The main developer, Daniel Micay, originally worked on CopperheadOS, until a schism over software licensing between the co-founders of Copperhead Limited led to Micay's dismissal from the company in 2018.[6] After the incident, Micay continued working on the Android Hardening project,[6][7] which was renamed as GrapheneOS[7] and announced in April 2019.[6]
In March 2022 two GrapheneOS apps "Secure Camera" and "Secure PDF Viewer" were released to the Google Play Store.[8]
Also in March 2022, GrapheneOS reportedly released Android 12L for Google Pixel devices before Google did, second to ProtonAOSP.[9]
Features
GrapheneOS' default "AppStore" (formerly known as just "Apps" )
Sandboxed Google Play
By default Google apps are not installed with GrapheneOS,[5][11] but users can install a sandboxed version of Google Play Services from the pre-installed "AppStore".[11] The sandboxed Google Play Services allows access to the Google Play Store and apps dependent on it, along with features including push notifications and in-app payments.[11][12]
Around January 2024, Android Auto support was added to GrapheneOS, allowing users to install it via the AppStore.[13] The Sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer settings adds a new permission menu with 4 toggles for granting the minimal access required for wired Android Auto, wireless Android Auto, audio routing and phone calls.[14]
Security & Privacy features
GrapheneOS introduces revocable network access and sensors permission toggles for each installed app.[5][15] And a PIN scrambling option for the lock screen is included with GrapheneOS.[16]
GrapheneOS by default, randomizes Wi-FiMAC address' per-connection (to a Wi-Fi network), instead of the Android per-network default.[6][17]
A hardened Chromium-based web browser and WebView implementation known as Vanadium, is developed by GrapheneOS and included as the default web browser/WebView[15]
Auditor, a hardware-based attestation app, developed by GrapheneOS, which "provide strong hardware-based verification of the authenticity and integrity of the firmware/software on the device" is also included.[18]
Reception
In 2019, Georg Pichler of Der Standard, and other news sources, quoted Edward Snowden saying on Twitter, "If I were configuring a smartphone today, I'd use Daniel Micay's GrapheneOS as the base operating system."[19]
In discussing why services should not force users to install proprietary apps, Lennart Mühlenmeier of netzpolitik.org suggested GrapheneOS as an alternative to Apple or Google.[20]
Svět Mobilně and Webtekno repeated the suggestions that GrapheneOS is a good security- and privacy-oriented replacement for standard Android.[21][22]
In a detailed review of GrapheneOS for Golem.de, Moritz Tremmel and Sebastian Grüner said they were able to use GrapheneOS similarly to other Android systems, while enjoying more freedom from Google, without noticing differences from "additional memory protection, but that's the way it should be." They concluded GrapheneOS cannot change how "Android devices become garbage after three years at the latest", but "it can better secure the devices during their remaining life while protecting privacy."[6]
In June 2021, reviews of GrapheneOS, KaiOS, AliOS, and Tizen OS, were published in Cellular News. The review of GrapheneOS called it "arguably the best mobile operating system in terms of privacy and security." However, they criticized GrapheneOS for its inconvenience to users, saying "GrapheneOS is completely de-Googled and will stay that way forever—at least according to the developers." They also noticed a "slight performance decrease" and said "it might take two full seconds for an app—even if it’s just the Settings app—to fully load."[23]
In March 2022, writing for How-To Geek Joe Fedewa said that Google apps were not included due to concerns over privacy, and GrapheneOS also did not include a default app store. Instead, Fedewa suggested, F-Droid could be used.[5]
In a 2022, Jonathan Lamont of MobileSyrup reviewed GrapheneOS installed on a Pixel 3, after one week of use. He called GrapheneOS install process "straightforward" and concluded that he liked GrapheneOS overall, but criticized the post-install as "often not a seamless experience like using an unmodified Pixel or an iPhone", attributing his experience to his "over-reliance on Google apps" and the absence of some "smart" features in GrapheneOS default keyboard and camera apps, in comparison to software from Google.[11]
In his initial impressions post a week prior, Lamont said that after an easy install there were issues with permissions for Google's Messages app, and difficulty importing contacts; Lamont then concluded, "Anyone looking for a straightforward experience may want to avoid GrapheneOS or other privacy-oriented Android experiences since the privacy gains often come at the expense of convenience and ease of use."[24]
In July 2022, Charlie Osborne of ZDNet suggested that individuals who suspect a Pegasus infection use a secondary device with GrapheneOS for secure communication.[25]
In January 2023, a Swiss startup company, Apostrophy AG, announced AphyOS, which is a subscription fee-based Android operating system and services "built atop" GrapheneOS.[26][27]
↑ The developers have been referred to as the "GrapheneOS developers" or the "GrapheneOS project" on GrapheneOS' frequently asked questions page[1], But the Canadiannonprofit organization "GrapheneOS Foundation"[2] was created "in March 2023 to handle the intake and distribution of donations"[3]
Android 13 is the thirteenth major release and the 20th version of Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. It was released to the public and the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) on August 15, 2022. The first devices to ship with Android 13 were the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android has historically been developed by a consortium of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance, but its most widely used version is primarily developed by Google. It was unveiled in November 2007, with the first commercial Android device, the HTC Dream, being launched in September 2008.
A mobile operating system is an operating system used for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typical/mobile laptops are "mobile", the operating systems used on them are usually not considered mobile, as they were originally designed for desktop computers that historically did not have or need specific mobile features. This "fine line" distinguishing mobile and other forms has become blurred in recent years, due to the fact that newer devices have become smaller and more mobile, unlike the hardware of the past. Key notabilities blurring this line are the introduction of tablet computers, light laptops, and the hybridization of the two in 2-in-1 PCs.
The version history of the Android mobile operating system began with the public release of its first beta on November 5, 2007. The first commercial version, Android 1.0, was released on September 23, 2008. The operating system is developed by Google on a yearly cadence since at least 2011. New major releases are announced at Google I/O in May while still in beta testing with the stable version usually released to the public between August and October.
F-Droid is a free and open source app store and software repository for Android, serving a similar function to the Google Play store. The main repository, hosted by the project, contains only free and open source apps. Applications can be browsed, downloaded and installed from the F-Droid website or client app without the need to register an account. "Anti-features" such as advertising, user tracking, or dependence on non-free software are flagged in app descriptions.
Android Nougat is the seventh major version and 14th original version of the Android operating system. First released as an alpha test version on March 9, 2016, it was officially released on August 22, 2016, with Nexus devices being the first to receive the update.
CopperheadOS is a mobile operating system for smartphones, based on the Android mobile platform. It adds privacy and security features to the official releases of the Android Open Source Project by Google. CopperheadOS is developed by Copperhead, a Canadian information security company. It is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0, although its source code is not available for public download.
Google Lens is an image recognition technology developed by Google, designed to bring up relevant information related to objects it identifies using visual analysis based on a neural network. First announced during Google I/O 2017, it was first provided as a standalone app, later being integrated into Google Camera but was reportedly removed in October 2022. It has also been integrated with the Google Photos and Google Assistant app and with Bard as of 2023.
/e/ is a fork of LineageOS, an Android-based mobile operating system, and associated online services. /e/ is presented as privacy software that does not contain proprietary Google apps or services, and challenges the public to "find any parts of the system or default applications that are still leaking data to Google."
Android 10 is the tenth major release and the 17th version of the Android mobile operating system. It was first released as a developer preview on March 13, 2019, and was released publicly on September 3, 2019.
MicroG is a free and open-source implementation of proprietary Google libraries that serves as a replacement for Google Play Services on the Android operating system. It is maintained by German developer Marvin Wißfeld. In a presentation, Wißfeld described microG as "the framework to create a fully-compatible Android distribution without any proprietary Google components".
Google Messages is a text messaging software application developed by Google for its Android and Wear OS mobile operating systems. It is also available as a web app.
Android 11 is the eleventh major release and 18th version of Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. It was released on September 8, 2020. The first phone launched in Europe with Android 11 was the Vivo X51 5G and after its full stable release, the first phone in the world which came with Android 11 was Google Pixel 5.
CalyxOS is a Android-based operating system for select smartphones, foldables and tablets with mostly free and open-source software. It is produced by the Calyx Institute as part of its mission to "defend online privacy, security and accessibility."
Android 12 is the twelfth major release and 19th version of Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. The first beta was released on May 18, 2021. Android 12 was released publicly on October 4, 2021, through Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and was released to supported Google Pixel devices on October 19, 2021. As of April 2024, it is the oldest Android version still supported via source code patches.
The Umidigi A9, A9 Pro, and A9 Max are Android smartphones sold by Umidigi. Unveiled in December 2020, they are a family of entry-level smartphones.
1 2 Baader, Hans-Joachim (9 April 2019). "Android Hardening wird zu GrapheneOS"[Android Hardening becomes GrapheneOS]. Pro-Linux (in German). Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
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