I’ve been looking into moving towards a more privacy friendly OS on my phones; I’ve been deGoogling my phones to the maximum extension I can manage, deactivating stock apps and putting in as much FOSS possible.
But what other options are there out there?
I don’t want to go full out into Linux Phone territory, as I am not tech savvy enough to maintain a phone on that line, and I have two bank and a carrier applications I would like to keep using.
As I write this, Murena and their /e/ OS seems to be a good option, as they have some accessibly priced equipments and the OS itself seems to be a clean(er) Android.
The main options right now (that are based on Android) are LineageOS, iodeOS, e/OS, and GrapheneOS. I believe CalyxOS wasn’t maintained for a quite a while for various reasons (nothing controversial, just people moving on to do other things in life), but from their blogs it looks like they are coming back soon, which is neat!
As for the currently available options, LineageOS will have the best device support, but is close to stock Android, just without the Google bits (+ optional microG). iodeOS (pronounced something like “eeyoda”) adds additional privacy tweaks to LineageOS and was created by French developers, and also has optional parental controls if you have a kid(s). e/OS, also based on Lineage, has an iOS-like launcher and is tied to Murena services, so if you enjoy those, it’s a good option.
GrapheneOS is not based on LineageOS, and is only supported on Pixels currently due to the developer’s insistence that other devices do not have the same level of hardware security. If you have a Pixel / they are available to you, it’s a solid option. OOTB it’s very barebones with few apps preinstalled, and by default it comes with Vanadium (Chromium-based browser) and Accrescent (alternative app store that is currently in alpha, so very early stages) and not much else besides your usual camera, settings, etc. The developer is quite paranoid and regularly speaks out against other open-source projects, which I would think is against the open-source ethos, but if you don’t mind that (at least they’re probably not some extremist who wants to kill babies), if you prefer something super minimal, and have access to a Pixel, GrapheneOS is a solid choice.
If you phone isn’t supported by these, or if none suit your use case, avoiding the use of proprietary and privacy invasive apps is the best option. If you don’t need social media for work (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.), remove them, or replace with Fediverse alternatives. Use a custom launcher, like Kvaesitso or Lawnchair. Use a FOSS keyboard, like Heliboard (and Whisper for voice input). Use a non-Google DNS, like NextDNS, PiHole, etc. to block trackers and other unwanted network requests. If possible, get friends and family to switch to Signal (for messaging, WhatsApp-like) and Matrix (for larger groups, Discord-like). Aim to install all apps with either F-Droid, Obtainium (git repos), or other alternative app stores.
Great overview! One thing to add here is this amazing comparison of the afrorementioned options: https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm
Regarding GrapheneOS, there are a few things that distinguish it from the rest:
I did not say it was entirely bad, but I would say that they have definitely rubbed some people the wrong way when it comes to how they treat other projects
That is true! Some of those are pretty cool actually!
Good point to mention! I did mean OOTB, sorry if that wasn’t clear. I think that’s a good thing, less bloat and a more curated software experience, but it’s not for everyone
Don’t shame baby killers. We are humans just as you!