this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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Privacy

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Do you think using GrapheneOS is useless if you plan on installing proprietary apps anyway? (midwest.social)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Curious what people think.

Do you think using the GrapheneOS operative system is useless if the user plans to/needs to install Play Store apps anyway?

I think I'm not alone in feeling this way, but sometimes I feel a sense of imposter syndrome because I'm not perfectly private and am dependent on some Play Store apps. This has caused me to question if the transition to GOS is meaningful at all.

Feel free to share your opinion. Cheers! ...posted from my GrapheneOS Pixel.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

IMO, just the options to automatically turn off WiFi and Bluetooth after being disconnected for a while are enough to make it worth it. Not to mention all the other privacy benefits, like others have stated.

Oh, and network permission toggle is also really useful. If only passkey APIs were part of AOSP instead of Play Services / GSF, I've got them installed just for that (with only sensors permission)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Maybe a stupid question, but what is the difference between sensors and location permission?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Not a stupid question at all.

Location is for, well, location specifically. Sensors is a GOS thing, it blocks access to all sensors, like gyro, proximity, ambient light, etc.

Since it's not part of AOSP, apps will very likely misbehave if you turn the sensors permission off. That's why I left it enabled for Play Svcs and GSF, not sure if it's actually necessary.

From https://grapheneos.org/usage#bugs-uncovered-by-security-features :

Similarly, some of the other privacy and security improvements reduce the access available to applications and they may crash. Some of these features are always enabled under the hood, while others like the Network and Sensors toggles are controlled by users via opt-in or opt-out toggles. Apps may not handle having access taken away like this, although it generally doesn't cause any issues as it's all designed to be friendly to apps and fully compatible rather than killing the application when it violates the rules.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for the answer. My sensor permission is on for all apps, naturally, but I wasn't sure if this was safe or privacy-invasive, so your comment definitely helped clear things up! Do you think it's a good idea to leave the permission on for all apps?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

I don't think most apps even access sensors. I also think disabling it is not necessary, more so if you don't allow network for an app. Though some (google) apps may still send data to Google via Play Services, supposedly.

I wouldn't worry about it, but you need to decide for yourself. Usablilty is also an important factor, pixels aren't cheap at least where I live.