Onion Information

Page Clicks: 0

First Seen: 03/12/2024

Last Indexed: 10/23/2024

Domain Index Total: 84

Table of Contents Introduction Why CalyxOS? How do I install it? What is it like to use? How do I get apps? My recommended apps Aegis for OTP AntennaPod for podcasts Bitwarden for password manager Element for community interactions Fennec for browsing Gcam for pictures and video Infinity for Reddit Monerujo for payments NewPipe for YouTube Samourai Wallet for Bitcoin payments Signal for all messaging Standard Notes for encrypted notes Tor Browser and Orbot VLC for video Magic Earth for maps and navigation Conclusion Introduction # As the next step in my journey towards reducing my digital footprint and improving my privacy, I wanted to step away from the tracking-centric and monopolized mobile operating systems (OSs) that are most commonly used by people all around the world. As Android is an open-source operating system at the core with many vendor-specific changes and additions on top, it provides a great base for a privacy-centric OS once stripped of any Google tracking services and applications. The two main contenders today are CalyxOS and GrapheneOS . Why CalyxOS? # Both options above have the same Android Open Source Project (AOSP) base and focus heavily on stripping Google services out, while GrapheneOS adds in some more technical and detailed security optimizations to the base OS to help close off advanced threat vectors. The main driver for choosing CalyxOS was the overall strength of the organization (Calyx) behind the OS and the balanced approach taken with CalyxOS - give users options but lean towards preserving good UX when it doesn’t conflict with private options. How do I install it? # Thankfully, Calyx has made the process very straightforward with a pre-built flashing tool available from their site. I simply downloaded the appropriate package for the Pixel 4a, downloaded the flashing tool for Linux at https://calyxos.org/install/ , and followed the instructions the flashing tool put in my terminal. It took all of ten minutes to flash and setup, and was very straightforward. You can see all the supported devices and downloads at https://calyxos.org/install/ as well. I’ve also written a guide that walks you through verification and installation from a Linux computer, which lays things out a bit simpler: Verifying and installing CalyxOS from Linux Be sure to also check out BitcoinQ+A’s installation guide for more details on his thoughts on CalyxOS and how to install it with step by step instructions. What is it like to use? # Using CalyxOS is very similar to using the near-stock Android found on Google Pixel devices normally, albeit with the exception of not having default Google Play services and the Google Play Store. I chose to go with the Google Pixel 4a and so far it’s extremely smooth to use, has all the core settings I would normally expect, and has provided me with excellent battery life right out of the box. One thing to note with CalyxOS - while the default is no support for Google Play Services, they do allow you to enable microG for using Google Play Services in a more private and FOSS way. I personally have chosen to run my phone without microG enabled, but it’s a perfectly valid choice and enables a much easier transition as more apps will function properly when it is enabled. How do I get apps? # The biggest difference when switching to a privacy-preserving mobile OS like CalyxOS is the distinct lack of any Google service support - including the Play Store, where all apps are normally distributed through! So how do you get all the apps you need installed? Enter F-Droid . F-Droid is an awesome repository of open-source Android apps and comes pre-installed in CalyxOS. There are a core set of repositories enabled within F-Droid, but you can add your own repositories from companies and services you love to get their app directly through F-Droid. F-Droid not only allows you to download, install, and update apps, it also performs verification on them each time to make sure some of the most serious Android attack vectors are harder to use against you. CalyxOS has taken integration with F-Droid a step further and provides a recommended list of apps at initial setup, which makes the transition much easier. I would highly recommend testing out each of the apps they recommend, and hope they will add apps like Monerujo in the future. Two other options exist as well for installing applications, though I would generally recommend avoiding them where possible: Aurora Store is an open-source Google Play Store alternate client, allowing you to (either anonymously via throwaway accounts or via your own Google account) install apps from the Play Store without Google Services installed. Reasons to use it: the ability to access the entire Google Play Store library of applications is powerful, and many applications are simply not available via F-Droid or direct APK installation Reasons to avoid it: many of the apps require Google Play Services to run correctly and are not open-source Installing APKs manually allows you to install any APKs that are published for direct download by their creator or on a site like APKMirror Reasons to use it: many applications like Signal are not available on F-Droid yet but still provide a manual APK download Reasons to avoid it: installing APKs downloaded from the internet without validation is risky and exposes you to malware and other dangerous applications. Be sure to always validate the APK comes from the official source whenever possible. My recommended apps # A big part of switching over to CalyxOS was to get off of Google services, so many of the apps I had been using before had to be replaced. Hopefully the list below will save you some time when you decide to take this privacy leap as well! Aegis for OTP # Why I like it Aegis is an open-source two-factor authentication app, similar to Google Authenticator and Authy in usage. It was very simple to setup, has native encrypted backup support, and came highly recommended to me. Where to get it https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.beemdevelopment.aegis/ AntennaPod for podcasts # Why I like it AntennaPod is a great open-source podcast app that shares a lot of its UX with Pocket Casts, but is available through F-Droid. I’ve just started using it, but so far it’s an excellent FOSS replacement for Pocket Casts! Where to get it https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.danoeh.antennapod/ Bitwarden for password manager # Why I like it An open-source, encrypted by default, and highly portable password manager is a powerful tool. I use Bitwarden across all of my devices and thoroughly enjoy the feature-set. Where to get it For Bitwarden (and some other apps on this list) you will have to install the repo provided by the creator: https://mobileapp.bitwarden.com/fdroid/ Element for community interactions # Why I like it Element is the native Matrix client available across platforms, and is something I use daily on both desktop and Android. It isn’t without its quirks but works quite well and is a great way to stay engaged with many communities in the privacy and FOSS ecosystem. Where to get it https://f-droid.org/en/packages/im.vector.app/ Fennec for browsing # Why I like it FireFox has quickly become my browser-of-choice for day-to-day browsing, even though I’m slowly working my way to using Tor Browser more and more. Fennec is a distribution with some native FireFox services and telemetry removed, and is the main version available via F-Droid. Where to get it https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.mozilla.fennec_fdroid/ Alternatives Brave Browser An alternative I am currently testing is Brave Browser , a privacy-preserving version of Google Chrome with some nice added features. The best way to install Brave is via an updater app that is present in F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.marmaro.krt.ffupdater/ Gcam for pictures and video # Why I like it Gcam is a custom built camera app focused on emulating many (if not all) of the core features of the native Google Pixel camera app for devices and OSs that are non-standard. Using Gcam gives practically the same experience and quality of shooting on the official Google Android without needing Google Play Services and without Google’s tracking and Photos integration. Where to get it Gcam is a bit tricky as there are many devs that create many different builds, all of which have some slight differences in supported devices or features. In my usage on my Pixel 4a (and in others in the CalyxOS community’s experience on the Pixel 5) the builds by Urnyx05 have been excellent and worked without issue. You can find those builds below: https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-urnyx05/ Note that if you’re on a Pixel 5/4a 5G you will need a build that is version 8.1+, so be sure to grab that. Infinity for Reddit # Why I like it Infinity is a gorgeous Reddit app with great features, and has been a much better overall experience than I ever had on iOS. Highly recommended. Where to get it https://f-droid.org/en/packages/ml.docilealligator.infinityforreddit/ Monerujo for payments # Why I like it Monerujo was the first mobile Monero wallet I ever used, and has constantly pushed the boundaries of UX and usability on mobile for Monero. It’s a great wallet with simple features to use, an awesome automatic node selection tool, and “Street Mode” for hiding balances from prying eyes. Where to get it For the latest versions directly via F-Droid, install the repo for Monerujo: https://f-droid.monerujo.io/fdroid/repo/ NewPipe for YouTube # Why I like it I consume a lot of content on YouTube, so going without that service was something I was dreading with this switch. Thankfully NewPipe is an incredible tool that allows you to browse, watch, and download YouTube videos without ads, and requires no Google log-in. It even provides native ways to create playlists, import subscriptions directly from YouTube, and keep up to date with your latest channels. Where to get it For the latest versions and quicker updates, install the NewPipe F-Droid repository here: https://newpipe.net/FAQ/tutorials/install-add-fdroid-repo/ It is also available on a slower update schedule from the standard F-Droid repositories here: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.schabi.newpipe/ Samourai Wallet for Bitcoin payments # Why I like it Samourai Wallet is a privacy-preserving Bitcoin wallet that aims to make it easier for users to mix and spend Bitcoin while not revealing their transaction history or wallet balances to the observer. Where to get it Install the Samourai repo in F-Droid: https://samouraiwallet.com/download/fdroid Signal for all messaging # Why I like it Signal is an easy-to-use end-to-end encrypted messaging app, which allows people to easily communicate without revealing data to any intermediaries. While not perfect, it’s a great first step to get people on the journey towards better online privacy, and I use it daily. Where to get it