I was thinking about using graphene OS, but I’ve read some lemmy users dislike this OS due to perceived misleading advertising and the pixel 7a you’re supposed to install graphene on because it’s from google (an advertising company).

Another option would be lineage OS, but there is so much false information about this OS, namely compatible phones that simply don’t work with this OS and no support.

what works for you? I want a phone with no google, that doesn’t force me to use the manufacturer’s ecosystem and that won’t show the apps I don’t want or need (on an asus I own you cannot neither get rid nor hide bloatware)

  • GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    I use LineageOS because my phone is not a Pixel and it works fine for me. If you don’t want to pay Google for a Pixel, buy a used one. Other than that LOS is fine. It doesn’t have anonymization features like /e/OS or something like that but it doesn’t force nor promote any apps or ecosystems (except for Seedvault but it’s not a big deal) and it is FOSS

  • Citizen@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    I’m using /e/ os for more than 3 years on different devices (with some customizations) and it works like a charm. An important aspect is that you can install e on any phone that has the bootloader unlock and supports GSIs - theoreticaly any device that runs Android > 9

    /e/ has a gsi image which is neat!

    I don’t use nor promote any banking apps or other G**gle/proprietary dependendent apps.

    Why nobody talks more about e.foundation /e/ OS?

    Enlighten me please 🙂

    • fiercekitten@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      I would love to try /e/, but for some reason there is no support for the Sony Xperia 1 iii.

      In fact, LineageOS is my only option, and after a bunch of time spent learning how to set it up and tweaking it to meet my needs, it’s mostly fantastic. My biggest complaints are missing camera features and no easy way to do OS updates while maintaining root.

      If anyone knows of a way to automate the process of regaining root after updates, please tell me!

          • Citizen@lemmy.ml
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            8 months ago

            Not need to force anyone to use anything mate!

            Here is my personal example: I made my choices a long time ago…

            I ditched ANY:

            • M$ related product/service;
            • ALL Meta (as in Wazaaap);
            • closed source apps;
            • i have 0 IoTs around my ass, but a nice computer infrastructure built in more than a few decades;
            • no friends around with i Phones …

            AND still I need to do so much about privacy and my life in general and I continue to learn & apply as much as I can…

            Also, I kindly invited and explained others why I choose to ditch products/software/companies/people that do not respect Humans in general and consider all of as as being just dumb “assets”…

            Indeed it feels lonely sometimes, but i prefer the silence rather than noise/propaganda/parotting/or really any kind of bullshit.

            Peace!

  • Lotsen@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    8 months ago

    Calyxos user here. I like it so far. Half a year into it. I can live with microg instead of gms. And it also works on moto g32, 42 and 52 so you don’t need Google hardware.

  • Vik@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Can you elaborate on being misled there?

    As for google devices - yes, there’s irony in the notion that the most de-googleable phones are theirs, sure. They’re often sold at a loss around the holiday season, though.

  • toastal@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    Not in my ideal spot but tolerating Android via LineageOS for microG on a Sony Xperia 5 III as their ROMs make microG painless & hardware-wise I get a fast-enough CPU, OLED, a headphone jack, & microSD.

    • fiercekitten@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      I wish the modern xperia phones were more popular and got more love. Hardware-wise they are amazing, i just wish they had easily-replaceable batteries.

      I just replaced the battery in mine. I had to get a heat gun to take off the back plate, as well as a new seal for the back plate. I’m not 100% convinced it is still water resistant, and I don’t plan on finding out.

      • toastal@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        The hardware is good & you can get phones under 6".

        They have 2 big flaws: price & years of continued support. The catch 22 is you can get a good price on them after the support window (2 years, but looks like 5 will be going forward). Luckily LineageOS always picks up after the support window if willing to take on possible firmware vulnerabilities knowing software will continue to be updated—but the camera requires the proprietary apps/libs or it looks low-end.

  • gigachad@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    I run LineageOS for microG, on LOS for more than 5 years now. I am not willing to pay for Pixel phones, even the used devices are to expensive for me. I do not really care about an unlocked bootloader, so that’s alright.

    • refreeze@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      As of the latest release (21), you can simply install microG on regular LOS and no longer need to install LineageOS for microG since it now includes the necessary signature spoofing support.

      • gigachad@sh.itjust.works
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        8 months ago

        Shorty after release it still had no support for UnifiedNLP, which I rely on for a decent location. That’s basically the only reason I use LineageOS for microG, as I am kind of an OpenStreetMap power user.

  • Lettuce eat lettuce@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    Not sure why GrapheneOS is getting down voted so much here, did I miss something recent that happened?

    I’ve been using GrapheneOS on my Pixel 6a for around 2 years and really like it.

    If I couldn’t use GOS though, I would probably go with DivestOS. I haven’t looked deep into other alternative Android ROMs.

  • atmur@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    GrapheneOS on a Pixel 8 Pro. I’ve been super happy with it since I switched from iOS.

  • billhead@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    Graphene OS users, what options are available for backing up your phone? I tried looking for an answer but wasn’t able to find anything recent on this topic.

    I want to try it but this is the one thing holding me back.

    • radau@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      8 months ago

      I just use nextcloud as a target for backups (Aegis, Signal, QkSMS). Apps such as KeePassDX I have load the file via nextcloud. My contacts and calendar go through it as well, photos are just set to auto upload along with a few other directories.

      As for the home screen layouts, I just take screenshots once I have it how I like and try to remember to take them again if I change stuff.

      It’s not a full backup but I’m back up and running fairly quickly (Pixel 5A died on me 3 times in under a one year lifespan per device).

  • thepiguy@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    I put lineageos on my old OnePlus, which had started to lag so much that even the password prompt would take a minute to register my key presses. The moment I put lineage on it, it started working as if it was new and finally had security updates for the first time in 2 or so years. I now use it as a backup device, and also as a webcam for my pc using scrcpy.