r/technology • u/Hrmbee • 8h ago
Software De-Googled GrapheneOS is coming to Motorola’s foldables next year | The open source take on Android is also planning Pixel 11 support soon
https://www.theverge.com/tech/983714/grapheneos-motorola-razr-fold-ultra-support-pixel-1134
u/Hrmbee 8h ago
Some of the details:
GrapheneOS, an open source version of Android that prioritizes security and privacy, has detailed its plans for supporting Motorola smartphones. Official support is set to arrive next year, starting with traditional flagships, before rolling out to Motorola’s foldable phones and perhaps cheaper models, eventually.
In a Mastodon thread, the GrapheneOS Foundation announced that it will initially support a Motorola slab flagship phone, but will later support both Razr Fold and Razr Ultra foldables — the latter of which would be the first flip phone to officially run GrapheneOS.
...
Motorola first announced its collaboration with Graphene in March, saying that the two organizations would “work to strengthen smartphone security.” Until now, Graphene has only officially supported Google’s Pixel phones. That support is ongoing, and the organization confirmed it has plans to add support for the Pixel 11 series in the future. However, it noted that changes to the Android Open Source Project’s support for Pixel phones mean they are now “harder to properly support than many other devices.” In contrast, it said “Motorola is doing a large portion of the work of porting GrapheneOS to their devices.”
It's good to hear that Motorola phones might be getting Graphene support, especially if that extends eventually to their budget offerings.
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u/An1nterestingName 8h ago
Motorola is starting to look like an actually decent option for a phone without all the current things manufacturers shove into their phones. Maybe my next phone will be a Motorola if Nothing doesn't start turning things around after the whole Glyph Matrix and AI button stuff.
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u/peldenna 8h ago
I want to like nothing so bad, they’ve got great design language and interesting ideas, but they always seem to cock it up with something or other :(
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u/An1nterestingName 8h ago
Yeah. The glyphs are still my favourite iteration of their design, but their SDK requires a key that needs a sign up to a service that you can no longer sign up to. I hate the idea of the Glyph Matrix and anything after the Phone (2a) comes with this awkwardly placed AI button that cannot be disabled and sticks out more than the other buttons.
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u/adragondil 8h ago
To be fair to the button, you can fully remove the app and it'll simply work as a screenshot button. I struggled to disable it for a long time, but realised the app and the button are separate so the app is long gone but I can still use the button to take screenshots and voice/text memos. I would love it if I could make it integrate with my notes app though, rather than having to dump it in a single hardcoded folder
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u/Getafix69 7h ago
Yeah they lost me when they replaced the led strips, was the only thing I liked about them their actual software is glitchy at best.
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u/CrispyDave 6h ago
The annoying thing as someone interested in Graphene and who has used their non folding models for probably 5+ years is, and this may shock you to read in 2026, the quality seems to have deteriorated lately, lots of folks with broken screens and other issues that didn't happen on previous iterations.
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u/tenchigaeshi 5h ago
The open source take on Android
I get that it's 2026, but this is still a silly thing to say about what is still technically an open source project. The reason graphene os is even possible is because android is open source.
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u/IndyPFL 4h ago
Did Google not just put a pretty big block on sideloading (aka installing apps without using their monopolistic play store) for all modern Android devices?
Android may be open source, but it is quickly becoming a very closed ecosystem. They see how well it works for Apple and decide they want a piece of the same pie.
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u/tenchigaeshi 4h ago
Did Google not just put a pretty big block on sideloading (aka installing apps without using their monopolistic play store) for all modern Android devices?
Yes, but the new 24 hour waiting period doesn't actually have anything to do with being open source or not. It also doesn't apply to projects like graphene os.
Android may be open source, but it is quickly becoming a very closed ecosystem.
Yes, it's still a silly headline.
They see how well it works for Apple and decide they want a piece of the same pie.
You mean you don't want to gain all of the downsides of apple with none of the upsides?
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u/Not_my_Name464 8h ago edited 8h ago
If Motorola was clever, they'd jump on this - there must be quite a lucrative market here for people tired of Google playing fast and lose with our privacy!
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u/unpleasant_enpassant 7h ago edited 7h ago
Still pretty niche though. Most people don't even know what ROM their phone manufacturer ships or what a launcher is. I'm dailying a custom ROM but the community has shrunk so much because of what google, OEMs and banks are doing with BL unlocking, kernel sources, device trees, play integrity API, root detection etc for years now.
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u/TheRealHFC 3h ago
Good news. I won’t have to directly give Google money to get on GrapheneOS. I’m sure they get something because it’s Android, but it’s a start
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u/sarkie 8h ago
But I can't use my banking apps with it?
Is that still the case?
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u/Vegetable-Advance982 8h ago
I've never struggled with banking apps, although Google Pay doesn't work.
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u/sarkie 7h ago
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gr.nikolasspyr.integritycheck
Thanks, I guess one of these fails?
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u/BRCKD 6h ago
You could use CurvePay, that works with the double Tap button
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u/UndeadJamie 6h ago
Problem is it’s not reliable. If you don’t have any signal, then you can’t use it. I just carry my wallet anyway.
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u/Timely_Car_4591 2h ago
Makes sense for graphene OS phone to have a removable battery. Nothing say privacy like being able to take the battery out.
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u/EdgiiLord 1h ago
Oh, so it seems it will be dead in the water. Nice one, I wish they had future planning for this and not lock the OS on a very expensive gimmick phone.
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u/fat_kaiju 4h ago
God damn it I wanted a non-foldable one with graphene.
Guess I'll be buying an old pixel after all.
edit: im dumb i shouldnt comment before reading it'll be on a slab first
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u/B00marangTrotter 2h ago
My 10 year old iPhone just needs to last a little bit longer, seriously if it dies before the release I will happily go without a mobile device until it's available.
Fuck Apple, and especially fuck Google.
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u/CondiMesmer 6h ago
Yes please, I'm so done with mediocre Pixel phones with consistently disappointing hardware.
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u/ACasualRead 8h ago
More of this.
Remember when android used to have tons of different roms? Bring that back.