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in reply to BladeFederation

I’m about to do the same … question is without the google services is it worth a pro over even an a ?
in reply to 64bithero

To me it wasn't. I don't think The non-a Pixels can really justify their price based on the hardware itself.
in reply to zod000

I tend to just buy a used model, I've got the 8 with graphene and no complaints, that said I do very little with my phone these days
in reply to MynameisAllen

I've got an 8a which I got on sale when the 9a came out. I tend to keep my phones for 4-5 years, so this should be good for a long while, though I hope the Motorola collab produces something good. I also do little on my phone these days by design. If I could get by without owning one, I'd be thrilled.
in reply to zod000

Yeah I used to be the guy who did everything on his phone and now I just mostly use it for photos, maps and messaging and I try to be on a laptop when I can
in reply to 64bithero

I got a pro because it was heavily discounted at the time. The one thing I sort of appreciated is the display LTPO thing, which enables it to gear all the way down to 1hz to save power.

thing is kinda moot since the 9a and 10a achieve significantly better battery life than the 10 pro (10a uses the prior gen SoC which seems to have better idle power characteristics).

This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to 64bithero

I got an 'a' model and its been totally sufficient at a much lower price. But I guess it depends on how you plan to use it.
in reply to 64bithero

Certainly not a Pixel 10 Pro.

If I could write my own code for the NPU that might be interesting, but they've got it locked up like a straight boy's toilet paper.

in reply to 64bithero

If you want a Pro, go with the 8, 9 if you have to. 8 still has the 2k screen, 10 is a bastardized 1080p screen
in reply to DanVctr

8 still has the 2k screen, 10 is a bastardized 1080p screen


Is there really any need for a screen that small having that high of a resolution anyway?

in reply to SatyrSack

Personally, I like to have a small font with a high density so as much info is on the screen as possible.

Also, if you like to watch Youtube or movies on your device, you'll notice the difference in resolution.

in reply to 64bithero

Not really, but I got one anyway because I need the storage. I wish I would have gone all the way and got a TB but I couldn't buy that one in cash in store so I didn't.
in reply to 64bithero

Considering waiting to see if Motorola releases a GrapheneOs built in Razr I’d consider that. But can’t help but wonder how much they would mess up the core important pieces of Graphene for their overlords who wants AI down our throat
in reply to 64bithero

They announced the big RAZR Fold and that future devices would have it at MWC, so mayhaps

But can’t help but wonder how much they would mess up the core important pieces of Graphene for their overlords who wants AI down our throat


also this. Wasn't moto the one helping with then-illegal wiretaps in like the 90s? I can hardly keep track anymore

in reply to 64bithero

I'm running grapheme on a Pixel 9 Pro Fold I got used ~ quite happy with it so far :)
in reply to ApplyingAutomation

I've always wanted a fold, but couldn't justify the price. I definitely don't need one, but I want one. Even used on swappa they're still a bit spendy.
in reply to 64bithero

The only advantage of the non-a models is they use a potentially more durable battery that is less prone to pillowing.
in reply to 64bithero

The a series have been great to me so far. The specs are usually more than enough for most use cases you're gonna have for your phone, and the 9a and 10a both have better battery life than the rest of the 9 and 10 series' respectively.

The a series is substantially cheaper for what is, in my opinion, a totally justifiable Android experience that isn't gonna be much different than the other models for most people.

HOWEVER, I will say that if you plan on running a lot of apps that need to operate in the background or be constantly on, especially if you play games at the same time on your phone sometimes, the RAM could be too low for your liking and might occasionally lead to an app's background process freezing for a bit. (e.g. a timer might freeze if the app isn't actively open)

in reply to BladeFederation

It's why I made sure to get my newest phone used, but that comes with the risk of getting a Verizon model (in the US) which can't be bootloader unlocked. Had to return the first one I got off eBay for that reason, and the second one I made sure to ask the seller where they initially got it from.
in reply to nfreak

It's wild to me that that's legal here. Devices should have to be carrier agnostic.
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to BladeFederation

Not much longer im sure. I have no reason to believe that they will continue making it possible to un/relock the bootloader considering their push for google certified only android.
in reply to unexposedhazard

This is what I'm afraid of too. I could see apps like fdroid and the ability to install custom roms being taken away within the next year or two. I hope I'm wrong but I don't have a good feeling. I need Linux phones to be a thing now more than ever.
in reply to Arcden

I need Linux phones to be a thing now more than ever.


This doesn't happen in a vacuum. If you're not already, find a project and contribute towards it some way.

in reply to krashmo

I assume you either mean financially or in terms of general support and word of mouth. Trust me, I wish I could be a dev so, so badly, but as interesting as code and computers are, I'm light years away from getting in there and being able to fuck with shit. I love learning about programming, but I'm not the best at actually learning it. lmao

I say, as I sit in a first level computer science class, typing this because I'm totally lost in the actual lecture.

in reply to cloudskater

Yes, I said "in some way" because not everyone can contribute code directly. There are other things besides money you can offer to contribute (graphic design, community/brand management, communication, general organizational tasks, forum moderation, etc) but funding is usually the simplest and most necessary.
in reply to krashmo

I wish Ubuntu Touch wasn't the main player because I dont want to give Canonical money 😭 Better than Google or Microsoft though.
in reply to Arcden

Wdym by "you could see" as if its not whats already announced to be happening. Fdroid will not cooperate with googles app verification process which means Fdroid will stop working on all google certified devices, meaning everything other than devices with custom ROMs. NewPipe also announced they wont get google verified meaning it will stop working too.
in reply to unexposedhazard

Is the "Nothing" phone product a custom ROM? Sorry if dumb question I'm a bit out of my element.
in reply to humble_boatsman

ROM basically is just another word for operating system so its about the software not the hardware. So only devices (phones) that allow you to install your own custom operating system (like a modified version of the original android that comes with it or even a proper linux OS) will allow you to install apps not certified by google.

Most of the time people talk about custom roms they mean open source software that replaces the pre installed closed source software. Nothing phones are closed source so they are probably not on the "good" side here.

This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to unexposedhazard

I never know what to expect from Google. They respect open source efforts to an extent, but play Calvinball with where they draw the line. In any case, Motorola will be an option soon, maybe more. And there are other custom ROMs, albeit not as thorough as Graphene. And for me? They can't take it away now that I already did it, so I'm good for up to 7 years unless my phone breaks.
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to unexposedhazard

If I recall correctly grapheneOS is going to switch to Motorola for their new releases
in reply to BladeFederation

I didn't want to give google any money, so I am using a Pixel 6 I got for free at this time. Actually moved from an iPhone 15 and it does not feel slower at all with Graphene OS. I'll have to upgrade in October when support runs out though, so I'll be eying used Pixel 9a's in the summer.
in reply to comrade_twisty

Flagship hardware has been sufficient long term for a while now. I'd still be using my 6 year old phone if it had security updates and I wasn't getting into privacy and security
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to BladeFederation

This is exactly what i just did. No regrets. Foss everything, no mainstream social media. I love it
in reply to puddingchewer

The Fediverse is not perfect, but it actually blew my mind a bit how much it lowered my blood pressure to not see the constant ragebait, and the calm of not being exposed and monitored at all times. I still have Snapchat just for one person, and WhatsApp which is Meta but still E2EE. Other than that, I'm all in on FOSS privacy approved apps and man does it feel great.
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to BladeFederation

I made the switch to Linux and Lemmy right around the same time. Once I was free of it all it was like relaxing a muscle I didn't know had been tense for decades. Android is next... Just as soon as I figure out jellyfin....
in reply to MintyFresh

I also just switched to Linux! Well dual booting Windows for now but only for gaming really, and until I figure out if Ardour is good enough for me for music production. But still: Microsoft has nothing except my game saves now, no tax documents or web history, etc.

What distro did you go with?

I'm also looking into making a home server to ditch streaming services and so I dont need 250 GB of music on my. phone. Got to be able to afford the RAM though...

in reply to BladeFederation

Mint. I'm not a "tech genius" and it was presented as an easy intro to Linux. I feel no need to distro hop, getting by just fine with my little minty penguin thank you very much!
in reply to MintyFresh

Mint is pretty legit. Their Cinnamon desktop is looking a lot prettier these days too.

I landed on Fedora KDE because I need gaming features like VRR, and still wanted features like Secure Boot & a distro with a lot of users and documentation.

This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to GFGJewbacca

No questions in particular as of yet. Still assembling hardware. I'm going for a server built on a NAS
in reply to MintyFresh

This will be the hardest thing you will do in your life that you will never regret.
in reply to BladeFederation

Dude, it's super awesome, but telling you it's easy could potentially push you away from doing it, plus transparency is always the best policy. Additionally, it's not that it's hard, really, it does have a learning curve, and it's difficulty will mostly be determined by how much you like challenges. The best part is that too many of us have already tried, failed, tried again, and succeeded, so you can always lean on us.
in reply to youmaynotknow

I get you, I wasn't being sarcastic. Going through something difficult has a way of bringing people together, especially if you still love it after the effort.
in reply to BladeFederation

in reply to MintyFresh

I strongly recommend TrueNAS Scale. It's built on Debian, and has full docker implementation.
in reply to GFGJewbacca

TrueNAS Scale's Docker implementation is currently really mediocre - it's implemented as an app store style experience - and deploying/managing containers via the CLI isn't officially supported although it works fine. They do have a more generic container management implementation in beta at the moment.
This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to GFGJewbacca

sadly it was announced that TrueNAS is becoming closed source
Closed Source TrueNAS
in reply to GFGJewbacca

Jellyfin truly is the shit. Now if only I could somehow hook it into authentik and traefik for sso without pulling all my hair out.. 🤪
in reply to atopi

Yes. It is hardened a lot though, easily the most secure and private. Ubuntu Touch is maybe more private because Linux but it's barely functional. iOS in lockdown mode is decent, better than stock Android.
in reply to MintyFresh

checkout Gelato for jellyfin if you are low on disk space
in reply to BladeFederation

WhatsApp which is Meta but still E2EE


As far as you are told. There is no verification that is true.

in reply to NewNewAugustEast

They have had some third party audits. It is not totally convincing to me as being trustworthy, but I see it as more of an acceptable necessary evil. Better than Discord, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, probably even SMS. My wife's whole family uses just WhatsApp, and so do some businesses even in her country. Believe me though, anyone I can get on Signal, Matrix, Session, etc, I do.
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to BladeFederation

There have been third party audits, but the conclusions have been that you can't know if it's implemented correctly or at all. Nature of closed source. Because you can't know where the keys are.

I get the doing business in their country. That is so difficult to overcome. I will not do it. Foot down on that one, and it does make it hard. My wife's family does the same as you mentioned. I just tell them they are literally paying for fascism. They don't care. Or you can pick from many of the ills of Meta products (energy use, AI, misinformation, or even simply making someone a billionaire by contributing nothing to society).

Makes it hard.

This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to NewNewAugustEast

I'm working on it and avoid it when I can as I mentioned. The only reason I mentioned it is that it's one of the last vestiges of apps I don't fully trust. I treat it like SMS or email, I don't send anything I don't expect could be audited by the government with the right subpoenas.

But sometimes I'm in a weird position. If I need to order food in my wife's country, I am not going to be able to contact the restaurant without WhatsApp. Then I, as a white American who doesn't know them, am going to explain to the delivery guy the reasons why they shouldn't support American fascism, in their native language that I am not 100% fluent in?

This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to BladeFederation

It isn't American fascism of course. It's everywhere.

But I get it, I find myself in the same boat traveling and visiting family. It really is pervasive. So in your scenario you can't just go pick it up yourself?

I know there are other ones though: Everything in some places works like this where they want to do a call back - deliveries, doctors appointments, services. WhatsApp has almost, if not completely, replaced the phone, so even getting a local sim doesnt help.

I simply refuse to play along. I wont do it. Somehow we seem to work it out.

in reply to NewNewAugustEast

Lol, story of my life. But the best part is looking at people's faces when you say 'I don't have whatsapp' 🤣
in reply to NewNewAugustEast

There is no verification that is true.


But there is a nearly continuous stream of occurrences where Meta is caught lying.

in reply to NewNewAugustEast

It is actually verified e2ee. However, they do keep a 'spare key' for every single user and chat, you know, in case they need to help you, the good guys at Meta.
in reply to youmaynotknow

Can you show me where it's verified? Did someone get to see the code?
in reply to NewNewAugustEast

As far as I'm aware Moxie Marlinspike made the encryption before it was acquired by Facebook. One of the founders of WhatsApp now finances Marlinspike'd Signal messenger.

In theory Meta only sees who you communicate with, but not what you communicate.

(I wouldn't be surprised if the bastards are trying to undo the encryption if they already haven't.)

This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to hagelslager

before it was acquired by Facebook


not that it really matters, but it was a few years after the acquisition.

in reply to NewNewAugustEast

nccgroup.com/media/fzwdxklh/_n…

eprint.iacr.org/2023/843.pdf

Also, their e2ee is built on the signal protocol. Now, their server code and client code are not open source, so they could have left all types of doors open for their benefit. Also, the Metadata is not encrypted at all, something they actually brag about for some reason.

And just to be clear, I am a genuine 'everything-meta-hater" (and Google, MicroShit, Crapple, Crapsung, etc.), but spreading misinformation doesn't help preaching about privacy and security.

in reply to youmaynotknow

That verified if their backups were end to end encrypted though right?

It's also interesting what was out of scope:

Limitations
The following components were not in scope; NCC Group was therefore unable to evaluate and identify issues with them:
• Third-party and proprietary HSM vendor implementation.
• Backup encryption implementation.
• Side-channels in the access, creation, modification and deletion of backup data on third-party cloud storage.
This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to NewNewAugustEast

Dude, you seem to be under the impression that I'm somehow defending meta, and you're evidently in battle mode. I said my piece, provided the evidence as requested. I guess this is where I drop off of this convoy for ith you, buddy. Make of it what you will. Have a good day.
in reply to youmaynotknow

No, I am not in battle mode. I just read the link and found it interesting and responded with things I saw in it.

What I didn't do, was realize you sent TWO links, and I failed to read the second one. But believe me I am not trying to argue in any way. I am just responding.

The second link was also just for backups.

Again, I am just saying that they are not able to demonstrate that they are actually implementing this, AND that both of those links are for backups only. Thats all.

And I totally get what you were driving at: it doesn't matter, they have a "spare key".

This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to NewNewAugustEast

I don't think it will. It's just another outside audit (no idea if país by meta or not though). It is E2ee, that's the bottom line. Now, the implementation is what dictates what that's worth. It's no different than client-side scanning or Microsoft co-pilot. What's the point of having e2ee if someone else can get access either before encryption or by a third party, like meta, having a master key to decrypt anyway?

The first thing was if there was any indo of e2ee being implemented, there's plenty, even Cloudflare audited them at one point if I recall correctly. But, nobody knows how it's implemented, except for meta, and that's where the lack of trust resides, because we all trust meta as far as we can throw our cars.

in reply to NewNewAugustEast

You theoretically decrypt the TLS encrypted network traffic, by doing a PITM essentially and using ur own keys to what it is communicating
in reply to BladeFederation

Why use WhatsApp instead of Signal? I don't go near WhatsApp because of Meta, so I genuinely know very little about it.
in reply to DonPiano

I don't, I use Signal whenever I can. WhatsApp is for businesses that use it, and the people who refuse to go to Signal, or can't figure it out. Like my mother in law tried but got confused and so far have been unsuccessful troubleshooting why long distance. But I still need to talk to her.
in reply to DonPiano

because in some countries it's been the default means of communication for over a decade, which means a network effect.
in reply to BladeFederation

It really goes to show no little of the abuse we suffer is inherently the Internet's fault. Lemmy feels like the reddit I knew and loved of 15 years ago. Sure there's some assholes I argue with but that's the normal amount of shittieness not the turbocorpo abuse
in reply to Fluffy Kitty Cat

A lot of it is hitting critical mass too. Reddit used to be tech enthusiasts and stem students the same way Fediverse is currently. Now any town idiot yahoo from the sticks will angrily yell at you on Reddit for no reason.

But yeah the algorithm is a lot stronger than it would seem.

in reply to BladeFederation

Some are trying though. Some one tried to be a smart ass saying that us lemmyngs where cool with piratage when it is for random people but not when it is for facebook so we should be ashamed. He got his ass handed by multiple people. Good time.
Not even an insult was thrown ❤ it was civilized, I love you guys.
in reply to Diurnambule

civilized


that reminds me of something ... one of the greatest milestones of civilization is said to be canalization, and we are indeed all connected through shitposts :)

in reply to Fluffy Kitty Cat

When I first joined Reddit, it was so similar to Lemmy in its principles. Relatively progressive, open source, tons of interesting people having real convos about the nerdiest stuff and talking about the world. It was real, and the fediverse has absolutely nailed recreating that sense of community. What a beautiful safe haven we have
in reply to BladeFederation

E2EE but with a caveat that they can do on device detection of unencrypted messages and flag content back to mothership
in reply to BCsven

What messages would be unencrypted in this scenario if it is E2EE? I'm not sure what you're trying to say.
in reply to BladeFederation

The what's app is encrypted to get to your phone so transmission is protected, however to view your message it is unencrypted (obvious) and at that stage WhatsApp will parse it for key stuff such as Child Sexual stuff, or other threats they have determined they look for, that then triggers a data send back to the mother ship. The problem with this is if the Government wants to silence a political opponent or journalist they can go to Meta and request a search other than CSAM. So end to end encryption via any META product is a joke
in reply to puddingchewer

I just did this too, except I bought a refurbished Pixel, so I paid someone else $100 for Google to fuck off lol.
in reply to BladeFederation

GrapheneOS seems to feel the same way about Google: grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/…
in reply to friendly_ghost

GrapheneOS currently relies on Google for both hardware and security updates. The Motorola thing is encouraging, but they never should have built on Google phones to begin with.
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to arin

Yeah I'm on a 2025 moto, done the best I can with shizuku but it's trash. I'd leave it at home.
in reply to arin

Soon, but not yet! I needed to upgrade, can't wait until 2027 or whenever. But hoping it'll be one of their flagships, the new Razr is pretty dope specs wise.
in reply to BladeFederation

But hoping it’ll be one of their flagships, the new Razr is pretty dope specs wise.


i hope it's gonna be a not flagship one, because otherwise i'll not be able to afford it :(

This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to Hiro8811

That still drives sales and demand for future manufactured Pixels... Google thanks you for your patronage.
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to cardfire

They are low priced because they expect data harvesting to happen
in reply to BCsven

Agreed! The shocking part for me is how few folks are forgetting the most basic tenets of high school econ, supply and demand.

They're aren't 8 billion used pixels to go around, and if there were... GOOGLE WOULD BUILD MORE. It's an ineffective boycott.

This joining gets me a lot of downvotes on Reddit, but I'm telling you, GOS acolytes are the cross-fitters of the degoogling world.

in reply to cardfire

Its the best we have until Linux phones become more viable
in reply to cardfire

Does it? I mean yeah there are several people that upgraded and sold their old model but they could as well go for another phone
This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to Voxel

Only Chinese.
OnePlus and Motorola. .
I'm waiting on Motorola to release a device specifically for graphene
This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to Voxel

It's not made by a US company. Meaning there is no insensives to add us gov backdoors or something for military or for companies like palantir.
Google is an ad company. They have insensitives to collect all the data on us.
This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to BrilliantantTurd4361

I'm. I'm going to disagree. All the antihuman inventions like AI and palanter recently seems to be coming from domestic geniuses
in reply to Fair Fairy

and china has almost all messaging through government controlled app wechat, qr payments everywhere, active tracking for social credit score, and blocked internet traffic for specific websites. they are definitely big on surveillance...

if anything they have more incentive to add backdoors to phones going overseas, look at what happened with huawei

in reply to eru

That person (if they are a person at all) to whom you're responding can't be serious.
in reply to BladeFederation

And the only price, you'll need to see the Google logo flash brightly every time you reboot.
in reply to FoundFootFootage78

Gives me a jumpscare when I apply updates, not gonna lie
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to FoundFootFootage78

I hâte this reminder too. But the constant playsyore is missing permissions is a reward. Yes stay here little software keep complaining, your owner can go fuck them self.
in reply to BladeFederation

I still have my CAD $210 Google credit from Google because they throtted my Pixel, and I might let it expire because I want a Fairphone instead.
This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to BladeFederation

I couldn't do it myself. Ended up going Fairphone and Calyx instead. Just patiently waiting for Calyx to start releasing again.
in reply to cdzero

I'm on the same boat; FP4 + CalyxOS. Do you know have they (Calyx) confirmed anything about the projects future? Last I heard was in around december, and things were quite uncertain back then.
in reply to kadotux

They're getting closer. Last update was end of Feb. Most of their updates seem to about security stuff I don't understand, but it's nice to see they're working on it.
in reply to cdzero

I hope they're not ending the project. They were pretty comfortably the best Graphene alternative but you'll need security updates.
in reply to BladeFederation

True. The OG GrapheneOS alternative was DivestOS, which actually pulled a lot of features from Graphene. Still so sad that project ended
in reply to BladeFederation

They're still working on it. Getting closer and closer to releasing again. No timeline unfortunately though.
in reply to BladeFederation

I'm glad that GrapheneOS exist, and it's sad that they are the exception and not the rule.

I think projects like CalyxOS and LineageOS should adopt some feature from GrapheneOS like contact/storage scopes, sandboxed Google Play Services, Network and Sensor toggles.

At the same time, I think GrapheneOS needs to reevaluate their presence in social media.

in reply to idkman

Blackberry could've made such a good comeback. What a shame.
in reply to Banana

Nah, fuck them. They were no different from Google and Apple, and had monopolistic tendencies as well. If anything, Google is the lesser evil since Android is at least open source, whereas BB10 was as locked down as iOS.

Blackberry also killed/sold off their hardware teams, so they have no capacity to make a comeback. All they have left is their nostalgia-loaded brand.

in reply to entwine

Idk it depends on your reasons for the comparison. I believe they had monopolistic tendencies (as do both Google and Apple, so does Nintendo regarding its hardware as well) but the last time I checked they weren't nearly as focused on surveillance.

I mostly just mean there is a market right now for physical keyboards. That is the extent of depth I intended with this comment. I'm not educated enough in hardware markets to speak on Blackberrys place in them or their ethics.

in reply to idkman

While a terminal solution, that's not a real solution. I'll agree replacing everything 1:1 isn't the way we should go. But, we have the technology and infrastructure to enjoy having a mini-PC we can hold in our hand while also maintaining our privacy and avoiding enshitified applications.

It doesn't have to be a zero-sum game.

in reply to BladeFederation

Maybe, you could buy a Motorola as well in the near future.

motorolanews.com/motorola-thre…

in reply to BladeFederation

The only reason I don't use GrapheneOS is because of thte tight coupling they have with Google's hardware.
in reply to herseycokguzelolacak

Why, because you can't afford it (reasonable), because you think it helps Google (unreasonable), because you think it's a privacy risk (unreasonable), or because it feels icky (unreasonable)?

The profits from Pixel hardware sales are a drop in the bucket for Google. I'm pretty sure the only reason it exists is so they can have insight and control over the hardware ecosystem, as without it they'd be driven by whatever Samsung wants to do.

The walled Android ecosystem is where they make the bulk of their money, and Graphene actively pulls people away from that and to something objectively better. Graphene is fully de-Googled and safe from their spyware, and exists outside of their business model. Using and promoting Graphene actively hurts Google, even if you have them $1k for a phone.

Also, there are plenty of cheap second hand pixels on ebay, and Google doesn't see a penny from those sales. Recycling is good for the planet anyways.

in reply to entwine

because you think it helps Google (unreasonable)


I personally think this can be reasonable if you're the type to talk all about your hardware with people. You might not like promoting Google, so you choose a different device with a different privacy OS because you would rather talk about that to people.

For me, I don't talk about my phone much to people - so I just bought a second hand Pixel 8, put Graphene on it, and popped a sticker over the Google logo. Using a case that's not clear does just as good of a job. I will probably replace it with a Motorola eventually when they start releasing phones with GrapheneOS on it.

in reply to entwine

Also, there are plenty of cheap second hand pixels on ebay, and Google doesn’t see a penny from those sales. Recycling is good for the planet anyways.


This is where I disagree. Buying second hand google phones supports the second hand value of these phones, which in turn indirectly benefits Google because people are more likely to buy them.

in reply to herseycokguzelolacak

It's not that they have a deal with Google, it's that Google's hardware security is best bar none except maybe iPhone. And Graphene is the best way to degoogle, as counter intuitive as it may seem. They are working with other manufacturers to get these security requirements for new phones so Graphene can be put on them.
This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to BladeFederation

Hardware security is largely irrelevant. It makes sense for some use cases, mine everyday use is not one of them. There are much more important threat vectors, such as all the acounts of the cloud services I use.
in reply to herseycokguzelolacak

I wouldn't say it is irrelevant when there is a worldwide push towards authoritarianism and countless examples of unreasonable search and seizure.

Plus, everyone has their own threat model. It's almost a meme in the privacy community, but there's a reason threat modeling and prioritization is step #1. It may not be a big concern to you (in your opinion), but imagine if it didn't exist for someone who needs it.

#1
in reply to BladeFederation

I wouldn’t say it is irrelevant when there is a worldwide push towards authoritarianism and countless examples of unreasonable search and seizure.


Hardware security is irrelevant for that. As it is irrelevant for most other things.

Authoritarian governments are not going to bother with hacking you. They will just force you to unlock your devices or go to jail for obstruction of justice.

Real security starts with de-Googling, de-Facebooking,... etc

in reply to herseycokguzelolacak

They are currently in talks to use Verizon phones.

Edit: whoops that was Motorola, my bad.

This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to BladeFederation

Worth it. Try any Samsung phone with Google's shit and Samsung's shit on top: I swear you these one are practically unusable, like you carrying an bloated mini-ad-computer with you. A implanted bug in your teeth or ass would hurt probably less then this. Before I use any of those, I rather use a "dumb" phone again.
in reply to raker

Debloating an S10 was removing a long list of shit. I have seen the list only got longer with the newer models indeed. But one can survive, with the right tools.