Graphene is bult on top of android AOSP, which is owned by google… And of course they are fucking it over.
Check calyxos.org s recent blog posts, it is basically dying (and graphene is the same)
Comment on Google Confirms Non-ADB APK Installs Will Require Developer Registration
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 3 weeks agoI’m checking out Graphene OS next week and pretty pumped about it. This Google ratfucking has been just the push I need to get off Android.
And obviously I haven’t stopped telling people around me haha
ChilledPeppers@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
tate@lemmy.sdf.org 3 weeks ago
The pause in Calyx updates has nothing to do with Google’s fuckery, and they are not “dying.” They lost a major lead developer and decided they needed to restructure so no one would be so essential going forward.
ChilledPeppers@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Google is messing with AOSP pixel drivers: calyxos.org/news/2025/06/11/android-16-plans/ Thats what I was referring to, but yeah, that is also a thing.
undrwater@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
What happened to the Open Handset Alliance?
Prathas@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
The what?
undrwater@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Handset_Alliance
Google doesn’t “own” Android. They (and the OHA) are the maintainers. AOSP is open source.
other8026@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
GrapheneOS isn’t dying. There’s an OEM partnership in the works and they’ll release devices with support for GrapheneOS in a year or two. GrapheneOS still provides updates and while the changes have made some things harder, the project is still going strong.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 3 weeks ago
So… huh, so what’s the alternative then? I guess some other flavour of linux?
cley_faye@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
For mobile phones that works as a daily driver? Gobbling up iOS. Or gobbling up what’s becoming of Android.
I really wish we had open phones that “just work”. I’d even go with slightly quirky but functional. Unfortunately, that requires strong cooperation between hardware maker and software developers; and it will require a lot of work. But that’s not the main issue. The direction we’re headed toward is “everything need an official app”, and those will mostly only work on “official” phones made by big manufacturers.
Even today, making some bank apps work on non vanilla Android is not always straightforward, and it’s still relatively open and easy to do. The move by Google is going to tighten this even more, and I have no doubt, if they pull through, that this will go in the requirements for the “play protect” validation BS. Meaning if you want that bank app, or whatever state digital ID app (meh) to work, you’ll need a “real” Android or an iOS device. And those apps are becoming more and more mandatory (I can’t log-in to my bank’s online website without their app and proprietary 2FA…).
A niche, open-source OS, Linux or modified AOSP or whatever, will have a hard time filling that gap as things keep moving. Which is really sad.
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
You are of course aware that Graphene OS is affected just like any other version of Android?
tal@olio.cafe 3 weeks ago
I don’t see why it would be.
The constraint to require a valid signing isn’t something imposed by the license on the Android code. If you want to distribute a version of Android that doesn’t check for a registered signature, that should work fine.
I mean, the Graphene guys could impose that constraint. But they don’t have to do so.
I think that there’s a larger issue of practicality, though. Stuff like F-Droid works in part because you don’t need to install an alternative firmware on your phone — it’s not hard to install an alternate app store with the stock firmware. If suddenly using a package from a developer that isn’t registered with Google requires installing an alternate firmware, that’s going to severely limit the potential userbase for that package.
SMillerNL@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
But if Graphene chooses not to do this, they diverge from the Android project. Which will take more time to maintain the project which will ultimately lead to more developers burning out and dropping out of the project.
It doesn’t need to be affected, but most open source projects don’t have the resources to keep going against big companies when most of their users aren’t contributing.
iopq@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
They already diverge by having a network permission and a bunch of other differences, and not being allowed to use Google Pay because of those differences
Attacker94@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
The aosp has been in the process of being gutted, I surmise in preparation of these anti consumer measures, graphene os has its work cut out for it. I imagine that after the dust settles, consumers will have to pick between an immature Linux os or their personal preference of walled garden.
tal@olio.cafe 3 weeks ago
I would guess that it’s probably not much by way of change — theoretically, maybe just a single line patch — to cause this check not to take place.
Fmstrat@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Graphene could sandbox the integrity check, just like they do with the Play Store.
other8026@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
GrapheneOS wasn’t going to be affected anyway and there’s nothing for the GrapheneOS developers to change. The developer verification thing will be done by proprietary Google apps. Those apps cannot get the necessary permissions to block app installs or disable apps.
Arcka@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
F-Droid works […]
[…]
[…] that’s going to severely limit the potential userbase for that package.
I don’t think most developers who are putting their Open-Source apps on F-Droid have any minimum user threshold.
freeman@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Developer ID verification will be part of Google Play and won’t be present in GrapheneOS
Straight from the horse’s mouth. The rest of the post is a good reminder that GrapheneOS are morons.
But why would you lie about this?
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 3 weeks ago
What?? I was not. I thought it was compatible, or like a fork idk… Guess I’ve got some reading to do.
other8026@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
GrapheneOS won’t be affected. The developer verification thing will be handled by another app and won’t be part of the OS. That app won’t have permission to block app installs or anything like that.
Mihies@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
Get off Android to … Android 🤪
ReginaPhalange@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Most F-Droid users are NOT custom ROMs.
This means that as long as F-Droid does not get their own developer key - it will become useless. F-Droid is privacy focused - both dev and user, and they oppose requiring devs to essentially give up their privacy and sign the APK with their own dev key.
Now, if F-Droid is dead, GrapheneOS becomes useless. Who would want to develop apps for the 0.0001% of the population (i.e custom ROM users)
ChillPill@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
This.
I am the person you are talking about. I’ve looked into graphene before and I do host some of my own services at home. I also work full time and I don’t want to spend all of my free time managing things. I use F-Droid, but I am on stock android on my pixel.
I appreciate the privacy and FOSS nature of F-Droid, but I use things like Android auto Google maps for work, I use banking apps on my phone as well. I know technically micro G and blah blah blah, but like I said: work full time.
null@lemmy.nullspace.lol 2 weeks ago
Just FYI, absolutely everything you mentioned works absolutely fine OOTB on GrapheneOS with no tinkering.
other8026@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
GrapheneOS will be fine without F-Droid.