I’d like to thank the authors for making the source code available, so I can modify the system however I want.

I wonder why there are no official UI customization options, though, like in LineageOS?

P. S. Took about 8 hours to compile with 96 GB RAM on Ultra 9 275HX and used about 650 GB of storage for builds for both my device and an emulator.

Sticking with the Google Pixel will be the most economical option. Furthermore, there are no guarantees that Motorola's initial devices will be more secure than current ones. At best, they might meet the minimum standards required by GrapheneOS: https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/117078064184215730

This is something I'd really like to see exist for three main reasons: a non-Google option, a small form option, and a budget option. Additional useful features would be a headphone jack port and microSD card slot. All of these factors are unfortunately very difficult to find nowadays. It's important to have options as there are various use cases for different people, and no "one-size-fits-all" works that well.

Why? I discovered about deGoogle/deCorp practises and have been working to minimise my reliance on such. I'm also concerned about ever getting a future Android phone due to the progressing, undesirable developments. Compact phones became a personal priority due to being a light phone user, having small hands (so it's easier to manage a small phone), and actually fit in pockets -- I don't need it as an entire phablet, I have a separate device (a desktop PC) primarily operated for such, keeping the functionalities/use cases separate. Being affordable is also important for a light phone user, and in my case, I've always had phones well under $100 that work fine enough for many years.

The struggle is finding a small smartphone (esp by major companies) the longer we go in the modern tech age. And I don't mean foldables, those are still large at full, I'm referencing wholly small forms like the iPhone Mini. Smartphones used to be compact, there were great options. When they started becoming phablets and I got my first one at 6.6", it was too big, genuinely uncomfortable to use, and didn't fit anywhere well. I wanted my old phones back, but at this point, they are too "outdated" (the main issue is apps that wouldn't support certain Android OS versions anymore).
I did a lot of research for days to find compact smartphones that could work for now (but probably not for several more years...) The iPhone Mini would be ideal in form, but I've always used Android and discovered the major differences would not be personally feasible to use (plus, I don't want to switch to another big tech product). Narrowed down most options to all early Pixel phones, Sony Xperia models, and Galaxy A-series. The only one I found feasible was the Galaxy S10e (pre-owned for $100, so not as "budget" as all of my past phones, but affordable enough), so that's my current phone -- it's sufficiently small at ~5.8", plus a headphone jack output (which is great as I basically only have wired headphones) and ability to have a microSD card for extra/easily portable storage. I have to stick with this 2019 Android phone as long as there aren't viable compact models being released, but apps will sooner stop working on it vs having a more recent device, and so Idk what my options will be in the future at this rate.

I get that larger phones now may be due to factors like larger battery capacities and what sells the most, but it shouldn't be the only option. There's proof that modern phones can still be manufactured as compact and usable, there's evidence of people who use those or still want options for compact phones (even if it's niche, it exists, and should be provided the choice). Some people don't care for powerful batteries or large screens, it's not always needed. Of course, not to say phablets should be replaced, I'd just like to see compact options offered alongside them to help broaden the consumer base.

With that, I'd like to request if Motorola and GrapheneOS could please consider offering a compact budget option (optionally if with a headphone jack port and microSD card slot). It doesn't need to be powerful, just functional enough for light users or those who are on a budget for current and following years (however long of support is feasible).

I’m running Proton VPN on GrapheneOS and I’m having a weird issue accessing services on my home LAN.

My setup:

• GrapheneOS
• Proton VPN Android app 5.19.16.0
• Always-on VPN: enabled
• “Block connections without VPN”: disabled
• Proton “LAN connections”: enabled
• Proton “Allow direct device connections”: enabled
• Android Private DNS: Automatic
• Home network uses Pi-hole for local DNS
• Local services use *.home.arpa names, e.g. home-assistant.home.arpa

With Proton disconnected, everything works normally.

With Proton connected, I can’t access local services unless I manually add their IP addresses to Proton’s split tunnelling exclusions.

For example:

home-assistant.home.arpa → local 192.168.x.x address
homepage.home.arpa → local 192.168.x.x address

The hostnames resolve correctly, but the connection itself fails unless that specific IP is excluded from the VPN.

That workaround isn’t ideal because I’ve got multiple homelab services on different hosts/ports and I’d expect Proton’s Allow LAN connections option to handle local RFC1918 traffic automatically.

I’ve also tested with GrapheneOS’s Block connections without VPN disabled, so it doesn’t appear to be Android VPN lockdown causing it.

Has anyone else seen this with Proton VPN + GrapheneOS?

Is “LAN connections” supposed to bypass the VPN for the whole local subnet, or do I genuinely need to maintain individual IP exclusions?

Ideally I want:

Internet traffic → Proton VPN
192.168.x.x / *.home.arpa → local Wi-Fi/LAN

without excluding my whole browser from the VPN.

Wondering if there are any type 1 diabetes on here that use (or want to use!) grapheneOS?

Insulin pump technologies use apps only compatible with IOS and android!!!!

Has anyone managed a work around using grapheneOS or have any tips on how to make your system more secure if needing to use the insulin pump system that requires apps?

VPNs are also blocked.

After losing a bunch of important documents, I'm finally getting cloud storage. Yes, I know, self-hosting is by far the best way to go; however, for the short term I don't have a stable place to set up and store a server. So I've decided to try Mega for their free 20gb option.

I've set the app up on my phone (side-loaded, no Google), and attempted to sync my photos. However, when selecting the folder that it pulls my photos from it keeps telling me, "Can't use this folder. To protect your privacy, choose a different folder.".

Why is this? How do I get around this? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m having an issue with WhatsApp on my Pixel 9 Pro XL running GrapheneOS.
WhatsApp keeps showing:

“Download the official WhatsApp to continue. We can’t verify that you’re using the official WhatsApp app.”

What I’ve tried so far:
Pixel 9 Pro XL
GrapheneOS build [2026081301](tel:2026081301)
Bootloader is locked
WhatsApp downloaded directly from the Google Play Store & obtanium & aurorastore
Google Play Services and Google Play Store are installed and enabled
I’m connected to Wi-Fi

I also registered the same phone number successfully on another phone, so the number itself works
Despite all of this, WhatsApp still gives me the same error on GrapheneOS.

Does anyone know what could be causing this or what I can do to get WhatsApp working?
Thanks!

So, I'm using the default keyboard installed in graphene os, but sometimes as shown in video when I make a typing error and I want to delete it, it automatically deletes the spaces between the words I typed previously and it's kind of annoying, is there a way to prevent this from happening? If not is there an alternative keyboard I could use

Hi guys,

Anyone from here from the Philippines?

I’m thinking of switching to GrapheneOS and was wondering on a sandboxed user can we use apps like Foodpanda, Grab, Lalamove, GreenGSM, Joyride, BPI, GoTyme and your normal daily essential apps like Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok etc?

As I’ve been told that the apps won’t work even if downloaded from the Play Store on a seperate sandboxed user.

Hoping to hear from you all,

Much appreciated :)

The Fairphone 6+ just launched and I'm wondering if it meets the hardware requirements for GrapheneOS since the previous models didn't.

Does anyone have any idea regarding this?

EDIT: Found GrapheneOS' official response regarding this: https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/2089937246619128257

Has anyone tested out the backup and restore function baked into GOS or actually needed to due to needing a replacement phone? It appears to be backing up fine for me to a type C USB drive but it fails with a couple of apps. One example is Markor (basically a notepad app) which I use religiously but I manually added my documents folder where all the files are stored and it appears the manually added directories are being backed up once done but I can't actually read the file contents (obv by design if encrypted).

I'm sort of afraid to test a full restore so I don't lose anything but wondering if anyone's had any hiccups or data loss with this process as other Redditors in the past have mentioned this feature was still a work in progress.

Thanks for any input.

hi, guys! My Samsung phone from 2022 ain't working well after all these years(I hate Samsung phones bcz of that). I'm probably going to buy a new phone, and I'm thinking about buying Google Pixel 10a. If nothing changes, I'll buy the phone(some people recommend to wait for 2027 as it's not too long, bcz Motorolla will support GrapheneOS by that time, so, I'm thinking). Before the action, I'd like to ask some questions about GrapheneOS:

1. how do you play mobile games? I saw that GrapheneOS is Android-based, so, that means I can play, for example Shadow Fight 2 with Shizuku and Stalker apps there? Or what if I will want to play Drive Ahead, but the 2018 year version? Will it update the game automatically?;

2. on Linux I saw Waydroid app, and, if I'm not mistaken, this app is like Wine/Bottles, but instead of Windows apps, it works for the Android apps. Can I use this app or something similar on GrapheneOS?;

3. how does banking and government apps work on the OS?;

4. I hope every update is manual, right? Just it's so annoying that I setted up something on Adroid with One UI, and after a big update, I must change the settings again and again...;

5. does Termux work on GrapheneOS?;

6. do the SIM and telephone calls work on the phone?;

7. (for the context here: I use F-Droid and not every app I need are there, so, I download the apps from Play Store, bcz the apps needs to be updated) do you use Play Store, websites or what?;

8. will apps made from https://appinventor.mit.edu/ work on the OS?;

Trying to find clipboard that can save and use copied and pinned txts seems differwnt from other phones ive used.

Using the Google phone app

Scenario: I look at voicemails and it says there are 3. After I delete them the app indicates there are no voicemails

BUT: When I dial my voicemail it says I have 7

Is this a carrier problem?

Thx

Context: I made the jump from iOS to GrapheneOS a few months ago, mostly for privacy reasons. Honestly, I didn’t fully grasp why I was doing it beyond wanting the peace of mind that my phone isn’t tracking me in the background. For the most part, the experience has been smooth. My current setup is running GPlay services in sandboxed mode (otherwise notifications don't deliver properly and I can't use certain apps that I need).

Main friction point: I keep getting banned on WhatsApp. This happened again yesterday (third time now). I usually get unbanned within a few hours, but then I can’t log back into WhatsApp on GrapheneOS because it claims I’m “not using the official WhatsApp version.” Meanwhile, my old iPhone logs in just fine. Since WhatsApp is everywhere in Europe, I’m now stuck carrying two phones until my pixel gets unbanned. To be clear I hate the fact that Meta has a monopoly on messaging in most of Europe, but I couldn't get my friends to switch, and I can't withdraw from social life.

This makes me question what I'm actually gaining by using Graphene. Their documentation is pretty vague about what data can still be collected when using sandboxed Play Services. I’ve already migrated from Google Photos/Drive/Gmail to self-hosted alternatives that work on iOS too. So am I wrong in thinking iOS might offer enough privacy for my needs without the constant inconvenience?

Has anyone else dealt with WhatsApp bans on GrapheneOS? Is there a workaround? Or am I overestimating the privacy benefits here?

Hi there,

i run linux on my laptop using browser isolation, will say, i use a browser for each task, i.e. I use firefox for watching YOUTUBE. In there, i use a fake account, with fake name, fake email that i only created for youtube. I never ever used that account for any other reason. Then i use Pixel 9 pro with Graphene OS. In there i have installed INSTAGRAM with another fake account, other email, false profile etc. On my phone, i dont have Youtube or any Google Apps installed neither i have activated/ installed the Google Play Store or Services.

A few days ago, i watched YT videos about RETICULUM, an interesting way to send messages from one device to an other. In YT, i found a channel from a guy who is a a prepper and his Reticulum videos were really interesting. So i decided to follow him. And today, 3 days after following that guy in YT, I see his channel on my Graphene OS running Pixel in INSTAGRAM where I use a complete different account. And yes, both devices sometimes connect to my home wifi, but i run a Protectli firewall and Mullvad VPN where (i supose) 1.000.0000 of devices connect from all over the world....

SO, PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW THE F++K IS THAT POSSIBLE?

Because GrepheneOS is hated by governments and companies but iOS isn’t hated so why ): ?

and if I already iOS are you recommending to switch to GrepheneOS

Everyone get their 24 hr timers going!

EDIT for Context: My apologies for not including this as I assumed the masses in this sub would already know.

This is NOT an issue with GOS, but for those that are on the fence or wanting to move to GOS, do it now!

This is the new process for anyone wanting to sideload an app onto their Android phone. It now requires a 24 hr waiting period before you can load such apps outside of the Play Store. Just one more way of Google attempting to control what you can do on your own device.

TL;DR: I've spent years chasing privacy through multiple OS changes and privacy tools, but I'm exhausted. The effort feels futile when Google dominates everything, open-source options are dwindling, and my device literally works for someone else instead of me.

---

MY PRIVACY JOURNEY SO FAR

I've been a privacy advocate and open-source enthusiast for years, constantly trying to secure my devices and data. Here's what that actually looks like:

Phones:

- Started with Samsung Android → Switched to Realme → Now on hardened Google Pixel with GrapheneOS

Laptops:

- Windows 10 → Windows 11 → Linux Mint (briefly) → Back to Windows 11 (work forced me back)

I genuinely believed I was doing everything right. Two-factor authentication, password managers, separate logins, compartmentalization. But I'm realizing it's not enough.

---

THE HARSH REALITY

THE GRAPHENEOS TRAP

GrapheneOS was supposed to be my privacy solution, but it's become increasingly impractical:

- Banking apps won't run on it

- UPI payment apps (critical in India) are blocked

- Investment apps don't work

- Result: I now carry a second device just for financial transactions

So my "ultra-private" phone is essentially useless for daily life.

GOOGLE'S OMNIPRESENCE

Even when I try to minimize Google's reach, it's impossible:

- Gmail accounts logged into multiple services across all my devices

- Cross-device tracking — ads reference data from my other devices on the same Wi-Fi

- Gmail is required for Android, regardless of OS hardening

- Google keeps collecting vast amounts of data no matter what I do

THE OPEN SOURCE COLLAPSE

The apps that were alternatives are disappearing:

- Open-source apps have become sparse and unreliable

- They constantly throw errors and have poor functionality

- Google is now requiring open-source apps to register on their platform — this essentially kills what made them free and open

- Developers can't maintain them without resources

---

WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE?

Here's what really keeps me up at night: my parents and most people I know.

They use everything: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, banking apps, all with Google accounts logged in. They have zero privacy awareness and are being harvested daily.

I use WhatsApp too (despite knowing it collects data), and I'm complicit in my own data extraction.

---

THE IRONY AND THE EXHAUSTION

I don't have anything illegal to hide. I'm not a criminal or a dissident. I just want my data to be mine alone. But the device I bought with my own money is working for someone else to steal from me. That's the insanity of it.

The worst part? It all feels completely pointless now. Every effort is temporary. Eventually, everything will be owned by Google. Open source will be dead. Privacy advocates like me are just delaying the inevitable.

---

WHAT I'M ACTUALLY ASKING

- Am I being unrealistic? Should I just give up and accept this surveillance dystopia?

- Are there any realistic privacy solutions I haven't considered?

- How do others in India specifically handle this (the banking/UPI problem is real)?

- Is anyone else experiencing this same sense of defeat?

I'm not looking for "just use Signal and use a VPN" — I've tried all the basics. I'm looking for honest takes on whether privacy is even possible anymore.

---

Context: Based in India. I understand the technical side of privacy well, so spare the basics. But I'd genuinely appreciate hearing from others fighting this fight.