Build your own
privacy phone.
A truly private phone costs nothing more than the phone itself. GrapheneOS is free, and installing it yourself is genuinely easy — about twenty minutes in a browser, no technical skills needed. We'll walk you through every step.
What is a privacy phone?
A normal phone that
answers to you — not Google
A privacy phone isn't a special gadget — it's an ordinary phone running an operating system that doesn't report back to anyone. Every standard phone constantly shares your location, contacts, habits and app activity with its maker. A privacy phone simply doesn't.
The best way to get one is GrapheneOS — a free, open-source system built on Android with all of Google's tracking and telemetry stripped out. No analytics, no advertising IDs, no background data collection. It runs on Google Pixel phones, chosen for their industry-leading hardware security.
And you don't give up your apps — including Google Play — which can run inside a secure sandbox that keeps them away from the rest of your device. Compatibility without compromise.
Why GrapheneOS
Privacy & security by design
GrapheneOS provides substantial improvements over stock Android in both security and privacy.
01
Nothing phones home
No telemetry, no analytics, no advertising ID. By default, not a single byte about you leaves the device — a claim no stock phone can make.
02
Hardened against attack
Verified boot, a hardened memory allocator and exploit mitigations that make the attacks used against normal Androids far harder to pull off.
03
Your apps still work
Google Play runs inside a sandbox as an ordinary, unprivileged app — most things just work, but Google no longer owns the phone.
04
Permissions with teeth
Network and sensor toggles per app, storage scopes, and contact scopes — an app that demands your contacts can be handed an empty list.
05
Physical-access defences
Auto-reboot locks data at rest, USB ports shut down when locked, and a duress PIN can wipe the phone if you're ever forced to unlock it.
06
Open source, no trust required
Every line is public and independently auditable. You don't have to take anyone's word for what the phone is doing — including ours.
07
Zero bloat, zero ads
No carrier junk, no preinstalled sponsors, no ads baked into the system. A clean phone the way it should have shipped.
08
Updates straight from source
Security patches land within days, direct from the GrapheneOS team — no waiting on a carrier or manufacturer to bother.
De-Googled, or Google in a sandbox
GrapheneOS gives you a choice most phones never offer: run with no Google at all, or keep Google's services — stripped of their power. You'll see both setups referenced throughout this page.
Fully de-Googled
No Google code on the phone at all
- Maximum privacy — nothing to phone home, period
- Apps come from open stores like F-Droid and Accrescent
- Private replacements cover mail, maps, photos and more
- The catch: apps that require Play services won't run
For: people going all-in on privacy
Sandboxed Google Play
Real Play services — locked in a cage
- Install Google Play like any ordinary app — no special powers
- Near-full compatibility: banking, WhatsApp, everything familiar
- Google only sees inside its sandbox, not your phone
- The most popular setup — privacy with zero daily friction
For: most people switching from a normal phone
You don't have to pick forever — user profiles let you run both on one phone, and the setup planner above tailors your plan to whichever style suits you.
What works — and what doesn't
Day-to-day life on GrapheneOS, honestly — including the trade-offs the people selling pre-flashed phones won't mention.
Works out of the box
Banking apps
Almost all run normally through sandboxed Google Play — worth checking yours before you switch.
WhatsApp & everyday apps
Messaging, social, streaming, rideshare — installed from the Play Store, notifications and all.
Maps & navigation
Google Maps runs sandboxed, or go fully private with offline options like Organic Maps.
Camera quality
Same lenses, same hardware — and the official Google Camera app installs for stock-Pixel shots.
The Android you know
Same gestures, same settings, same app drawer. Nothing to relearn.
Android Auto
Supported — a few minutes of setup and your car works like it always did.
The trade-offs
Tap-to-pay with Google Wallet
The one real trade-off: contactless card payments through Google Wallet don't work. Most people just carry the card.
A few stubborn banking apps
A small number of banks block custom systems entirely. Check yours first — there's usually a web-app workaround.
Google's Pixel party tricks
Call Screen, Assistant magic and other Google-account extras stay behind. For most switchers, that's the point.
Will your apps work?
Search any app — your bank included — and see real compatibility reports from the de-Googled community.
Powered by Plexus — the same community compatibility data Aurora Store uses.
Which Pixel is right for you?
Every Pixel runs the same GrapheneOS, so the privacy is identical — the choice comes down to the phone itself. Answer a few quick questions about size, camera, battery and budget, and we'll match you.
What size do you want?
Who is it for?
Built for everyone who values privacy
You don't need to be a security expert to deserve a phone that respects you.
Everyday users
You don't need to be a tech expert. If you value your privacy and want to stop being tracked, GrapheneOS is for you.
Professionals
Lawyers, doctors, accountants — anyone handling sensitive client information benefits from a phone that doesn't leak data.
Journalists & activists
Protect your sources, research, and communications from surveillance with the most hardened mobile OS available.
Families
Give your children a phone without invasive tracking, targeted advertising, or data harvesting built into the OS.