I can list multiple features of Calyx that aren’t on Graphene. But my point is comparing the two does a disservice to what each has to offer. Calyxos is still better than stock for privacy. This website is called PRIVACYGUIDES not SECURITYGUIDES. Multiple options should be included to accomadate multiple use cases. Also, the apps at startup like tor browser, orbot, riseup vpn, calyx vpn are not preinstalled. Its all user choice.
Features Calyxos has:
VPN over Hotspot
Microg which doesn’t send identifiers to google. Hence no advertising ID or tracking unlike sandboxed google play services.
Datura Firewall. Literally a frontend for hidden system settings with more customizable network options like mobile network, wifi, background data and vpn access.
An android work profile that doesn’t rely on trusting another app to be a device administrator.
Honestly, I have spent time using both graphene and Calyxos. Both are very different projects and picking one over the other is honestly ridiculous. Also, how is divestos listed when half its builds are untested? Calyxos should be listed before divestos.
I understand CalyxOS enabling the proprietary Google app by default is a problem, but how come GrapheneOS requires installing the full (albeit sandboxed,) Google Play Services just to add an eSIM? That is also very wrong in my opinion.
Have you seen this table? CalyxOS seems to fall behind compared to GrapheneOS and DivestOS in a ton of aspects. I definitely wouldn’t consider it on the same level, I agree with PG not recommending it. There’s really no reason to when GrapheneOS and DivestOS exist and are just simply better. You’d be much better off using those 2 any day IMO.
The argument being that the Motorola G32 is a ~$150 option brand new, whereas Pixel devices are $350 at minimum from a trusted source (Google Store), $499 minimum for a current-gen product, and still ~$200 minimum even on the used marketplace.
The real question is: All this being the case, do we prefer CalyxOS over DivestOS? Previously we did, which is why our ranking was GrapheneOS > CalyxOS > DivestOS, and we only removed CalyxOS once their device support was identical to GrapheneOS.
That being said, I’m not sure if this is actually wise in the present day, DivestOS might be preferable to CalyxOS in all aspects anyways, and then this doesn’t matter as much.
That seems to be the general agreement above, although not unanimously [1, 2]. In which case I’d ask, what phone would you recommend someone with a $100-$300 budget buy? Maybe that can be a separate thread.
I wrote some stuff but I’ll keep it short and (bitter)sweet to not repeat points already made:
Ultimately I’d rather see people on GOS/DOS/COS over the other alternatives which quickly nosedive into lunacy.
There are reasons CalyxOS was removed from the recommended list but as of recent CalyxOS gained support for three cheap Motorola phones - the Moto G32, Moto G42 and Moto G52. Each of these are around 100-400$ (in terms of specs and combinations like 4GB+64GB, 8GB+128GB etc) but are nevertheless really cheap compared to the Google Pixel (and Fairphone, which Calyx also supports).
A bigger thing to note is that Motorola phones are available in more markets than the Google Pixel. Especially countries in South Asian regions.
CalyxOS is not the absolute best in terms of privacy gains and security hardening but is fundamentally better than the stock OS that comes on these phones (with Privileged Google Play Services on the stock OS). Also to note is that DivestOS is not available for these phones yet.
Considering the above, please consider re-adding CalyxOS.
+1 for CalyxOS, because it supports a relocked bootloader (which DivestOS doesn’t offer on some devices) and also because no matter the technical details, it is penultimately a better option than using the stock OS which comes with Privileged Play Services.
I think if someone is wanting to use non-pixel phones (due to budget constraints) then in that scenario calxyOS offers a decent alternative to stock android.
I would support Calyx being recommended, as long as its clarified that devices supported by GOS and DOS would probably be better covered by those respective operating systems.
Hi,
I just wanted to add a small bit to why I’d prefer CalyxOS over GrapheneOS and I have to stretch I do not mean it as a hate or something, but I was watching all the drama from afar and I think this should also be considere when recommending something or not. How can one trust GOS when its lead developer is not very psychically stable? GOS was my top pick but after all that happened how can I trust the product? And I do not mean only now, I mean for the future. And last but not least, do I want to endorse such behavior by using or even recommending it?
I have now FP5 so I (sadly) have time to choose my next private and secure os, but I am 99.9 % sure it won’t be GOS.
Oh, and when it comes to DivestOS, I like the project. The only disadvantage is that it looks to me more like a one man show and the issue of that is what we can see now - funding issue. If I install DOS today, am I sure it will still be here in 6 months?
a lot of projects in the privacy space are small projects. However to my knowledge DOS has a very good track record (close to a decade now). The best thing imo is to just stay on top of changes and if an OS becomes unsupported then be ready to switch.
Open source is not always a guarantee. You remember those bugs in openSSL that were found after how long, decades? And those were (likely) not even intentional… Of course I do not want to sound paranoid and its probably just fine, but then again, I want to rather pick a project that is more trustworthy and that is in my eyes CalyxOS over GOS.
To me and I think most people, CalyxOS just doesn’t have enough advantages compared to GrapheneOS to be worth recommending.
As mentioned by others, CalyxOS supports almost the exact same phones as GOS, so why would you use CalyxOS?
The lead developer of GOS being a dick is definitely a downside, but seeing as (to my understanding) the builds are reproducible and every commit is public… I don’t think the risk of him screwing people over is very high.