What ROM to choose for my pixel 7 pro
What ROM to choose for my pixel 7 pro
I have been convinced to switch from apple, and i am soon purchasing a pixel 7 pro. I would then like to put a custom rom on it because i would:
- like to use foss more
- like to maintain better privacy than apple offers
- would enjoy the control over the system
- not like to ever touch google chrome
There are some limitations to what i can choose though, as i need the following to work:
- google apps like sheets/docs/classroom/youtube
- banking app (usaa specifically)
- play store (could be replaced)
Additionally i would like to keep the flashy camera stuff google talks about with the camera as i use the camera a fair bit. I have also heard that androids can have different UIs, so i would appreciate a nice looking one (i use gnome on my desktop for this reason alone). What ROMs would you guys recommend i choose?
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if youve already got a pixel, then grapheneos is hard to beat.
- google services (for maps, drive, docs, etc) can be used (not installed by default tho)
- youtube can be replaced with revanced (using microG) even without google services
- google play can be replaced with aurora store (alternative frontend only)
- afaik most banking apps should work, as phone is not rooted, tho i may be wrong
except for limited hardware support (pixels only really), grapheneos is definitely the best imo
Everyone else has mentioned the aurora store as an afterthought, almost as if it wasn’t really a recommendation and more so a mention. Why might they not recommend it?
Additionally do I need a google account to use grapheneOS?
i think most people would prefer foss apps, which arent common on aurora store, becuse it only shows apps from google play. if you need a proprietry app, like banking or something, aurora store is your best bet. it is debatable where you should get an app, if it is on both aurora and fdroid, but i personally would say go with fdroid if it is on there, because you know its foss, and theres less tracking. technically, you shouldnt need a google account to use aurora store, but i have had problems with the anonymous login, so im not sure. other than that, grapheneos does not need a google account connected to anything, by default. if you want to run google apps, like drive or docs, i believe they rely on 'google play services', which can certainly be set up on grapheneos, but you will need a google account, so its best avoided imo. also: the 'droid-ify' app is a nicer frontend to 'f-droid', and they use the same main app repository. some apps, like signal, are only available through aroura/play or downloading an .apk, but one installed, i think it automatically updates itself. hope this helps
Let me just add, if you for some reason like the UI of Aurora Store, there's a FOSS equivalent called Aurora Droid, which includes on the same repositories as F-Droid and Droid-ify instead of Google Play.
On a sidenote, if you want to keep single apps up-to-date from a github repo, or even F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid etc. without installing an actual app store, use Obtainium.
ooh yeah i switched most apps to obtainium since my comment, and i much prefer it. less installation problems (like infinite loading), and better ui