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Comment by Animats | Hacker News Reader

Are there good Google-free Android phones? Recommendations?

GrapheneOS has been rock solid for me for several years now. Just pick any Pixel device. As for software, there are alternatives to everything you can find on the Play Store, assuming you're not reliant on a specific Google product. GOS has robust support for sandboxed Play services that work without Google, though I personally haven't used it. Even banking apps work without an issue for me, though YMMV.

I'm considering abandoning Android altogether in favor of a proper Linux device, but GOS is what makes Android usable for me.

So the best source for Google-free phones is ... Google?

If you don't want to sacrifice security, usability, or reliability, yes.

If you object to having any business with Google or using their hardware, then no.

Until someone else makes phones that pass the strict requirements set by the GrapheneOS team, then yes.

https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices

Pick any pixel device, except pixel 10. It’s not supported and no word on when they will add support since google are no longer open sourcing the drivers for the pixel phones. Hopefully they manage to figure it out.

https://murena.com (sells e/OS on Pixel, Fairphone, SHIFTphone, and "Hiroh powered by Murena" hardware, whatever that last one is)

https://www.shift.eco (need to somehow get ShiftOS-L variant; the -G variant has Google services on board)

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