All things GrapheneOS

Lounge EndeavourOS pub
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So, I searched for a specific GrapheneOS topic - there is none! Scandal! Stop the webserver!!!
Instead I opted to create one. I am interested in other members experience with it, with apps, with the triangle of hate (security VS privacy VS usability) and other stuff. Yeah, I could use the GOS forums, or some security related forum, or reddit, or… but you know what all of this places are lacking? PURPLE!
Hence this topic. To start things off my experience so far and where I am coming from, with some questions on top.

I have used almost every “smartphone” OS there is, started with palmOS back in the day, tried some Windows (when it still was called Pocket PC), tried some Android, fell in love with webOS (this actually triggered my love for FLOSS), used iOS (work phones…blargh), switched back to Windows Mobile (Nokia hardware man… something else!) and since the Elop thingy I used Android. First sock, but very soon switched over to LineageOS on fully rooted devices. I would have stuck with my latest device (a onePlus 7tp), but no more mayor Android updates and very slow security updates made this more and more dangerous, so I finally killed my wallet and bought a P8p.

I use it without any of the fancy “use google but don’t make me wet” stuff, because I don’t need it. I will not ever do banking on my mobile (never understood this…), I pay with real money (so paper and coins stuff) and I certainly don’t use any apps which require play services. Originally my plan was to use sandboxing for gCam, but since Android14 is out GOS can use PixelCam natively, which is just tooo good. My applist is kinda short anyway:

  • Aurora - for the very few google store apps
  • Conversations - XMPP messaging
  • Cromite - one of 3 browsers, see questions
  • DAVx5 - to sync contacts and calendar schedule
  • Etar - calendar
  • FairEmail - mail
  • Fennec - one of 3 browsers, see questions
  • FitoTrac - I LOVE hiking!
  • FlightLight - fancy icons, Aurora needet, no FLOSS :frowning:
  • Forecastie - weather forecast with nice widget
  • FreeOTP+ - for login via 2fa (for example github)
  • Frost - fancy icons, not as nice as Flight, though
  • HomeAssistant - well… home assistant
  • Jellyfin - media streaming
  • KDE Connect - I use KDE, btw
  • Mastodon - twitter is cancer
  • MediLog - high blood pressure, needs to be tracked
  • Neostore - F-Droid in better
  • OSmand+ - Maps, see questions
  • Pedometer - step counter, see questions
  • Pixelcam - well, the pics this thing can shoot are simply amazing
  • QKSMS - SMS messaging
  • Signal-FOSS - messaging
  • Spotube - Spotify frontend, must get rid of this, see questions
  • Telegram-FOSS - messaging
  • Threema Libre - messaging
  • Tiny Weather Forecast - weather warnings, widget
  • Todo Agenda - calendar widget and birthdays

So this is not the longest list, but also not the shortest - but I am quite happy with it. I try to go FLOSS whenever possible.
My questions:

  • I am still very unhappy with my usage of spotify - I would love to buy lossless (maybe even HR) audio tracks for a reasonable price to get rid of it, but I not yet found anything. Any idea or suggestions?
  • OSMand+ is - compared to here, gmaps or amaps - very lackluster. Are there any better alternatives, specifically for Europe?
  • Pedometer is my main battery drainer - anyone of you know a battery friendly step counter?

But currently my most important question, the thing that bothers me most:

  • 3 browsers (cromite, fennec, inbuild vanadium) are two too much. I originally planned to go with vanadium, because it is for sure the most secure. But it talks to google and has no reliable adblocking. I then tried out cromite, which has some limited form of adblocking. Too limited for my liking. I then tried again my good old fennec with some add-ons, and this is doing the trick privacy and usability wise, but security is lackluster on android compared to chrome based browsers… I don’t know what to do here. What do you use?

So, this is the “All things GrapheneOS” topic, let me know what you have as experience with GrapheneOS, why do you use it, what do you like, what do you dislike, which apps you use and all the other good stuff!

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I still have a Pixel 4a. Unfortunately, it’s end-of-life and I’m looking for a cheap Pixel 7a. So, if you have one to spare … :sweat_smile:

I use MagicEarth for car navigation and OrganicMaps for navigation by bike or on foot and I’m pretty happy with it. So just give it a try

Otherwise we have a pretty similar setup.

I also use Sandbox Google Play service. Only for my banking app. I need to know where and when my millions of euros are on the move :moneybag: :sweat_smile:

Another app I find very useful is Obtainium. Apps directly from the source. I once started a topic here. Feel free to read through

Simply Vanadium. Sometimes FossBrowser.
Danieol Micay once explained the advantages to me in the MAtrix room after I asked if I should use Foss Browser. His answer was relatively clear. No! As soon as everyone uses Vanadium we all have one fingerprint and are so incredibly difficult to track

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Not sure if this is a fair comparison but anyways:

fennec
fennec738×1600 138 KB
mull
mull738×1600 144 KB

Myself, I use Mull with uBO and NoScript and I am quite happy with it.

Mull is developed by DivestOS and they have a F-Droid repo.

By the way, not totally related but somehow, more Firefox addons are on the way for Android:

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We are running several P6a in our family with CalyxOS. In their matrix I have found the hint that the spotify problems are related to Android 14.

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You may try CalyxOS. They support the P4a up to August 2024 and the P4a_5G up to August 2025.

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Thanks man, will definately try it out, looks promising!

Will do so, Sir!

As long as there is no Adblocking in Vanadium possible and I am not protected by my DNS-based Adblocking at home I need a solution to still use the internet. Not possible without Adblocking. And I don’t get it why they completely ignore this fact. But whatever, using another browser is possible, so that’s that.

I do not have any issues with spotify as an app (I don’t use the spotify app as listed above), I have a HUGE issue with spotify’s TOS and behaviour. This is the opposite of FLOSS and privacy. Not as bad as youtube, but well on it’s way - hence me trying to get rid of streaming completely.

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Soulseek (Nicotine+).

Very reasonable price… :parrot:

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Sorry, was a misread by me. :see_no_evil:

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Of course it doesn’t support extensions like Fennec or Mull do, but you can add other custom blocklists to the one that are are already available by default.

Go to

Settings > Adblock Plus settings > Custom ad filtering settings

and add the URL for the blocklists you want.

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Until right now I didn’t knew that cromite uses ABP for it’s adblocking feature - which actually leads to “uninstall cromite”. “Acceptable Adds” whitelisting without transparency for the user (it is quite the opposite, it is anti-transparent) is an absolute no-go for me, so thank you for enlightening me!
So, Mull it is then.

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Some “interesting” found:

I disabled Adblock Plus alltogether.
Yet the domains listed on the custom blocklists that I have added gets blocked in the browser. Don’t know how this works “under the hood”. Seems to be independent of Adblock Plus’ blocklists :thinking:

Edit:
This is on a device that I have ADB root on. I forgot that had made a custom /etc/hosts.
Could be the reason why the domains get blocked despite ADP being disabled in the browser. :sweat_smile:

Going to test further later on.