General
Graphene OS is a privacy and security-focused mobile operating system based on Android. Installing it is straightforward, everything is described in the Graphene Installer. A big choice in the setup is if you want to install Google Play Services on your main account. Most apps use Google Play Services for push notifications. Also, some banking apps need googgle play services for device security checks. For tech-interested people, I recommend not installing Google Play Services on your Owner user account. Instead, you can create a separate user account for apps that require Google Play Services like banking apps. For most apps you can find alternative ways to get push notifications.
Standard Apps
The default apps in Graphene OS are quite minimalistic. Here are some open source recommended replacements:
- Fossify: Calendar, Contacts, File Manager, Gallery, Messages, Keyboard, Clock, Notes
- Thunderbird or FairMail
- Tasks
- DAVx⁵: CalDAV/CardDAV/WebDAV sync
- ICSx⁴: Webcal sync
- CoMaps: OpenStreetMap client
Push Notifications
Graphene OS does not come with Google Play Services per default, which means that push notifications do not work out of the box. On normal Android all apps use Google Firebase for push notifications. An alternative is Unified Push. To use Unified Push, you need to install a Unified Push compatible notification service. I recommend Sunup.
Signal Push Notifications
The standard Signal app does not support Unified Push. You can use Molly, which is a fork of Signal that supports Unified Push. To enable Unified Push in Molly, go to Settings -> Notifications -> Delivery service and select Unified Push. Then configure Unified Push to use Sunup as the distributor app. As a MollySocket Server you can use molly.nyxnord.de. Note that I give no uptime guarantees for this server.
Good apps using unified push
Getting Apps
Most apps can be found on F-Droid, which is an open source app store. For apps that are only available on Google Play Store, you can use Aurora Store, which is a Google Play Store client that does not require a Google account. Obtanium is a helper app that can help you to download APKs from various sources and also keeps them up to date.
Support for Garmin watches
On Android, the garmin connect app is not really needed. A better and more private alternative is Gadgetbridge. It supports most Garmin watches and can sync and display all data via Bluetooth. If you also install Breezy Weather, it will send weather data to your watch without Garmin Connect.
Find my device
I recently almost lost my phone, which got me wondering about replacing Apples find my network with an open source alternative. I found FMD-Foss, which is an open source find my device network. With it, you can keep track of your phones location or remotely wipe it. It can be self-hosted, there is an official server, or you can use my server: fmd.nyxnord.de. For sign up use the token "jZ1rY54RDPkeynMAkhYg". Note that I give no uptime guarantees for this server.
Private DNS
I recommend enabling Private DNS in system settings. The toggle can be found under Settings -> Network & Internet -> Private DNS. You can use any DNS provider that supports DNS over TLS. A list can be found under DNS Providers. Also, my public server dns.nyxnord.de supports DNS over TLS and can be used as private DNS.