The phone has always been the elephant in the room. I can migrate email, switch to Linux, replace every Google service on my desktop—but all of that feels hollow when I’m carrying a Google device in my pocket 16 hours a day, feeding the surveillance engine with every tap, swipe, and location ping.
So the question became unavoidable: What do I do about the phone?
The Two-OS Reality
We all know the reality. There are two major mobile operating systems: Android (Google) and iOS (Apple). Everything else is a rounding error in market share.
I’m currently on Android. In the narrow purpose of de-Googling, I could just switch to an iPhone and call it solved. Apple’s privacy stance is demonstrably better than Google’s, and iOS doesn’t exist to harvest data for ad targeting the way Android does.
But that wouldn’t be in the spirit of this project.
Switching from one tech giant to another isn’t breaking free—it’s just changing which company controls my device. Apple’s walled garden may be more private, but it’s still a garden with walls. I’d trade Google’s surveillance for Apple’s ecosystem lock-in, and I’m not sure that’s progress.
If I’m serious about this, I need a real alternative.
The Alternatives I Considered
I narrowed it down to three realistic options:
LineageOS – Community-built Android without Google services. Supports wide range of devices, mature project, active community. But device support is inconsistent, some hardware features don’t work, and it’s primarily focused on keeping old devices alive rather than privacy hardening.
Sailfish OS (Jolla) – True Linux-based mobile OS. Beautiful interface, European company (Jolla is based in Finland), philosophically aligned with breaking free from big tech. This one was tempting.
GrapheneOS – Privacy and security-focused Android. Hardened against attacks, Google services completely removed, only works on Google Pixel phones (ironically).
Why Not Sailfish?
Sailfish OS is beautiful. It’s genuinely different. It’s a real Linux phone with a gesture-based interface that feels unique. And Jolla being a Finnish company makes it culturally and geographically close to home.
But here’s the reality: I need my phone to work.
I’m a person with real professional obligations. I run freelance projects with actual deadlines. I have work Microsoft services I need to access reliably. I need banking apps to function. WhatsApp, unfortunately, is non-negotiable for my personal communications.
Sailfish OS puts all of those at risk:
- Android app compatibility is hit-or-miss – Apps run through an emulation layer, not natively
- Banking apps often don’t work – Security checks fail on non-standard OS
- Work Microsoft services questionable – Outlook, Teams may not work reliably
- Immich backup uncertain – Would need Android compatibility layer
- Smaller ecosystem – Fewer apps, slower updates, rougher edges
It’s a beautiful idea executed well for enthusiasts. But it’s not mature enough to be a reliable daily driver for someone with real professional requirements.
Maybe in a few years when the ecosystem matures. But not now.
Why GrapheneOS?
GrapheneOS is pragmatic. It’s Android—the same Android that billions of people use—but stripped of Google’s surveillance and hardened for privacy and security.
What I get:
- App compatibility – F-Droid, Aurora Store (Play Store apps without Google account), sideloading APKs all work
- Banking apps mostly work – Better compatibility than other degoogled Android options
- Work Microsoft services function – Outlook, Teams, OneDrive via web or apps
- Immich mobile app works perfectly – Full automatic photo backup
- ProtonMail, Signal, Bitwarden – All work natively
- Daily driver viable – Thousands of people use this as their main phone reliably
- Active development – Strong community, regular security updates from a dedicated team
- Sandboxed Google Play Services – If absolutely needed for specific apps, can run in isolated sandbox
What I’m losing:
- Some apps that require Play Services and refuse to work in sandbox (rare but happens)
- The convenience of Google’s ecosystem integration (which is the entire point)
- A bit of learning curve understanding the permission model
But functionally? It works. People actually use GrapheneOS for their daily phones without major compromises. That’s what I need.
The Pixel Irony
Yes, GrapheneOS only runs on Google Pixel phones. The irony is not lost on me—buying Google hardware to escape Google software.
But here’s why it makes sense:
Google builds Pixels with strong security hardware. Titan M security chip, verified boot, regular security patches. They engineer these devices to be secure.
GrapheneOS leverages that security. It uses Google’s own security features against their surveillance model. The hardware is excellent—the software is the problem. GrapheneOS fixes the software.
Bootloader unlocking is officially supported. Google allows it, doesn’t void warranty. They’ve made it possible to completely replace their OS.
Think of it like this: Google built excellent hardware. GrapheneOS strips out the surveillance and uses that hardware for privacy instead.
Why Pre-Installed Instead of Flashing Myself?
I could buy a Pixel directly and flash GrapheneOS myself. The installation process is well-documented, takes about 30 minutes, and plenty of people do it successfully.
But I chose to buy a Pixel 9a with GrapheneOS pre-installed from Jolla-Devices (buy.jolla-devices.com).
Why pay the premium for pre-installation?
Convenience. Someone else handles the technical process. I get a phone that’s ready to use out of the box.
Time savings. I don’t need to learn bootloader unlocking, flashing procedures, or troubleshooting if something goes wrong.
Vendor support. If there’s an issue, I have someone to contact rather than debugging on my own.
Testing their service. I want to document this entire journey, including what it’s like to buy a privacy-focused phone from a vendor. Is the service good? Does the phone arrive as promised? Is support responsive? That’s valuable information for others considering the same path.
Yes, it costs more than buying a used Pixel and flashing myself. But the markup is reasonable for the convenience, and it lets me share the experience of using this service.
What Happens Next
The phone is ordered. When it arrives, I’ll document:
- Unboxing and first impressions – What’s the out-of-box experience?
- Initial setup – How easy is GrapheneOS to configure?
- App installation – F-Droid, Aurora Store, getting essential apps working
- Work services – Can I access Outlook, Teams, OneDrive reliably?
- Banking apps – Do they work or fail security checks?
- Daily use experience – How does it feel compared to stock Android?
- Battery life, performance, stability – Real-world usage over weeks
- Migration process – Moving from my current Android phone
- Bitwarden, Proton, Signal, WhatsApp – Do all my essential apps work?
- Immich photo backup – Does automatic backup function smoothly?
This is a test. GrapheneOS is the most practical degoogled phone option, but “most practical” doesn’t mean “perfect.” I’ll find out where the compromises actually are.
The Bigger Point
The phone is the hardest part of this entire project. It’s the device that’s always with me, always connected, always needed. I can tolerate rough edges on my desktop Linux machine. I can work around Microsoft’s web interface. I can accept that FreeTube isn’t as convenient as the YouTube app.
But the phone has to work. If it doesn’t, that’s not a philosophical compromise—it’s a genuine problem.
GrapheneOS is the option that balances privacy with functionality. It’s not perfect. It’s not as philosophically pure as Sailfish OS. But it’s realistic.
And realistic is what I need.
I’ll update once the phone arrives and I’ve lived with it for a few weeks. For now, it’s ordered, and the next phase of this project begins.