You could buy a used Pixel, if you don't want to support Google.
this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2025
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Privacy
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I gave up and went back to a flip phone. XP3plus. More durable, way less of a headache compared to smartphones that are high maintenance. Sure, it runs Android. But they big factor is, it's a scaled down version of Android; it comes that way out of the box. Just basic apps and no app store. It's been a breath of fresh air.
Best part? It's designed to be a utility. Not a human pacifier with social media apps.
More power to you! I enjoy browsing videos and reading webcomics too much to go back to a flip phone though. Don't go on social media much so if I go deeper down the rabbit hole, a flip phone may bot be out of the question. It would also be a great alternative for a work phone
I enjoy browsing videos and reading webcomics too much to go back to a flip phone though.
If you also do that when going out, It means you are going about going outside the wrong way then. 😁
GrapheneOS is the only one cellebrite admits it has trouble with, I can't recommend another OS, but I can say that being resistant to the government hacking your phone has recently become more important and it might be worth reconsidering.
Check out UBports/Ubuntu Touch, it’s a linux-based OS with a neat desktop mode when docked.
Suggesting a non-Android-derived mobile OS shouldn't get you downvoted. While I too risking going against the grain, I recommend OpenHarmony. It is available on laptops and should become available on smartphones eventually.
I sorely miss DivestOS for this purpose, but I'd consider CalyxOS (development sadly on pause) ~~and iodeOS~~ as runners-up. /e/OS got caught sending voice-to-text data to OpenAI, so I'd stay away for the time being.
edit: sad to see that iode has a freemium model on some of its features. see replies for more nuance on the /e/OS situation.
LineageOS will get the most years of support out of the most devices. While leagues ahead of Android for privacy, bear in mind that it still isn't airtight with regard to the occasional piece of telemetry data sent back to Google. It's about the only thing that can keep one of my older Pixels somewhat up-to-date.
LeOS is like LineageOS with all Google telemetry stripped out, but only in GSI form (no builds optimized for specific devices), so YMMV with hardware compatibility. I have this on my Samsung tablet.
I've also heard about Volla Phones (with VollaOS) and Brax Phones (with iodeOS or Ubuntu Touch), but haven't taken a serious look since the screen sizes offered are too big for me.
I might try out a Linux phone next, but the relative lack of battery optimizations and edge-case issues leave me a bit hesitant. Also, check out detailed comparison of the common Android ROMs with regard to privacy and security: https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm
Thanks for all of the options! May look more into LineageOS
/e/OS got caught sending voice-to-text data to OpenAI
To clarify it's an optional STT service, not on by default if one is not using Murena services, which before sending data proxy it so it's not associated with a specific user account, for anonymization. It even says so in the screenshot of the links post, for premium Murena service users. FUD from https://lemmy.ml/post/35472063?scrollToComments=true seems to already be working out, sadly.
Details https://doc.e.foundation/murena-voice-to-text including "This feature is exclusively available to Murena Workspace Premium users."
The developers' response to the threads bringing this up with them were absolutely abysmal. They wouldn't even answer the question "does e send data to third parties when this feature is turned off" directly
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Do you work for them or something
No, why do you suggest that? If one were to say something incorrect about Google or Meta, even though not only I do not work for them but even spend quite a bit of resource to get away from them, I would still say it aloud.
Here I said, multiple times, that the post that sparked this is not correct... because it simply is not true. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ok but why use it over lineage without installing gapps?
Everybody has different reason but what Murena does is sell phones with /e/OS pre-installed, so if one is specifically looking for a deGoogled phone because they don't have one that already supports LineageOS and/or do not know how to install LineageOS then it's very convenient. It's like going to an Apple store and leaving with a phone, not downloading a ROM then installing it on a device one already has. I'm again not saying one is better or worst than the other, solely that if one is looking for a deGoogled device and they don't have one already, it's an easier path.
PS: note also that I didn't compare /e/OS itself to LineageOS, I'm highlighting precisely how there is some value for some people.
Looks like they're hosting nextcloud as 'ecloud' which is just nextcloud and office add-ons hosted by the e/os people. So instead of letting google host your data, you're trusting it to this murena company who probably has much less security. they are exposing nextcloud to the net which is a terrible idea as there are many many CVEs https://feedly.com/cve/vendors/nextcloud I like nextcloud and it is good but I would never expose it to the internet like this.
I'd rather google have my info than some random skiddie that compromises murenas services.
There's just so many reasons not to use this android. Just 'degoogling' without any more thought behind it is one of the saddest things in the 'privacy' community. Yes, google is bad. But they're probably not going to be compromised by some low effort skid.
Feel like I keep on repeating myself here but... here is no "they" or "/e/OS people" if you do not explicitly ask for it! Nobody has to use Murena servers for 'ecloud' or whatever services, secure or not, they are proposing.
They might use the shittiest backend and it can be absolutely unsecure... but as long as you are not using it, who cares?
There is no point in comparing the services they provide to either Google or self-hosted, just do not use them. It's really not that hard. It's in fact literally easier than making an account and use them.
So... yes you can come up with problems and limitations if you want to, but the point is, again :
- one can buy a phone from Murena running /e/OS and, in fact by default, NOT use any of their services.
The whole point is that by using /e/OS one is not using Google and has a functional phone from the start. That's it.
Would anyone know of a custom ROM for an Oppo Reno 4 Pro? Looked everywhere, can't find one.
LineageOS and the companion microg for LineageOS is a good alternative. They offer a wide variety of phones (and some tablets) that are supported. Been using microg for LOS for over 5 years now with no major issues.
Good to know, thanks!
Why not install LineageOS on your S20?
Thought since my phone couldn't be rooted I wouldn't be able to change the OS. It's the SM-G981U model
If you want a new phone consider /e/OS as you can directly buy a phone from Murena (who maintains /e/OS) and thus get something working from day 1, no tinkering.
To clarify, because there is constant FUD around /e/OS (I think the deGoogled Android crowd is VERY passionate and invests a lot of effort into picking the "right" ROM for them leading to a kind of "holy war" which tends to lose focus on what actually matters, namely leave Google!) so to clarify
- /e/OS is not Murena
- Murena is the French company that sells phones, including refurbished, running /e/OS
- /e/OS is open source https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/os/
- services from Murena are optional, including STT (which is a premium service) and anything cloud based requires Murena accounts
- one can buy a phone from Murena and not using any of their service, it's as straightforward as NOT creating an account when booting the phone the first time, or not using an account, that's it.
Honestly I recommend this solution if you want a good compromise because IMHO
- Linux phones, e.g. PinePhones (I have 2, cf post history for details) aren't daily drivers yet for most
- it works, simple as that
- it's quite affordable, you don't need a flagship to run /e/OS
- it is actually deGoogled Android, which is IMHO the whole point
- depending on your bank you might be able to use their banking app
Feel free to ask questions, happy to clarify.
Thanks for the detailed information. The Fairphone 6 is a strong contender to be sure and if I'm able to buy one with the OS installed all the better! Only problem is I'm in the US so I don't know how much more expensive it will be for me to buy.
And after doing a quick search of /e/OS it looks like an iOS clone, which I am not super fond of. Have you used it before?
Also, it seems my bank isn't supported. So that's another bummer
You're welcome, briefly :
- yeah... I'm not going to guess with tariff what's going on, they might not even ship anymore
- I have been using it for half a year now and I like /e/OS , it's literally just Android without Google, that's it. If you find Android customizable enough to have the look&feel you need then you'll probably be OK
- if you use mobile banking daily, it might even be enough to look for another solution. Be cautious though that if it's not working there, then most likely it won't work on other deGoogled solutions. Might have to consider changing banks. Before going through all that trouble though I'd try 1 week without the bank app and see how feasible that is. Maybe it's a big deal, maybe it's actually not that bad.
This is a great explanation thanks
pinephone or a H.A.M radio
Sad that there are no Linux phone versions for the Xiaomi brands, they're good, resilient and powerful for their price IMO.
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I am curious to why no google Pixel?
Nothing against the Pixel per se but I wanted to keep my options open. I wanted a big upgrade from my current phone to justify buying a new one and I read a lot of Manga and webtoons. Hence, why I was looking at the Fold 7.
However, I will keep an open mind about phones. The Pixel 9 doesn't look too bad tbh.
Eh. I don't fault anyone for not wanting to give google the money. I love my pixel, I love my graphene, but at the end of the day privacy is the first, last and only priority.
Get your Pixel secondhand. That way you are not contributing to their profit margins and have more flexibility on the Pixel version you want without having to break the bank.
And I also agree with the comment that Pixels are not the most robust phones. They are good, but not the most robust thing you could own. Power but to issue across Pixel devices is a real thing. I had two of the power buttons on separate phones fall out. Good thing is that you can get them online cheaply and manually replace them yourself.
BUT Pixels are gorgeous phones and a real delight to use as well. Lovely screens, decent battery, good camera and is buttery smooth with Graphene.
I am on these Pixels because if Graphene.
The hardware shortcomings I can live with and work around. I mostly have great experiences with Pixels with the occasional hardware issue to slove.
I use the on-screen Accessibility Menu shortcut to adjust audio volume, screen brightness and un/locking the phone.
Are there serious issues like motherboard problems (I know them from my mi 11 lite, which is now completely useless), or some other serious problems, I couldn't fix without professional tools?
Pixels are very well made though, google is not a hardware company; data and ads is their business. So, buying a pixel and starving them of your data is actually bad business for them
I have a Pixel 7 and my wife has the Pixel 6a, I don't find them particularly well made. My pixel 7 is already show signs of wear with the power button getting stuck after about 2 years of use, with a case pretty much always on. My former phone, Huawei P20 worked flawlessly and was like new after 5 years of use. In the end I wanted to run GrapheneOS and decided for the Pixel. But at this price, I am quite disappointed with the hardware quality.
To be fair, Huawei hardware (in my experience) lasts way longer than any other, if you take care of the devices.
Buy open box on ebay
Fair enough. Like I said, I got mine, and I am a fan. At the end of the day though, so long as it's hardened and runs Foss apps then it's good by me. I couldn't see being pro-privacy enough to take the plunge on a hardened phone AND being consumerist enough to the point of brand loyalty, lol
I've heard good things about Iode OS. Apparently it's security focused but I honestly haven't looked in to it at all
No, it is not.
They forked LinaegeOS, which is 0 security oriented, stripped it of all its private services (like Seedvault) and now want the user to pay a subscription for their non encrypted backup servers and a shitty DNS blocker
Yeah that's pretty shitty
Be aware that they use a freemium model. You'll have to pay for their built-in ad blocker to be useful.
That's a little stupid. I use vpn with adblocking capabilities, I feel like that will accomplish the same thing
It doesn't block nothing without payment, but it doesn't block everything either, which makes it useless IMO.
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