Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
My colleague Calvin recently wrote about it why he ditched Google and installed the privacy-focused GrapheneOS on his Pixel 6. He explained how the latter is not only feature-packed but also allows users to protect themselves from Google’s data-gathering clutches. Calvin found GrapheneOS, which can only be installed on select Pixel phones, to be a very secure Android experience without sacrificing usability.
So we put our polling tool to work and early our readers if they would consider leaving the Google experience behind and moving to GrapheneOS on their Pixel devices. Here’s how people voted in our site-wide survey and what they had to say.
Would you consider switching to GrapheneOS?
Results
Our polls show that 45% of the 14,691 users who participated in the survey are considering getting GrapheneOS on their Pixels. Surprisingly, only 24% of voters said they were happy with Google’s default experience.
Meanwhile, 22% of respondents said they would have considered leaving Google for GrapheneOS if the latter had passed SafetyNet compatibility checks. Because it can’t do this, it doesn’t support NFC payments and a small number of third-party apps.
Those who have already switched to GrapheneOS make up 8.08% of our survey participants.
Your reactions
Mark K .: I wouldn’t use it unless Android Auto worked with it.
Michael: Replacing the stock was the first thing I did when I bought the Pixel. Since I degoogled my previous phones years ago (mainly used LineageOS without Google), the option to use GrapheneOS was no brainer for me. Functions perfectly!
fearless ferret: I have a Pixel 4 as a work phone, so if it is supported then I will strongly consider it now that the official patches are no longer coming.
Michael Sheep: No, I’m not happy with Google’s experience and I don’t really trust them with my privacy, but I’m afraid to switch to third-party firmware.
already: I’m definitely not giving up on my Google NFC payment, I like tapping my phone to pay.
Matthias: Why on earth would I buy a Pixel phone and then remove all the features it offers, which is why I bought the phone?