I Tried the Criminal’s Phone of Choice for a Month

Linus swaps out his usual Android for GrapheneOS—a stripped-down, open-source fork designed to crush corporate spyware and keep your data locked down. Over four weeks he pokes through the sandboxed app stores, wrestles with missing “auto” features, and marvels at the speed boost from ditching bloatware, all while wondering if this level of lockdown is a bug or a feature.

Between testing maps, messaging, and his daily workflow, he uncovers a few rough edges (and repetitive permission prompts) but ultimately proves that a radically private phone can be surprisingly practical—if you’re willing to give up some comfort for serious peace of mind.

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