A few months ago I finally got around to switching my Google Pixel over to GrapheneOS. The install was refreshingly painless, the bootloader re-locked without complaint, and the web installer made the whole process feel almost suspiciously easy. It was the sort of experience that makes custom Android ROMs seem a lot less intimidating than they used to be.
At first, I was pretty happy.
Then reality showed up.
For all my enthusiasm about FOSS and privacy, I still live in the modern world, which means I do occasionally need things like banking apps and Android Auto. I have two banking apps that, apparently, are allergic to anything that isn’t stock Android. Neither would work. Android Auto, meanwhile, is one of those genuinely useful features that becomes hard to give up once you’ve got a car that supports wireless mode.
I did know I could use the banking websites instead, but that is just another roadblock and a lot of faff. If all I want to do is quickly check my balance or move money between two accounts, it is so much easier and quicker to do that with biometrics than to mess about with passwords and security questions every single time. Convenience matters, especially for the stuff you actually use every day.
I spent a few days trying different GrapheneOS settings and tweaking things to get the apps I actually needed working properly. In the end, I had to admit defeat and go back to stock Android, with all the familiar Google baggage that comes with it.
Not long after that, I started a new job, and the whole thing got filed away as yet another task on the never-ending to-do list.
Recently, I watched an interview on social media with the creators of iodéOS. I’d heard of iodéOS before, but I’d never looked into it properly. What caught my attention was their focus on compatibility, especially with banking apps and Android Auto. That was enough to make me start doing some reading.
After checking reviews and comparing notes, I decided this might actually be the compromise I was looking for.
I backed up the phone and prepared to install iodéOS. They do offer a web installer, but this time I chose to do it manually. I had read a warning on their site about re-locking the bootloader if the device is already on a newer security patch than the one iodéOS provides. Since my phone had already been updated beyond the version iodéOS was currently shipping, I decided not to re-lock immediately and instead play it safe.
The installation itself went smoothly. I had a de-Googled phone again, but this time it felt different. F-Droid and Aurora Store were already there by default, which made the setup feel much closer to a stock Android experience.
I checked the security version and, as expected, it was older than the one my phone had previously been running. That meant I’d need to wait until the device had the matching update before re-locking the bootloader.
Before doing anything else, I tested the important stuff.
The two banking apps that had refused to work on GrapheneOS? They worked straight away.
That was a massive relief.
At that point, I decided not to rush the setup. I knew the security update I needed wasn’t far away, so I kept the phone fairly minimal for a week and used the time to test things properly. It was a nice chance to see what iodéOS could actually do before I committed fully.
Then the update arrived.
I installed it, checked everything over, and re-locked the bootloader. No drama. No brick. No panic.
Just a working phone.
That meant I could finally finish setting it up properly and make it mine again.
Android Auto: the bit that nearly caught me out
Android Auto turned out to be the one part of the setup that needed a bit more care than I expected.
Android Auto itself was always the official app, but it also needed the official Google app and the text-to-speech component to function properly. Once I switched to the official components it depended on, things started behaving properly. I also had to manually update Android Auto through Aurora Store after selecting it from the pre-installed app list.
I had found some fake apps on GitHub through an internet search that were supposed to mimic the real Google apps, but they just didn’t work for me.
I don’t know whether that was because of a recent update the developer hadn’t caught up with yet, or because the whole thing was a dead end from the start. Either way, I wasn’t especially keen to trust it.
If it can fail once, that’s enough for me not to want it to fail on the one day I actually need it.
That was really the key point: it needed to be reliable. If I’m heading out for an appointment and relying on the system to get me there, I don’t want surprises. I wanted something that would just work, every time.
Once I had the proper Android Auto setup sorted, I gave it another go.
This time, I started with USB, because in my experience that always gives Android Auto the best chance of getting itself together before switching to wireless later. It worked flawlessly. Maps worked. Traffic worked. Phone calls worked. Music worked. Everything behaved exactly as it should.
When I got home and unplugged the phone, the connection transferred over to wireless automatically.
Perfect.
At that point, I had what I’d actually wanted all along: a de-Googled Android phone that still worked with the things modern life expects from a phone. Not perfect, not pure, but practical. And frankly, practical matters more than purity if the alternative is constantly fighting your own device.
NFC payments and Curve
I’ve also got NFC payments working through Curve, which gives me a virtual card and helps keep my real card details private.
That is the sort of compromise I can live with. It is not some mystical privacy utopia, but it does reduce exposure and keeps things simple enough to use in everyday life.
A note on iodéOS Premium
One thing worth mentioning is that iodéOS does have a premium offering, and it requires an account with an email address, and optionally billing details, to unlock the extra blocking features. For me, the free version paired with AdGuard Home DNS is enough to cover what I need, and that gives me the privacy baseline I’m happy with.
That said, I do think it’s smart that they sell phones directly on their website. That’s a sensible way to generate revenue while also lowering the barrier for people who want a de-Googled phone without any technical knowledge. Not everyone wants to unlock bootloaders, flash ROMs, or spend an afternoon wondering why Android Auto has turned into a black screen of disappointment.
Final thoughts
GrapheneOS is excellent software from an excellent team, and it absolutely has its place. For me, though, it wasn’t the right fit for daily use. I wanted something that gave me better privacy without forcing me to give up too much convenience.
iodéOS looks like it has hit that balance much better for my needs.
I still keep an older Samsung as an extra handset with a separate number, which helps me keep my main number private. But when I eventually upgrade this Pixel again, I’ll definitely take another serious look at GrapheneOS and probably use it as phone two instead.
For now, though, I’m happy.
That’s not a sentence I always get to say about phones.