From: theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk   
      
   Joakim Melin  wrote:   
   > I've been a heavy iPhone user since 2007 but with iOS 26 I feel like I've   
   > had enough with Apple messing around with the GUI, AI and simply changing   
   > things for the sake of changing them.   
   >   
   > So I've been looking for an alternative that's privacy focused, free of   
   > any AI stuff and just gives me a smart phonw with doing what I want it to   
   > do, when I want it.  I found GrapheneOS and looking at it and what devices   
   > it supports it seems like the Pixel 9 is a good fit.   
      
   I can only speak for a Pixel 7 Pro with GOS, but here goes:   
      
   > I have questions though:   
   >   
   > 1. Battery life - is it any good?   
      
   It's fine - I get a day after charging to 80%, on a 3 year old phone with a   
   battery at 567 cycles (ie pretty worn).   
      
   > 2. Camera and apps for it - can I still take decent photos with it?   
      
   Yes.  The GOS camera app is basic but if you install the Pixel Camera app   
   the photos are just the same as the stock OS.  (I think Pixel Camera   
   requires installing Sandboxed Google Play but not sure. You can remove   
   network permissions so it doesn't go chatting to Google servers if you don't   
   want that)   
      
   > 3. Can I connect a WearOS watch to it? I use the Apple watch today and   
   > have no problem replacing it with a more Android compatible product.   
      
   No idea, but as long as it works with non-Samsung phones I expect it to   
   work.  Other Bluetooth stuff does.  I would ask on the GOS forum to   
   confirm.  From a brief skim of the forum (https://discuss.grapheneos.org/ )   
   it seems that people have them working with Google Play, 'nearby devices'   
   permission and maybe Samsung browser installed, but some of those threads   
   are old.   
      
   > 4. Any other thoughts/advice you may have?   
      
   For the most part, 'everything works'.  The main exceptions are apps which   
   use Play Integrity and block it for being a 'rooted' OS (it isn't).  There's   
   a list of the status of banking apps (most work, a few don't):   
   https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibi   
   ity-with-grapheneos/   
      
   and it sometimes infects other kinds of 'money' apps (eg I had a taxi app   
   that refused to let me create an account).   
      
   Also a few apps don't like it if you sideload them or use an alternative   
   store app like Aurora Store rather than installing from the Play Store.   
      
   Theo   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)