this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2024
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ELI5: GrapheneOS questions (midwest.social)
submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by clark@midwest.social to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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edit: thank you all for your replies! They are all very helpful. I am reading through them and will ask follow-up questions if needed.

I made a post some days ago asking about LineageOS, but my curiosity towards Google Pixels and GrapheneOS has been growing. As somebody who has always used regular Samsungs and iPhones, I hope somebody can clear up some questions I have regarding this OS.

I plan that my next phone is to be either a Motorola (LineageOS/SailfishOS?) or a Pixel (GrapheneOS). My first question about GrapheneOS, or really any non-standard OS, is this:

  • how does having an account on the device work? For example, Samsungs require a Samsung account and iPhones require an iCloud account. How does it work on non-standard OSes?

My second question touches on built-in apps that you often get with every phone:

  • does GrapheneOS have its own Notes/Drive/Photos/Messages app? If not, how does one go about obtaining these? Related question:
  • how do I sync my notes/photos/files/etc to the “cloud” of GrapheneOS?

My third question regards the app store of GrapheneOS. I have heard that the sandboxed Play Store is better than FDroid, for instance; what are your thoughts? Do I go for Aurora Store instead? Is there any major difference at all? Is it possible to use multiple app stores?

  • note that I likely won’t be solely relying on FDroid since I need some non-FOSS apps (FB Messenger for contacting family for example).

I know that in the privacy community, it’s very common to fix up a cloud of your own (i.e. NextCloud). I have no experience doing this, but is it something I must do when I install atypical OSes? Then comes the question about pricing, how private and secure it really is, which one to choose… and so on.

I understand many of these questions will sound stupid to those who are experienced, but I have not been part of this community very long. Feel free to link any educational videos or articles that answer my questions. I hope to learn more about this subject and one day installing a more secure system on my phone. Cheers!

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[–] hellfire103@lemmy.ca 11 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)
  1. You don't need an account, and there is no such thing as a GrapheneOS account. Most of your apps should be able to be installed through either F-Droid, Obtainium, or the sandboxed Play Store. Some apps require Google Play Services, however, but LineageOS has an alternative called microG which works most of the time, and GrapheneOS containerises apps.
  2. GrapheneOS, I believe, uses the default gallery and SMS apps from stock Android; and they also have their own camera, PDF viewer, and web browser (Vanadium), which are developed in-house. However, cloud syncing and note-taking apps are not included. I would suggest either having a look on F-Droid, asking on this sublemmy, or checking out Privacy Guides to find some apps you'll like.
  3. GrapheneOS doesn't have a "cloud", as such. This is a good thing, and it lets you choose your own provider if you must. I would personally recommend Filen for files and photos, and Cryptee for notes.
  4. It is completely possible to use multiple app stores. If you use GrapheneOS, I would say use F-Droid or Obtainium when possible, and the Sandboxed Play Store for everything else.
  5. We like to use things like NextCloud because it gives us full control over our data, among other reasons. However, it is not essential. I, personally, use Filen for my cloud sync needs; but I also tend to use physical storage a lot because of my shitty internet and cheap hardware. You also don't necessarily need to pay for these services, but it's polite and it can improve your experience.

Good luck on your privacy journey, and don't hesitate to ask more questions. In addition to Lemmy, here are a few good resources:

[–] clark@midwest.social 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Hi! Thank you so much for the all the links, I really appreciate it. And thank you for introducing me to both Filen and Cryptee. Regarding Filen, I have a question. It says the price for lifetime starter is €30, but are there any other lifetime options (such as for the pro plans) that offer more storage?

[–] hellfire103@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not entirely sure. I'm still using the free tier. A bit hypocritical for me to say that payment is polite, I know; but I do tend to use USB drives more than the cloud.

[–] clark@midwest.social 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Do you know how Filen compares to Nextcloud or Syncthing? It’s definitely confusing to try to navigate in this huge technical world and know what service is the best haha

[–] hellfire103@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Essentially:

  • Filen - Server in Germany, run by Filen. Has clients for Windows, macOS, Linux (both x86_64 and arm64), iOS, and Android; but not BSD or ChromeOS. You get 10 GB for free.
  • Nextcloud - Server wherever you want, as you host it yourself. Has clients for most platforms, including Android, and also supports WebDAV. Everything is on your terms. Also comes with things like a calendar, a notes app, and ActivityPub (I think). You can run NextCloud on a Raspberry Pi under your desk for cheap.
  • Syncthing - No server and no account, as it is strictly peer-to-peer. Has clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD, illumos, Solaris, and Android; and there's an unofficial client for iOS (Möbius Sync). Devices must be on the same network to sync (although there's probably a way of getting it working globally). Totally free to use.

I use Filen because I only have one Raspberry Pi (which is in use), so Nextcloud isn't a viable option; and I had trouble getting Syncthing to work.

[–] Gooey0210@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

The past part sounds like a joke, love all the sources, but they all have a beef with GOS 😆

So bringing up GOS in those communities can spark some controversial discussions

In the meanwhile in GOS community it's strictly prohibited to mention those projects, and every time any of the projects says "Graphene" GOS asks them to not to 😅

[–] Ilandar@aussie.zone 0 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

The past part sounds like a joke, love all the sources, but they all have a beef with GOS

It's more the reverse. Some GrapheneOS users have had an extreme and obsessive hatred for anything associated with Techlore since the video revealing how insanely toxic the lead developer was. Because these people are borderline retarded, they associate criticism of a person's behaviour as criticism of the project itself. As you say, Micay's even gone so far as to outright censor discussion within that community. It's all a bit sad and pathetic.

The Techlore community is pretty casual, they are nowhere near terminally online enough to "have beef" with another project. Discussion about GrapheneOS isn't banned there, Techlore still has all his videos up recommending GrapheneOS, Privacy Guides still recommends GrapheneOS first in the Android section of their site, etc.

[–] Gooey0210@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Mostly correct, but at the same time Techlore in their "Graphene toxic community" videos explicitly multiple times said that it's better to avoid projects that have bad/toxic communities or devs

[–] Ilandar@aussie.zone 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yes but Techlore also encouraged GrapheneOS users (and everyone else) to advocate for higher standards within the project as well as the privacy community more generally. At no point did Techlore ever tell people not to use GrapheneOS in the video, nor did he censor discussion in an attempt to hurt the project. Techlore's stance overall is a pretty rational and sensible one. That some people continue to get offended by it says a lot more about them than it does about him.