A DIY "Dumbphone" Under $100

A while back I decided to r/degoogle myself and reclaim some of my privacy. I'm not particularly interested in the dumbphone movement myself... but I seem to have come across something that I think that community may find helpful. As part of my interest in privacy, I installed GrapheneOS (a security focused OS, which coincidentally aids privacy) onto a used Pixel 6a (the best bang-for-your-buck smartphone available at the time). By default, GrapheneOS does not include Google Play Services, meaning there is no Google Play Store. You can install F-Droid, a free and open-source marketplace with apps often developed by individuals and communities rather than corporations, to get additional functionality from the device. By default, without an app store only things like calculator, text messaging, and a basic web browser are available. The options in the F-Droid store are also quite limited compared to the Google Play Store. There is no Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, or etc. There's also very few apps that could be called games either.

If someone is looking for a dumbed down smartphone without breaking the bank, but still wants something more familiar to them, I think a Pixel with GrapheneOS would be a good place to start. You may also learn some stuff about security and privacy along the way. Just because you don't think you have anything to hide, doesn't mean you don't deserve, and need, privacy.

Privacy a prerequisite for freedom-of-thought.

It is possible to install Google Play Services (a.k.a. GApps) on GrapheneOS, quite easily actually, and regain access to the Google Play Store. If you did this, you would simply have a more secure Pixel that affords you more control over the device and you're privacy. That however, would defeat the point for anyone interested in a dumbphone. An alternative somewhere in between the two would be to install the Aurora Store, an open source front end for using the Google Play Store. This has one key difference, you don't need Google Play Services in order to run it. If there are critical apps you must have, such as Spotify and Audible, you can get those from there. Without Google Play Services though, some apps may not have full functionality. For instance, Discord notification's don't work (since by default every notification you get, on any app, goes to Google's servers first and then to your phone) and in-app purchases may be unavailable. There are 1 or 2 mobile games that I actually enjoyed but am no longer able to make purchases in, so I no longer have them installed (Eve Echoes and Arena Breakout).

As a result of avoiding apps that aren't available in F-Droid, the apps on my phone are significantly reduced, and beyond having access to Reddit in the web browser, there's nothing on there that can lead to doom scrolling. I also don't have other chat apps like FB Messenger that have a tendency to pull me into discussion or drama that isn't so important that it needs to be addressed now. Anything that happens on there can wait until I'm at a proper computer, and as a result of a combination of these things I've found I'm also more mentally present when I'm around others. I believe that may be one of the motivations for a dumbphone.

Full disclaimer, there was some drama around GrapheneOS a while back, but the short version is that a well-known and controversial developer left and the OS has continued to move forwards without them.

Some F-Droid apps I'd recommend for anyone interested in trying it out:

• Organic Maps - An offline navigation app. Replaces Google Maps.
• Open Camera - I believe the source is similar/forked from either the pixel camera's app or the aosp camera app.
• IronFox - A privacy focused browser based on Firefox. The default browser Vanadium may be secure, but does little to aid your privacy.
• HeliBoard - My keyboard of choice. I imported a .obj I found on the internet so I can use swipe gestures to type, just like the stock Pixel keyboard.
• Aurora Store - If you need apps from the Play Store (e.g. Spotify, Audible) but don't need all the google services along with it. Be careful though, installing this one can easily lead to de-dumbing your phone!

There are also other alternative operating systems that can help you achieve something similar, such as LineageOS, which supports many more devices, but does not have the same feature set (e.g. option for sandboxed google play, and increased security).

That's all I've got to say, thanks for reading! If this interests you or if you give GrapheneOS/something similar a shot, leave a comment to let me know how it goes!