I have been convinced to switch from apple, and i am soon purchasing a pixel 7 pro. I would then like to put a custom rom on it because i would:
- like to use foss more
- like to maintain better privacy than apple offers
- would enjoy the control over the system
- not like to ever touch google chrome
There are some limitations to what i can choose though, as i need the following to work:
- google apps like sheets/docs/classroom/youtube
- banking app (usaa specifically)
- play store (could be replaced)
Additionally i would like to keep the flashy camera stuff google talks about with the camera as i use the camera a fair bit. I have also heard that androids can have different UIs, so i would appreciate a nice looking one (i use gnome on my desktop for this reason alone). What ROMs would you guys recommend i choose?
lineages is focused more on customisability and features
grapheneos is focused on security and privacy
many features implemented in grapheneos has been upstreamed in aosp(base) android
Will it receive updates after reflashing the stock ROM? Or is there another way? Through updating GrapheneOS?
I don’t understand, can you clarify?
Oh, I think I misunderstood your comment. I thought what you said was that after installing GrapheneOS, you wouldn’t receive firmware updates from Google. What you actually said was, correct me if I’m wrong, that GrapheneOS will only be able to release updates for a device as long as Google itself does so, because they’re based on Google’s updates, right? Does this mean that other custom ROMS that are based on a different approach will be able to keep releasing updates for a device after Google stops at “EoL” after 7 years?
yes, there are hardware security fixes and os security fixes
google only releases updates for 3-5 years, so grapheneos also supports that device for the same period
but others like lineageos just keep porting the os to older devices which no longer receive hardware security fixes as they also focus on device longevity
Guaranteed 3 years of OS updates while 5 years of security updates for most Pixel phones. The recently released Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are exceptions with 7 years of each. Source: Google
I like Lineages take of bringing new life to “old” yet still great devices too!