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ZDNET's key takeaways
- In 2027, a major phone OEM will ship phones with a new open-source OS.
- Security and privacy are the big selling points of Motorola's GrapheneOS phones.
- Some users are concerned about Motorola's Chinese ownership.
Some people dislike Android and iOS because the platforms are controlled by major companies and lack privacy. For those folks, alternative operating systems — such as e/OS, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) LibrePhone, and the GrapheneOS Foundation‘s GrapheneOS — are attractive options. There's just one problem. No major smartphone vendor sells handsets with these OSes preinstalled — until now.
At Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Motorola (a Lenovo company) announced a partnership with the GrapheneOS Foundation to deliver GrapheneOS, a privacy-focused Android fork, on future Motorola smartphones starting in 2027.
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Founded in 2014 as a non-profit, GrapheneOS builds on Android Open Source Project (AOSP), an open-source mobile operating system that includes privacy enhancements such as fortified app sandboxes and toggles for network or sensor access.
GrapheneOS uses a mix of permissive open‑source licenses, with the MIT license as the primary one for its own code. Changes to existing AOSP code remain under their original Apache 2.0 (or other upstream) licenses, while the Linux kernel portions remain GPLv2.
GrapheneOS runs most Google Play apps
The operating system includes other open-source programs, like the security-hardened Vanadium browser. To add more programs, you can use the GrapheneOS App Store. It also supports other popular non-Google-affiliated software stores such as F-Droid and Obtainium.
Also: World's first truly free software phone? That's the FSF's new ‘long game'
You can, however, use most, but not all, Google Play applications. On GrapheneOS, you install these programs via the GrapheneOS App Store, rather than Google Play.
Once installed, these programs run in a sandbox for better security and privacy.
Until the first fruits of this new partnership in 2027, the only way you can use GrapheneOS is to install it on a Google Pixel phone. There are a handful of third-party sellers offering Pixels with GrapheneOS, but the Foundation doesn't recommend any of them. Instead, its developers strongly suggest you buy a late-model Pixel phone and install it yourself. It claim its “web installer is easy to use.”
If you'd rather wait for a new, official GrapheneOS phone, Motorola and GrapheneOS will co-develop hardware that meets strict standards, such as memory tagging and multi-year updates. It will be available on Motorola's flagship phones, such as the Motorola Signature, Razr Fold, and Razr Ultra lines.
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Motorola will not be replacing Android with GrapheneOS. The company describes the GrapheneOS partnership as an “added new era of smartphone security,” not a platform switch.
China security concerns
Most of today's approximately 250,000 GrapheneOS users want stronger security and privacy than stock Android provides. That said, others worry about how secure GrapheneOS can be since Motorola's parent company, Lenovo, is a Chinese business.
Others, however, are enthusiastic about the deal. One YComb contributor wrote, “The market is beyond ripe for a good shake-up. Going full open source and pushing updates & openness, user control and freedom, [Motorola] will gobble up a good chunk of market share.“
Will it? We'll soon see. I think this partnership has the potential to be a big deal. While the vast majority of people are happy with their Android phones and iPhones, there's always been a small, but vocal, minority wanting a viable, independent, and open-source smartphone. The Motorola/GrapheneOS phones will be the first such major release ever. I'm looking forward to getting the first one in hand by this time next year.
