{"video_id":"gDR6V5OdnYg","title":"Maybe This Phone ISN’T Just for Criminals - Trying Graphene OS for a Month.","channel":"Linus Tech Tips","show":"Linus Tech Tips","published_at":"2025-12-05T14:53:29Z","duration_s":906,"segments":[{"start_s":0.08,"end_s":6.72,"text":"Every time I so much as mention a phone, the comment section is filled with folks","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.319,"end_s":10.32,"text":"insisting that I should have used graphine OS. Don't want any","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":8.559,"end_s":15.04,"text":"pre-installed bloat on your Pixel? Graphine OS. Don't want anybody keeping","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":12.719,"end_s":19.52,"text":"an eye on whatever it is you're doing? Graphine OS. Stop your toe running from","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":17.68,"end_s":25.96,"text":"the cops. Graphine OS. It doesn't seem to matter","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":21.92,"end_s":25.96,"text":"what the problem is. Ow.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":26.16,"end_s":36.079,"text":"or if there even is a problem. The answer always seems to be get graphine","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.88,"end_s":38.079,"text":"OS. So I did and it turns out that the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":36.079,"end_s":43.12,"text":"things that make Graphine OS a great choice for narr also make it a pretty","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":40.8,"end_s":46.8,"text":"great choice for anyone who cares deeply about [music] their privacy and their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":44.64,"end_s":51.039,"text":"security. If you're not already in the know, Graphine OS is based on the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":48.879,"end_s":55.6,"text":"Android open source project and it has Android app compatibility, but it comes","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":53.76,"end_s":58.96,"text":"without [music] the corporate spyware and the bloat that's baked into","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":57.28,"end_s":63.039,"text":"mainstream Android thanks to its dedicated nonprofit open-source team.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":61.52,"end_s":66.479,"text":"And the best part is you don't need any weird hardware to run it. It can be","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":64.64,"end_s":70.74,"text":"installed with minimal hassle on any recent generation Pixel. So, let's see","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":68.56,"end_s":76.72,"text":"if Graphine OS can fit my admittedly [music] rather unique needs. Right after this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":73.92,"end_s":80.159,"text":"unique segue to our sponsors, >> War Thunder. Immerse yourself in a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":78.64,"end_s":84.4,"text":"virtual battlefield full of realistically modeled vehicles and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":82.0,"end_s":88.64,"text":"deafening sound effects for free. Get started today on PC, consoles, or even","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":86.799,"end_s":92.2,"text":"your mobile device by clicking our link in the video description.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":94.976,"end_s":96.996,"text":">> [music]","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":98.96,"end_s":105.04,"text":">> Graphine OS boasts a truly massive list of enhancements that help ensure that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":103.36,"end_s":109.28,"text":"you are the one who's in control of your device and you stay in control [music]","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":106.96,"end_s":113.2,"text":"regardless of your carrier. Unlike other mobile operating systems, and yes,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":111.351,"end_s":117.28,"text":"[music] that means even iOS, uncompromising privacy and security are","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":115.439,"end_s":122.159,"text":"baked right into its fabric to the point where Graphine literally won't even ask","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":119.84,"end_s":125.52,"text":"a third party server for the time of day unless you change a setting to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":123.68,"end_s":129.44,"text":"explicitly allow it to. Some of our highlights include pin scrambling, which","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":127.759,"end_s":133.2,"text":"makes it harder to guess your PIN from looking over your shoulder or checking","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":131.12,"end_s":137.28,"text":"for grease spots on your screen. The ability to use a second factor on top of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":135.52,"end_s":142.16,"text":"your fingerprint in order to unlock your phone. support for longer passwords, the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":139.84,"end_s":146.959,"text":"ability to schedule reboots to keep any unused data out of memory where it could","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":144.72,"end_s":150.8,"text":"possibly be retrieved, and this last one's really cool. If you're ever in a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":149.04,"end_s":154.4,"text":"situation where the [music] data or the accounts on your phone could be used","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":152.4,"end_s":158.959,"text":"against you, you can set it up with a duress pin or password that when entered","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":156.546,"end_s":164.0,"text":"[music] will irreversibly wipe both your device and any installed eims. Just uh","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":162.4,"end_s":167.36,"text":"be careful with that last one, though. The OS assumes that if you enter a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":165.76,"end_s":170.72,"text":"duress code, [music] you really mean it. And that wipe cannot be stopped. Now, I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":169.599,"end_s":176.64,"text":"could probably spend the rest of this video talking about more privacy and security innovations in graph OS. But if","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":174.959,"end_s":181.92,"text":"that's your jam, you'd actually probably be better off checking out their website, which we'll have linked down","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":178.959,"end_s":185.44,"text":"below. It's a fascinating read, even if you have no intention of installing it.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":184.0,"end_s":189.28,"text":"And [music] I'm not the only one who thinks so. There are a ton of features","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":187.599,"end_s":193.2,"text":"that they don't mention there anymore because while they may have originated","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":191.28,"end_s":198.56,"text":"in graphine OS, they've since been adopted by mainline Android or AOSP.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":195.92,"end_s":202.64,"text":"Now, let's talk about using it. Beyond just being more secure and more private,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":200.8,"end_s":207.68,"text":"or maybe because of those priorities, Graphin OS starts up with a lot less","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":205.44,"end_s":213.68,"text":"software running or even installed versus what shipped on this Pixel 9a.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":210.239,"end_s":216.4,"text":"I'm talking 14 apps in the app drawer.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":213.68,"end_s":219.84,"text":"14. All directly from the good folks at Graphine OS themselves. These","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":218.4,"end_s":223.92,"text":"pre-installed apps are meant to cover your basic smartphone functions. And","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":222.319,"end_s":229.12,"text":"through this experiment, I've learned that many security and privacy conscious","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":226.48,"end_s":234.799,"text":"users prefer to use progressive web apps or PWAs or even just plain old websites","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":232.72,"end_s":238.72,"text":"rather than the permissionhungry native apps that [music] get pushed on us. So","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":236.64,"end_s":244.0,"text":"that's where Venadium comes in. It's Graphine's hardened version of Chromium.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":241.68,"end_s":248.48,"text":"But that's not to say that you can't run native apps. Graphine does come with an","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":246.319,"end_s":252.959,"text":"app store and that app store includes two additional app stores. Yes, that's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":250.959,"end_s":257.359,"text":"right. A full quarter of the apps in the graphine OS app store are themselves app","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":256.079,"end_s":261.6,"text":"stores. [music] The first one is a Crescent, a privacy","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":259.919,"end_s":265.28,"text":"and security focused app store that is currently in [music] alpha. It's only","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":263.199,"end_s":269.199,"text":"got a few dozen apps so far and it could probably use a little UX love, but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":267.28,"end_s":273.52,"text":"clearly Graphine thinks it's got legs if they're including it as the only non-","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":271.199,"end_s":277.04,"text":"Googlele non-graph OS app in the built-in app store. And it was through a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":275.28,"end_s":280.72,"text":"Crescent that I found two of the coolest apps of this [music] whole experiment.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":278.8,"end_s":284.8,"text":"Transcribe Bro is an ondevice speechtoext keyboard that works","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":282.32,"end_s":289.84,"text":"remarkably well, at least in English, completely offline. It uses the OpenAI","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":288.08,"end_s":294.88,"text":"whisper family of [music] models and Cero VAD for voice activity detection. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":293.36,"end_s":299.04,"text":"do [music] wish the record button would go red when it's listening, but I mean,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":296.96,"end_s":302.24,"text":"hey, it's open source, so that'll probably be fixed by the time you watch","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":300.4,"end_s":308.08,"text":"this video. I also want to highlight organic maps, a no ad, no tracking, no","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":305.919,"end_s":312.16,"text":"data collection map app that works offline using open [music] street map","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":310.0,"end_s":316.88,"text":"data. It comes with a basic map for the world. And then as you zoom in further,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":314.24,"end_s":320.479,"text":"I think it was around 10 km to 1 cm scale, you'll be prompted to download","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":318.56,"end_s":323.84,"text":"additional details for that region. Once I figured out how to give it the right","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":321.759,"end_s":328.08,"text":"location permissions to get GPS working, it was almost the perfect mapping app.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":326.479,"end_s":332.24,"text":"The only thing I missed was traffic overlay. And yes, I fully get why it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":330.639,"end_s":337.6,"text":"doesn't have real-time traffic. You don't need to privacy split it to me. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":334.08,"end_s":339.6,"text":"just like avoiding traffic. The second","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":337.6,"end_s":344.8,"text":"included app store is good old-fashioned Google Play. Oh, thank goodness. Where","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":342.96,"end_s":347.919,"text":"else would I get all the apps I need? Okay, I know there are other places to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":346.56,"end_s":352.72,"text":"get them, but we'll get to those later because first, Google Play Store gives","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":350.32,"end_s":357.68,"text":"me a chance to talk about Graphine OS's compatibility layer that lets you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":354.639,"end_s":360.72,"text":"install official releases of Google Play","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":357.68,"end_s":363.28,"text":"into the standard app sandbox. This","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":360.72,"end_s":367.52,"text":"forces Google Play and all of its supporting services to actually respect","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":365.68,"end_s":371.28,"text":"your permission settings rather than getting special unfettered access to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":369.919,"end_s":375.759,"text":"your device. [music] It also expands on the typical Android","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":373.68,"end_s":380.72,"text":"permission system, adding controls for network and sensor access. And Graphine","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":378.639,"end_s":384.96,"text":"even lets you set limited scope access to storage and contacts, so you can keep","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":383.12,"end_s":389.199,"text":"apps from snooping around where you don't want them to. And if that's not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":387.199,"end_s":393.039,"text":"enough, you can install your app stores and your apps into different user","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":391.199,"end_s":397.44,"text":"profiles, which allows you to restrict their access to only what's in that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":395.36,"end_s":401.36,"text":"profile. Meaning that any apps in your Google profile can't talk to apps in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":399.36,"end_s":405.36,"text":"your Facebook profile. and vice versa. We found one example of someone using","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":402.96,"end_s":411.36,"text":"eight separate profiles to segregate their various apps and data. Wow. But","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":408.4,"end_s":415.84,"text":"I'm just a simple small time tech tuber. So if [music] the graphine OS usage","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":413.44,"end_s":419.52,"text":"guide says it's simplest to run a single profile,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":417.36,"end_s":423.919,"text":"that's what I'm going to do. Sorry to disappoint the graphine OS hardcores,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":421.36,"end_s":428.639,"text":"but I'm three app stores deep and a dozen paragraphs into this video and I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":426.08,"end_s":432.24,"text":"can't even check my email yet. Okay, I could through my browser, but you guys","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":430.319,"end_s":437.52,"text":"know what I mean. So, my next step then was to install all my typical apps. And","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":435.12,"end_s":442.88,"text":"not going to lie, it was kind of a hassle, but [music] with good","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":439.599,"end_s":445.36,"text":"intentions. Let me explain. See, I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":442.88,"end_s":449.52,"text":"switch phones a lot, and normally when I massinstall my app loadout, the store","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":447.44,"end_s":453.84,"text":"just kind of gives me a couple catch-all permission prompts and then downloads","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":451.759,"end_s":460.0,"text":"all my junk in the name of expediency. Graphine OS, not so much. It asked me","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":457.12,"end_s":465.039,"text":"about everything, which really made me conscious of how much permission I'm","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":462.72,"end_s":469.68,"text":"giving away, even if it did make the process drag on for so long that I ended","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":468.08,"end_s":473.28,"text":"up reaching out to the development team behind Graphine OS to make sure that I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":471.36,"end_s":476.56,"text":"hadn't broken something. They were a massive help, by the way, for the entire","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":474.8,"end_s":481.919,"text":"month of my experiment. So, uh, shout out Spring Onion, if that is your real","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":480.0,"end_s":486.319,"text":"name. On the subject of apps, most of them","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":484.16,"end_s":491.039,"text":"just plain worked. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that even my beloved","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":488.96,"end_s":494.8,"text":"Pixel exclusive call screening worked immediately once I installed the Google","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":493.039,"end_s":499.84,"text":"dialer. And this should hold true for other exclusive Pixel apps and [music]","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":496.639,"end_s":502.56,"text":"features like the camera. Pretty cool.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":499.84,"end_s":506.319,"text":"But nothing's perfect, and that includes graphine OS. Check out this issue that I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":504.8,"end_s":510.879,"text":"had with Facebook while I was live on the WAN Show. And my new BFF, Spring","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":509.199,"end_s":516.24,"text":"Onion, had to jump in and save me from some other, let's call them, unintuitive","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":513.76,"end_s":520.719,"text":"experiences as well. See, it turns out that some apps really need play services","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":518.959,"end_s":525.839,"text":"running in the background all the time. I hadn't enabled that, so I found some","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":523.039,"end_s":530.08,"text":"pretty weird behavior. Oh, Swift Key. This one had me totally stumped. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":527.92,"end_s":533.92,"text":"couldn't use dictation, and it kept telling me I needed this dependency app,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":532.08,"end_s":537.44,"text":"but then it wasn't the right one. No, see, I had to go get a separate speech","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":535.92,"end_s":542.56,"text":"recognition app, and then I had to give that app microphone access before I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":539.12,"end_s":544.88,"text":"could dictate. Oh, okay. Also, some apps","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":542.56,"end_s":549.12,"text":"that use the Play Integrity API, it's mostly banking apps, just plain didn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":547.12,"end_s":554.16,"text":"work. Maybe that's the issue we had with eBay. I'm not sure. That app just tells","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":551.6,"end_s":558.399,"text":"me it's not available for my device. And as for screenshot editing, that required","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":556.24,"end_s":562.48,"text":"a separate install of markup from the graphine OS app store. See, it's not in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":560.8,"end_s":567.36,"text":"Google Play for some reason and is also not part of the default install.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":564.8,"end_s":572.48,"text":"Finally, there's Android Auto. That was a special experience. See, there is a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":570.16,"end_s":575.6,"text":"sandbox version in the graphine store, which is great. [music] But even after","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":574.08,"end_s":580.8,"text":"enabling all the permissions I could find, it was still struggling to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":577.2,"end_s":582.8,"text":"connect. I then discovered that, oh, of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":580.8,"end_s":587.68,"text":"course, the default behavior when you connect [music] a USB cable is charge","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":584.959,"end_s":593.44,"text":"only and there is no prompt to enable data transfer. Well, that is very","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":590.8,"end_s":597.76,"text":"secure. It just means that in order to get around it, you need to know to go","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":595.68,"end_s":601.519,"text":"find the menu to enable data transfer, and you have to know that [music] that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":599.279,"end_s":607.04,"text":"includes Android Auto. So, then I was all set, right? Wrong. Android Auto","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":604.88,"end_s":611.777,"text":"continued to be a problem for a little while yet. It was mostly just dumb","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":609.68,"end_s":616.32,"text":"little hiccups like slow navigation and [music] GPS position updates, uh, not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":614.0,"end_s":619.839,"text":"having access to my contacts, etc., etc. and I would dutifully go digging through","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":618.32,"end_s":625.44,"text":"the permissions to figure out what I'd missed, but it was enough to be","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":622.32,"end_s":627.519,"text":"annoying. Now, to address the herd of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":625.44,"end_s":632.32,"text":"elephants in the room, some folks will insist that installing Google Anything","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":629.68,"end_s":637.279,"text":"on this means that I'm doing Graphion OS wrong. And if I'm honest, putting Google","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":634.64,"end_s":642.0,"text":"Play on here did feel a little dirty. But the fact is, guys, I use products","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":639.44,"end_s":647.519,"text":"and services from companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple every day to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":644.88,"end_s":651.04,"text":"do my job. And in most cases, they really do need most of the permissions","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":649.44,"end_s":657.36,"text":"that they're asking for in order to function properly, which kind of bummed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":653.44,"end_s":659.12,"text":"me out. But my new pal, Pummer Alien,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":657.36,"end_s":662.72,"text":"had a really great perspective on this, pointing out that Graphine OS is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":661.2,"end_s":667.2,"text":"designed to improve the privacy and security of everyone, not just the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":664.959,"end_s":671.279,"text":"hardcores and the obsessives. And their team totally understands that we're not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":669.36,"end_s":675.76,"text":"all able to ditch the apps that we need for work or for communicating with our","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":673.279,"end_s":680.399,"text":"kids. and they work hard to ensure that you'll still be much better off running","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":677.839,"end_s":684.5,"text":"those things in graphin OS than you are in a Google flavored version of Android","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":682.64,"end_s":688.56,"text":"or a Xiai flavored version of Android. [music] With that said, if you're lucky enough","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":687.04,"end_s":692.64,"text":"that you don't need to rely on things from our corporate overlords, maybe","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":690.377,"end_s":697.2,"text":"[music] you could get away without the official Play Store. Aurora is an option","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":695.12,"end_s":700.399,"text":"that I saw mentioned a lot on the graph OS forums and on the [music] subreddit.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":699.12,"end_s":705.36,"text":"There are some disagreements as to whether it is technically an app store,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":702.72,"end_s":710.079,"text":"but its main purpose is to search for apps and download apps from the Play","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":707.36,"end_s":714.32,"text":"Store anonymously, which seems close enough in my books. And it's pretty","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":712.56,"end_s":718.8,"text":"awesome for any apps that you don't need to log into. Foid would be another","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":716.8,"end_s":722.32,"text":"option, and there's many other app stores with rabid fans that I'm sure I'm","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":720.64,"end_s":726.399,"text":"angering right now by not providing an exhaustive list. So, um, sorry for that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":724.24,"end_s":730.32,"text":"in advance. Another option is to just download the APK files you need and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":728.32,"end_s":734.32,"text":"sideloadad your apps. [music] However, if you're going to take that approach,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":732.079,"end_s":737.68,"text":"please do your due diligence. Make sure you can trust the source and always","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":736.16,"end_s":743.92,"text":"check the hashes of anything you download before you install it on your phone. If what I said was confusing just","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":741.36,"end_s":749.2,"text":"now, just use an app store until you get up to speed. Anyway, that was a lot and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":747.2,"end_s":754.56,"text":"I still haven't given a bottom line. Graphin OS reminded me a lot of my past","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":751.6,"end_s":758.72,"text":"experiments daily driving Linux. And like the Linux crowd, many Graphine OS","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":756.88,"end_s":764.8,"text":"users probably don't even notice the little side quests that crop up during","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":761.279,"end_s":767.2,"text":"regular use. But for others, these this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":764.8,"end_s":770.72,"text":"should just work moments can be very frustrating. And if you're wondering","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":768.8,"end_s":774.399,"text":"which bucket you fall into, we came across a really great perspective on","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":772.56,"end_s":777.839,"text":"this question on the graphine forums that I'm going to have to paraphrase","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":775.68,"end_s":781.6,"text":"because we lost a link. It all comes down to trade-offs. Are you willing to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":779.839,"end_s":784.8,"text":"give up a little bit of convenience for more security and privacy? Or do you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":783.6,"end_s":790.16,"text":"prefer to give up a little bit of privacy for, say, live traffic data in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":787.6,"end_s":794.48,"text":"your mapping app? Do you prefer to tinker and tweak and have control over","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":792.16,"end_s":800.16,"text":"your phone? Or do you want your OS to just fade into the background of your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":796.16,"end_s":802.639,"text":"life and just work? So, is Graphine OS","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":800.16,"end_s":806.8,"text":"for you? Well, based on the questions that I just asked, you probably already","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":804.959,"end_s":810.399,"text":"have the answer in your mind. [music] If you're the sort of person that would try","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":808.48,"end_s":814.88,"text":"a different OS on your phone, Graphine OS gives a ton of control in a package","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":812.56,"end_s":818.0,"text":"that I would call polished enough for the kind of person that doesn't mind a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":816.72,"end_s":822.399,"text":"little bit of tinkering to keep things running smoothly. And if you're trying","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":819.839,"end_s":827.92,"text":"to deleg your life, it seems like a major piece of that puzzle. As for me,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":825.68,"end_s":831.6,"text":"at the moment with companies, kids, wife, not to mention other hobbies that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":830.0,"end_s":835.839,"text":"I just plain enjoy more than tinkering with OSS, Final Fantasy Tactics remaster","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":833.839,"end_s":840.639,"text":"just came out. I am loving it already. Maybe not today, [music] maybe not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":837.92,"end_s":844.32,"text":"tomorrow, but soon. And for the rest of my life. You know what else I'll do for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":842.16,"end_s":848.959,"text":"the rest of my life? Segue to our sponsor, War Thunder. Where can you see","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":846.72,"end_s":853.12,"text":"1920s biplanes share the skies with modern-day fighter jets? On the vast","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":851.04,"end_s":857.279,"text":"battlefields of War Thunder, of course. With over 2500 vehicles for you to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":855.44,"end_s":860.639,"text":"command, you're bound to have a unique experience every time you get behind the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":859.279,"end_s":866.079,"text":"wheel. And you're not just driving around aimlessly. Immersive sound effects will envelop you as you try to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":864.079,"end_s":870.32,"text":"take out your enemy. Adding to the realism is how each tank, ship, or plane","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":868.72,"end_s":873.76,"text":"is modeled after their real life counterparts, right down to the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":872.079,"end_s":877.6,"text":"individual components that can all sustain damage. Learning how each","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":875.68,"end_s":882.16,"text":"vehicle works can give you a competitive advantage. But if all of that sounds a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":879.839,"end_s":886.88,"text":"bit too hardcore for you, no worries. War Thunder has game modes fit for all","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":884.32,"end_s":890.16,"text":"skill levels and intensity preferences. So click our link in the video","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":888.48,"end_s":894.0,"text":"description to get started for free on PC, console, and even your mobile","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":892.24,"end_s":897.04,"text":"devices. If you like this video, maybe check out the time that I had three","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":895.44,"end_s":900.639,"text":"Android users switch to [music] Apple for a month. It's a two-parter and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":898.88,"end_s":907.12,"text":"provides a lot of interesting insights on what it's like for a regular [music]","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":902.959,"end_s":907.12,"text":"but techsavvy user to make the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"Every time I so much as mention a phone, the comment section is filled with folks insisting that I should have used graphine OS. Don't want any pre-installed bloat on your Pixel? Graphine OS. Don't want anybody keeping an eye on whatever it is you're doing? Graphine OS. Stop your toe running from the cops. Graphine OS. It doesn't seem to matter what the problem is. Ow. or if there even is a problem. The answer always seems to be get graphine OS. So I did and it turns out that the things that make Graphine OS a great choice for narr also make it a pretty great choice for anyone who cares deeply about [music] their privacy and their security. If you're not already in the know, Graphine OS is based on the Android open source project and it has Android app compatibility, but it comes without [music] the corporate spyware and the bloat that's baked into mainstream Android thanks to its dedicated nonprofit open-source team. And the best part is you don't need any weird hardware to run it. It can be installed with minimal hassle on any recent generation Pixel. So, let's see if Graphine OS can fit my admittedly [music] rather unique needs. Right after this unique segue to our sponsors, >> War Thunder. Immerse yourself in a virtual battlefield full of realistically modeled vehicles and deafening sound effects for free. Get started today on PC, consoles, or even your mobile device by clicking our link in the video description. >> [music] >> Graphine OS boasts a truly massive list of enhancements that help ensure that you are the one who's in control of your device and you stay in control [music] regardless of your carrier. Unlike other mobile operating systems, and yes, [music] that means even iOS, uncompromising privacy and security are baked right into its fabric to the point where Graphine literally won't even ask a third party server for the time of day unless you change a setting to explicitly allow it to. Some of our highlights include pin scrambling, which makes it harder to guess your PIN from looking over your shoulder or checking for grease spots on your screen. The ability to use a second factor on top of your fingerprint in order to unlock your phone. support for longer passwords, the ability to schedule reboots to keep any unused data out of memory where it could possibly be retrieved, and this last one's really cool. If you're ever in a situation where the [music] data or the accounts on your phone could be used against you, you can set it up with a duress pin or password that when entered [music] will irreversibly wipe both your device and any installed eims. Just uh be careful with that last one, though. The OS assumes that if you enter a duress code, [music] you really mean it. And that wipe cannot be stopped. Now, I could probably spend the rest of this video talking about more privacy and security innovations in graph OS. But if that's your jam, you'd actually probably be better off checking out their website, which we'll have linked down below. It's a fascinating read, even if you have no intention of installing it. And [music] I'm not the only one who thinks so. There are a ton of features that they don't mention there anymore because while they may have originated in graphine OS, they've since been adopted by mainline Android or AOSP. Now, let's talk about using it. Beyond just being more secure and more private, or maybe because of those priorities, Graphin OS starts up with a lot less software running or even installed versus what shipped on this Pixel 9a. I'm talking 14 apps in the app drawer. 14. All directly from the good folks at Graphine OS themselves. These pre-installed apps are meant to cover your basic smartphone functions. And through this experiment, I've learned that many security and privacy conscious users prefer to use progressive web apps or PWAs or even just plain old websites rather than the permissionhungry native apps that [music] get pushed on us. So that's where Venadium comes in. It's Graphine's hardened version of Chromium. But that's not to say that you can't run native apps. Graphine does come with an app store and that app store includes two additional app stores. Yes, that's right. A full quarter of the apps in the graphine OS app store are themselves app stores. [music] The first one is a Crescent, a privacy and security focused app store that is currently in [music] alpha. It's only got a few dozen apps so far and it could probably use a little UX love, but clearly Graphine thinks it's got legs if they're including it as the only non- Googlele non-graph OS app in the built-in app store. And it was through a Crescent that I found two of the coolest apps of this [music] whole experiment. Transcribe Bro is an ondevice speechtoext keyboard that works remarkably well, at least in English, completely offline. It uses the OpenAI whisper family of [music] models and Cero VAD for voice activity detection. I do [music] wish the record button would go red when it's listening, but I mean, hey, it's open source, so that'll probably be fixed by the time you watch this video. I also want to highlight organic maps, a no ad, no tracking, no data collection map app that works offline using open [music] street map data. It comes with a basic map for the world. And then as you zoom in further, I think it was around 10 km to 1 cm scale, you'll be prompted to download additional details for that region. Once I figured out how to give it the right location permissions to get GPS working, it was almost the perfect mapping app. The only thing I missed was traffic overlay. And yes, I fully get why it doesn't have real-time traffic. You don't need to privacy split it to me. I just like avoiding traffic. The second included app store is good old-fashioned Google Play. Oh, thank goodness. Where else would I get all the apps I need? Okay, I know there are other places to get them, but we'll get to those later because first, Google Play Store gives me a chance to talk about Graphine OS's compatibility layer that lets you install official releases of Google Play into the standard app sandbox. This forces Google Play and all of its supporting services to actually respect your permission settings rather than getting special unfettered access to your device. [music] It also expands on the typical Android permission system, adding controls for network and sensor access. And Graphine even lets you set limited scope access to storage and contacts, so you can keep apps from snooping around where you don't want them to. And if that's not enough, you can install your app stores and your apps into different user profiles, which allows you to restrict their access to only what's in that profile. Meaning that any apps in your Google profile can't talk to apps in your Facebook profile. and vice versa. We found one example of someone using eight separate profiles to segregate their various apps and data. Wow. But I'm just a simple small time tech tuber. So if [music] the graphine OS usage guide says it's simplest to run a single profile, that's what I'm going to do. Sorry to disappoint the graphine OS hardcores, but I'm three app stores deep and a dozen paragraphs into this video and I can't even check my email yet. Okay, I could through my browser, but you guys know what I mean. So, my next step then was to install all my typical apps. And not going to lie, it was kind of a hassle, but [music] with good intentions. Let me explain. See, I switch phones a lot, and normally when I massinstall my app loadout, the store just kind of gives me a couple catch-all permission prompts and then downloads all my junk in the name of expediency. Graphine OS, not so much. It asked me about everything, which really made me conscious of how much permission I'm giving away, even if it did make the process drag on for so long that I ended up reaching out to the development team behind Graphine OS to make sure that I hadn't broken something. They were a massive help, by the way, for the entire month of my experiment. So, uh, shout out Spring Onion, if that is your real name. On the subject of apps, most of them just plain worked. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that even my beloved Pixel exclusive call screening worked immediately once I installed the Google dialer. And this should hold true for other exclusive Pixel apps and [music] features like the camera. Pretty cool. But nothing's perfect, and that includes graphine OS. Check out this issue that I had with Facebook while I was live on the WAN Show. And my new BFF, Spring Onion, had to jump in and save me from some other, let's call them, unintuitive experiences as well. See, it turns out that some apps really need play services running in the background all the time. I hadn't enabled that, so I found some pretty weird behavior. Oh, Swift Key. This one had me totally stumped. I couldn't use dictation, and it kept telling me I needed this dependency app, but then it wasn't the right one. No, see, I had to go get a separate speech recognition app, and then I had to give that app microphone access before I could dictate. Oh, okay. Also, some apps that use the Play Integrity API, it's mostly banking apps, just plain didn't work. Maybe that's the issue we had with eBay. I'm not sure. That app just tells me it's not available for my device. And as for screenshot editing, that required a separate install of markup from the graphine OS app store. See, it's not in Google Play for some reason and is also not part of the default install. Finally, there's Android Auto. That was a special experience. See, there is a sandbox version in the graphine store, which is great. [music] But even after enabling all the permissions I could find, it was still struggling to connect. I then discovered that, oh, of course, the default behavior when you connect [music] a USB cable is charge only and there is no prompt to enable data transfer. Well, that is very secure. It just means that in order to get around it, you need to know to go find the menu to enable data transfer, and you have to know that [music] that includes Android Auto. So, then I was all set, right? Wrong. Android Auto continued to be a problem for a little while yet. It was mostly just dumb little hiccups like slow navigation and [music] GPS position updates, uh, not having access to my contacts, etc., etc. and I would dutifully go digging through the permissions to figure out what I'd missed, but it was enough to be annoying. Now, to address the herd of elephants in the room, some folks will insist that installing Google Anything on this means that I'm doing Graphion OS wrong. And if I'm honest, putting Google Play on here did feel a little dirty. But the fact is, guys, I use products and services from companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple every day to do my job. And in most cases, they really do need most of the permissions that they're asking for in order to function properly, which kind of bummed me out. But my new pal, Pummer Alien, had a really great perspective on this, pointing out that Graphine OS is designed to improve the privacy and security of everyone, not just the hardcores and the obsessives. And their team totally understands that we're not all able to ditch the apps that we need for work or for communicating with our kids. and they work hard to ensure that you'll still be much better off running those things in graphin OS than you are in a Google flavored version of Android or a Xiai flavored version of Android. [music] With that said, if you're lucky enough that you don't need to rely on things from our corporate overlords, maybe [music] you could get away without the official Play Store. Aurora is an option that I saw mentioned a lot on the graph OS forums and on the [music] subreddit. There are some disagreements as to whether it is technically an app store, but its main purpose is to search for apps and download apps from the Play Store anonymously, which seems close enough in my books. And it's pretty awesome for any apps that you don't need to log into. Foid would be another option, and there's many other app stores with rabid fans that I'm sure I'm angering right now by not providing an exhaustive list. So, um, sorry for that in advance. Another option is to just download the APK files you need and sideloadad your apps. [music] However, if you're going to take that approach, please do your due diligence. Make sure you can trust the source and always check the hashes of anything you download before you install it on your phone. If what I said was confusing just now, just use an app store until you get up to speed. Anyway, that was a lot and I still haven't given a bottom line. Graphin OS reminded me a lot of my past experiments daily driving Linux. And like the Linux crowd, many Graphine OS users probably don't even notice the little side quests that crop up during regular use. But for others, these this should just work moments can be very frustrating. And if you're wondering which bucket you fall into, we came across a really great perspective on this question on the graphine forums that I'm going to have to paraphrase because we lost a link. It all comes down to trade-offs. Are you willing to give up a little bit of convenience for more security and privacy? Or do you prefer to give up a little bit of privacy for, say, live traffic data in your mapping app? Do you prefer to tinker and tweak and have control over your phone? Or do you want your OS to just fade into the background of your life and just work? So, is Graphine OS for you? Well, based on the questions that I just asked, you probably already have the answer in your mind. [music] If you're the sort of person that would try a different OS on your phone, Graphine OS gives a ton of control in a package that I would call polished enough for the kind of person that doesn't mind a little bit of tinkering to keep things running smoothly. And if you're trying to deleg your life, it seems like a major piece of that puzzle. As for me, at the moment with companies, kids, wife, not to mention other hobbies that I just plain enjoy more than tinkering with OSS, Final Fantasy Tactics remaster just came out. I am loving it already. Maybe not today, [music] maybe not tomorrow, but soon. And for the rest of my life. You know what else I'll do for the rest of my life? Segue to our sponsor, War Thunder. Where can you see 1920s biplanes share the skies with modern-day fighter jets? On the vast battlefields of War Thunder, of course. With over 2500 vehicles for you to command, you're bound to have a unique experience every time you get behind the wheel. And you're not just driving around aimlessly. Immersive sound effects will envelop you as you try to take out your enemy. Adding to the realism is how each tank, ship, or plane is modeled after their real life counterparts, right down to the individual components that can all sustain damage. Learning how each vehicle works can give you a competitive advantage. But if all of that sounds a bit too hardcore for you, no worries. War Thunder has game modes fit for all skill levels and intensity preferences. So click our link in the video description to get started for free on PC, console, and even your mobile devices. If you like this video, maybe check out the time that I had three Android users switch to [music] Apple for a month. It's a two-parter and provides a lot of interesting insights on what it's like for a regular [music] but techsavvy user to make the"}