If you’re privacy-conscious and shopping for a new smartphone, you don’t have many options these days. Some begrudgingly buy an iPhone every single time for Apple’s excellent privacy commitment and track record, while many of us accept Google’s data collection in exchange for the convenience and AI-assisted features that Android has to offer. But what if you could convert an Android phone into a bastion of privacy? That’s exactly what GrapheneOS, an aftermarket custom ROM I recently stumbled upon, aims to achieve.
GrapheneOS offers a simple pitch — it delivers a private and secure Android experience without compromising the usability of your smartphone. You can download apps from the Play Store, get push notifications via Google’s servers, and even sync your data as usual. All of this while preventing Google from gathering data through your smartphone. But how does all of this work and is GrapheneOS even worth using? I took it for a test drive on a Pixel 6 to find out.