zlacker

> Without the Pixel hardware repos (which include the device trees, driver binaries, and more), custom Android ROMs will have a hard time developing their OS updates. This might also have implications for security (vulnerability) researchers.

This concerns me as a GrapeneOS user.

>>yellow+(OP)
Yup, especially given what they posted: https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/1932596516390072669?t=Tw_clE...

>>codeth+32
Aw man… GrapheneOS makes owning a smartphone bearable. I hope this isn't the beginning of the end.

>>Freak_+44
I really haven't kept up with third party roms for smartphones in a while. I take it graphene is a major player? Last one I heard of was lineage os. I guess I probably need to start looking as my pixel 5a has probably lapsed security updates

>>wing-_+C9
> graphene is a major player?

No. It is not. Lineage and a lot of others are major players.

They just have different focus. GrapheneOS cares about being secure. Others cares about being, well, custom, and "privacy", "privacy" as in "noooooooooo I don't want to install google stuff jfc", instead of being secure against random threat actors.

>>wing-_+C9
A major player amongst the tiny world of user-centric privacy-focussed third party Android based OSes I guess. Their major selling point — aside from privacy and maximal degoogling — is that you could take a Pixel, install GrapheneOS, and have it work with not too much trouble. No elaborate study of a plethora of devices needed, and the device is supported for a comparatively long time.

The Pixel 6 I have will be hitting its end of life in October 2026. I had wished to be able to simply get a newer Pixel and just carry on.

>>rfoo+Qa
"and a lot of others" a lot of others is GrapheneOS. GrapheneOS is likely the second largest ROM after lineage.

>>wing-_+C9
GrapheneOS is the security-first Android distribution. It tends to drop support for older devices not long after official driver updates stop, because it's harder to ensure top-notch security in that case. The Pixel 5A is in "extended support", which is to say deprecated.

LineageOS is the broad-support Android distribution. Its current version supports all Pixel devices. Third parties have even built recent-ish versions for ancient devices (e.g. Android 13 on the Nexus 5).

>>wing-_+C9
while lineageos and derived roms like /e/os are doing a good job supporting old smartphone models and temporarily saving them from thr landfill, they are struggling to support less than 5 year old models that aren't google pixel and fairphones.

The google pixel line were the only smartphone you could buy new on a brick and mortar shop on monday almost anywhere in the world and have it running on a custom rom on tuesday and graphene was leading the way in pushing privacy and security at its maximum while other rom maker are making a lot more concessions.

LineageOS still is king to save old devices but grapheneos definitely is a major player because some people like me did chose second hand google pixel with the sole purpose of being able to run graphene.

Ironically, running a google smartphone was the best way to live a life without sending data and rely on google services.