Hi everyone. I’m making my first post to Lemmy now. I bought a Pixel 9A last month and have been on stock android.
I should have installed GrapheneOS without setting up a Google account, but I’m still not familiar with Linux or other systems, even though I know GrapheneOS is based on the Android system. I’ve been using an iPhone for almost 12 years now. I know how to protect my data/privacy from massive surveillance.
Now I now want to take full control of my pixel phone without Google Play store/service.
My concern is lack of phone screening feature on Graphene OS but I don’t want to have any Google service on Graphene OS. How do you deal without it?
Thank you for your response in advance
Not quite the answer to your question but did you consider installing e/os/ instead of graphene? I recently switched to e and it has a good tracker blocker built in and you can use it completely without any Google account. If you want apps that only work with Google you can use the preinstalled microG service to minimise your exposure. It also has a very friendly and helpful community.
I have a google profile, I have all the apps that need google services on that profile, I have my mic camera and location turned off on said profile. IDK if that’s the best way to deal with things but it’s what I do when it comes to apps I have installed via the play store.
Just set up Do Not Disturb and you’re good to go.
Add all of your regular calls to contacts. Block any calls not coming from your contacts. See “Should I Answer?” app for example.
The problem is this also blocks SMS from those outside your contacts. It will be an issue with 2FA.
I created a “Do not disturb” profile that only blocks voice calls for non-contacts. SMS still comes through. My ringtone is a silent file, but that’s just my preference.
In the DND profile, I only allowed messaging apps to show notifications. I don’t care about the rest.
Interesting solution, but for the record, Should I Answer? doesn’t block texts. It only affects calls.
That sounds interesting! Thank you for the info
I have phone screening. It’s called “block unknown callers” and it comes in most phone apps. If it’s important they’ll leave a VM or text.
Is it on GrapheneOS?
The stock Phone app on GrapheneOS has options to block unidentified callers, non-contacts, and/or individual phone numbers
Huh. TIL
Thank you!
GOS is just the operating system. You can install and use whatever phone app you want.
I used to use Carrion, but sadly it is no longer maintained and I haven’t found a good replacement yet.
There is an app on fdroid called SpamBlocker that I am using. It allows you to add spam call databases like the US’s do not call list, for example. You can also do other stuff like block numbers that don’t have a specific area code or that come from a specific state, etc.
Amazing app.
I tried that for a couple months but it didn’t seem to do really anything useful. Any tips to make it work better?
Thank you very much! Google Android is turning into IOS this sep. How will it effect to Fdroid? I’m disappointed in Google’s new policy now.
If you’re on stock Android, F-Droid will become unusable. If you’re on Graphene, you won’t be affected at all.
If you’re on Graphene, you won’t be affected at all.
Not really true. There’s a solid chance a bunch of projects are just abandoned.
I’m talking about access to F-droid. Any changes F-droid and developers make in response to googles changes obviously would also affect Graphene users, but the platform itself is unaffected by Google’s changes.
I understand what you’re talking about. FDroid themselves have come out and said this could be the end of the project, which is what I was alluding to. I would say that has an enormous affect on the platform, and the entire Android ecosystem as a whole.
About that, here is the statement from FDroid:
If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open-source app distribution sources as we know them today, and the world will be deprived of the safety and security of the catalog of thousands of apps that can be trusted and verified by any and all. F-Droid’s myriad users will be left adrift, with no means to install — or even update their existing installed — applications. (How many F-Droid users are there, exactly? We don’t know, because we don’t track users or have any registration: “No user accounts, by design”)
The two phone OSs which have together 98% of market would be under locked control of big tech companies. You could argue Android is still slightly less locked than iOS. But it seems like a distinction with not so much practical difference.
It’s a corporate capture of mobile computing. Not only they sell you the device, but the device will answer to its master only. That is not you.
Does anyone have an actual answer to the question? I have someone I’m trying to convert to Grapheneos but who is also trying to run a business, making a simple “block unknown callers” not very tenable.
The answer is no. GOS is intended to be private and secure and routing your calls through Google servers is the opposite of that.
GrapheneOS has benefits even when used with Google Play Services. At least on the primary profile, you can install the Phone by Google and get good call spam blocking. Other apps that you’d prefer to be siloed can be put on another profile without play services.
