Feature/grapheneos

src/content/post/grapheneos/index.md

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+---
+title: "GrapheneOS: An Introduction"
+publishDate: "2026-03-20"
+description: "Notes from my first few days with GrapheneOS"
+---
+
+I was having some issues syncing my contacts from Fastmail with my Google Pixel. As I dug into the issue, I started to suspect that Google's flavor of Android might be making things difficult. I decided it was time to give [GrapheneOS](https://grapheneos.org/) a try.
+
+> GrapheneOS is a privacy and security focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility developed as a non-profit open source project. It's focused on the research and development of privacy and security technology including substantial improvements to sandboxing, exploit mitigations and the permission model. It was founded in 2014 and was formerly known as CopperheadOS.
+
+I'm a few days into using GrapheneOS and it is a breath of fresh air. Google's Android has surveillance baked in. They watch everything I do on my phone, record that data, and use it to bombard me with ads. Moving to GrapheneOS has transformed my phone into a tool that works for me, not Google.
+
+## Privacy
+
+The primary reason I've switched to GrapheneOS is privacy. I don't like having Big Brother Google watching what I do on my phone. I haven't personally verified GrapheneOS's privacy claims, but everything I've read online suggests it has an excellent reputation on this front. I'm open to hearing about alternatives, but for now I'm very happy.
+
+## Apps
+
+Here's what I use my phone for:
+
+1. Communication
+2. Web Browsing
+3. Writing
+4. Photos
+5. Weather
+6. Maps
+7. Smart Home
+
+##### Communication
+
+I use US Mobile's Dark Star (AT&T) network. I was pleasantly surprised that installing GrapheneOS didn't wipe my eSIM, and my phone was working right out of the gate. Here's a quick rundown of communication on GrapheneOS:
+
+- The built-in phone app is solid and reliable, that's what I use.
+- The built-in messaging and contacts apps are intentionally minimal, so I've installed [QUIK](https://github.com/quik-sms/quik) for messaging and [Fossify Contacts](https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Contacts).
+
+:::warning
+I don't think it will be possible to set up visual voicemail with GrapheneOS on US Mobile's Dark Star (AT&T) network. This is a little bit of a bummer, but I'll get over it.
+:::
+
+##### Web Browser
+
+The built-in web browser [Vanadium](https://grapheneos.org/features#vanadium) is great. "Vanadium is a hardened variant of Chromium providing enhanced privacy and security, similar to how GrapheneOS compares to Android Open Source Project (AOSP)." I had previously been using Firefox on my phone with some security tweaks - Vanadium is way better out of the box, it's a nice upgrade for me.
+
+:::note
+Vanadium does not support Chrome extensions. This could be a dealbreaker for some users, but it's not a big deal for me.
+:::
+
+##### Writing
+
+The built-in keyboard is meant to be replaced. I tried a few options:
+
+- [FUTO Keyboard](https://keyboard.futo.org/): great voice to text, terrible glide typing
+- [HeliBoard](https://github.com/HeliBorg/HeliBoard): good (but not great) glide typing
+- [Gboard](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin): excellent glide typing
+
+I've decided to use Gboard with no network permissions so it can't send data back to Google.
+
+##### Photos
+
+The AOSP camera app is a major downgrade from what shipped with the Pixel. So I installed [Pixel Camera](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.GoogleCamera) with no network permissions. I'm also playing around with [Open Camera](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera), but it's less of a point-and-shoot app and more suited for hardcore photographers. If there are any camera apps you like, please let me know!
+
+##### Weather
+
+Google's weather app is very good. I've replaced it with [WeatherMaster](https://github.com/PranshulGG/WeatherMaster), which is pretty good. I did have some issues with its widgets, though, so I also installed [Today Weather](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.lockdown.weather) just for the widgets.
+
+##### Maps
+
+I'm trying out [OsmAnd](https://osmand.net/) for maps. I haven't tested it much, and I wouldn't be surprised if I went back to using Google Maps.
+
+:::note
+It sounds like Android Auto can work on GrapheneOS, but it might be a little flaky and require a lot of permissions. I'm planning to set up another user profile on my phone just for Android Auto, but I haven't tried this yet.
+:::
+
+##### Smart Home
+
+My home has Nest thermostats, so Google has a view into some of the activity in my home. For that reason, I'm currently using Google Home. It works totally fine on GrapheneOS. I have also set up [Home Assistant](https://www.home-assistant.io/), but I found Google Home is easier for my family.
+
+##### Launcher
+
+I saw a screenshot of [Lawnchair](https://lawnchair.app/) in use and decided I needed to pimp my home screen:
+
+<div style="max-width: 300px; margin: 0 auto;">
+
+![](screenshot.png)
+
+</div>
+
+I believe you could use Lawnchair on any Android phone.
+
+## Features
+
+There are a few features that really set GrapheneOS apart from the version of Android that shipped with my phone:
+
+1. Notifications
+2. Modes
+3. Users
+
+##### Notifications
+
+By default, notifications are set so that **no** sensitive content is shown on the lock screen. This is surprisingly awesome. I can see that I got an email, but I can't see who it's from or what it's about. Having to unlock my phone to view the message content is really nice. It gives me a second to decide whether I want to stop what I'm doing and read an email.
+
+##### Modes
+
+> Minimize distractions and take control of your attention with modes for sleep, work, driving, and everything in between.
+
+I like turning my phone's screen gray after 9pm. It's awesome how easy it is to set up a mode for that.
+
+##### Users
+
+> Share your phone by adding new users. Each user has a personal space on your phone for custom Home screens, accounts, apps, settings, and more.
+
+Being able to set up separate user accounts on my phone is a really cool feature. I like that the phone starts with a single Owner account, and I'm not forced to sign in with a Google account.
+
+## Conclusion
+
+GrapheneOS is superb. Losing visual voicemail is a little bit of a bummer, but transforming my phone from something that was spying on me into a tool that works for me - and only me - is worth it. I do worry that Google will try to kill GrapheneOS if it gets too popular.