Remember the last time I made a video on Android? It was over a year ago (and on Airguard)! Now that changes. I have right here a Google Pixel 7 Pro, which I pawned off a relative. I mean, if it were me, I would have waited for the Pixel 8! But this is something I’ve been excited for: an Android operating system that truly puts your rights first and foremost. This has now become my daily driver phone and I have never been more exicted for a Phone since my LG VX-5400! Buckle up guys, Android ROM flashing time!

What is GrapheneOS?

GrapheneOS is a custom Android ROM, but what does that actually mean? Android ROMs are the same as when you choose to run operating systems on your computer. Few Android phones grant you the ability to install custom operating systems and many manufacturers refuse to provide you such a freedom or will hamper your efforts to run custom Android ROMs.

But why would someone choose to do this? It really comes down to control or functionality. Since many manufacturers maker it difficult, they are effectively taking away your freedom to do or run exactly what you want on your device. It’s important because compared to Apple for example, at least you are given the choice (on certain phones) to do what you want.

That being said, there are risks and I can’t go without mentioning them. In the past, installing a custom Android ROM could result in bricking your phone, but times have changed. As long as you choose to run a reputable Android ROM, the chances of you bricking your phone are telegraphed to you. As long as you play it safe and stick to big name ROMs, it’s hard to mess up.

Custom ROM Insecurity

While I am all about encouraging software freedom and running what you want on you device, I want to warn you against rooting your device. Rooting usually gives you as the end user the same ability to run dangerous command that could your damage your system. “But Trafotin, I made it this far and I haven’t gotten in trouble yet!” Rooting your phone has dangerous consequences especially if you are downloading files outside of the Google Play Store. Sure you can do you get your whiz-bang battery enhancing apps, but newer innovations prove using an unrooted device is great. You can install an Android ROM and not be constantly using your phone with administrative privileges. It’s a bad practice for computers and it’s just as much a bad practice for phones.

The GrapheneOS Solution

This is why I am firm proponent of GrapheneOS. GrapheneOS is a custom Android ROM, designed to not compromise on user security while still respecting your rights. It’s the most robust custom Android ROM, but that polish comes at a cost. GrapheneOS can only be installed on Google devices. Google makes the best smart phones when it comes to keeping your phone up to date and not flooding your phone with crapware that other Android manufacturers throw in. Inevitably, people will fear Google kills off their phone line, but I am doubtful that this will happen. The state of manufacturers providing timely security updates on Android is so bad Google is willing to go into debt and force their OEMs to do the same. Sure Google is one of the Big Tech companies, but they recognize they are responsible for the biggest phone operating system in the world.

And I know the irony of using a Google phone to get more privacy, but Google’s phones are legitimately the easiest phones to install custom Android ROMs on and they have been for years. The entry level devices, like the Pixel 7a and the Pixel Tablet are less than $500 and pretty affordable.

Installing GrapheneOS

So you’re sold on using a custom Android ROM and you have a nice fresh Google phone. I’m doing this with a Pixel 7 Pro, but all of Google’s newest product line is compatible with GrapheneOS. I normally recommend buying a phone on sale, but I got a $200 discount for 4 years of updates and I wanted a model with an actually decent camera because anyone who has seen videos filmed with my iPad are atrocious. But how do we install GrapheneOS?

The following entails a guide on how to install GrapheneOS. The project has been in some drama because their former head developer didn’t like publishing guides, even if you supply the same or more depth instructions than on their website.

Prerequisites

I’m not going to get into detail, but the first step is to

  • a Google device that is carrier unlocked
  • use a computer from one of their supported operating systems to reduce as much error as possible. This can be a computer or even another Android phone.
  • use a Chromium-based browser from the list
  • connect your Google device with a USB cable and trust the device you plug it into

If you do the computer method, you need to make sure to have the Android SDK tools. I used a spare computer with Ubuntu and Brave and the instructions are pretty reliable with Linux and Windows, but pretty vague overall. If I had criticize the installation process, there could be a little pulldown menu with some extras instructions.

OEM Unlocking

But that’s the hard part, let’s do something more fun–OEM unlocking. This is one of the coveted features of Android phones that allow custom ROMs. But how do we configure this?

  • Go to Settings→About→Build number then smash that button until you become a developer.
  • Go to Settings→System→Developer options→OEM unlocking enabled.

You might also need to connect to Wi-Fi at least once.

Rebooting

After you enabled OEM unlocking, you need to turn off the Google device. In my case, it’s the sleep button and the volume up button at the same time. This took me more attempts than I would like to admit.

When you turn on the device, then hold the volume down button while the phone turns on and you get a spooky tiny text menu. This means we are in business for the hardest step of all…

Doing the Deed

  • Go to your nice Chrome browser and click the button to identify your Google device and unlock the bootloader.
  • Click the button to download the corresponding release for your device.
  • Click the button to wipe Google off your device. Do not touch your device or unplug it while it is working. It will reboot multiple times and you know when you succeed when the Google logo shows up, only for the GrapheneOS logo to jumpcut in front of it just like having in movies.

You still see a hash appear as your phone boots up and compare this with the hash on GrapheneOS’s website. This ensures you’re running an official GrapheneOS image.