3251 sats \ 35 comments \ @Skipper 10 Aug security

This is my current grapheneOS setup.

I have three distinct profiles on my phone, each serving a specific purpose.

𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲: This is my daily driver, free and ~opensource apps only. It has everything I need for my daily needs. For ~privacy reasons, I've excluded ~bitcoin and ~nostr related applications from this profile to maintain a low-profile and avoid leaking my online identity if someone were to snatch the phone out of my hands.

𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲: This secondary profile is designed as a decoy. I've installed a bunch of normie apps to make it more realistic, and some closed-source ones that I occasionally need. I rarely use this profile. I only switch to it when absolutely necessary, if you know what I mean.

𝗖𝘆𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲: This is where my true online identity lies, and where all the bitcoin and nostr apps reside. TOR, E2E chats, secret notes, and files are all here. I only access this profile when I'm alone and confident it's safe to do so.

All profiles have different passwords, obviously. Fingerprint disabled. And I've customized the color scheme of the menus for each one of them, so I can easily tell which profile I'm on.
While inside the Decoy Profile, you cannot see the installed apps from the other two profiles, but you can see that there are indeed two additional profiles on the device. I've taken extra steps to obscure this information by changing the profile picture on all three profiles to solid dark color that blends with the UI, and removed the profile names by using a invisible character, making them appear identical (i know it's not 100% fool proof but it's the best we can do).
All profiles have a pure black wallpaper, and the home screen has no icons, folders or widgets (except on the Decoy Profile). To access an app, I simply scroll up and open it from the default drawer, which displays all installed apps on that profile. This approach saves battery life and adds a slight bit of privacy.
Each profile has its own VPN running continuously, using different IP addresses, with killswitch turned on. All my free and open-source apps are installed via Obtainium (aka downloads straight from the source). The closed-source 'normie' apps used in the Decoy Profile are from the Aurora Store (aka downloads from Play Store without needing an account).
Every app installed has most of its permissions stripped away, leaving only the absolute minimum required. Storage and contact scopes are always used.
Microphone, camera, NFC, bluetooth and location services, always turned off, unless absolutely needed for a brief moment.
Finally, I have disabled auto-updates on all apps and the operating system itself (by disabling 'System Updater' app). I want to be in control of my device, I choose when to update. I can't risk crowdstrike-like updates, so I wait a few days before updating.

https://m.stacker.news/45028

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85 sats \ 1 reply \ @quark 10 Aug

It would be cool to have hidden profiles, not listed as available profiles, that are accessed by entering a different password, otherwise the decoy profile is used.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Skipper OP 11 Aug

That would be awesome. I wish the GrapheneOS developers would focus a bit more on privacy features.

74 sats \ 3 replies \ @Skipper OP 10 Aug

I initially shared this on Nostr, but someone kindly reminded me that I should also share it here. 🙃

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @1GLENCoop 10 Aug

What's your npub?

143 sats \ 1 reply \ @jakoyoh629 10 Aug

Note link:

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @1GLENCoop 10 Aug

Cool, thanks. I wasn't following you. I am now. I zapped that note on nostr 42 sats.

20 sats \ 2 replies \ @WeAreAllSatoshi 10 Aug

All profiles have a pure black wallpaper, and the home screen has no icons, folders or widgets (except on the Decoy Profile). To access an app, I simply scroll up and open it from the default drawer, which displays all installed apps on that profile. This approach saves battery life and adds a slight bit of privacy.

Can you elaborate on the battery life savings with this approach? Is it because of the black background only, or does not having icons, folders, and widgets also save battery? My guess is an all black screen with no other colors takes less energy to drive? Is that the idea?

101 sats \ 1 reply \ @nullcount 10 Aug

Depends on screen type. OLED screens can shut off #000000 pixels which does save some battery, but its negligible.

https://www.xda-developers.com/amoled-black-vs-gray-dark-mode/

101 sats \ 0 replies \ @Skipper OP 11 Aug

That article is comparing black versus gray. If we're discussing a pure black home screen with no icons, folders, or widgets versus a home screen with a colorful wallpaper and bright icons, folders, and widgets, the difference in battery savings is actually massive.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 10 Aug

Thanks for this post. I have meant to do something like this, but I got lazy. I know myself. It would drive me nuts logging into the different profiles. I know I'm sacrificing some security. I'm impressed that the post didn't go where I thought it might. I have seen lots of people set up a Google profile, with play store and all the google bullshit in a sandboxed way. I have still managed to avoid Google apps so far.

43 sats \ 0 replies \ @Skipper OP 11 Aug

It would drive me nuts logging into the different profiles.

In my case, I'm in the main profile about 95% of the time, so having to switch profiles once or twice a day doesn't really bother me. I'm actually pretty fast at switching, maybe 5 seconds max.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 12 Aug

What does the profile usage get you outside of someone grabbing your phone while unlocked? What if you are in one of your different more important profiles?

If it is unlocked profiles are visible correct? I use profiles for a few things but unless each is locked with different passcodes I don't see much value. Am I missing something?

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @redlight_pleb 13 Aug

Thanks for sharing friend, been delaying my graphene switch -purely because my current iPhone is more than fine…. Other than being porous with my data.

Now I’m looking for pixels! Do you have any suggestions for a particular pixel? Newest is best I presume?

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Skipper OP 13 Aug

Newest is best I presume?

Yes. Get the Pixel 8 if you can, it's much more secure than the 7.

Pixel 9 will launch in a few days, so it might be a good idea to go for it, or see if the prices of Pixel 7 / 8 drop.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @CoSatoshi 19 Aug

So Google Pixel phones will work? I was going to experiment first with an old 5a before committing to my daily driver 8a

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Satoshi__Nakamoto 11 Aug

We loved to be hidden in graphune os

0 sats \ 6 replies \ @Fabs 11 Aug

Impressive, but why? Are you being hunted?

65 sats \ 4 replies \ @Skipper OP 11 Aug

Are you being hunted?

I'm being hunted by surveillance capitalism, and big brother tyrannical socialists governments who want to tax(steal) everything from me. What about you?

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @Fabs 11 Aug

I think you're overreacting a bit, except for the part of taxation.

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @siggy47 11 Aug

Someone is looking to stir the pot😀

64 sats \ 1 reply \ @Fabs 11 Aug

Hm? Care to expand, Siggle-party-wiggle?! 🤪

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Fabs 11 Aug

SIGGY ❗

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinosphere 11 Aug

We all are.

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @79c9095526 10 Aug

Thanks for sharing your setup. Do you use VoIP services of any kind or do you use the SIM card for legacy calls/sms?

That is one area I am still trying to figure out after switching to GrapheneOS. SIM cards are continuously pinging out one's location (within a rough degree of accuracy). If I give out the phone number associated with my SIM card (that I purchase without KYC) to contacts, they save my number and it is inevitably hoovered up by google, facebook, apple, etc... and therefore the number is tied to my identity despite my purchasing it non-kyc. We have seen many examples of cell phone companies disclosing user call/sms/location data either by hacks of their databases or by their willing selling of the information.

If instead, I were to utilize a VoIP number as my primary publicly known number (the SIM card would be used solely for mobile data, no legacy calls/sms), and if I were to keep an always on VPN on the phone, my location data would be divorced from the publicly known phone number.

I believe Michael Bazzell talks about this a bit in his Mobile Privacy Guide and also Gabriel Custodiet in The Watchman Guide to Privacy book.

Would love to get your thoughts on it though. Sometimes I think its overkill to only use VoIP, but it is crazy how much the telephone providers, big tech companies, and government collect on all of us so that makes me think it may be worthwhile...

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @Skipper OP 11 Aug

I'm still using a traditional SIM card, but I plan to get rid of it soon. I hate SIM cards. I've never used VoIP services before, and I'm not really familiar with how they work, it's something I'd like to learn more about.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @ryu 12 Aug

If you have no need for an actual phone number to call or text, Silent Link is your best friend.

25 sats \ 0 replies \ @79c9095526 12 Aug

Yeah, I like silent.link (or just buying a non-kyc sim card locally). However, I do find myself needing a real phone number almost every day. My business communications typically don't happen via signal (or other encrypted comms) and my bank/cc requires sms for 2FA and does not accept VoIP numbers.

I have played with using jmp.chat (and their corresponding cheogram app) and it works well for VoIP and plays well with graphene OS (does not require google play services for notifications). Only downside for me is it gets expensive as I needs thousands of voice minutes per month and it is another always running app that eats some more battery life.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @trieska 10 Aug

I am using only work profile inside one "main profile". If I not using app from workprofile I switch off work profile, that means all apps are stope, freezed.

I am not using google services at all.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @atori 10 Aug

How often do you check if there is a new version available? And do you update via adb then?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Skipper OP 11 Aug

I use an RSS feed to stay informed about new versions that are available, and their changelogs, which allows me to decide whether it's necessary to update or wait a bit longer. Typically, I do this every few days.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @JesseJames 10 Aug

That's nice, I bet it took you a "minute" to setup everything like that. I'm making notes, that is a good example to follow. Thanks for sharing.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @Skipper OP 11 Aug

https://m.stacker.news/45132

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @knorozov 10 Aug

Can you give me a tip for an article where the use of different profiles are well explained, what problem it solves and which not?

Seems like having one profile where the other profiles are totally hidden and only accessible through some button combination, would be great.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Skipper OP 11 Aug

https://grapheneos.org/features#improved-user-profiles

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @77edb424fc 11 Aug outlawed

stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.