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GrapheneOS

Most Android apps Optional Google Play (sandboxed) Active

Checked against the makers' own pages · Last reviewed October 15, 2026

What GrapheneOS is and who makes it

GrapheneOS describes itself as "a privacy and security focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility developed as a non-profit open source project." It was founded in 2014 and was formerly known as CopperheadOS. It is built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the free part of Android that Google publishes without its own apps.

The project says it "will never include either Google Play services or another implementation of Google services like microG." (microG is a free replacement for Google's services that some other systems use.) Instead, you can add the real Google Play apps yourself as normal, sandboxed apps; see below.

GrapheneOS is funded by donations, according to its FAQ. It also makes its own apps: the Vanadium browser, a PDF viewer, the Auditor app for checking a phone's integrity, and a camera app. [1][2]

Supported phones

As of Oct. 15, 2026, the GrapheneOS FAQ lists official support for these Google Pixels: Pixel 10a, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10, Pixel 9a, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9, Pixel 8a, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, Pixel 7a, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 6.

The project "strongly" recommends buying only the Pixel 8 or newer (Pixel 8, 8 Pro, 8a, all Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 models), because those have a seven-year minimum support guarantee from launch and hardware memory tagging, a chip feature it uses to block common kinds of attacks.

Support lasts as long as Google ships updates for the phone. The FAQ table gives these end dates for Google's minimum support:

Our phone pages: Pixel 10, Pixel 10a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9a, Pixel 8 and the upcoming Motorola Signature 27. [2]

Pixel 11: not supported yet

Google's Pixel 11 phones went on sale in August 2026, but they are not on the GrapheneOS supported list as of Oct. 15, 2026. On Sept. 29, 2026 the project wrote that Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 "added firmware support for MTE" (memory tagging), that Android 17 QPR2 is due in December, and that its "priority is working on completing support for the upcoming Motorola flagship, but we can circle back and finish Pixel 11 support if they ship working MTE support." [2][5][9]

The Motorola partnership

On March 2, 2026, Motorola announced a long-term partnership with the GrapheneOS Foundation to "collaborate on future devices engineered with GrapheneOS compatibility." GrapheneOS said it is "collaborating on future devices meeting our privacy and security standards with official GrapheneOS support."

GrapheneOS says current Motorola phones are not supported: the 2026 Motorola Signature, Razr Fold and Razr Ultra "lack MTE, adequate secure element integration and other features being added for 2027." On Sept. 22, 2026, asked whether the new Motorola Signature 27 is the phone that will support GrapheneOS, the project replied: "Yes, that will be the initial supported phone." It has said support will come "at some point in 2027 for the initial flagship, hopefully in the first half of the year," and that devices sold with GrapheneOS installed "are planned but the details of that still need to be worked out." See our Motorola Signature 27 page. [3][6][10][11][12][13]

How it compares to stock Android

"Stock Android" here means the Google software a Pixel ships with. On GrapheneOS, according to the project's usage guide and FAQ:

- Play Store apps: Google Play is not built in. If you install it from the GrapheneOS App Store, it runs as a normal sandboxed app. The project says sandboxed Google Play "provides near complete compatibility with the app ecosystem depending on Google Play," including in-app purchases and license checks. Only "a small subset of privileged functionality" is unavailable. - Google sign-in: optional. You need a Google account to install apps from the Play Store or to use apps that log in with Google. - Push notifications: many apps get background notifications through Google's Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). With sandboxed Google Play installed (and given a battery optimization exception), this works. Without it, apps that rely on FCM may only notify you while open, though apps like Signal and FairEmail keep their own connection. - Banking apps: the weak spot. Many banking apps check whether the phone runs a Google-certified system. GrapheneOS "passes the basicIntegrity check but isn't certified by Google so it fails the ctsProfileMatch check," and it doesn't try to fake these checks. Some banking apps work, others refuse. The project points to a community list kept by PrivSec.dev, without guaranteeing it. - Google Wallet tap-to-pay: Google's own help page says Google Wallet may not work in stores on phones that run a custom ROM or have modified factory software, and says to reinstall the original operating system to make contactless payments. - Android Auto: supported. You install it from the GrapheneOS App Store, and you grant its extra permissions with dedicated toggles. - Location: by default, apps that ask Google Play for location are rerouted to the phone's own location service, so Google's network location isn't used unless you turn it back on. - Camera: GrapheneOS says Pixel Camera works on GrapheneOS with the same features as on the stock OS, even without sandboxed Google Play. - eSIM: existing eSIMs work. Adding or managing eSIMs needs a Google component that is off until you enable it in Settings.

What you gain, per the project: extra permission toggles (Network and Sensors), Storage Scopes and Contact Scopes (give an app only the files or contacts you pick), a USB-C port setting that blocks new USB connections, an auto-reboot timer, and a duress PIN that wipes the phone. [2][4][14][15][16]

Installing it yourself vs. buying it preinstalled

GrapheneOS has two official install methods: a WebUSB web installer that runs in a browser and is "recommended for most users," and a command-line guide for technical users. The web installer needs a computer (Windows 10/11, macOS, many Linux versions, ChromeOS, or another Android phone) with at least 2GB of free memory and 32GB of free storage, a USB cable, and a supported browser such as Chrome, Edge, Chromium or Brave.

Avoid carrier versions of Pixels. The installer page warns that carrier variants have bootloader unlocking turned off; the FAQ says this "is primarily an issue with US carriers." The bootloader is the program that starts the phone's operating system; it must be unlocked to install GrapheneOS and is locked again afterward.

Several companies sell Pixels with GrapheneOS already installed. The project says it is "not affiliated with or endorse any company selling devices with GrapheneOS," and its "official recommendation is to buy a supported device and install GrapheneOS yourself." If you buy one anyway, it says to check the verified boot key hash and factory reset the phone before use. Our guide How to buy a GrapheneOS phone lists options. [2][7]

Project status

GrapheneOS is actively maintained. Its releases page lists eight tagged releases between Sept. 5 and Oct. 6, 2026. The Oct. 6 release, 2026100600, brought the "full 2026-10-05 security patch level" and October 2026 Pixel firmware, and the project has moved to Android 17. [8]

Phones in our database that run GrapheneOS

Phone	Type	Price	Status	US	Carriers	Google apps	OS
Motorola Signature 27Motorola (Lenovo) · United States6.8" · 12 GB RAM · 256 GB · 7,000 mAh	Phones you de-Google yourself	Not announced (Oct. 15, 2026)	Announced	Yes	Bands not published	Yes	Motorola Android (GrapheneOS planned)
Google Pixel 10 seriesGoogle · United States6.3" · 12 GB RAM · 128 GB · 4,970 mAh · 204 g	Phones you de-Google yourself	From $799 (Pixel 10, Google Store, Oct. 15, 2026)	On sale	Yes	VerizonAT&TT-Mobile	Yes	Google Android; install a non-Google system yourselfAlso runs: GrapheneOS, LineageOS
Google Pixel 10aGoogle · United States6.3" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 5,100 mAh · 183 g	Phones you de-Google yourself	$599 (128 GB, Google Store, Oct. 15, 2026)	On sale	Yes	VerizonAT&TT-Mobile	Yes	Google Android; install a non-Google system yourselfAlso runs: GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, LineageOS
Google Pixel 8 seriesGoogle · United States6.2" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 4,575 mAh · 187 g	Phones you de-Google yourself	Refurbished Pixel 8 from $389 (Google Store, Oct. 15, 2026)	On sale	Yes	VerizonAT&TT-Mobile	Yes	Google Android; install a non-Google system yourselfAlso runs: GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, /e/OS, LineageOS, iodéOS
Google Pixel 9 seriesGoogle · United States6.3" · 12 GB RAM · 128 GB · 4,700 mAh · 198 g	Phones you de-Google yourself	Refurbished with GrapheneOS from $845 (Pixel 9, third-party seller ameriDroid, Oct. 15, 2026)	Discontinued	Yes	Verizon bandsAT&T bandsT-Mobile bands	Yes	Google Android; install a non-Google system yourselfAlso runs: GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, /e/OS, LineageOS, iodéOS
Google Pixel 9aGoogle · United States6.3" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 5,100 mAh · 185.9 g	Phones you de-Google yourself	$499 list at the Google Store (out of stock, Oct. 15, 2026)	Out of stock	Yes	VerizonAT&TT-Mobile	Yes	Google Android; install a non-Google system yourselfAlso runs: GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, /e/OS, LineageOS, iodéOS

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