Many users shared positive experience about Graphene OS but I never use it. Now I think its time to use it.
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I would point out that an SD card / physical storage is not the only way to expand your storage.
I would also speculate that there is probably a bit of data hoarding going on if you need hundreds (I am assuming based on the typical size of an SD) of extra GBs of data on your phone at all times.
Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that it seems like a relatively small issue to prioritize over having more secure and private data. Especially with something as data rich as a phone.
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Please enlighten me.
What you see as a āsmall issueā, I see it as a cheap way of expanding storage without spending so much money for more internal storage. I canāt imagine not being able to expand storage on my own PC. Why should I treat my phone differently just because external storage is phasing out?
As good as GrapheneOS sounds, Iām not sure how important it is when it comes to privacy because people will use an OS that caters to their needs. 16% are using iOS, and we all know itās a lot higher than GrapheneOS outside of this forum. If users are happy with the features that are available on iOS (AirDrop, Facetime, iMessage, iCloud, etc.) or theyāre tied to the Apple ecosystem and enjoys the seamless integration between different Apple devices, itās pretty hard to convince them to switch to Android, especially if they have to install a custom OS.
If someone made the same poll about desktop OS (Windows, Mac, Linux), Iām pretty sure most people here are using Windows, despite all the recommended Linux OS. Or maybe everyone here uses Linux, it doesnāt change the fact that most people are using Windows, and itās probably better to help users navigate the privacy settings within Windows and suggest alternative apps that arenāt built-in to Windows instead changing their OS.
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cloud storage, self-hosted or through a third party seems like an obvious answer here.
If affordability is the real issue, that makes more sense.
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It is very good, well documented and there is a good community support in Matrix.
If you have challenges I believe you can even find help here.
Cloud storage, nope. Limited free storage, monthly subscriptions for more storage, and even if itās not about storage, I stopped using cloud storage after Dropbox and iCloud suffered from a big data breach 10+ years ago. Iām not even interested in cloud drives recommended here.
Self-hosted, Iām actually looking into this. Donāt know much about it yet.
Third-party, I use Syncthing to sync data from my phone to my PC as I do like to back-up my data, but that doesnāt mean I would delete it from my phone. I would like to show people some of my photos, I want to store audio and video files since I donāt stream (only using Spotify on and off). I want a huge library of FLAC files on my phone.
And itās not just about affordability. Expandable storage is simply a basic feature that Iām looking for. I would take a cheap Samsung A phone with lower specs and expandable storage over an expensive Google Pixel with high specs and built-in storage anyday.
If one needs more than 128GB of storage on their phone, then something is seriously wrong with their data storage and backup strategy.
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Then there really isnāt much to discuss. I am not sure what you could possibly want on your phone that takes up so much storage and has to be on the phone for this to be such a stringent requirment.
I tend to agree with @Lukas sentiment that their is either an issue with your backup strategy or, as I said before, you are hoarding data on your phone that could more efficiently be stored off of it.
Everyones needs are different and I accept that I just donāt fully understand yours.
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FLAC files are big. Not hard to understand. Maybe Iām projecting, but it seems like streaming has conditioned us to think we donāt need to store video and audio files on our phones. If I want to watch a TV show while commuting, I literally download it on my phone.
What I donāt understand is are we really suggesting GrapheneOS when support for it is limited to Google Pixel phones? If you already have a Google Pixel phone, great. But lets say you really value camera quality, and you prefer to shoot videos on an iPhone, at that point, wouldnāt privacy-friendly apps on iOS be the best option? Some are recommended here.
Sure, you may not understand my requirements, but yāknow, people use different phones and different OS for different reasons, but we can learn to āprivatizeā all of our devices.
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They arenāt that big, unless theyāre so high quality that a human canāt even perceive the difference between it and lower quality FLACs, at which point it becomes waste of space.
If someone really values camera quality, they will be using a proper camera.
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Why canāt iPhones be āproper camerasā?
Sensor size, lens flexibility, manual controls, features.
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It takes pictures
Because you canāt fit nearly as large of a sensor into a (relatively) small mobile device. Also phones are designed as a jack of all trades, master of none, itās unrealistic to expect them to meet the quality of a dedicated camera even if they can come close in certain favourable conditions.
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Just as you value audio quality, some people really value picture quality.
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Who said anything about meeting the qualities of a dedicated camera? Notice that I only compared the camera qualities between smartphones. Saying āthey will be using a proper cameraā is a strawman.
Iām confused. @Lukas was talking about āproper camerasā and you replied asking why iPhones canāt be āproper cameras.ā iPhones are among the best mobile cameras but that isnāt really a good arguments against Pixels which consistently trade blows with the iPhones camera.
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The camera qualities are comparable, but I said āpreferā to shoot on an iPhone.
Okay I get your concern because Pixels arenāt available here and I had to import it. But the Pixel 8ās Camera is unironically REALLY great. Itās one of my favorite cameras, maybe because Iām a big macro photography person, but it really shines there.