Graphene OS

[BwingBob]

Not really Linux or Mint, but there may be some interest in the subject from this group.

I tend to keep my phones for a long time, until last week I still had a Galaxy S6. I have been thinking a lot about privacy lately and wanted to try and find a balance between convenience and privacy. I looked at all the current privacy focused distributions and ended up deciding to give Graphene OS a try.

I bought a Pixel 6a for about $450 us, brought it home, updated to the latest Android 12, wiped it and installed Graphene OS. I have been running it for a little over a week now and I am very pleased. Battery life is unbelievable without all the wifi/bluetooth scanning and what not that the Google android does.

Even though Graphene includes an option to install a sand-boxed version of Google Play services, I have chosen not to install them yet. I may install it in the future once I understand "User Profiles" better. But so far I am not missing much and have pretty much been able to find replacement apps using f-droid.

The installation was pretty straight forward. I was not able to get the web install from the Graphene website to work but I think this was due to the android tools package being out of date in the Mint repository. Once I upgraded all the android tools on Mint to the version needed the command line install went without a hitch.

The really cool thing is the last activity recorded on my Google timeline was driving back from Bestbuy to my house.

This guys videos have been a big help in setting up Graphene OS on my new Pixel making it useful and keeping it private. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BymH90z ... rd&index=2

My 2 cents.

Bob

[dave0808]

Welcome aboard I've been using GrapheneOS for about 18 months now and continue to be impressed with the constant updates provided for it.

My previous Samsung had a few big updates and then they stopped, plus their apps were constantly trying to connect to the net.

One thing I would say, is that GrapheneOS is focused on security, not privacy. Sure one often benefits the other, but not always.

[BwingBob]

One thing I would say, is that GrapheneOS is focused on security, not privacy. Sure one often benefits the other, but not always.

I understand, that's the compromise part. The privacy part is still up to the user. I am using the privacy reports from Exodus to make decisions about which apps to install.

Since you have been using Graphene for a while, have you set up multiple profiles? Say maybe a profile for less private apps?

Bob

[dave0808]

Yes, I use a second profile for apps that I actively don't trust but have no alternative but to use (obviously there's always a choice NOT to use an app, if I want to put up with the loss of such functionality).

That said, I did read about someone who uses a second profile for all their *trusted* stuff. The reason being is that secondary profiles are locked and cleared from memory when you end the session. Something that you can't do with the primary profile - as it always has to be running. I like the idea of that but it would take significant work for me to change now. Perhaps when I upgrade the phone next time I'll try that myself.

[BwingBob]

That said, I did read about someone who uses a second profile for all their *trusted* stuff. The reason being is that secondary profiles are locked and cleared from memory when you end the session. Something that you can't do with the primary profile - as it always has to be running.

Not sure I would want my UN-trusted stuff running all the time though. I started messing around with a secondary profile this weekend and realized that there really is not very much stuff that I not been able to replace with apps from f-droid. I don't think I will spend much time in the second profile.

Bob

[dave0808]

For me it was about apps that, whilst I would deny extraneous permissions to, there was no data for it to extract anyway. That is, empty contacts, calendar, etc.

And having thought more about which profile first, having the untrusted profile as primary would actually give it access to SMS / phone calls etc, which would have to be "forwarded" to the secondary profile. So I've gone off the idea

[BwingBob]

For me it was about apps that, whilst I would deny extraneous permissions to, there was no data for it to extract anyway. That is, empty contacts, calendar, etc.

And having thought more about which profile first, having the untrusted profile as primary would actually give it access to SMS / phone calls etc, which would have to be "forwarded" to the secondary profile. So I've gone off the idea

I am not sure if you have seen the app Tracker Control https://trackercontrol.org/ yet. I am using it, looks interesting for your UN-trusted profile. The only problem for me is that it uses the only VPN slot in Android so I cannot run my normal VPN when TC is running.

Bob

[dave0808]

The only problem for me is that it uses the only VPN slot in Android so I cannot run my normal VPN when TC is running.

This would be a problem for me too. It's a pity there isn't a better way of doing this sort of thing on Android. We work with what we have.

[frankdux]

Hello guys,

I read your thread, and have a question I hope you might be able to help me with. I recently bought a pixel 6 pro and want to install graphene OS on it. I then find out that Linux mint is not supported if you want to install via the webuab. That’s okay, since I might be able to find a windows computer for the install. But, will I be able to use graphene with my mint computer on a daily basis I terms op backing up my data etc., or does it only function with the listed OS’s on the graphene website? - Ubuntu, Mac, windows etc.

Im obviously not an advanced user, so I really hope you can help

Best wishes from Denmark,
Frank

[dave0808]

Once installed, it's hard to tell the difference between GrapheneOS and any "other" Android.

When I first looked into GOS, I was confused why there were no screen shots etc, but that's because it's basically a stock version of Android, with better security.

So to answer your question, there won't be any problem (in general) with connecting via USB (for example) in order to copy/sync pictures, etc. If you do have problems, it's likely with udev rules or USB cables, etc, rather than the phone/GOS.

Also, have a look at the GOS forum (https://discuss.grapheneos.org/) which has some super helpful people and is a great resource.

[frankdux]

Thank You! I’m happy to hear there won’t be any (apparent) issues pairing mint with graphene. I’ll definitely check the forum out.

/Frank.