![grapheneos boot animation grapheneos boot animation](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/grapheneos-boot-animation.jpg)
Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
š Good morning, and welcome to the Daily Authority. Itās been more than a week since Iāve been at the Daily wheel, thanks to some local public holidays. Itās great to be back! Iāll be with you once again on Friday, but for now, letās get stuck into our main story.
A date with GrapheneOS
![grapheneos allow network permission dialog grapheneos allow network permission dialog](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/grapheneos-allow-network-permission-dialog.jpg)
Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
There arenāt too many smartphones made with privacy first in mind. Sure, you can opt for Apple products each time, but youāll sacrifice the things that make Android great, from its customization options to its variety. But there may be a middle ground. My colleague Calvin Wankhede grabbed his Google Pixel 6 and installed GrapheneOS. Hereās what he discovered.
What is GrapheneOS, and how does it work?
- GrapheneOS offers a private and secure Android experience that doesnāt lock down your deviceās features.
- In short, it doesnāt get rid of Google apps and services but instead isolates them.
- This goes against the usual Android mentality, where Google apps are given special treatment.
- Google apps and services are privileged apps baked into the system, but on GrapheneOS, Googleās suite is optional.
- Interestingly, GrapheneOS lets users install the Google Play Store and Play Services as normal user apps, which forces them to adhere to Androidās tougher stance on non-privileged apps.
- āIn effect, GrapheneOS allows you to reap the convenience and benefits of having Google services on your Android device without compromising your privacy,ā according to Calvin.
What else does it offer?
![grapheneos storage scopes settings grapheneos storage scopes settings](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/grapheneos-storage-scopes-settings.jpg)
Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
- GrapheneOS includes additional positives beyond enhanced privacy.
- It has a nifty storage permissions system dubbed Storage Scopes.
- Like Android 13ās photo picker, Storage Scopes fools apps into believing it has access to all storage permissions. However, it can only create files.
- Itās worth noting that this works for all non-media files, not just media.
- āIn fact, Storage Scopes seems like a better version and, in my usage, works extremely well for keeping less trustworthy apps from peering into my storage,ā Calvin discovered.
- Another great feature is per-app network access which allows you to tweak internet permissions when you install an app.
- Multiple user profiles are more effective for further isolating apps, allowing them to run in the background in a second profile.
- Other pros like sensor permission toggles, automatic reboots, and scrambled PIN inputs are three additional security features on GrapheneOS.
Why you should think twice about installing it
- We should say that installing GrapheneOS is pretty easy, thanks to detailed online documentation.
- However, a few things must be noted before jumping headfirst into the alternative OS.
- For one, it only works on newer Pixel smartphones. You must look elsewhere if youāre stuck with a Samsung or OnePlus device.
- Thereās an additional restriction: GrapheneOS only supports devices that receive Android security updates, limiting users to the Pixel 4 line or newer.
- If youāve checked these two boxes, ask yourself how important NFC payments are.
- GrapheneOS doesnāt pass several SafetyNet checks, which means payments via Google Pay and some third-party apps will ānever work.ā
- Finally, app compatibility is limited due to the isolation model GrapheneOS uses.
- This isnāt a big deal breaker, but apps like Android Auto donāt work with GrapheneOS.
GrapheneOS is an exciting take on what Android could be if security and privacy are at the forefront of its development. Calvin notes that it makes for a good daily driver smartphone OS despite its few flaws. āThroughout my time using it, I never felt inconvenienced,ā he concludes.
Monday Meme
John Wick 4 kicked off its run at the box office with the franchiseās best first weekend to date. It racked up $73.5 million in its opening, a healthy improvement over the previous flick.
![daily authority monday meme march 27 2023 daily authority monday meme march 27 2023](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/daily-authority-monday-meme-march-27-2023.jpg)
Anyway, my partner still wonāt see the first movie due to the little detail spoiled above. Nevertheless, you can catch some other, less bloody Keanu Reeves flicks on Amazon Freevee and Netflix.