this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2026
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[–] MrSulu@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 hours ago

"Hello Moto" (iust my first, unfiltered thought)

[–] workgood@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 hours ago
[–] sefra1@lemmy.zip 16 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

That's nice, but how much will those phones cost? Will GrapheneOS be an option on the low end devices or will they only support "some" devices, which happen cost as much as a Pixel anyway?

[–] Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world 12 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Pixels have hardware documentation and are directly supported by Android, making them possible for the GrapheneOS dev community to support. Good luck doing that on a Samsung.

Motorola is doing good here. Also, buy a used Pixel 8, you'll have almost three years of support left.

[–] sefra1@lemmy.zip 6 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (2 children)

That's the thing, even used Pixels are almost twice the price of what I paid for my new phone.

Back when I bought my phone I considered that route. but then since I can't replace the batteries on new phones without risking destroying the device. And there's a big probability that the phone comes with an almost dying battery.

I also understand that GrapheneOS can't be installed on any "unlocked" phone, it needs to be OEM unlocked and most sellers don't know/specify, so ended up considering too expensive and too much of a risk.

[–] futurp@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

I asked Motorola for an OEM unlock code for an Edge 30 Neo and got it straight away. I then installed Lineage OS 22, and the phone is working really well. The total cost is one-third of what a used Pixel 8 would cost.

[–] Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

Pick your poison. Want cheap? Be tracked. Want privacy? Pay the price.

[–] stebator@lemmy.world 14 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

While the Motorola/GrapheneOS news is interesting, it's a shame that GrapheneOS's lack of root access continues to be a significant limitation. For users who prioritize data ownership and the ability to create full, local backups (Swift Backup being a prime example), it's simply not a viable option. Security is important, but so is control over your own data.

[–] elver@feddit.uk 16 points 15 hours ago

Have you seen the "Shizuku" app? It utilises the debugging api to give some extra permissions that regular apps wouldn't usually get. Works on GrapheneOS and can give SwiftBackup a lot more power on devices that can't grant root access. You might find you don't need full rooting.

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 13 points 19 hours ago (5 children)

I think most people here don't really understand what's going on here. Graphene OS is an Android mod with some extra security features designed to run on a hardened hardware. The main goal of Graphene OS is to protect users from some very specific attacks like some devices police uses to unlock phones or some targeted hacks by state actors. Unless you're worried you may be targeted by such an attack and have some date you need to protect from them you don't really need Graphene OS. You can run any of the other deGoogles Android mods on any hardware that supports it. You can already buy phones with pre-installed /e/ of iode ROMs. Many other phones support Lineage OS. Also, let's keep in mind that GrapheneOS only supports Pixel because they don't want to allow people to run their OS on hardware they don't think is secure enough. It's their choice not to support other phones.

Also, Google still controls AOSP so this does not solve any of the bigger Android issues. Motorola forking AOSP and providing the resourced needed to keep the development going would be amazing news. This is just one phone maker promising to fulfill the security requirements of Graphene OS. It's basically like Dell offering Ubuntu laptops. Good news but it will not have a big impact on the ecosystem.

[–] entwine@programming.dev 7 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

This is nonsense. Everyone needs the most secure phone possible, especially considering it's the only device some people will ever own. None of the other de-Googled offerings come close to the security features that Graphene offers, some of which are custom built solutions. They go above and beyond what the typical ROM does, which is why it even supports a lot of banking apps that would normally be blocked.

There's a good reason people talk about GrapheneOS a lot lately, and not any of the many alternative Android ROMs that exist.

Also, let’s keep in mind that GrapheneOS only supports Pixel because they don’t want to allow people to run their OS on hardware they don’t think is secure enough

Obviously. That's the point: Graphene isn't just any de-Googled ROM, it's specifically a product designed for security-conscious users. If someone doesn't care about security and just wants to dick around on an old Android device, they can use one of the many toy ROMs out there (like iodé)

The main goal of Graphene OS is to protect users from some very specific attacks like some devices police uses to unlock phones or some targeted hacks by state actors.

That's simply not true. It does do those things, but that's not "the main goal". Not sure where you got that from?

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net -2 points 8 hours ago

This is nonsense. Everyone needs the most secure phone possible,

This is nonsense. GrapheneOS is like 0.00001% of the market. Almost everyone in the world manages to survive just fine "dicking around on an old Android". Only people that can be targeted by state actors really need GrapheneOS. Most people when forced to choose between unlocking their phones or being denied entry to a country, being stopped from boarding a plane or simply spending some time in jail will quickly unlock the phone and hand it over to police. Having extra secure OS is meaningless to them.

I understand you have some sensitive data on your phone and you would rather be detained than unlock it and that's fine. Graphene OS is for you. I'm sure you're already using it on a Pixel device. Motorola will offer you more options but that's it. Not much will change.

[–] wookiepedia@lemmy.world 3 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

If you live in the united states, then you DO need protection against police and state attacks.

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 1 points 9 hours ago

I never said you don't. I'm saying that if you DO need it you should be running GrapheneOS on a Pixel already. If you can wait a year or two until this phone comes out it's clearly not a "must have" for you.

[–] qualia@lemmy.world 14 points 16 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 6 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Reproducible builds and lack of telemetry, plus hardening against compromise (by any actors) is my personal use case. I only run free/libre infrastructure privately, and hope to move on to open/libre hardware in future.

[–] Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world 7 points 14 hours ago

Yes. Controlling telemetry data transmission is why I run GrapheneOS.

[–] barnaclebutt@lemmy.world 18 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

It's not just degoogling is the reason for using grapheneos. There are many other user friendly controls. For instance, you block apps from network use, so your click farming game doesn't track everything about you.

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[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Guess I know which brand my next smartphone upgrade will be.

If they did some nice 7" tablets too, that would be perfect.

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Lenovo/Moto is weird about that... The android phones and android tablets have next to nothing to do with each other.

I do have a couple of their tablets and like them well enough, but you might as well consider them an entirely different vendor versus the Moto phone part of the business.

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 12 hours ago

Well that's a shame.

I've been looking around for a replacement to my aged Samsung A6 (which has been given an extended life by replacing the factory ROM with something with less bloatware, but is still pretty limited in terms of memory) which is not a Surveillance Outpost for just who knows how many nations and just about any companies willing to pay the 3 cents of whatever for the data, and all the Linux and degoogled Android makers only have 10"+ ones, which are too big for my use case which carry a tablet on a coat or trousers back pocket when I'm going to be sitting down somewhere and waiting for something so that I can read books and maybe browse the internet on their free WiFi.

Personally I would LOOOVE a small Linux tablet, but I'm OK with some kind of privacy respecting Android which isn't riddled with backdoors mandated by governments which have Information Courts issuing Secret Bulk Information Collecting Orders, like the US and the UK.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I remember my original Moto G. It was a good phone for the time. I will follow Graphene wherever they go until a Linux phone is ready.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago

Hello Moto!

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[–] Infernal_pizza@lemmy.dbzer0.com 45 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Let's see if it gets released before GrapheneOS and unlockable bootloader get outlawed

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That's the point, right? Google is trying to lock down Android even more, and third party vendors can see the increasing risk. If they fork now, they can maybe undercut the increasing monopoly efforts.

[–] Newsteinleo@infosec.pub 12 points 1 day ago

I am sure they are also seeing a growing demand for more privacy, the only reason own a pixel is because of GrapheneOS. If I could buy a phone with the OS pre installed I would, don't know if they are going to do that. Also, by patterning with GrapheneOS they don't has the development cost and they can trade on Graphenes name

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[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

This is crazy big news.

[–] Mwa@thelemmy.club 105 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (9 children)

maybe my next phone will be a Motorola.

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W Moto ❤️‍🩹

[–] Akasazh@lemmy.world 237 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Any non Google phone running graphene would be epic.

[–] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 61 points 1 day ago

Having a vendor explicitly supporting it...epic is an understatement.

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[–] Luminous5481@anarchist.nexus 141 points 1 day ago (4 children)

This is great news. While I still think we should make a push towards Linux phones being mainstream so that we don’t keep this duopoly on OSes, it’s nice to know that at least one manufacturer is currently defying googles obvious goal of suppressing third party ROMs and marketplaces.

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