A journey with a GrapheneOS Pixel 7
I have always enjoyed side projects that distract me from my day to day life. My career path took me on a different life journey than what I thought as a kid. One project I've been recently working on is using a Pixel 7 with GrapheneOS. The web install is one of the easiest OS installs I've done and instantly I was on my journey.
Once I completed the install I was staring at a very simple phone setup. It's possible to use the phone as is without an app store. There are phones being sold with minimal apps and non-feature flip phones today but a used Pixel with GrapheneOS seems to be a better choice especially if security is priority to you.
There lies the main reason to install an alternative OS on your Pixel, security. I tried using it without an app store but that didn't last long. I installed f-droid at first, then as I read more online, I installed Obtainium to follow RSS feeds from various sources to get more apps and finally installed the Aurora Store to access the Google Play Store. I did try the phone with the sandboxed Google services provided by the GrapheneOS team to test out my Google accessories like the Pixel Watch and buds.
As I went down the rabbit hole here, I realized that even with the last option with Google services and store installed, it was still better than a stock Pixel phone running Google out of the box. The sandboxed concept is the main reason why your phone won't be calling in to Google every minute of the day draining your battery and sharing your personal details with every app on your phone. It seems this is the most popular option if your Pixel is your daily phone and you need certain applications to function such as banking apps for example.
I did feel dirty using this last option because I kept telling myself the point of this project was to see if I could have a phone without Google. It becomes easier to do when you have a second phone, perhaps an iPhone, to keep apps you need or if your family is into the Apple ecosystem making it harder to communicate without it! I preferred using the phone without any Google services even though there are some hurdles to get around and missing push notifications which run on the Google services.
One cool thing that came out of this experiment is learning about Github and other similar services. Connecting with indie developers making amazing apps to replace the ones I used to have access from the Google Play Store. I have a few new favourites now like Read You for RSS feeds, Obtainium to track the app RSS feeds and Geometric Weather.
If you can live with the limitations then this is a great option to rid Google from your life. Sandboxed Google is still a better option than stock too so give an alternative OS a try, you may just like it.