Skip Navigation
Privacy @lemmy.ml
mazzilius_marsti @lemmy.world

For GrapheneOS users, what is your profile setup like?

Just installed GOS on my phone, really like it. I want to know how GOS users setup their profiles to learn from them. So far, i found out the followings:

  1. everything in Owner
  2. leave Owner blank. Put everything in another profile names User.
  3. leave Owner blank. Put all Google stuff in user Google. Put all FOSS app in FOSS user. Put all bank stuff under Sensitive user.
  4. use Owner as an app repo. So install Google Play, Acrescent, Fdroid. Install apps from there, but dont use them. Instead, when create new user, push those apps from Owner. This is similar to Side of Burritos on Youtube.

anything different?

43 comments

  • One profile on a 6a. If I had a Google account, I would likely have a second profile.

    Most apps come from Github through Obtainium, I also use F-Droid, and a few get updated from Aurora Store.

    I noticed a month ago that some apps aren't being updated in Accrescent - Fdroid had a more up-to-date version for a few apps. I heard they have a funding issue which is probably why. Just something to be aware of.

    The apps I have on board, that aren't privacy respecting, either have their network access blocked or are disabled until I need them. These are Amazon Shopping, Roamless (data esim), and Sound Connect (Sony BT headphones).

    No Google account but I do run Sandboxed Google Play for the notifications. Only two apps use the notifications through SGP - Signal and Protonmail but of which have taken steps to conceal the contents of the message from Google.

    I have a Duress pin set. If being brute forced, the pin I set will likely be entered before my real pin and wipe the phone.

    I mostly use a fingerprint for unlock so no one can see my pin while in public spaces. I also avoid unlocking if anyone is too close to me.

    Phone stays in airplane mode most of the time to avoid cell tower triangulation. Using a voip phone service makes it possible to make and receive phone calls without cell towers being involved. My voip provider is very kyc but I do plan on switching to JMPChat soon.

    Reboot is set for 8 hours.

    If I disable the microphone I can never enable it quick enough to answer an incoming call so don't turn it off system-wide but do deny for apps that don't need it.

    Disabling the camera permission system-wide has forced me to wait a very long time, after enabling the permission, before I can take a photo. I leave this permission on and just deny for apps that don't need it.

    I typically connect to public and home wifi so I leave this on.

    My headphones are bluetooth (I can't stand using a cable) so BT stays on.

    Global PS is an incoming signal so I leave this on. GOS is transmitting a ton of data to Google so I don't see the risk. Doesn't seem to drain much power. Only really needed for my map app.

  • All you people with multiple profiles better have insane backup strategies and love doing it often and it's a removed. You have to backup each profile and restore individually once booted back up starting with owner then one after another. It's a nightmare.

    You also cannot use a single drive to backup each profile as the backup reading process that distinguishes each profile does not understand.

    Meaning the same drive cannot even be partitioned to have a save of each profile. It requires different drives entirely. The absolute simplest process for backups are having a flash drive for each profile. Graphene os is very cumbersome to backup and DOES NOT backup all data. Once you restore from a backup you'll understand all the pains I say, including the data you have to restore separately. A good backup is only good if you know you can restore and it works.

    Hope this helps people refine their profile strategies. Most people avoid owner usage. I think there are pros and cons to that strategy. Like no pop up messages, notification delays, many other lacking options outside of owner profile like certain settings are unavailable to tweak. Including dev mode.

    I've used graphene for years, across multiple pixel generations. It's not the white knight made out to be. Their project is very silo'd in security and lacks the true polish of a complete OS. I still use it and think it has great merit just note the drawbacks are many. There's so much more to add. It is late in my timezone. Hope this helps someone.

    I think after testing multiple strategies that the best is to main owner, business and Google stuff 2nd, sketchy apps and things you don't care if they get lost to delete the phone back to factory. Backup 1 and 2 only. 3 or more are throwaways. You have far more threats to lose your data from theft or social engineering by friends or family etc. than you do someone hacking multiple encrypted browsers with sandboxes of apps and then across encrypted profiles. Most of those scenarios are too complex but your imagination makes them appear big and real because of movies or TV.

    Reality is the true threats are often much easier and simple. Bad actors tend to be least effort to get their goal. Nor are most Jason Bourne.

  • I installed Shelter into the owner profile to enable the work profile. All the googly stuff gets installed in that work profile. I only unpause the work profile when I need a specific app and pause it again when I am done. Open source and apps that do not require play services are allowed to run directly in my owner profile.

  • I have all of my open source apps in my main profile, a Shelter profile for proprietary apps (which I hardly use nowadays), a user profile for apps needed for my university, and another user profile for apps needed for a certain gig I've been involved with

43 comments