GrapheneOS guide for Newcomers

cyberlyra

Many of us have experience installing alternative phone OS's. Let's try to get a Reclaimers Guide together for newcomers to GrapheneOS that makes the process easy. Have you installed Graphene, or are you working on it? Please share tips, experiences, links, etc. to help others out!

(we will also have a section for /e/, Lineage, and Sailfish, as well as other alt phones)

Tkill

cyberlyra

This is a dump from my Obsidian note on the topic. I'm coming from the Apple ecosystem and was motivated to have a more secure device for Constitutional Observation ( I live in the Minneapolis area ). I do have some tips for Apple devices too but I want to get away from centralized services.

What hardware?

Right now requires a Google Pixel phone.
But maybe other phones are coming at some point https://www.androidpolice.com/thrilled-grapheneos-finally-escaping-pixel-bubble/

They support back to Pixel 6 but recommend Pixel 8-10 for latest security features.

Getting a refurbished or used pixel (ebay might be another path but there might be a little hassle if you get a carrier locked phone)
https://store.google.com/us/magazine/refurbished_devices

Install

I was able to use the web install method to my refurbished Pixel 8 connected to a MacBook Air. The instructions on the official website are pretty good. (I might need to run through them with a non technical friend to take advantage of fresh eyes)
https://grapheneos.org/install/

Post install

I used this privacy settings checklist - there is a mix of privacy settings and general preferences for this person- it’d be good to add some references (maybe there are better guides )
https://github.com/celenityy/grapheneos-settings

I’m still new to the concept of User Profiles in Graphene and there seems to be some trade-off on hassle vs privacy.
This was a good article that covered the common patterns in the community.
https://seprand.github.io/articles/best-user-profile-setup/

App Stores

Graphene OS app store

Graphene has their own app store that’s available right away and has some good privacy hardened basic apps.

Probably one of the most used apps will be a Web Browser . They have ‘Vanadium’ a privacy centered browser based on chrome.

Google Play store

Graphene OS app store has a sandboxed Google Play installer. Using the store can give access to the apps folks like/need but is not really de-googling your life. I guess it’s a good transitional option.

Accrescent app store

Graphene OS app store has an app you can install that gives you access to an alternative security focused Android app store called ‘Accrescent’.
https://accrescent.app

Some good apps I grabbed there are:

Maps - Organic Maps
Molly - a more secure client for Signal https://molly.im/get.html

Other interesting apps

mobile tor browser - https://orbot.app/en/

Using you Pixel 8 (or newer) as a secure desktop

Basically you need a cheap USB-c dock and some software settings to connect to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/9775-pixel-8-desktop-mode-guide-and-personal-experience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwr9rc-9aeA&t=453s

Hiya

GrapheneOS did an excellent job walking the user through the install process, and the prospective user is perhaps best referred to their instructions. Their website is https://grapheneos.org/, and the install button is front and center. You have two choices to install the OS, a web-based installer that requires a chromium browser and a manual command line based install. Both sets of instructions walk you step by step through (a) unlocking the boot loader, (b) obtaining and flashing the firmware, and (c) re-locking the boot loader.

I personally followed the command line instructions. About half of the instructions are for installing the android platform tools, so you can skip to the bottom if you already have these installed. The commands to use are:

Enable OEM unlocking: Enable the developer options menu by going to Settings > About phone/tablet and repeatedly pressing the Build number menu entry until developer mode is enabled. Next, go to Settings > System > Developer options and toggle on the OEM unlocking setting.
Unlock boot loader : fastboot flashing unlock
Unpack firmware archive and flash firmware: flash-all.bat
Re-lock boot loader: fastboot flashing lock

Note that OEM unlocking is straight forward for devices purchased from Google. If you received your device from a carrier, you may need to work with the carrier. I bought direct and paid full price to avoid the trouble.

In summary, the GrapheneOS instructions are excellent and you should follow their website to install. PLEASE: If you are a first timer, make sure to read the instructions carefully to not brick your device. As described, the instructions are safe to follow, so don't be afraid. GrapheneOS also has a support forum in the case you get stuck.

Happy flashing!

AndyH

Tkill

https://obtainium.imranr.dev/ is another useful to get apps onto your phone.

stateofresearch

Tkill Getting a refurbished or used pixel (ebay might be another path but there might be a little hassle if you get a carrier locked phone)
https://store.google.com/us/magazine/refurbished_devices

AndyH

elegy

Any chance this would work on a Pixel 5a? It's what we have lying around, and I'd rather play on that than buy something.

AndyH

elegy Pixel 6 is the earliest device supported by GrapheneOS

https://grapheneos.org/faq#supported-devices

stateofresearch

A Google link to buy a Pixel phone 🥴

AndyH

stateofresearch Where?