able to do that with Graphene or is it required that the car has Android Auto?

roamer4223

Good idea.

As I said above, RCS worked instantly on a Graphene device using a T-Mobile MVNO in the US. Same device on Verizon, it's stuck on verification.

dcc

Can't edit messages, but it seems clear that Verizon is requiring an IMEI as identifier to activate RCS. And Google Messages on Graphene is not a privileged system app and does not have IMEI access. I guess that's the ADB workaround upthread. Apparently there are some apps that can work around this.
https://www.reddit.com/r/GrapheneOS/comments/1ci0u7a/comment/l2g6905/

No RCS here - stuck on 'verifying' and 'trying to set up' for weeks. I am using an MVNO that is Verizon towers.

RCS instantly activated and worked well when I switched to an MVNO on the T-Mobile network.

Today I switched back to the VZW service with a new eSIM, and it's not working again. Customer support can't figure it out.

I suspect this is an issue with Graphene being unable to verify something that the Verizon network specifically is asking for.

Things I have tried: turning RCS off and on, on mobile and on wifi, avoiding VPNs, reinstalling Carrier Services and Google Messages, delisting my number with RCS from that Google link above, etc. I have 'phone' and 'SMS' permissions for all Google Play related apps and the Messages app.