Join us 2025-10-17T21:00:00Z for This Week in Privacy #23, to catch up on the latest Privacy Guides updates and to discuss trending news in the privacy space.
During the livesteam we’ll answer viewer questions. If you have a question for us, please leave a comment in this forum thread or the YouTube chat.
Members please leave your questions for us and we will try to get them answered first during the livestream
Please be aware that by posting here your post will be displayed on the YouTube stream.
I have absolutely no idea about Android hardware and the companies making the different kinds of smartphones with whatever is the latest and greatest available.
My question is: could you run down the requirements GrapheneOS has for hardware on which they will make the OS available. Also speculate within reason for which types of hardware from which company is most likely to fit the bill for non Pixel GrapheneOS devices in the future (based on all that we know thus far).
Yes, thanks. I know. I asked still just so they can also go over that in the discussion for others watching who may not know or be aware that there are requirements to begin with.
Please remember that these threads are for our Q&A sessions and livestream meta discussion only. We will limit these threads to one post per day now, to hopefully curb some of this extra discussion.
I’m really happy that everyone here is so knowledgeable and wants to answer the community’s questions themselves as well, but those discussions are best reserved for separate Questions topics, because it does interfere with our workflow for answering all of your questions on our streams, and it is easier for people to find all of your answers in the future if non-stream discussions are on their own topics.
Thank you all for understanding!
Some of our rules here can seem strangely complex, but keeping this forum highly organized is the main reason this community is so helpful to all of our readers at large
@jordan and @KevPham please make sure to answer this question from one of our members on stream first
My question is: How do you interpret the current delay in releasing Android 16 QPR1 to AOSP, and if this becomes the new “normal”, how will this impact projects like GrapheneOS?
There are likely other security disadvantages, since they provide that only as an example. With this in mind: will you guys be buying the new phone, personally speaking?
(I personally will despite the disadvantage, as it will allow GrapheneOS to signal to the manufacturer that they’re worth the risk. Later generations will hopefully be as secure or more. But although I am buying it to support the team, I will likely not daily drive the phone over my current Pixel due to the security disadvantage. I will likely give it to a friend as a gift with GOS installed.)
Another question for those more technically knowledgeable: Compared to current Pixel phones, how will a “less hardened secure element” look like? What does that entail, for those who do not know much about technology?
Android OEMs have a reputation for not taking security/privacy as seriously as they could, but maybe that’s selling them short a bit? I am surprised that there have been at least two OEMs (including the one that fell through) expressing interest in meeting the GrapheneOS requirements for support. There seems to be a bit of buy in at management level.
Supporting a device that is available in more territories (as an example apparently Motorola have decent market penetration in South America) might give GrapheneOS the contribution/user donations/developer boost to balance out the problem of having to support more devices with a fairly small team. At the end of the day, if successful it also means a more secure phone for people even who don’t end up using GrapheneOS.
