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GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

blog.tomaszdunia.pl

181–190 of 967 posts

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#181

One of the only big downsides I've noticed with GrapheneOS is that several banking apps don't work with it at all thanks to being tied to Google's verification ecosystem. Luckily I have hardware 2FA keys from my bank so I can authenticate using that. It also slightly decreases the suck-factor from whenever the phone decides to fly off down a drain. This may not be the case for you, so do your research on what you nee…

I contacted my bank, insisting that GrapheneOS is one of the most secure OS on the market and therefore should be supported if they actually care about users' security (it's actually far more secure than all the old, far less secure but Google-approved devices out there). They acknowledged an fixed their app, one of the most popular in France. Still missing Android Pay but that's due to Android Pay being closed. I wi…

German bank Comdirect / Commerzbank did this as well, whitelisting GrapheneOS signing keys for their 2FA app. https://github.com/PrivSec-dev/banking-apps-compat-report/is...

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#182
post #142

Been using this for about a year on a p9 pro. It works very well. I hear the google tap to pay does not work, but I've never tried it. However Vipps with their tap to pay works fine. BankID works but not with biometric login, which some things require IIRC. And for some reason DnB private works fine, but you are not allowed in on the corp app. It's mind boggingly stupid that they lock down apps like this, when you ca…

> It's mind boggingly stupid that they lock down apps like this, when you can just open the thing in a website anyway. I can use my bank on some linux distro... Not in Spain. I can access my bank's website but I can't do anything without their bank app. Even sometimes they require to confirm my identity using their app in order to access their website. I have several linux phones but I can only do banking with their…

I have been using GrapheneOS for a few months in Spain with and out of three banking apps only one gave me trouble, I had to enable "Exploit Protection Compatibility Mode" on "app information". Personally I refuse to pay with the phone so I am okay not having that option.

If someone wants to try Graphene os maybe that option will work on their banks too.

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#183

I personally tend to own two Phones. One all-day carry GrapheneOS device (Pixel 8) and an older WiFi and at home only iPhone for all payment and ensurance stuff. This is inconvenient in some ways, but at least it is sort of privacy as good as it gets while still being able to run official apps when I need them at home. To de-google the phone, I use F-Droid as primary App store, Aurora as fallback for non-f-droid Apps…

Voice audiobook player is so nice and simple, a pleasure to use

I recently PR'ed some improvements within the search (series and part are now searchable).

I also made a custom fork with some quality of life improvements, like series and part visible on screen, headset remote click patterns (tap for play/pause, double-tap for next, etc.).

Currently I'm working on a totally DIY build offline audio (book) player with the footprint a bit bigger than the iPod Nano 7g that maybe never will be finished, but ATM it is fun to work on... (see https://github.com/sandreas/rust-slint-riscv64-musl-demo for the testing repo and https://github.com/nanowave-player/nanowave-ui for the latest code I'm working on)

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#184

Been using this for about a year on a p9 pro. It works very well. I hear the google tap to pay does not work, but I've never tried it. However Vipps with their tap to pay works fine. BankID works but not with biometric login, which some things require IIRC. And for some reason DnB private works fine, but you are not allowed in on the corp app. It's mind boggingly stupid that they lock down apps like this, when you ca…

I'd also recommend to slowly migrate to GrapheneOS, getting to know where the boundaries are for specific apps. Once you've got your 'dailies' all up and running predictably, then you're good to go, but it could take a few days depending on how much spare time you have to find said boundaries. Having said that, I turn on most of the higher level security protections, which quite a few apps need exceptions from.

But, yes, you can't tap to pay and it's unlikely you ever will. Banking apps will be hit and miss depending on their (generally hypocritical) paranoia levels.

I pay with a tap-to-pay card, and I have never needed to do banking related things immediately, I've always done it via the bank's website.

I also still have a not-very-old 'normal' android phone for some edge cases - which are few and far between (actually, I think it's usually to cast youtube to the TV since I only have the revanced youtube app on the GrapheneOS device).

P.S. On the use of profiles, I use them to separate work apps and notifications from personal, from sporting club, from X, Y, and Z. Yes, they're a pain in the arse to switch between, but I'd argue it's more of a pain in the arse to have them all jumbled together causing even more notifications, frustrations, and distractions from whatever one should actually be concentrating on in the present moment.

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#185
And once you are on GrapheneOS, break free from your proprietary watch ecosystem and switch to GadgetBridge (https://gadgetbridge.org/)

I run a Thinkpad with NixOS and KDE, a Pixel 9 with GrapheneOS, and an Amazfit watch paired with GadgetBridge on my phone.

It's a testament to the hard work of the FOSS maintainers of these projects, and the spirit of open source, that everything works flawlessly together without any cloud service sucking up my data. For example, I can control youtube and music playback on my laptop with my watch because KDE Connect syncs my laptop and my phone, and gadgetbridge syncs the phone and the watch. The breezy weather app on my phone can automatically push its data to gadgetbridge which in turn pushes the data to the watch. And so on. So many little things, developed independently, working like a single well oiled machine.

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#186
post #135

Been using this for about a year on a p9 pro. It works very well. I hear the google tap to pay does not work, but I've never tried it. However Vipps with their tap to pay works fine. BankID works but not with biometric login, which some things require IIRC. And for some reason DnB private works fine, but you are not allowed in on the corp app. It's mind boggingly stupid that they lock down apps like this, when you ca…

> I can use my bank on some linux distro, crazy that they trust me enjoy it while it lasts. hardware attestation requirement for (at least) banking apps is a question of 'when', not 'if'.

I hope this isn't going to be the case universally. If my bank cuts off my access from my browser-on-linux setup, then I'm finding an alternative bank (hopefully some will always exist), which I don't say lightly since I've been with my current bank since I was old enough to have a bank account.

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#187

I've used GrapheneOS on a Pixel 3a, 5, 8 and 10 Pro so far and it's worked really well. I couldn't imagine going back. The only things I'm missing (which don't exist in other OS'es either): - Being able to configure contact scopes in such a way that the app in question only gets access to the phone numbers of the contacts belonging to the label I specified, e.g. "WhatsApp", nothing more. Yes, one can of course add co…

Note to self: look for second hand unlocked Pixel 10 pro!

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#188
post #63

We need Linux OSes and phones to catch up to really break free from this duopoly. Only when there is enough traction, essential infrastructure like banks will start supporting Oses like that. It's a chicken and egg kind of problem.

While I respect the Linux on Mobile work, I believe that AOSP is a lot better, with a much better security model. Remember that GrapheneOS is not Android: it's an AOSP-based OS.

You’re not wrong. The thing that bothers me is that AOSP is being developed behind close doors and controlled by a single company which wields way too much power and control over our daily lives, and which has a track record of abusing that power.

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#189

  Full control over app permissions

  GrapheneOS allows for full control over what permissions each application can have. 
  For example, in conventional Android forks, every application by default has granted 
  Network (internet access) and Sensors [...] permissions.

  Has anyone ever wondered if all apps on a phone need Internet access? 
Well, Apple made privacy a major selling point, so I'm sure you can do this on iOS, too. /s

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40667147

Re: GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple

#190
post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use qr based payments regularly where I live, and in my home country I use nfc payments (watch/phone/card) essentially always, when we visit. NFC is by far more convenient and reliable.

I can't say about "convenient" because I don't use it, but I have been using QR codes for years and I haven't had a single issue. I don't know anyone who has. QR codes are reliable .

You need an active internet connection to pay via QR.

NFC (EMV) works offline.

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