• Reygle@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    80
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    I went Graphene a while back and can’t be happier with it.

    I’d still love to see a real Linux phone that really works and really has native Signal/etc apps but since buying a pinephone years ago to tinker with it, I’m not holding my breath.

    If anyone here has fears/questions about installing/using it, I can give you basics. NOT an expert, but installation was the easiest thing I could have imagined, took MAYBE 10 minutes literally following their official guide.

    • Lemmayng@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      29
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      Agree. On my fifth anniversary with GrapheneOS and it still kicks ass.

      The Pixel phones on the other hand still leave a lot to be desired as reliable hardware. My 8 Pro is the best of the ones I’ve owned, but not by much considering my Pixel 6 Pro had a shitty Tensor modem, and my Pixel 4 XL had a spicy pillow.

      The sooner GrapheneOS moves to Motorola, the better.

    • eli@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      I’m about to make the switch myself. I have a Pixel tablet and a P9 Pro. I swapped my tablet over just so I can test things out. I want to deGoogle completely. No play store.

      So far I’ve had to make a list of all my apps I have on my phone and go one-by-one seeing if there’s an apk for it somewhere outside of play store, and if not, then if there’s an alternative app, and then website or PWA it is.

      I’ve come to realize I have a lot of unnecessary bullshit on my phone to begin with. Think I’ll make the switch this weekend, just need to find a few more alternatives to specific apps.

      • ItsNotImportant24@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        edit-2
        2 days ago

        What apps are you looking for alternatives for? I run Graphene and have replaced everything with foss alternatives and couldn’t be happier. Except my banking app and a couple that should absolutely be the official apps, but those are installed on a seperate profile.

        Also, dont use Aurora store for apps once on GOS. Its not recommended. Use Obtainium for apps straight from the source or accrescent along with GOS’ official app store.

        • eli@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          Well I found good alternatives(Fossify stuff) or most apps I use already have GitHub releases. I just need to try these apps out and if I dont like them then find other alternatives. Like map apps, calendar, voice recorder, etc. Again I found alts, just not sure how they’ll actually function until using them.

          My biggest one is the Steam app for their authenticator. I read some stuff online that Aegis supposedly can work as a Steam auth, but yeah.

          • ItsNotImportant24@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            2 days ago

            Well, I use Fossify calendar and have no problems with it. For maps I like and use CoMaps, but the others will work well too. The map apps though use lat and long so they only put you at the block of the address but if you put GMaps WV on your phone you can put the address in it and then click share and copy the lat and long it provides and paste it into comaps and it will route straight to the address, its a couple extra steps but quick and easy. I honestly think youll realize you wish youd have switched sooner. Graphene is just amazing. Plus you can talk to them on their platforms and channels

        • eli@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          Thanks! I had no idea about this, wish it was a little more robust but I’ll definitely be sharing this app with others!

    • k0e3@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      This might be a silly question, but do you think it would be a good idea for me to first set up my old android phone with my bank and authenticator apps before I make the switch in case some of them don’t work?

    • echo@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      The software for linux phones is pretty much there. Gnome and KDE mobile are surprisingly capable. There’s built in apps for every basic thing you’d need on a phone like a dialer, SMS app, camera, etc. plus all the normal apps adapted to work with mobile like the calculator and maps apps.

      The only real limitation is with the hardware. I have no idea why all new linux phones launch with specs from a decade ago. You can get a better experience by flashing ported Postmarket OS to an Android phone like the Nothing phone or a OnePlus 6t.

      It shouldn’t be like that, no idea why it’s impossible to just have a linux phone with decent specs and a good camera on par with modern flagships.

      • ozymandias117@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        2 days ago

        Linux phones try to build from upstream Linux, and the major phone SoC vendors HATE upstreaming their code.

        They believe every character in their source code is absolutely top secret.

        A middle ground I wish was considered more is taking Google’s kernel and the vendors DLKM partition/DTB/DTBO for hardware support, and putting a GNU userspace on top.

        This has had problems in the past, because vendors would modify syscall tables such that they don’t match userspace anymore, but with GKI, I think we’re closer to that being a possibility

      • Squizzy@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        2 days ago

        100% I got a pixel, secondhand, to allow for gOS.

        All I want is a linux phone that takes good photos that I feel is secure. I need it to launch android apps in sandbox instances too but I understand that is possible.

        Linux phones are always missing modern stuff be it fast charging, nfc, decent compnents, etc.

        Love a tablet too, the pixel tablet with speaker stand is ideal if it wasnt the devils products.

      • Lemmayng@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        “You can get a better experience by flashing ported Postmarket OS to an Android phone like the Nothing phone or a OnePlus 6t”

        Can you relock the bootloader when flashing Postmarket OS to those phones? The only other OS that allowed for relocking the bootloader after flashing on certain phones was DivestOS, and unfortunately it went the way of the dodo.

      • utopiah@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        Because Linux phones with proper hardware are sold at 1k and hundreds of people want to but that, not thousands or millions and thus they don’t actually get built. Couple of attempts just lasttear didn’t pan out.

      • Reygle@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        Glad to hear it, as years back with the Pinephone, I had a… worse than that experience. It was not good.

    • kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      2 days ago

      I have company managed apps on my device. Teams, Outlook and Authenticator. Any idea if there might be any friction there with Graphene? It’s really the only thing from holding me back and I can’t really justify experimenting if it’s going to break things

      • Reygle@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        Never used the stock rom on it, purchased it, turned it on, and immediately flashed it. BUT compared to my last “normal” android? (Smasnug- I’ll never NOT call them that thanks to a certain Aussie on YT) No. Nothing. That said I’m middle aged and never even considered using stuff like contactless payments with a phone, etc. Never saw the appeal of increased risk just to look like a douchebag at the checkout aisle or the drive through. Your mileage may vary if you use things like that, I can’t speak to it.

        Only thing I noticed was for my bank’s app, I had to enable “exploit protection compatibility mode” to make it function like it should.

        • _g_be@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          I use contactless payments on my pixel, that and banking apps in general keep me from trying it.

          Sounds like it might work fine, that’s encouraging.

          tap to pay isn’t more risky, might be less risky depending on how you use it. My understanding is that it uses a one-time number instead of your card information, not unlike using the chip and pin. I’m no expert tho, don’t quote me on that lol