Your phone is about to stop being yours.
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@joshg @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @Radio_Azureus @AAKL @aburka @lproven Using a device without basic privacy and security updates is a serious problem for most people even if they don't realize it. LineageOS doesn't provide crucial privacy and security patches for the firmware, kernel, drivers and HALs for an end-of-life device. It's still going to be unsafe to use due to having many severe known vulnerabilities unpatched including ones with publicly available exploit code. It's worse than you think.
@joshg @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @Radio_Azureus @AAKL @aburka @lproven Not receiving updates to the firmware, Linux kernel, drivers and HALs is a big deal and you're not getting those with what you're describing. The comparison is between poor privacy and atrocious security due to lack of standard patches and protections vs. a far more reasonable level of privacy and security with GrapheneOS. GrapheneOS is drastically more private and secure but you're setting a very low bar for the comparison.
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@joshg @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @Radio_Azureus @AAKL @aburka @lproven Not receiving updates to the firmware, Linux kernel, drivers and HALs is a big deal and you're not getting those with what you're describing. The comparison is between poor privacy and atrocious security due to lack of standard patches and protections vs. a far more reasonable level of privacy and security with GrapheneOS. GrapheneOS is drastically more private and secure but you're setting a very low bar for the comparison.
@joshg @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @Radio_Azureus @AAKL @aburka @lproven AOSP is far more private and secure than most Android operating systems. GrapheneOS is far more private and secure than AOSP.
However, GrapheneOS still has a long way to go to provide what should be standard privacy and security for anyone's personal computing device. Computer privacy and security is nowhere close to good enough for regular people even with GrapheneOS or iOS. It should be far better and it does matter to people.
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@fishidwardrobe Yes, it does. That was my point.
@lproven the post says there's no way to opt out. the web page says there might be.
i'm free to point that out for those that don't want to click on the link. actually, i'm free to point that out, regardless?
unless you're actually disagreeing with me, i'm not sure you *have* a point.
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Your phone is about to stop being yours.
Keep Android Open
Your phone is about to stop being yours. In September 2026, Google will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with them.
(keepandroidopen.org)
125 days until lockdown
Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
@lproven Does this change reach also into the clones/forks that exist?
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@Captain_Jack_Sparrow @Radio_Azureus @joshg @AAKL @aburka @lproven We have a partnership with Motorola where we're working with them on their next generation flagships meeting all of our update and security feature requirements. Those devices will provide official support for using GrapheneOS. Motorola is actively working on providing all the required updates and features along with porting GrapheneOS to the devices. This is a large amount of work, not a quick process.
GrapheneOS (@GrapheneOS@grapheneos.social)
We're happy to announce a long-term partnership with Motorola. We're collaborating on future devices meeting our privacy and security standards with official GrapheneOS support. https://motorolanews.com/motorola-three-new-b2b-solutions-at-mwc-2026/
GrapheneOS Mastodon (grapheneos.social)
@GrapheneOS @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @Radio_Azureus @joshg @AAKL @aburka @lproven
How about picking a mid-level phone as well as a flagship to port to? Not all of us privacy and security wonks can afford a four-figure phone...
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@ottercynical @lopta @lproven WITH the apps one need?**
** When I say need, I'm talking about things like the Android apps that talk to the glucose monitoring system and similar.
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@GrapheneOS @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @Radio_Azureus @joshg @AAKL @aburka @lproven
How about picking a mid-level phone as well as a flagship to port to? Not all of us privacy and security wonks can afford a four-figure phone...
@stonebear2 @GrapheneOS @Radio_Azureus @joshg @AAKL @aburka @lproven
mid level would really take off, if people had the choice between google or open source
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Your phone is about to stop being yours.
Keep Android Open
Your phone is about to stop being yours. In September 2026, Google will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with them.
(keepandroidopen.org)
125 days until lockdown
Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
@lproven it was already not my phone.
their insistance on making the phone incredible hard to root already made it so but if that wasn't enough they also took out
headphone jacks (can't listen to music in public because I can't plug my headphones in.)
and
sd card slots (so now I have to transfer files over the network using a python http server because the usb-c always seems to corrupt files for whatever reason.). -
@lproven Does this change reach also into the clones/forks that exist?
@androcat This is a little more complex than a simple yes/no answer.
If they use the Google Play store and apps from it, then yes.
And although most alternative phone OSes I've seen do not make it a core component, they almost all offer it as an add-on because AOSP is almost useless without the Google apps.
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@androcat This is a little more complex than a simple yes/no answer.
If they use the Google Play store and apps from it, then yes.
And although most alternative phone OSes I've seen do not make it a core component, they almost all offer it as an add-on because AOSP is almost useless without the Google apps.
@lproven Won't each android-based OS be able to decide whether to allow alternative stores?
Or will it be a situation where it's baked into the kernel they rely on? -
@ottercynical @lopta @lproven WITH the apps one need?**
** When I say need, I'm talking about things like the Android apps that talk to the glucose monitoring system and similar.
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@ottercynical @lopta @lproven Then, horrid as Google's ideas are, there are no alternatives.
We need to attack the root cause of this.
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@dademurphy @lproven
"the software is not" - the software I write absolutely is mine, and Google want me to pay them to install my own software on my own phone."you can’t own the land that it’s on" - yes you can. People can buy a block of land and build on it. Property investors own a lot of empty blocks of land (as well as empty houses).
"don’t pay your property tax " - that's for maintenance of the supporting infrastructure of your residence, such as roads, water, electricity,...
@SmartmanApps @lproven unless you’re creating an app to run on a device that isn’t based on AOSP(Linux, maybe), you’re still using their software. As far as the rest of your rant, that is the exception and not the rule and you very well knew that, you just thought you had something clever to say which you clearly don’t.
The fact still stands, you own the hardware not the software it runs on.
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@SmartmanApps @lproven unless you’re creating an app to run on a device that isn’t based on AOSP(Linux, maybe), you’re still using their software. As far as the rest of your rant, that is the exception and not the rule and you very well knew that, you just thought you had something clever to say which you clearly don’t.
The fact still stands, you own the hardware not the software it runs on.
@dademurphy @lproven
"you’re still using their software" - which came bundled on the device I purchased and own"that is the exception and not the rule" - no it isn't!
"you very well knew that" - I very well know you're gaslighting now
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@dademurphy @lproven
"you’re still using their software" - which came bundled on the device I purchased and own"that is the exception and not the rule" - no it isn't!
"you very well knew that" - I very well know you're gaslighting now
@SmartmanApps @lproven dude, give it a rest, you’re just making yourself look silly. You purchased a license to use their software, you do not own it, fact.
You can buy a piece of property, but if you don’t pay your taxes on that property, you can lose it, also a fact. I know what it covers which is EXACTLY why they can take your property back if you don’t pay it.
I have no clue where you live, but reality obviously isn’t it. Take the L and move on.
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@SmartmanApps @lproven dude, give it a rest, you’re just making yourself look silly. You purchased a license to use their software, you do not own it, fact.
You can buy a piece of property, but if you don’t pay your taxes on that property, you can lose it, also a fact. I know what it covers which is EXACTLY why they can take your property back if you don’t pay it.
I have no clue where you live, but reality obviously isn’t it. Take the L and move on.
@dademurphy @lproven
"you’re just making yourself look silly" - it's weird that only people who can't back up their "facts" ever say that to me"if you don’t pay your taxes on that property, you can lose it" - just like you can lose anything that you OWN as debt recovery
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@dademurphy @lproven
"you’re just making yourself look silly" - it's weird that only people who can't back up their "facts" ever say that to me"if you don’t pay your taxes on that property, you can lose it" - just like you can lose anything that you OWN as debt recovery
@SmartmanApps @lproven the facts are right in front of you, you’re just too dense to acknowledge it or maybe your pride won’t allow you to admit you’re wrong.
You knew I was talking about the OS, yet you thought mentioning that you develop your own apps, changes anything about what I said, it does not. It doesn’t really matter how you twist it, you own the phone, not the OS, period.
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@SmartmanApps @lproven the facts are right in front of you, you’re just too dense to acknowledge it or maybe your pride won’t allow you to admit you’re wrong.
You knew I was talking about the OS, yet you thought mentioning that you develop your own apps, changes anything about what I said, it does not. It doesn’t really matter how you twist it, you own the phone, not the OS, period.
@dademurphy @lproven
"your pride won’t allow you to admit you’re wrong" - says person who won't admit they were wrong about "you can’t own the land that it’s on" #EveryAccusationIsAConfession -
Your phone is about to stop being yours.
Keep Android Open
Your phone is about to stop being yours. In September 2026, Google will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with them.
(keepandroidopen.org)
125 days until lockdown
Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
@lproven how about forking AOSP? Not sure if that is even viable or doable, just curious to see what the thoughts are about that.
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@aburka @AAKL @janvlug @zetabeta @ferricoxide @geomaster337 @MattMerk @johnhenrythe3rd @lopta @InkySchwartz @gbsills @lopta
There *are* some alternatives, and I've written about several.
New Jolla, Sailfish 5, offer break from iOS-Android monopoly
hands on: Powered by the original mobile Linux OS with crowdsourced specs
theregister (www.theregister.com)
Mobian brings Debian 13 'Trixie' to phones and tablets
: Another phone Linux? The Reg attempts to disentangle the options
theregister (www.theregister.com)
FuriPhone FLX1: A Debian-powered smartphone
: Fun with a FOSS-focused Phosh fondleslab
theregister (www.theregister.com)
/e/ OS 3.0: Slightly less clunky, slightly more private
: Probably the easiest way to a Google-free smartphone or tablet
theregister (www.theregister.com)
Punkt MC02: As private, and pricey, as a Swiss bank account
A de-Googled Android phone with extra security – and a subscription
theregister (www.theregister.com)
First 'Focal' based Ubuntu Touch – its mobile OS – is out
First version built on 20.04 hits smartphones and tablets of UBPorts fans
theregister (www.theregister.com)
@lproven @aburka @AAKL @janvlug @zetabeta @ferricoxide @geomaster337 @MattMerk @johnhenrythe3rd @lopta @InkySchwartz @gbsills Not one non-google OS is compatible with my $250USD Bold-N4. And the closest match to it in non-googled phones is about $1000USD. There is another for a bit less, but it's not available in the US.
