One of my ideas for increasing GrapheneOS market share is to market GOS as the minimalist phone so many crave.

In recent times, I’ve stumbled across a handful of articles about how dumbphones are back, and how people crave more minimalist phones to curb smartphone addiction or otherwise.

GrapheneOS is a great minimalist phone that’s still “smart,” yet secure and private.

GOS is a way better option than dumbphones because:

1. Chances are you’ll need some sort of smartphone functionality. For example: Digital “live” tickets that you can’t screenshot and need to be opened on your phone directly (Ticketmaster, MLB, etc.)
2. Using a dumbphone reverts you to older technologies and protocols, like cell towers and SMS. These are inherently insecure and shouldn’t be used anymore. So even though you might “feel” like you’re better off, your communications (text, audio, video) take a huge leap backwards in terms of privacy and security.

It’s barbones Android, without the Google. You can add the Google stuff if you want, but by default, it comes completely de-Googled.

It also comes with some extra features, like granular app-level permissions, sandboxed Google Play Services (which a lotta apps use), duress PIN, and more.

Widely regarded as the safest and most private “commercial” mobile operating system.

Disclaimer: I run SwapMyOS, a GrapheneOS/custom ROM installation service.

Added.

Might add this to the pinned posts at the top of idcaboutprivacy… Any objections?

idcaboutprivacy

Here are 28 arguments for you to use.

I’d consider Signal to be the gold standard of secure communications.

You can describe it to them like WhatsApp, except it’s private, secure, not Facebook-owned, nonprofit so it can’t be bought or sold, etc.

Here’s the blog post that I share with my friends comparing Signal to iMessage and WhatsApp when they ask me about it.

It usually answers most of their questions.

No idea. Gonna try to stick to the web app instead and hold off updating the native mobile app for as long as possible.

I’ll have to try next time and report back. Honestly don’t use ride sharing too often. I prefer public transport.

I can’t prove it, but I’m 99% sure Lyft did the same thing. Had a perfect rating (and was even a driver at one point), and they banned me without explanation right after I switched to GrapheneOS.

Emailed them a few times asking for the reason, and they refused to tell me.

_"Legally, we cannot release any additional information except that we found your account to be violating our Terms of Service.

We will be in touch if we are able to reopen your account in the future."_

There’s absolutely nothing else that they could’ve misconstrued as “violating the Terms of Service.”

If Uber’s going down the same path, no more ride-sharing for me I guess. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

I got someone to use Signal recently, because I don’t text outside of it. Last week, she asked me why that is. I sent this Bruce Schneier essay on the eternal value of privacy to someone who knows absolutely nothing about tech, and she understood.

I’m gonna try it again next time it comes up with someone else. I think this essay does a really good job of putting it into perspective, so I’m hoping this is the silver bullet I can continue to send when someone asks.

Overall, in general, I try to keep it in real world terms. Why do you close the door when you go to the bathroom? Why do you lock your doors? Why do you have curtains/blinds? etc., along with what some other intelligent people responded here.

Pixel with GrapheneOS.

Started using it last year and enjoyed it so much that a few weeks ago I started a GrapheneOS installation service called SwapMyOS.

I created it to keep GrapheneOS funded and running. (I kick back a percentage of revenue to the nonprofit.)

I’ve never understood this either, given the whole notion and enthusiasm behind decentralization. I get the trade-offs regarding privacy, security, and convenience, but if you’re really tryna start a movement, and you really believe in the concept and principles of something like cryptocurrency, it seems like your communities and communication channels should also reflect similar values.

Discord UX be like