Google has been trying to make Android proprietary for a few years now, and that’s not news, as many AOSP default apps have been abandoned over time in favor of proprietary Google ones. This was never a huge problem for me, as you can still use those apps without network access or use open source alternatives like Fossify on a custom ROM.
However, the situation is quickly getting worse, now that Google is actively trying to prevent the development of custom ROMs and taking a page from Apple’s book by forcing developers to beg them for permission to release apps on the Android platform, even outside of the Play Store - giving Google full control.
Is there still any hope left for privacy respecting Android ROMs? What do you think will happen next? And what would be your suggestions for those looking for a phone in 2025?
If you have a different perspective on the situation, also please comment below!
Got any links on that?
Edit: nvm, found out about Daniel Micay being difficult to communicate with on the one hand and his history of being harassed and swatted on the other.
They obviously don’t do that to please Google.
There is a lot of misinformation and harassment material circulating online about Daniel Micay. Notice that they are the victim of extensive online bullying which has spread all the way onto KiwiFarms. Would suggest not consuming that content because it won’t give you an accurate depiction at all.
I’m a community member of GrapheneOS and I’ve not had any bad experiences with the GrapheneOS team or Daniel Micay specifically. They maybe communicate a bit more directly than some other people do but they are not being toxic or aggressive at all. I’ve found them to be patient and understanding.
Note that the thing many people describe as “toxic behavior” refers to posts made by GrapheneOS social media accounts in response to harassment. Defending yourself against harassment is not toxic. It might not look good in isolation becuase the quality of those conversations often degrades very quickly, which will have an impact on the GrapheneOS responses, but you have to look at those messages in context.
the frequency to which you keep hearing the phrase “mentally unstable” is the clearest sign that people are parroting a talking point that’s fueled by an agenda somewhere.
The guy was an asshole and had to step away from GrapheneOS.
They didn’t step away from GrapheneOS. They are the founder and were the lead developer. They only stepped away from the lead developer role because they couldn’t take the harassment anymore. They are now ex-lead developer but are still project member. They haven’t left the project and will not leave the project. They will not cave for harassers and bullies.
What did he do?
I know, it’s supposedly 'cos they’re the only good phones, which is a kinda weird take considering the diversity of devices out there but i’m not into the gory details.
You can just read the requirements section on the FAQ page of their website. It explains the reasoning. It’s all based on technical reasons: https://grapheneos.org/faq#device-support
There are no phones with working encryption (a must imho and a lot of others) except the ones I listed in my initial comment. iPhones are no option because they are not unlockable. Samsung recently announced they will remove the option to unlock the bootloader as well. They also have a very broad and everchanging lineup of phones.
Google Pixel has been more of a hardware and software reference to developers than a Phone people would usually buy up until the redesign with the Pixel 6. There are so many hardware and software features that make it the perfect device to develop against (up until the recent events lol).
I’d recommend you to read their own documentation on this topic.
They were a good device to develop against, at least until they started catching fire for multiple generations.
They had to degrade the 4A, a couple of 6As burst into flames. My mom has a 7, and it was overheating like mad, and seemed like it was possibly going to burst into flames. I won’t trust a Google device at least for several years after they’ve fixed these battery issues.
The Pixel 1 and the Pixel 2 were great. I even had the Pixel 3a, and it was a decent device. But since then, I’ve not trusted Google. Not recently.