I have a google pixel, and I know I could install grapheneOS on it. But I’m very, very hesitant, since I depend so much on my phone.

This isn’t like distro hopping, where I feel more comfortable hot swapping ssds, or making partitions, or using my desktop while I tinker with my laptop. My phone has a SIM and the service I depend on can’t be emulated off this phone.

So what do you recommend I do? Should I move my SIM (my phone service, really) to a new phone while I tinker with this one? Can I just blow up the current OS and wing it? Or maybe theres another option that would allow me to bail back to stock android in case something goes wrong. What do you think?

EDIT: how I use my phone: about everything I use is from fdroid, with the occassional app from aurora. I do use my banking app to cash checks, but I don’t use whatsapp, google pay, which I know arent compatible. So as far as app compatibility I dont think it’ll be a problem, Im mostly worried about my phone number not working. I dont know how SIMs work like I should, I just know Ive had the strangest issues in the past with it, so Im hesitant. Thanks for the replies so far.

  • @[email protected]English
    8•10 months ago

    GrapheneOS and Android are both based on AOSP, and calling/texting is such basic functionality for a mobile OS that I doubt that GrapheneOS’ implementation is much different from Android’s, if at all.

    I’ve been on GrapheneOS for the past year or so, I’ve never actually enjoyed using my phone as much as I do now. No Samsung apps I can’t uninstall, no Google spyware, the only stuff running on my device is stuff I want it to run, the way I want it to run.

      • @[email protected]English
        4•10 months ago

        I have noticed a drop in average temperature and increased battery life on mine, personally.

      • @[email protected]English
        1•10 months ago

        I bought this phone with the express purpose of installing GrapheneOS on it, so I can’t compare to stock Android on the same device because I never used it. I haven’t had any issues with battery life though, I can usually get a day and a half out of a full charge, and I’ve never had it die on me when I needed it. Charging is so fast nowadays anyway that it’s not much of a bother to plug it in for like 20 or so minutes and getting at least half of a full charge.