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GrapheneOS needs OEM partner access

by udev4096 on 6/11/25, 5:08 AM with 17 comments

• by WhyNotHugo on 6/11/25, 10:10 AM

  I do feel bad for the situation in which these guys have landed, but it’s also something that seemed inevitable long ago.

  They focused on delivering a secure user-controlled operating system for phones. They used as a base an OS stewarded by an advertising and spyware company which couldn’t have values more directly opposed to theirs. They focused primarily on hardware by that same company. Other hardware was not supported in what sounds like “perfect being the enemy of good”. Eg: other devices might have been less suitable if you were targeted by a nation-state, but would have been superb for the 99%, and also avoided funding their opposition.

  They let their antithesis have all the cards. It’s been an uphill battle which they’ve managed to push hard. But it’s hard to see a future, just as it’s always been hard to see a long term future for GrapheneOS.

• by yvely on 6/11/25, 8:14 AM

  GrapheneOS devs should approach the EU for support here in my opinion. Right about now the EU, or at least many member nations, are very interested in ensuring ability to take ownership of important/critical solutions.

• by uneven9434 on 6/11/25, 10:05 AM

  What they mean seems to be that one of their main developers was detained so their development slows down. Additionally GrapheneOS has made many breaking changes. So they need to start adapting Android 16 more earlier.

• by rkagerer on 6/11/25, 7:43 AM

  I hate to sound like a jerk, but this comes across like a whining four year old. (The repetitiveness, pleading, shifting appeals, awkward negotiation attempts...)

  What's stopping the GrapheneOS team from negotiating similar access contracts as OEM's enjoy?

  I would have hoped they'd have some clout given what they've achieved to date and the quantity and impact of bug fixes they've effected upstream.

  Are they short on funds? (The posts seem to imply they have some budget available, at least for hiring?)

  Is there some kind of sorted history between Google and the GrapheneOS team of which I'm unaware?

  Could they commandeer some about-to-be-abandoned, low-end hardware product, as a means to meeting contrived requirements to become a legit OEM?

  Or embark on a more organized and deliberate PR campaign (perhaps even legal avenues eg. platform gatekeeper legislation) to pressure Google to maintain Android's open-sourcedness?

• by udev4096 on 6/11/25, 5:08 AM

  GrapheneOS is in dire need of an OEM partner access which can provide them with the latest source which Google has put behind a paywall. Otherwise, GrapheneOS will not be able to continue the development and eventually shut down