zlacker

>>fsflov+(OP)
I've got to say, some of the comments here are pretty funny.

> "The sideloading restriction is easily solved by installing GrapheneOS"

> "Unless they block ADB, I wouldn't say it's accurate to claim they're "blocking sideloading"".

Not to pick on these folks but it's like we on HN have forgotten that ordinary people use phones too. For some of us, it's not a limitation as long as we can solder a JTAG debugger to some test pads on the PCB and flash our own firmware, but for most users that's just about as possible as replacing the OS.

>>tdeck+o9
GrapheneOS is totally normie friendly.

When we last got new phones I put GrapheneOS on mine and my partners, I never subsequently had to play tech support on hers.

>>nullc+7d
And who's going to put GrapheneOS on an ordinary person's phone in the first place?

The Web installer [0] is not really approachable to a normal Android user. The instructions are dense, loaded up with warnings about dozens of edge cases that are discussed in jargon that would intimidate even relatively tech-savvy users:

What's USB passthrough? Did I install my browser through Flatpak or Snap? How would I know? Did I need to understand the paragraph explaining in detail how carrier models lock users in? There's a bunch of stuff in there about Linux... do I need Linux? What's a sha256 hash and do I need to care?

It's not that this is impossible for non-IT-folks to grasp, but there's no chance that my parents are installing this on their phone.

[0] https://grapheneos.org/install/web

>>demost+kg
You're right, but ironically the web installer is the most user-friendly way of installing Android. The GOS page simply documents technical aspects in great detail, but the actual process is no different from the stock web installer from Google[1]. It could easily be wrapped in a similar wizard-like UI without the technical jargon. The reason it's not is because the intended audience who would consider installing GOS is expected to be tech savvy, and they appreciate the details.

FWIW, GOS is an excellent project, but I don't think it's a good fit for non-technical users. But there's nothing stopping someone from creating a distribution of it with a preconfigured Google Play sandbox, some sane defaults and applications, to provide technical support, and to streamline the installation process, or even sell devices with it preinstalled. As long as that entity is trustworthy, it would be a good alternative for people who want to leave the Google/Samsung/etc. ecosystem, but don't have the technical knowledge or want to bother with installing and configuring GOS themselves.

[1]: https://flash.android.com/back-to-public

>>imiric+so
Our web installer is more safer and easier to use than Google's web installer which doesn't include important checks or information. Making a fancy wizard interface instead of having it as buttons integrated into a page is more aesthetically pleasing, but doesn't make it easier. The reason we include a bunch of information is to provide all the necessary information to work around every common issue people run into instead of them needing help.

If the web install guide only had to cover installing from macOS, ChromeOS and Android, it would be significantly simpler. Most of the complexity in the install guide is to work around issues with desktop Linux distributions.