• Buy second-hand or discounted old stock from a reseller to minimize your contribution to Google.
• Unless one of the apps you are forced to use requires Google Play Integrity, GrapheneOS will be compatible with any Android app, even providing sandboxed Google Play services if needed.
• For apps so invasive as to require Play Integrity, you might be better off leaving them on a secondary phone with stock Android and powered off when not in use.
• The Pixel 5a is the last Pixel device with a headphone jack, but no longer receives GrapheneOS updates. You may want to consider USB-C headsets, which are usually also compatible with computers, and require no extra dongles.
• If the Google headphones work over Bluetooth, they will also work with GrapheneOS. No experience with Google headphones, but I only missed out on customizable shortcuts and device renaming when I opted not to install the companion app for my earbuds.
• Everybody warns against using out-of-date GrapheneOS devices, but that’s not very satisfying. Yes, they will have open vulnerabilities. But as long as you install apps from reputable sources, the chance of being attacked via outdated Android is very low, provided you are not being targeted by an agency.
• That said, grab a more recent Pixel if you can for security updates into the 2030s.
• All Pixel devices have enclosed batteries, most are quite frustrating to remove, particularly the 9a. There’s a decent chance of breaking the screen if it has to be removed in the battery replacement process. Won’t recommend it, but I have considered buying one with a bloated battery just so the adhesives are already removed for me.
• Transferring files to and from any Linux distro works just fine, as with any Android device, bearing quirks of the mtp protocol in mind. LocalSend can be used for wireless file transfer. rsync requires a workaround.
• I’ve used GrapheneOS for the past 4-ish years. I’ll admit I had a head start since my workflow wasn’t too smartphone-dependent in the first place and I had already begun pulling myself out from Apple and Google services back then. Everything just works and I would never look back.

(you may want to post this to !privacy@lemmy.ml or a similar community… I suppose GOS uses the Linux kernel technically but I think this community is for desktop Linux lol)

GOS is really nice. It’s very seamless and user-friendly, whilst still being very unbloated and minimal. You still have everything you’d expect to have on a phone but the environment is nicely minimal and lets you only install the software you want.

I’ve been using GOS as my exclusive mobile OS for many years, never had any technical problems with it.

You can use bluetooth headphones or usb-c headphones. Including the bluetooth headphones google sells. Afaik they are still just bluetooth headphones.

How easy is to transfer data from GrapheneOS to debian and the other way round?

Easy: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Media_Transfer_Protocol

I have been running GOS for 5 years now on my pixel 4a. Planning to snag a new 9a during black friday sales. Hardware is fine, but I want security updates.

I run my banking through vanadium browser with non-foss 2fa app in a separate profile.

Facebook messenger works, but whatsapp nevers works properly for me. Trying to migrate friends and family to signal.

I mostly use LocalSend to transfer files between my computer and phone. Photos and folders are synced with my synology nas.

Summary: I’m happy with GOS, great battery life and no distracting ad-bloated apps. Can run most apps with google play in separated profiles.

is it something you’d recommend for a privacy worried user?

Absolutely

I assume google headphones would cease to work if I degoogle the device

They’ll work perfectly.

Is there a pixel device with a jack port?

No.

Are batteries inside pixel devices glued to the frame or can they be easy to change?

They are glued, like all modern devices.

My main OS is debian. How easy is to transfer data from GrapheneOS to debian and the other way round?

Very easy with KDEConnect/GSConnect.

Overall if you run GrapheneOS on a pixel, how many years running it and what do you think about it?

About 4 years. I like everything about it. The only thing I don’t like is that it can’t solve problems inherent in Google’s monopoly. So some Google Play apps will not work and notifications won’t work without Google’s proprietary Google Play Services or one of the super rare apps that support unifiedpush. The vast majority of developers don’t publish their apps outside of the Play Store, and almost none of them support anything other than Google’s FCM for notifications. Google Pay simply won’t work at all.

Literal best phone I’ve ever had. Never had any problems getting apps to work. That said, idk whats going to happen now with the changes to the aosp

About 2 years for me. It’s a better experience than vanilla Android except that tap to pay doesnt work.

Other than that one downside it’s been nothing but an improvement. so much more control over what apps can access, and what Google services to use (if any). Google services are treated like any other app, and can therefore be easily sandboxed.

If you have a compatible device i highly recommend GrapheneOS. I’m pretty unhappy with the build quality and camera on my Pixel (7 Pro), but that was all the same on Android.

I really wish GrapheneOS supported another brand of device. Pixels are way overpriced for how cheaply put together they are, but i’d rather have a meh phone with real security than a nice one with just security theater

It works great with Linux for me, i expect Debian will have no issues

pixel is meh

GrapheneOS is fucking amazing

Is there a pixel device with a jack port?

None that are still supported by GrapheneOS. But you can buy a USB-C to 3.5mm jack dongle.

My main OS is debian. How easy is to transfer data from GrapheneOS to debian and the other way round?

Pretty easy, either by cable or using an app like LocalSend (they have an apk on their Github).

Overall if you run GrapheneOS on a pixel, how many years running it and what do you think about it?

Haven’t used it in a while. I think it was cool, but was definitely more of a hassle than regular Android. The default apps are pretty barebones and feel old. Though I do still dream about replacing my iPhone with a device with GrapheneOS.

I switched to it this past winter, same time I moved from Windows to CachyOS on my desktop, and I haven’t looked back on either device since.

Debloats the hell out of the thing, and personally I love how deeply documented everything is. Reasons and justifications are given for every design decision, but it’s also not an extremely opinionated ecosystem - if you need a google app or w/e for any reason, the option is there. there are some limitations like the integrity API dogshit, but for the most part, it’s a near flawless experience.

Most people say they have problems with banking apps and android auto. But you can run google play services and store sandboxed. I don’t know if it than still has these problems. I don’t have graphene for now but maybe in the future.

It’s overall a pretty good experience, but there’s occasional weirdness you may run into. For instance, up until a month or two ago I was encountering a bug that caused my phone to basically slow to a crawl after running Android Auto for 20 minutes or so, with a reboot being the only solution. This happened once while I was driving somewhere unfamiliar and it took about 5 minutes to start back up due to app optimization (which, incidentally, I don’t remember being a thing on other Android flavors after 2018 or so) so it turned into a whole adventure.

There’s also a fairly persistent issue I’ve run into where GrapheneOS starts very aggressively killing background apps, like as soon as another app gains focus. Not sure what that’s about but I haven’t really encountered it on other Android versions to the same extent, so I’m inclined to think it’s GOS-specific.