Ive been using google’s services since 2017-2018, now its time to finally depart from that. I just got it in the mail yesterday and I’m already in love with it. So much lighter and easier to carry than my samsung galaxy. Gonna transfer everything over in a sim card, switch to Tmobile and ill be good to go. 😁
T-Mobile isn’t the place to switch to. They went evil.
The US is evil.
Unfortunately, they’re the only phone company that we have in the states that accept phones like this. Even with what’s going on with the dumbphone and Linux phones market, only choice you have is Tmobile or a carrier that is own by T-Mobile.
I’ve had good luck with US Mobile so far
Kind of irrelevant but nice album choice
Thanks😁. Its my favorite out of all of her albums, especially with seeing her live last month for opening for Evanescence. Such an amazing band.
Yo, nice, I got to see them live, too! Such a sick show, awesome band, can’t wait till they swing by my neck of the woods again.
Erm, I hope you didn’t know that someone literally just ran a few commands on an off the shelf phone and increased the price tag.
If you go to Teracubes website, getting the degoogled version of this phone was only 50 USD more then the regular android version they have, which is nothing in comparison of how much these Linux phones, preinstalled degoogled phones and even dumphones are being sold for. And that too, the tinkering is not easy like most make it out to be, unless you get a Pixel to install Graphene OS (which is what im realizing that most use on here)
Getting this phone lessened the headache by a landslide, and it’s the most affordable without spending an arm and leg on a dam phone that might not even work properly (Linux phones) , a phone that is just to expensive (dumbphone), or finding out your tinkering with the wrong model device or completely brick a phone ( I can personal say this is what happened to me when I tried to degoogled my Unihertz Jelly Star)
50 USD
That’s 2 weeks worth of groceries (at least where I am from), what the hell man.
Linux phones
You are probably thinking of the devkits. The community has mostly moved on to getting existing devices to run their favorite distribution. Which is mostly for fun’s sake, since pretty much everyone has a desktop computer with the same (although IIRC someone installed PostmarketOS from a public use PC, that was nice). The community is tiny since it’s right in between “modern day smartphones are a necessity” and “Android isn’t open enough”, anywhere below and above (incl. spectrums) are unlikely to think of getting (and daily using) desktop Linux on a phone.
dumbphone
(??)
I keep stating this and I will state it again. An MT62xxx nugget costs ~10 USD new online OR ~4 USD old new stock at the closest to me bazaar. OR ask relatives if they have a keypad phone in a drawer somewhere, you will probably get it for FREE and it will have quite a lot more functionality and homebrew (not exactly a “dumbphone”, more like a “smartphone” but by 2000s definitions).
not everyone on here is super tech savy
Well, I personally wouldn’t consider it difficult. If you happen to get a phone that allows proper bootloader lock of course (bypassing gets more complicated, not end of the world most of the time). See here and there.
Ask friends. If you don’t have any, I can volunteer to remote into your computer and do the thing, actually.
bricked (…) Unihertz Jelly Star
Do you still have it? Should be relatively easy to unbrick that nugget.
Unihertz Jelly Star
I still have it but don’t use it. After going through that with Canta and Shizuku, I factory reset the whole thing. There’s this weird glitch on Canta where you can’t download the apps you uninstalled, which was what I needed to do to get it working again, but I couldn’t do it.
Now the dumbphone community is interesting, it teaters on the line of the period before smartphones and let’s get away from the addiction of smartphones. Basically modernized flip phones, T9 phones and even some bringing back the Blackberry. But most are to limited in their features and are very pricy.
And that link, with the “dumb phones” that has to do with Nokia’s I believe?? They’re unfortunately unusable in the US because we got rid of 2G between 2017-2020 and 3G in 2022; with the 4G model, you can’t even buy them here. So all of those phones are basically collectables. Yes cheap but once again, unavailable. The phone market here is heavily monopolized.
Canta
Don’t bother, there’s still Unihertz’s spyware in there. LineageOS and derivatives are buildable as generic images that use the OEM drivers, reported working on that specific device. It’s a complete pain to build but some random people publish premade files, see here (get the first “Vanilla EXT4”) and here. More options there.
There’s a manual specifically for the Unihertz Jelly Star here. Although the download link there is outdated and the MicroG instructions are also outdated (follow the official ones instead).
If you don’t want to use the phone, may as well give it to a comrade locally that wants it.
in the US (…) we got rid of 2G
Sad. Although there should be modern bricks with 4G that aren’t too expensive, usually marketed as “for grandparents”.
There are other phone manufacturers than Nokia. Always have been. Shocking, I know.
EDIT: looked around and the ones with reasonable prices are usually the carrier contract ones from the carrier stores and carrier prepaid ones from literal grocery stores :/
FuriOS
Never heard of it.
Some people just don’t like tinkering, or trust themselves enough to do that, and that’s okay.
I just bought a pixel10 that I intend to override with grapheneOS.
I thought thsts an easy way to de-google. Isn’t it?
It is (so far) but I wanted a phone with a SD card slot. Pixels don’t have that and also I just don’t want a pixel.
Ok, then that makes total sense. :)
I was just worried there was something undesirable about my choice.
If I had a job I’d buy a One Plus direct from China and put LineageOS on it. I don’t need to relock the bootloader since my phone is mainly for browsing and text/calls (no important private stuff). I don’t even log into Lemmy on my phone because the PC experience is superior.
Recently I got rid of WhatsApp (now fully deleted my account) plus I removed Signal. My battery life is incredible now. I don’t even fast-charge cos I’m too poor and my phone doesn’t support any worth-while fast charger anyway! Next step is to get LineageOS and get rid of Google Play Services. Even more performance and battery saving.
Lots of caveats there. To preface, most active rom development used to take place on forums, mainly XDA. Nowadays it’s on telegram, which is gated unfortunately, so lot’s of knowledge get lost.
First, you NEED to be able to unlock your bootloader to be able to install custom ROMs. Here is a source
Back to hardware, recent chinese bought Xiaomi are nearly impossible to unlock bootloader without paying a 3rd party. EU/Global ones can be unlocked, but it’s a hassle (waiting 30 days + need to have windows). That makes finding device tree for them hard let alone, finding ROMs.
Oneplus unfortunately is getting worse. Op13 onwards has hardware ARB (which Will brick your device). OP15 onwards has a bit complex way to unlock bootloader.
If you buy it from China, it must be ColorOS version otherwise, you won’t be able to unlock the bootloader. Even with COS, you need to install an app to get an unlock token from their server to allow you to unlock the bootloader (this for now, takes 24 hrs max, but this might change and could be like Xiaomi). The Global/EU ones, are fine for now.
Remember you need to have the device tree (basically all the recipes for the hardware of the device to get it to work with other ROMs). Google used to publish this for Pixels, that’s why it used to be easy to build ROMs for Pixel. This has changed recently.
So it’s getting gloomy for Android devices. I just wish Fairphone would actually follow their “eco” mission, and become the new Pixels. On the other hand Jolla seems to be following up with a no compromise “Linux”. Time will tell.
Putting a custom OS on a phone is like trying to install Linux in 2004. Out of curiosity I had been looking at some phones here in New Zealand, available on Trade Me (our Ebay, basically) and some of those phones had a note that there was no guarantee that the boot loader could be unlocked :/
To preface, most active rom development used to take place on forums, mainly XDA. Nowadays it’s on telegram, which is gated unfortunately
That user said “LineageOS”, not “black sky project andromeda void to infinitum nanogapps safetynet bypass v pizde optimized custom kernel gambling android read only memory: gold bar edition”.
bootloader lock sux
True.
Wny not just get an iphone?
Unless your into jailbreaking, don’t get an iPhone. Also, as an ex-iphone user, its SUPER hard to get out of their ecosystem.
While iphone is more privacy friendluly than OEM android, it’s much more restricted. You can do amazing things with AOSP Android (compile arm busybox, have a linux toolchain on it, host adblocking), and most importantly totally breakaway from big tech, much more than iphones.
Thank you for saying this. Yes, its getting way harder and its not easy finding an older phone to install these ROMs. Even with what’s going on with how Google is reacting with Graphene OS. They are slowly locking y’all out of the Pixels, and AOSP dropped support of the Pixels with Android 16.
(This is one example) The latest update to the Pixel 10 camera is locking out Graphene OS users cause it needs Play Services in order to work
Gcam builds are still a thing. But you need to lurk on forums/telegram to find the right one. It’s sad this is a thing nowadays for pixel.
That was actually my first choice I was gonna do as well. I got myself the Nord N200 5g but I unfortunately received the wrong model from Back Market. I returned it and ended up getting this phone for less of a headache to try to find the exact model of a phone in order to install LineageOS. That’s my only problem with them.
Back Market? You don’t just order off the One Plus website and ship anywhere in the world?
For the US Market, the only phones they have that are available online and even in store are the 15 and 15R.(Really expensive phones BTW) If you want any other model, you gotta go to either Amazon, Back Market, or Best Buy (sometimes you can get an older model from here).
The models for on plus are very limited, it used to never be like that.
The NSA does not want Americans to be under Chinese surveillance? Is that it :)
It’s extrmely easy to degoogle xiaomi phones too, but they’re a bit more expensive.
I saw that wallpaper and at first thought you had degoogled by smashing your phone 😀
🤣🤣 No, I wish🤣. its just a cool wallpaper on the Teracube, I still need my other phone until I swItch over.
What model of phone? What OS are you running?
In the photo caption it says it’s a Teracube 2s running e/OS
No caption visible for me.
On my screen, in the bottom right of the post before clicking the photo, it says “Atl”. when you click it it gives the caption
…
I found the caption but its after clicking the photo in my app. I didn’t know about captions on Lemmy, good to know for the next picture, thanks.
Edit: I just noticed on my laptop, if I put the mouse pointer on the picture the caption pops up.
Not seeing captions on jerboa
I’m not on Jerboa, but on Thunder I had to tap the image so it went full screen, and at the bottom of that next to the share and download buttons there was a toggle for turning on the caption, which was off by default.
👆
Something to consider in the future. Meanwhile i’ll try graphene os.
grapheneOS merits more than a “meanwhile”
I’m on my second GOS phone. Amazing.
Same here, but this is my third go-round. I started with a pixel 3, moved to a pixel 6 pro, and now have a pixel 9 pro. Such a great OS! I love that it give you the option to run sandboxed play services. You can be completely de-googled, or can run sandboxed play services if you have to as a necessary evil, but keep them from hoovering up everything else outside of the specific app you need it for. Kind of ironic that it runs on google hardware. Kind of like the Ukrainians capturing Russian tanks and redeploying them against Russia.
I started with the 6a until the battery issue became a problem - phone wouldn’t charge. I planned on waiting for a Motorola but I can’t go that long without a phone so I bought a 10a on sale. Not sure if I wanted to get an early Moto/GOS, maybe bugs, maybe not.
What annoyed me was as soon as I flashed GOS on the 10a, the 6a would charge again. I’m giving the 6a to my sister, she has a google account so she can look into getting the battery replaced by google. The 6a is pretty much mint while her Samsung has a cracked display.
The Sandboxed gp is one of the best features. There are so many security and privacy features that I could be here half the afternoon typing.
The 10a has one feature I’m interesting in trying out - pass-through charging combined with my Anker hub which has PD charging. I should be able to connect a flat wall-mounted monitor, keyboard and mouse to the phone. Mostly a backup plan if my very old laptop dies.
How do you feel about them partnering up with Motorola? If we can actually get a good phone with that, I might consider.
As long as their aren’t too many security/privacy compromises I think it’s great. If I can unlock the bootloader, flash GOS, and relock the bootloader, my next phone will likely be a Moto.
Would be more like the Ukrainians buying tanks from Russia and using them elaewhere. Goggle got your money.
They don’t have my money, I always buy used, typically 6 months after the next generation comes out. I don’t need the latest and greatest.
I did consider that but pixels dont have SD cards, and also its a pixel, I dont want to be bothered with their hardware.
Too bad gos forces you to give money to google. Even buying used, you make pixels an attractive phone to buy new as people know there is a used market to sell it.
I don’t agree. While you may give google some upfront money for hardware, when buying new. Installing a degoogled OS effectively removes that device from their claws. Since their revenue from hardware sales is much less than their real business which is data gathering/surveilance capitalism and advertisement network. In one year your data generates them roughly the amount of the retail price of a smartphone. So even buying a pixel to remove google, makes a dent on them.
Their hardware is atleast more secure and allows unlocking. Which is worth paying for and none other manufacturer even considers. That’s the only reason GOS is pixel only. And the reason I would give google some slack. Just a tiny bit of slack.
Hey google, take some mo’ my money to… Degoogle
Not a single GOS pump you can say to me to willingly hand over a single dollar to google. Instant compromise of values
I mean, in terms of Android phones that the average person (not average Lemmy user) would have access to, it’s Google, Samsung, or Motorola. None of those options are particularly spectacular choices, and all give money to a faceless mega corp in the end.
Tho I do miss my Motorola Z2 from back in the day. The attachments were a really cool gimmick, and I used that phone until the bootloader decided to kill itself one day
Aye. This was my first and last pixel. But at least i don’t have to throw it away as long as its working. But no options for graphene. Pixels are literally the only androids left that you can actually own and they make it easy.
Buy from Murena or where?
Yep, I brought it from Murena.
Cool. Didnt realise there was an option to buy a degoogled phone until I saw your post! I wish you well with it.
Murena is not the only place to buy degoogled phones in case you didn’t know.
I’m planning on getting a Motorola w graphene once it becomes available.
If it’s too expensive, I’m going to get a brax phone, which is running lineage like op’s new phone is.
Good to know, thank you!
The Teracube is running e/OS.
eos is murena’s version of lineage and i suspect that most degoogled phone vendors use their own version of lineage. I know that Brax does.
You can also put lineage on a phone yourself instead of buying it that way. Ditto w graphene.
Until Graphene OS is allowed on different phones, then I’ll consider. At some point they’re gonna have to move to a different phone model.
My complaint with Lineage OS (that no one seems to talk about for some reason) is the requirements you gotta go through to get the exact phone in order to install them directly, hence one reason why I got the Teracube. Or some of these other OS system requirements, buying a phone for it is just not possible due to availability issues.
Brax phone? 🙂
My friend ordered one but then it had to be refunded because they couldn’t get enough phones to the customers. Very small operation I suspect.
brax is grifter selling insecure hardware and software https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/114825638504244405
Ewwww
I strongly disencourage buying those.
i like the long reasoning
Robert Braxman is infamous for spreading disinformation on YouTube and other social platforms. If you watch a couple of his videos and fact-check the statements he makes, you will quickly realize that a lot of it is wrong. One video I remember quite well was where he talked about “service workers” in browsers and said that they are a critical privacy issue that would affect them all. He also promotes his own products quite often as the “ultimate solution” for privacy, and I seem to remember that his E2EE messenger wasn’t actually end-to-end encrypted (can’t find the source, sadly). Therefore, I do not expect the BraX3 phone to be any good, and it directly supports him too, as far as I’m aware. I actually criticized IodéOS in the past for partnering with them (I nowadays assume their whole goal was just to expand their business).
Thanks for the heads up on that. I haven’t heard of him but will keep a look out.
No, Teracube
