Notes on installing GrapheneOS on a Pixel 8 Pro - some bugs & oddities

These are notes to myself - and anyone else who finds them useful.

Before starting, I booted the Google OS to install the latest firmware and an eSIM. After a few days of enduring Google's naggy software, I was ready to commit to installing something better.

I tried using the Web Installer. It managed to flash some of the partitions and then failed with:

Failed to execute 'claimInterface' on 'USBDevice'

So I used the CLI instructions which were comprehensive. Worth re-reading them a few times to make sure you understand what needs doing. I (foolishly) assumed my fastboot didn't need updating. Tsk!

And then... it just worked!

Well, almost. The device saw the previously installed eSIM, but wouldn't connect to its network. I manually removed it, reloaded it. Still nothing. So I manually chose the network and that seemed to fix it. No idea if that's a problem with the network, the eSIM, or something else.

Bugs

As soon as I booted, my network provider sent me a text. I opened up the default messaging app and saw this error:

This is a known problem but it makes for a crappy user-experience. There's no way to update the app in Graphene - you need to manually install your preferred SMS app.

In similar UX fails, I tried to add the clock widget to my home screen. This is what I saw.

If you peer carefully, you'll see an analogue and digital clock. I hadn't switched to dark mode or anything like that - this is the default experience.

I wanted to see how long I could go before installing Google Play Services. The answer was... five minutes. I tried to log in to my password manager using a WebAuthN token and it wouldn't work. The default Vanadium browser can't handle them. Again, this is a known problem - but it does slightly undermine the attraction of Graphene. I'm privacy conscious and want as little Google in my life as possible. I'm security conscious and want to use MFA everywhere. Pick one.

Partway through the day, I got this internal error:

I was happily browsing the web with no connectivity issues. So I'm not sure what caused that.

It's annoying that Graphene doesn't support LineageOS's bottom-button changes. I have a decade of muscle-memory saying back is on the right. There's no way to change it, so I've swapped to gesture navigation.

The icon size on the stock launcher are far too small. On a massive screen like the 8 Pro they are tiny. So I've installed NeoLauncher which is a lot more customisable.

The only other (non-essential) thing missing is the ability to use Cast to screen share a device. There's a button in the UI, but it does nothing.

Setting up a work-profile required a little bit of a work-around, but seems to have worked. Hurrah for forum threads detailing the various tricks you need.

A software update allowed DisplayPort via USB-C. I plugged the 8 Pro into my USB-C hub, it detected the ethernet, keyboard, mouse, and display - graphics came through fine. Although there's no way to rotate an external screen - so you're stuck with landscape orientation. My HDMI adapters showed as detected via a little icon - but no video came out.

The Graphene camera's interface isn't as good as GCam and it is missing a bunch of options. Installing the stock Pixel camera worked - and there are lots of hacky derivatives.

Other than that, it has been pretty good so far. My banking apps work, call recording works, 5G and Bluetooth works, eSIM and regular SIM works. There have been a few odd things where apps have complained that they can't work and then suddenly sprang to life - but that might just be Android.

The only big thing Graphene is missing is Google Pay / Wallet. It is so convenient using tap to pay - but getting rid of the rest of the incessant Google bloat is worth the sacrifice.

Overall, I'm happy with the decision to nuke the original Google software. I know they say they'll support the device for 7 years - but I literally have no reason to trust them. Maybe I'm being naïve trusting a group of random hackers to produce a more secure OS - but I'd rather that than further entanglement with an organisation which has repeatedly shown contempt for its customers and users.