Episode 273 - Degoogling your phone step by step
Added 2025-03-19 19:16:51 +0000 UTCThis is an accompanying episode to my Degoogling video. It's best to watch this after you've watched the video first. I go through the complex setup of avoiding the Google Play Store while still getting your apps in a secure way. In this episode, I'll show how you can leverage Accrescent, Obtanium and Aurora to acquire apps.
Comments
If you are not buying from a shady source, getting a used Pixel is fine. Always run the attestation app/service on GrapheneOS to be sure.
The Hated One
2025-03-25 21:35:57 +0000 UTCTHO, do you have anything against buying used phones? I've noticed you always recommend buying a Pixel phone new rather than used. Giving money to Google I think for most isn't ideal.
calciume
2025-03-25 19:37:18 +0000 UTCI suggest reporting Issue to github etc. to distribute apk through Accrescent. This is the best way because it directly reaches developers.
dmc
2025-03-25 18:06:11 +0000 UTCYes, it is a confusing term. I have been through a few installations and I never encountered that problem. I usually filter for carrier unlocked as OEM unlocking is pretty much never mentioned anywhere. Maybe the last resort is to get a Pixel with GrapheneOS preinstalled.
The Hated One
2025-03-25 16:32:06 +0000 UTCI looked at them on Amazon, but it was entirely unclear whether they were OEM unlocked. People understandably get confused by the term unlocked given that it usually refers to having no carrier contract. Your advice about the German companies sounds promising. I will check them out. Thanks for the advice!
Marko
2025-03-25 07:13:49 +0000 UTCAbsolutely! This is excellent advice. I don't normally make shorts but this should be done.
The Hated One
2025-03-24 16:18:41 +0000 UTCTry if you can get a phone from proxysto.re, it's based in Germany, but they might be able to buy a Pixel for you. Also Nitrokey (also Germany) sells Pixels with GrapheneOS preinstalled. It's more expensive, but it's an option. Have you tried getting a Pixel from UK Amazon?
The Hated One
2025-03-24 16:18:18 +0000 UTCThanks calciume, I appreciate your advice.
Marko
2025-03-23 07:28:02 +0000 UTCId consider buying a used Pixel phone and double checking with the seller that OEM unlocking is not grayed out before buying. That is probably your best bet. Edit: Also, when buying used make sure you ensure that the phone has not been tampered with with the "Auditor" app you can find on GOS.
calciume
2025-03-22 20:02:59 +0000 UTCIn the UK, getting a pixel device with OEM unlocking option seems almost impossible. I've heard of a lot of people that have purchased Google Pixel phones where the OEM unlocking is greyed out and unusable, even on some of the phones that are purchased directly from Google. Also, buying a Pixel phone directly from Google is an expensive enterprise. It seems that buying one of these devices is pot luck. If you pay a fortune for one and the bootloader isn't accessible, you can't return the phone and will have to keep it. Considering that the point of buying the phone in the first place is to use Graphene OS on it, the device becomes nothing more than an expensive brick. This is unfortunate.
Marko
2025-03-22 17:28:45 +0000 UTCWhen it comes to Accrescent, maybe you could do a YouTube Short, or something similar, where you give an overview of an app available through Accrescent which you feel is good to have, and might not be available on other platforms, or is a better version of other apps of the same type on other platforms.
Ronyo
2025-03-19 19:55:14 +0000 UTC
