I currently have an iPhone X. I like it, but it’s gradually dying. It’s also a bit too big. Perfect size would be the iPhone 7 or similar. I’ve had different brand phones before this, so while I’ve been on Apple for a while, I’ve had Samsung, Motorola, Sony, Nokia etc. all the way back to the Nokia 3210.
I’m becoming a bit fed up of big brands and so want to de-Apple myself, but also not go Google. I would love a dumb phone, but I do have some regular apps: MS Auth for work; Lemmy; Philips Hue; Sensibo; WhatsApp.
I was looking at alternative OS options such as Graphene OS, that in theory allow you to run Android apps without Google. But how well do they work?
This would be my primary (only) phone.
So given size considerations (iPhone 7), ability to not be Apple or Google OS, but also be able to run my key apps, what do my options look like?
I’d go into a store and ask, but say ‘not apple and not google’ and you get a vacant stare in response.
I use Graphene OS. While you can run it completely de-Googled, in order to run Play Store applications Graphene OS takes the route of sandboxing Google Play services. This means that they run with the privileges of a regular application and you can deny it access to e.g. sensors.
Sandboxed Google Play is practically identical in functionality to its non-sandboxed counterpart from the stock ROM, and nearly all applications should work. I can confirm that WhatsApp works for certain, as well as my banking app.
Calyx OS is another one that uses MicroG as a replacement for Google Play Services instead, but I have not used it.
All 3rd party ROMs like LineageOS are usually bloated with bugs there and there. Wouldn’t recommend!
This is just straight up not true. LineageOS is well maintained, it depends on which phone you have, and the more popular the phone, the better the support for it. Anything 3rd party comes with the risk of bugs, that’s a trade-off, but to suggest it’s “bloated” with bugs is patently false. Maybe if you’re using a device from a manufacturer that’s hostile to customroms, but I’ve never had any serious issues with anything I’ve run LineageOS on, and that includes a lot of devices.
As for the wallet, that’s Google, which they said they want to get away from. I’ve also not had any issues using wallet on my phone running LineageOS.
Your comment is basically just telling them to use a Google Pixel straight out of the box, which is the opposite of what they asked. I’m not sure why this comment has been pinned (according to Liftoff).
Due to the size constraints, there’s not much to recommend (I am currently typing this on an iphone 7 lols). Since you mentioned GrapheneOS, which can only be installed on Pixel devices, I’d recommend the Pixel 7a. It’s definitely bigger than an iPhone 7, but it is the newest Pixel device. To get a phone that’s smaller that supports Graphene, I’d have to recommend a Pixel 5a instead. It’s older but closer to the size you wish for. Pick your poison.
There are lots of privacy oriented Android flavors out there. Most of them won’t come with Google Play services installed. Any of them will be able to run any apps you need.
In my opinion, Google isn’t bad at all when it comes to tracking and bloatware. They’re much like Apple. It’s the branded phones like Samsung that are absolutely horrible.
Anyway, check out the LineageOS Wiki: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/
It can give a quick overview of the devices which can easily install a custom ROM (OS). I heard good things about Fairphone
Owning a FP4, I would recommend you to hold off on buying one. Maybe wait for the FP5, which is supposed to come out soon, and hope that the software support is better.
True, but the FP4 isnt bad, I’d say it’s pretty good, considering the repairability that you just don’t have with other phones. Coming from an iPhone SE, I didn’t experience it as a downgrade, but it did have some getting used to. Mostly down to Android.
Hardware is ok, though by now pretty outdated for a new phone for €600.
Software is really buggy and the bugs don’t get fixed. I currently have multiple major bugs, that limit the functionality of the phone (the worst one is that 5Ghz hotspot isn’t even selectable and 2.4GHz and tethering have massive packetloss and speeds of <500kbit/s).
And then the camera…
Also, there are only ~3 years of guaranteed software updates and replacement parts available (with maybe a bit more if we get lucky). Waiting for half a year and getting the FP5 if repairability is really important or getting something else if it isn’t might be the better choice.
what do you mean google is like apple privacy-wise? Google is HORRIBLE, they invented tracking in order to sell customised ads.
On the other hand, Apple has lots of flaws but a strong privacy nonetheless, since you’re paying upfront their expensive products.
In my understanding, the metrics tracked by just having Google Play services are pretty minimal.
It’s more like an API between your phone and apps you install through it, and the permission system for apps has improved immensely over the past 5-10 years. As I see it, it’s more like a firewall.
If you don’t want Google to know which apps you use and how much, you can go full custom, but that’s a bit too much tinfoil for me.
The tracking is mostly from web browsing. If you use Google Chrome, of course you can expect to be tracked based on browser history, cookies, etc., like most other browsers.
If I wanna do something in private, obviously I won’t use Chrome or a builtin browser.
This is pretty much true in terms of using Google play services all it may do is change what ads or recommendations you get on the play store.
The devious stuff comes from almost entirely Chrome and Google search. I’m not some kind of Google defender by any means but using a normal Android OS isn’t generally going to be making Google any money. They’re just hoping you’ll use the apps that come pre installed with it.
The only phones that are deGoogled out of the box (Huawei, mostly), did’t manage to deliver very satisfying experience, so no special recommendation from me.
However, there are options like /e/OS that provide easy to install, de-Googled Android installation, providing the phone is on their compatibility list. If I were in your shoes, I’d check one of such options and consider a phone from the compatilibty list they maintain.
For example:
- One Plus 8
- One Plus 8 Pro
These phones are sweet, as far as I’m concerned.
