Degoogled

A few years ago I bought a new phone. A FairPhone, because I like their business model and how they work hard to keep devices going by making them very repairable.

It's a very reliable phone, feels good for me, looks good for me. Works as it should.

After installing the DuckDuckGo browser and activating the app snooping option (a VPN which blocks trackers from tracking), I found there are many of those things going on. It's insane which programs keep checking your phone every 30 to 60 seconds, and reporting home on those. Google and Facebook are the worst here, which is not surprising, but they're definitely not the only ones.

So I thought of degoogling the phone.

My first attempt was putting E/OS on the phone. They have amazingly nice installers for every OS, and it looks like child's play. For some reason, the installer reported some security patch not installed on the phone, and refused to go on. And this while the phone had received its latest update from FairPhone just a few days ago.

I started looking further and stumbled upon CalyxOS.

CalyxOS has the same degoogled approach as E/OS does. E/OS is available for 180+ phone models. CalyxOS doesn't support that many, but my phone was listed as an option.

So I gave it a try. Following the installer page for Linux was quite easy (do remember to install adb before you begin. For some reason the installer page does NOT mention that, I mailed them about this), no messages about security patches, and after unlocking the bootloader (via a code from the Fairphone website), the upload started, and continued, and the phone rebooted, did some things following the install page, and then...

The phone booted into CalyxOS. 🥳

(Yes, there is no GUI installer for Linux, but even a Linux beginner who can read, can do this. Copy and paste the commands, if you have to. 😉 )

Yes, the phone was wiped entirely. Backups are smart. Syncthing is smarter. After setting that up again, all my files, music and pictures came back quickly.

I'd made a list of apps I needed. Everything works, either through F-Droid or through Aurora, which is an alternative entry to the Google Play Store. If you purchased apps there, you can log into your account. Do note you need to have a way to get through MFA if you set that up (and you did, didn't you?). Tapping yes on your phone is no longer possible, because you wiped that, and it no longer listens to Google! So set up some third-party MFA app and have a code handy, if you need to go into your account on the play store.

Calyx comes with a host of convenient and security apps you can install (or not), and offers those on first run. There's even a good alternative to Google Maps, called Organic Maps. (I still have to experience that, but it seems to be good.)

Even after degoogling the phone, I set up the DuckDuckGo tracking stopper. Tracking happens from inside apps, and they need to be stopped. (Check it, and be surprised which apps send tracking information, and what information that is!)

Warning: if you rely on Android Auto, don't do this. Android Auto is loaded into the Google version of Android. In E/OS and CalyxOS it will NOT work any more.

If you want to see a video about all this (not mine, I found this and was glad I did), have a look here:

Good luck if you go for this. It's a smart choice.