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Phones you de-Google yourself · Google · United States

Google Pixel 8, 8 Pro and 8a without Google

On sale Sold to US buyers Google services GrapheneOS CalyxOS /e/OS LineageOS iodéOS

Ships with: Google Android; install a non-Google system yourself

Touchscreen · 6.2" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 4,575 mAh · 187 g · 150.5 × 70.8 × 8.9 mm

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

Where to get one and how

From Google, refurbished. As of Oct. 15, 2026 the Google Store sells a certified refurbished Pixel 8 for $389 (128 GB) or $459 (256 GB), and a refurbished Pixel 8 Pro for $549 (128 GB). Google says these are unlocked, work with any carrier and carry the same one-year warranty as new phones. The Pixel 8a is not listed. After buying, install the system you want (see the next section).

Used phones. If you buy used, avoid carrier versions: carriers can turn off bootloader unlocking, which blocks installing another system, mainly with US carriers.

With a non-Google system installed (third-party sellers, no endorsement):

- Murena lists a refurbished Pixel 8 (128 GB) with /e/OS at US$379.99 on its US store and €419,99 on its European store, as of Oct. 15, 2026. - ameriDroid, a US seller of refurbished phones, lists the Pixel 8a (128 GB) with GrapheneOS at $645 as of Oct. 15, 2026. - PrivacyPortal (UK) lists GrapheneOS phones: the Pixel 8 from £269.99, the Pixel 8a from £279.99 and the Pixel 8 Pro from £429.99, and ships to the US. Its phones are UK/EU models, and it warns that some carriers block VoLTE (calling over 4G) on imported Pixels by accepting only models sold in their own country.

GrapheneOS endorses no seller. If you buy a phone with GrapheneOS already installed, it says to check the verified boot key hash and factory reset the phone before use. [1][6][7][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

Specifications

How to de-Google it yourself

A Pixel comes with Google's Android, with Gemini and other Google AI features built in. To use one without Google, you unlock its bootloader (the lock that lets the phone start only the maker's software) and install a different system yourself. GrapheneOS's guide, for example, asks for a USB cable and a computer (or another Android phone or tablet), and notes that unlocking the bootloader wipes all data on the phone.

These systems list all three models on their own supported-device lists (checked Oct. 15, 2026):

• GrapheneOS (all three models): no Google apps built in; you can add Google Play as an ordinary app that runs in the same sandbox as other apps. Install it with the official web installer in Chrome, Edge, Brave or Chromium. More under "If you choose GrapheneOS" below.
• CalyxOS (all three models): uses microG, an open-source stand-in for Google Play services, which you can switch off when you first set up the phone. CalyxOS asks you to lock the bootloader again after installing. Install guides: Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a.
• /e/OS (all three models): comes with microG installed and set up. /e/OS marks the Pixel 8 build official (its bootloader can be locked again) and the 8 Pro and 8a builds community (it can't). Install guides: Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a.
• LineageOS (all three models): no Google apps built in. LineageOS says licensing rules keep it from including them; if you want them, you install a Google Apps package right after installing LineageOS. Install guides: Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a.
• iodéOS (all three models): Google-free Android built on LineageOS, with microG among its preinstalled apps. Install it with iodé's installer for Windows and Linux.

Buy an unlocked phone. CalyxOS says Pixels from Verizon can't install CalyxOS because Verizon prohibits bootloader unlocking, and GrapheneOS says phones sold through carriers may be locked in a way that prevents installing it, mainly with US carriers. [1][2][3][4][5][6][10][18][19][20][21][22][23]

Apps and Google

Which apps work depends on the system you install:

• On GrapheneOS, you can install Google Play services and the Play Store from the GrapheneOS App Store. They run as ordinary sandboxed apps, which GrapheneOS says works with nearly all apps that need Google Play.
• On CalyxOS, /e/OS and iodéOS, microG lets many apps that expect Google Play services run without them. CalyxOS says most apps run fine with microG; /e/OS says most apps need no Google sign-in.
• On LineageOS, there are no Google apps unless you add a Google Apps package during installation. LineageOS says push notifications need either Google Apps or microG.

Whichever you choose, some banking apps may refuse to run: GrapheneOS calls banking apps a particularly problematic group for alternative systems. Google says Google Wallet tap-to-pay may not work on phones that run a custom ROM (a system other than the factory one) or have an unlocked bootloader. More in our guide to banking apps on a de-Googled phone. [18][19][20][21][22][24][25]

Will it work in the US?

Google sold the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro on its US store from October 2023 and the Pixel 8a from May 2024. Google says its refurbished units are unlocked and work with any carrier. All three phones have a nano SIM slot and eSIM. [6][9][26]

Software support

Google promises seven years of Android and security updates for Pixel 8 and later phones, counted from when each first went on sale on the US Google Store. The Pixel 6 and 7 series and the Pixel Fold get five years, so the Pixel 8 generation is the first with seven. Google lists October 2023 as when the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro became available and May 2024 for the Pixel 8a, which puts the end at October 2030 and May 2031, the same dates GrapheneOS's FAQ gives. A system you install yourself gets updates from its own project for as long as that project builds it for your model, so check its device page. [1][8][26]

If you choose GrapheneOS

GrapheneOS lists the Pixel 8, 8 Pro and 8a as officially supported and on its recommended list, which starts with the Pixel 8 generation because of its seven years of support and hardware memory tagging. It says its updates for a Pixel typically end shortly after Google's minimum support ends, and its Oct. 6, 2026 release covers all three. In October 2026 the project said the Pixel 8a meets all its latest security requirements and has plenty of support left, and in September it called a used Pixel 8 or Pixel 8a a good budget device.

Adding a new eSIM on GrapheneOS needs Google's eSIM component, which is off by default and can be turned on in Settings. [1][18][27][28][29]

Questions people ask