GOS = Easy to super easy

Linage / other on Samsung = hard

In the past other roms on devices have caused issues for me (I'm happy to deal with them) and others (who would prefer to just use google).

I understand you want the best for your friend, but if there already immersed the best experience for them is just default samsung.

It would be better IMO to format, debloat, and then install some privacy friendly options.

• FDroid
• Thunderbird / Email client of choice
• signal
• browser of choice
• etc

That way they have some privacy apps to get started.

I've used both Graphene and e/OS (based on Lineage), ime they have one thing that they do better than the other. Graphene comes with more granular privacy controls, and e/OS comes with tor connectivity built into the OS itself ("hide my IP" option). Both are daily driver capable phones and I like them both.

Just make sure to set up a firewall as well if you want to keep unnecessary shit from connecting to the internet, as neither of them allows you to block all of the bloatware out of the box (but you can block more of it using Graphene).

My old Samsung phone died a month ago, and as much as I wanted to deGoogle, I made sacrificed that and bought a 2nd hand refurbished Pixel 8 for quite cheap. I would love to buy the Grapehene + Motorola phone but we have no idea when will they release it and at what price.

Even though they recommend using the web installer, I installed via CLI and it was easier than I expected, very little source of confusion: i think the only thing I was confused for a short moment is what other tools, beside android-tools, were necessary.

Before I started using it I had many doubts about profiles and sandboxing strategies (I still need to use WhatsApp and online banking unfortunately), but once I got started, 1 extra profile and a locked space was enough for what I needed and it was very easy to setup.

I bought a /e/os phone from Murena last year, because GrapheneOS did not sell a phone that wasn't manufactured by Google. So far I'm pretty happy with my Murena phone.

Get at least Pixel 9 series phone. You'll have support from GrapheneOS until 2032. And you just open their installer in the browser and follow the instructions.

Its really straight forward i just followed the instructions on the website ive been happy with it on my pixel 8a

Installing Graphene OS on a Pixel device is basically idiot proof and done in less than 20 minutes. All you need is a chromium based browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Ungoogled Chromium, etc.) and a USB cable. That's it.

No voodoo required, the tutorial is easier than following along a recepie for chicken pot pie. If you can read you can install Graphene OS, that's literally the sole prerequisite.

Hi I work at Murena and we sell phones precisely for people who want to use something different than Big Tech yet don't really have a lot of technological expertise eg to flash devices. Check us out at https://murena.com/ ! Our phones come with /e/OS, you can read more about it on https://e.foundation/

In 2027, Motorola will realease a phone with GrapheneOS preinstalled. So no Google phone.

I was apprehensive about buying a used Pixel to install GrapheneOS on, so I put it off for a year or two. When I finally did it, it was so easy I wished I had done it sooner. It's a great OS and you'll probably be surprised how easy it is to set up. Things have really changed since the old days of finding half-baked custom Android images on dodgy file shares through forum sites. GrapheneOS installation is slick.

Just make sure your Pixel 8 is unlocked. The rest is very simple.

I've just recently installed GrapheneOS on a new Pixel 8 (as in, refurbished, but for me it was new). It worked quite well. I've used to use the CLI installer before, but after looking at the current recommendations on their website, I followed through with the web-based one.

One point of local struggle for me was when I needed to "Flash factory images". It looked like it's not going well, I didn't understand (still don't) how to read the instruction unambiguously on when I should stop waiting, ended up restarting my phone once needlessly. However, doing the same step again afterwards somehow made the flashing successfully, and the button for the next stage got enabled ("locking the bootloader"). In total, it was inconsequential.

Everything is working super-smooth since. I've did a hardware attestation procedure to make sure that my refurbished phone is fine, and it shows up as fine. I'm quite content with how it went. Considering how you describe your phone usage, you would benefit from GOS or another open firmware a lot. You can give it a try, it's a good firmware! I wish there'd be projects that would be freedom-first, not privacy-first with the same quality level. I digress and it's subjective at this point. Just give it a try!

Did you check if the Samsung device is officially supported by LineageOS?

https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/

Also, the accurate term is ”Android distribution” the term “Custom ROM” is outdated and technically inaccurate.

Regarding GrapheneOS I would advice you to read the information on the webpage of the installer on the official GOS website, it's very easy and tells you everything you need to know.

https://grapheneos.org/install/web