Physical changes are also welcome, so things like skins, cases, screen protections etc… are fine to discuss.
For me, in this order:
- Wi-Fi calling: it was very surprising that this was not on by default, and enabling it helped a bit with the battery life on my Pixel 7a;
- Try custom launchers: I was happy with the phone but the very first annoying thing is the damn Google search bar and how there was no way to just hide it like any other widget. So I ended up installing KISS Launcher (it’s FOSS and still maintained);
- Bite the bullet and install GrapheneOS: you get more security, sandboxed Play Services, a more fine-grained permissions system and you can still install the default Pixel apps from the Play Store while cutting off their internet access, and most importantly you get rid of the Google bar (also enabled Wi-Fi calling as previously done).
GrapheneOS is essential before connecting a pixel phone to the internet.
I was tempted to install GrapheneOS, then I noticed a chance that banking apps may not work due to some check will fail.
There’s a semi-official compatibility list for banking apps: https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos/
This thread is a year old why are you here?
Grapheneos is the whole reason I bought a pixel.
In the developer settings I set all the animations to twice as fast (half as long) so they feel snappier.
Do all gestures work, when you use 3rd party launcher? Got P9 PRO XL and so far I’m on the default launcher. Came from Xiaomi 12, where if you switched launcher, gestures stopped working.
Comment on WiFi calling: I had this on for a while, but found that it was way less consistent than cell towers. Calls wouldn’t drop, but they would cut out for a second or two, and I would miss stuff in the conversation. So I actually turned this off unless I need it. You seem to like it for battery life - does it make that much of a difference?
My must-have things are more generic Android than Pixel-specific, but: Revanced apps for YouTube and YouTube music, a better file manager, Firefox, and Gallery (also by Google, but for some reason they want me to use Google Photos, which isn’t great IMO). Plus F-Droid to find some good FOSS.
Disabling Wi-Fi calling is very important to me. My call quality is much better going through the tower in my area. The tower’s extremely reliable whereas Wi-Fi might or might not have the bandwidth available to handle a call.
In my mind, a much better algorithm is needed to determine which connection is best for a call in real time.
I very much like CalyxOS, it’s fast and polished, using microG (an open source clone of Google play services) so all your apps work, but your battery lasts longer since everything ribs locally if you like.
Anything in particular that works better with CalyxOS + microG than with GrapheneOS + sandboxed Play Services?
There’s a lot but not total function parity. Android auto is one I wish worked, but I have a motorcycle, so don’t really care.
You’ve just gotta hope the sandboxing is effective. I’d rather just have something open source fool the apps into thinking it’s Google, vs having a low-level malware written by very smart Google engineers, constantly checking the perimeter of the sandbox for an open door…
If you use sandboxed Google services for notifications, you need to allow full network permissions to Google services. Kind of defeats the purpose.
That’s why I don’t run Google services on my phone. CalyxOS instead uses microG, an open source replicator of Google play services. Since it isn’t signed with Google’s private keys, some things (particularly Google pay) don’t work, but idgaf.
Use Insular to create distinct personal and work environments.
Install Silence from f-droid to screen phone calls, and completely stop spam calls in their tracks.
Silence seems cool but it looks like it hasn’t gotten an update since August 2019?
You customize the OS and then install a custom OS?
I install LineageOS first thing because I can skip Gapps altogether, then I install DDG browser and enable App Tracking Protection (or Untracker might work better for you, use case dependent)
The I install Droidify and Obtanium for my apps, activate airplane mode and then toggle WiFi on.
Very curious, why LineageOS on a Pixel phone?
You customize the OS and then install a custom OS?
I admit it was definitely an awkward way of writing it 🙃, but those are simply the things I tried in chronological order as I was not really familiar with GrapheneOS in the beginning.
I’ve been using it since it was Cyanogen on my Nexus S, and stuck with it. I’ve tried many others, but almost a decade ago. LOS just stuck, as I liked the privacy features, flexibility and stability
