Graphene OS
Everyone loves to complain about Big Tech surveillance and data collection. Yet we all carry their tracking devices with us every day. Apple, Google and various Chinese phone companies have repeatedly been exposed in secretly recording users activities, web searches, app usage, voice recordings etc..
For years this just mildly annoyed me. My cope was “So they create a profile and give me targeted ads, what’s so bad about that?”.
But tech companies and government are getting more and more intertwined. One doesn’t have to be a tinfoil hat to assume that the CCP, the CIA, and other entities get a hold of these data as well, directly or indirectly (watch the Edward Snowden movie as a reminder).
Apart from surveillance, another major annoyance of being locked in to a vendors operating system is that they add all kinds of bloatware (my latest Xiaomi phone even had advertisements in all its system apps), or push software updates to older devices to intentionally slow them down or degrade their battery life (planned obsolescence). A popular scandal was Apple’s “Batterygate“.
Time to Opt Out
One option to opt out of all this would be to use an old school dumb phone – but this has some obvious drawbacks.
The good news is, that you can keep all the amenities of a modern smartphone by simply switching to an open-source, privacy- and security-focused operating system, such as Graphene OS.
I’ve finally made this switch about a month ago, after I lost my previous phone (thanks Deutsche Bahn). As I will explain below, there is literally no drawback compared to a regular Android OS as far as I could tell.
I wonder why it took me years between learning about Graphene OS for the first time on some Bitcoin podcast, until I finally decided to try it out myself.
I think the psychological hurdles are these:
“The installation is too technical and I’m afraid I will break something.”
I suggest you have a look at this video section. In just 3 minutes the entire installation process is explained. You can literally perform the installation within your web browser by pressing a couple of buttons. I did not expect it to be that simple and for it to work on the first try!
After installation you are greeted by a familiar Android-style setup procedure, where you can configure things like Languages, Wifi, PIN, etc.
“Ok, I want this. But my phone doesn’t support it!”
That is indeed a bit of a bummer, and one reason why I put it off for so long. The problem is that most phone manufacturers do not allow access to the bootloader to install a third party OS. Officially supported are all Google Pixel phones (potentially others but there it may get a bit hacky).
So my recommendation is to seriously consider getting one of those Pixel devices as your next phone. I am very happy with my new Pixel 8A, which is a mid-tier version. In fact, Google Pixel devices offer enterprise-grade hardware security (dedicated security chip, isolated components for every piece of hardware) that complements the security features of Graphene OS. Most other vendors compromise on this in favour of some flashy features.
In recent years, the only distinguishing feature between smartphones has become their software anyways, which incidentally has turned into bloatware for all of them.
So why not ignore the marketing, and instead choose the next phone based on solid, secure hardware architecture in combination with Graphene OS?
“But I need my Google Maps!”
Graphene OS markets itself as being completely “de-googled”. This may cause the misconception that google apps like Gmail or Google Maps are not supported.
I can assure you this is not true. The de-googling refers only to the operating system itself. On regular Android, google services are deeply embedded into the system and cannot be uninstalled. This is what allows Google to track your every move, even when you are not using their apps.
On Graphene OS you have the option to install the Play Store, which will then run in a sandboxed environment with limited system access. There you can install any app as usual. I installed social media apps, banking apps etc. without any issues. While these apps will probably leak information when used, at least now that information is confined to the apps themselves.
But I also discovered that I rely on the official Play Store less and less. Graphene OS allows you to easily install apps from alternative open-source stores such as F-Droid. After years of using some paid podcasting app, I discovered an app called AntennaPod there, a beautiful open-source app that has all the features I want and is now my go-to app.
Conclusion
There you have it. Switching to Graphene OS has been a game-changer, offering top-notch privacy and security without sacrificing the functionality of a modern smartphone. If you’re ready to take control of your digital life and need help with setup or have questions, feel free to reach out to me!
