Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

calyxos.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

331–340 of 496 posts

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#331

Post by strcat »

cyberpanther wrote: post #300

After using CalyxOS for a while, I came up with a method to use stock android and preserve more of your privacy. https://hackernoon.com/have-your-privacy-cake-on-android-and...

You might be interested in the sandboxed Play services compatibility layer being developed by GrapheneOS:

https://grapheneos.org/usage#sandboxed-play-services

An early release of this is already available in the Stable/Beta channel releases. Our hope is that more projects take interest and collaborate on making a much more broadly compatible alternative to microG with the same security sacrifices it makes.

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#332

Post by strcat »

terhechte wrote: post #7
kiawe_fire wrote: post #4

Anybody have experience using something like this (or others like GrapheneOS) as a daily driver? I’m interested in moving away from Apple and big tech in general, but I don’t know how practical that is yet.

I'm using GrapheneOS on a second device for various reasons. The biggest issue for me is that not all apps work / run. However, I have limited app requirements, so that is fine. If you want to run all social networks, Uber, Lyft, and so on, there might be the one or other that doesn't work (I didn't try them all). However, you can always use the mobile web offering I guess. In terms of classical smartphone features,…

GrapheneOS now has https://grapheneos.org/usage#sandboxed-play-services providing the ability to install Play services in a sandbox. The core functionality is already working in the Stable/Beta channel releases. You can install it in a dedicated profile to avoid apps in other profiles being able to use it.

GrapheneOS is fine with people using Google apps and services but not integrated into the OS and they should be on the same level as other apps and services without any special privileges/access. We're working on making this a reality. Google could implement the fallback code paths we're providing for Play services themselves. All we're doing is teaching it to do what it should already know how to do. Perhaps a regulator can force them to unbundle their services and make them usable anywhere.

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#333

Post by strcat »

uhtred wrote: post #25
kiawe_fire wrote: post #4

Anybody have experience using something like this (or others like GrapheneOS) as a daily driver? I’m interested in moving away from Apple and big tech in general, but I don’t know how practical that is yet.

I've been using /e/os [1] for a while and I am very happy with it. It has microG integrated so any apps that rely on google play services should still work. [1] https://e.foundation/

microG only provides a tiny subset of the Play services functionality. Only certain apps with work with it, not every app. It doesn't implement most.

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#334

Post by fragileone »

temp8964 wrote: post #324

I just transferred from Android to iPhone today. I wouldn't bother to use these alternative Androids, because I don't trust 3rd party app stores. There are banking, authenticator, and other essential apps I will never download from a 3rd party app store.

Not even an app store that distributes only open-source software (eg F-Droid)? Considering the reputation for scams and malware on 1st party app stores I could never understand this perspective.

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#335

Post by lobocinza »

NullPrefix wrote: post #276
yusi-san wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can try lineage with MicroG[0][1], it replaces Google services. If you want stores there is the F-Droid store for FOSS app or Aurora Store if you want casual apps. YouTube can be replaced by NewPipe and these days I'm trying Organic Maps (a layer for OSM with nav and offline maps) to replace Google Maps. [0] : https://microg.org/ [1] : https://lineage.microg.org/

Youtube app can be replaced with Firefox

Or Brave.

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#336

Post by glenstein »

new_stranger wrote: post #198

I purchased a Pixel phone to test this stuff on. I installed LineageOS and found I couldn't run some google apps. I reinstalled LineageOS with https://opengapps.org added during the install and made the mistake of transferring from my old phone which brought all the google services and everything back to the phone (mostly). I then installed CalyxOS - much easier install process than lineage. Really liked the defaults…

>If I didn't need so many Google-tied apps I would pick this as my phone OS for basic stuff like messaging and browsing.

In case I run into a similar issue as you - what turned out to be Google-tied apps you weren't able to do without?

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#337

Post by lobocinza »

oh_sigh wrote: post #182
bubblethink wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Man, stuff like this is so depressing to read. Like this is supposed to be a forum for showcasing new tech, projects, etc. What's the point of having this if people in the industry are going to say, "I don't like it because it's not backed by a trillion dollar company". What will change ?

Many people run their entire lives off of their phones. Being concerned about security is prudent, not depressing.

Being concerned is being rational just the reality of it that's depressing.

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#338

Post by tentacleuno »

strcat wrote: post #318
Koshkin wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't privacy and security go hand in hand?

Yes, they do, and GrapheneOS is heavily focused on both. The purpose of the project and what it provides is being heavily misrepresented by the comment above. GrapheneOS treats bypasses of privacy features as security vulnerabilities. It offers substantial privacy advantages of CalyxOS and doesn't come with the privacy drawbacks it introduces. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28095033 (above) for a more in-de…

Disclaimer: strcat is the GrapheneOS developer.

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#339

Post by reshie »

new_stranger wrote: post #198

I purchased a Pixel phone to test this stuff on. I installed LineageOS and found I couldn't run some google apps. I reinstalled LineageOS with https://opengapps.org added during the install and made the mistake of transferring from my old phone which brought all the google services and everything back to the phone (mostly). I then installed CalyxOS - much easier install process than lineage. Really liked the defaults…

im sure your looking at stuff like fdroid. there are definitely sacrifices that have to be made but there are quite a few alternatives to the more popular stuff.

Re: CalyxOS – De-Googled Android Alternative

#340

Post by lobocinza »

securitypunk wrote: post #85
fitblipper wrote: post #28

The thing which always makes me hesitant about these projects is that they don't receive frequent security audits and not having an expensive brand behind them makes them more at risk to being willing to trash their name at the cost of my privacy and security. I consider these to be a fairly critical part of any project which claims superior privacy and security. I think about it this way: Should I trust A. The compa…

Anyone who has managed a product security program will tell you that's it's impossible for small groups to keep up with the complexity and attack surface of products like android. From a consumer perspective, going with A and trusting the company is by far the safest option.

You're missing the other 'halves' of the problem. Insecurity is a business and it's not profitable for companies like NSO to make their "solutions" compatible with non-mainstream devices.
Post reply on HN