this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2026
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Privacy
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The only reason I don't use GrapheneOS is because of thte tight coupling they have with Google's hardware.
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.
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.
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.
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
Motorola announces partnership with GrapheneOS.
https://motorolanews.com/motorola-three-new-b2b-solutions-at-mwc-2026/
They've got SD cards and headphone jacks too.
That's pretty bloody awesome!
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.
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.
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.
They are currently in talks to use Verizon phones.
Edit: whoops that was Motorola, my bad.