I mostly use apps installed from F-Droid, so I’m not sure how I’ll use the phone, except that it’s sometimes required as a contact method.
4/5g card in mPCIE slot until I source a more portable device to do phone things. Yes, there are m.2 options as well. If the supply chain eventually dries up, for expansion cards and/or FOSS phones, then I’ll only communicate via my ISP or local mesh nets, until my computers break.
Be fucked? I don’t know I already hate most phones on the market and I’m going to need to buy a new one at some point, not looking forward to it…
I’m currently using GrapheneOS on my Pixel phone I brought secondhand so think I should (for now) be okay?
Otherwise, Linux phone looks interesting but it just relearning both another OS (like iPhone users trying to learn Android and vice versa) and also just I have low income so buying new tech is just expensive.
I don’t want to throw myself a deepend to an OS that I not as familiar with beside on my desktop and Raspberry Pi. Personally, I prefer to know what’s there before I just go blind so at least I can manage my expectation than expected it to do 1:1 stuff that I do on my phone right now.
I’ll just keep using grapheneOS.
I feel embarassed to say this as someone who is fairly techy, but I’m a little confused by the whole brouhaha.
Is Google making changes to Android, or to AOSP?
If Google is making changes to the Android fork they put on their own phones, then fuck 'em. Use Graphene. Use e/OS/, use Lineage…use something that forks their own branch of AOSP and Google can pound sand because those forks are in no way obligated to make the same changes as Google. AOSP is open source for that very reason.
If Google is making those changes to AOSP itself, which means that anyone who uses AOSP as a base have those changes by default, then isn’t Google obligated to keep those changes as Open Source, in which case anyone else who uses AOSP can just remove them from their own fork?
Someone explain like I’m a particularly dim five-year-old, please.
iirc they are enforcing this on the play services level, using the play protect system. so if you use a custom rom, with google play, you are likely cooked too.
that is if the roms don’t implement a system to circumvent it.
I’ve also been confused about this, but this is my take on it.
You’re correct that they are making these changes to Android and not AOSP. This means that an OS like Graphene or e/OS/ will still be able to use sideloaded apps and other appstores like F-Droid.
I think the reason everyone is freaking out about this, is that it hurts appstores like F-Droid. It has a chilling effect on apps that are released to alternative app stores and may cause those stores to fail over time, thus killing FOSS apps at the point of distribution.
That said, this is also over my head technically, so I would love if someone more knowledgable could weigh in.
Yes, this is an important point overlooked by the ‘But I have root’ crowd.
Also: https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html
brute force it with root
you literally cannot prevent root from doing anything.
What happens wen they prevent rꝏting tho ? Samsung already doing it
they can’t prevent it so far. samsungs will just go back to needing root exploits like everyone else before them.
add to the fact they refuse to keep security updating phones for too long.
Google can’t control the device if you’re not running Google. GrapheneOS will still work like before, allowing you to run the apps you want. But the jury is still out on how long… I hope we can have a long term GrapheneOS solution regarding hardware.
Leaving android
For what in partricular?
A pine phone which is otw now
Solid option
deleted by creator
Continue not using a phone as always
Start giving easy to follow de-googling instructions when and where you know them, people.
The bigger and more thorough the head start, the better.
i don’t really use apps on my phone anymore other than for maps. i just my phone primarily as a phone.
Install them over ADB like I already sometimes do now
I would love to go all in on one of the newer Linux distros made for phones. Haven’t tried any yet.
Sony update fails anyway, because i froze a non-essential app too much. Oh noes, my phone could be hacked with physical access, in a few years! But by then the phone is in their Open Firnware program and it’s back to a custom ROM again.
The apps are regularly updated of course.
Staying on Graphene for the time being. AFAIK should be able to still install apps whatever way I see fit.
Graphene’s team has stated that they are looking into OEM’s to potentially work out a solution to make a suitable device to run GOS, since Google is locking things down.
If it really comes to it, (long term), I’ll make the jump to a Linux mobile device, whether that’s a phone or a custom solution.
Just because corpo’s are making things difficult, doesn’t mean I’m going to cave. I started this privacy journey 6 years ago and I’m not about to undo it because of greed and inconvenience.
