this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2023
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GrapheneOS is such a staple for me now. Been waiting for it to be released for the Pixel 8 since I got the phone at launch... it doesn't have the annoying search bar or the unmovable widget telling you the weather... Regardless of the security and privacy it offers... And its just pretty.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nothing against the OS, but if your gripes are about the search bar or weather widget, couldn't you use a different launcher?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

Oh, they are just a bonus, I've not used stock google in years and its just something I didn't like since using the phone.

Plus when it cones to alternative OS, there is only Graphene and Calyx as you can still have a locked bootloader after install.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Is Google pay and banking apps working?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

All my banking apps work, Google Pay does not

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

Most of my banking apps worked but not all

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

ADP, Chase, Amex, Citi, and my small credit unions apps all work. I think I had to turn that compatibility option on for Amex to get it to launch but no issues other than that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Citi needs the compatability toggle, not Amex

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago

Here's a crowd-sourced list of international banking apps that are compatible with GrapheneOS:
https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos/

The issue tracker has slightly more current banking app reports:
https://github.com/PrivSec-dev/banking-apps-compat-report

Some banking apps may be problematic and here are some possible workaround solutions:
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/8330-app-compatibility-with-grapheneos

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Yup

Edit: google pay works and my banking app works (relatively small credit union)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Yes it does? Literall ordered food with it tonight.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Sorry, I mean contactless payments

"You can use all the other features of Google Pay on GrapheneOS, just not NFC contactless card payments. It's unlikely that will change. You can make NFC contactless card payments through your bank's app, if they happen to provide their own implementation, as opposed to relying on Google Pay."

[–] [email protected] -3 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

I dont understand this reaction.. google pay is more than just contactless payments..its also the auto fill of payment info on various sites and apps..that works perfectly and is what I was referring to.

I personally dont use contactless, or tap to pay at the register.. ill try it today wheb i get gas just for fun and report back.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

That's interesting. Does it not require root ? Wouldn't that trip safety net ?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Graphene passes one of googles 2 safety net checks, most apps will work, but some require google to have explicitly verified the users os, which grapheneos does not pass

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No root needed, all my banking apps work as expected

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I would look into it but I can't lose access to banking. They didn't work on lineage os

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Does lineage have the google play services sandbox that graphene uses?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No if I remember it was just download gapps. Graphene I think is better

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The way they implement the google play store on graphene might fix whatever was not working for you on lineage.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Yeah I think it probably would but I wouldn't be messing with it until I was sure. Lot of work to then have to flash it back

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

My gripe with the weather isn't that it's there, it's that it disappears sometimes for days and it's too small to click on it. I tried to fix this by adding a separate weather widget, but that means I now have 2 weathers on my home screen and I can't get rid of the one that doesn't work :/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Just use Pixel Tuner to get rid of icons from notification bar and a different launcher to customize your home screen.

I literally have nothing on my home screen. I use a quick swipe side bar with fav apps.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I want to switch to grapheneos but my work 2fa app is android and Apple only, devs confirmed that it doesn't work on any other os

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

GrapheneOS is Android, they just cut the Google BS to a minimum.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

For whatever reason they don't support grapheneos though, specifically said the app won't work on it

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago

Not supporting doesn't mean it won't work.

It just means you can't blame them if it wouldn't

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Do you think Graphene isnt Android? Of course it works. Whatever "devs" claimed that lied to you. What app?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'll admit that I forgot grapheneos was android, but the devs (at least as of a year ago) said it wasn't supported and that that was intentional but didn't say why. The IT department at my company also said grapheneos isn't supported by it.

The app is RSA Authenticator (SecurId). If someone is able to download it and make sure it launches I would appreciate it so I can try to make the switch finally. It's an awful app in every way though, just look at the comments

Other comments on the app also say it doesn't work on rooted devices since it scans the other apps you have installed and won't work if it finds something it doesn't like. Garbage app that is one of two of the required 2fa app for my work for some awful reason. (One is a normal, god fearing 2fa used for account sign ins. The problem one is used for accessing the company VPN) It generates 8 digit auth codes and the "token" to add it was a URL instead of just a string of characters so I can't just use another app

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Works fine man, knew it would.

Other comments on the app also say it doesn’t work on rooted devices since it scans the other apps you have installed and won’t work if it finds something it doesn’t like

That I don't doubt, although rooting GrapheneOS would defeat the entire security model of it. You'll find very few people that would do that aside from the security implication of doing so, you'd have to leave the bootloader unlocked, so on top of the attack surface, you'd then lose verified boot as well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Weird that they said it wasn't supported, but thank you! I now plan to switch to grapheneos next week since that awful RSA app was the only thing holding me back

[–] [email protected] -4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It works as far as I can tell. However, it wasn't always the case.

My company also mentioned that GrapheneOS isn't supported by them.

Version 4.3.12 is - I just installed it on both the Pixel 6 and the new Pixel 8, both running the latest GrapheneOS builds with Android 14.

they don’t support grapheneos though, specifically said the app won’t work on it

In the summer of 2022, numerous issues arose for non-GrapheneOS users as well, as reflected in the reviews. This was because the SecurID update began utilizing the Play Integrity API to detect non-certified OS/devices. The Play Integrity API has since replaced the now-obsolete SafetyNet attestation API.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Ahh that would explain it, thank you so much for the info!

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I am on CalyxOS and the 2FA for my work, works flawlessly even after I block the trackers that come with its Android app.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately it's just this specific app that (they say) doesn't work on non-mainstream android os's. It specifically generated 8 character codes and you use a URL instead of a string of characters to register it. According to the comments it doesn't work on jailbroken devices either since it scans your other apps and won't work if it finds something it didn't like. If it was just a general 2fa app then I'd just switch to a different one and have switched to grapheneos

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (5 children)

I keep wanting to try this out on my phone, I'm just afraid that I'm going to somehow break it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If it's any consolation, installing GrapheneOS through the web installer was surprisingly straightforward and easy. I haven't installed Linux since that seems difficult for me, but GrapheneOS was a breeze.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

Nothing complicated about installing Linux. Unless youre customizing the install, pretty much a click through install for over a decade now.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

So far it's been the easiest install I've done since i started using Android with a Google Nexus phone.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Its insanely easy, the hardest part is putting the phone into fastboot and installing the USB drivers on windows. Then its just click buttons on the WebUI and pressing the buttons you're told to. The whole process takes about 10 mins.

Check out some YouTube videos on it, its the same process for any pixel (its also the same process for CalyxOS if you want microG)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Just use Pixel Tuner to get rid of icons from notification bar and a different launcher to customize your home screen.

I literally have nothing on my home screen. I use a quick swipe side bar with fav apps.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Couldn't break it if you wanted to. But also not worth if if you're not actually about pricavcy and security either. Installing Graphene, then following with the installation of tons of privacy invading apps is simply a waste of time.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

You still have the benefit of Google not having unrestricted access to all corners of the device. You can still install google apps and then lock them down to only have access to what is required.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This is informative and fortunate

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Good thing they have distanced themselves from the project.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I know Android plans on fixing this but it's wild that FIOD2 functionality requires Google Play services.

Have you used KISS launcher? I run that on Android when I can't get GrapheneOS on it.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I've never bothered with alternative launchers, I tired one once and it drained my battery so quick I removed it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

ah well it’s worth the effort of installing fdroid anyways.

https://f-droid.org/packages/fr.neamar.kiss/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Fdroid is a staple, so is Aurora store

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