{"id":259819,"date":"2026-05-27T10:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T14:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/i-was-sick-of-android-apps-spying-on-me-so-i-tried-grapheneos-and-plugos\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T16:40:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T20:40:25","slug":"i-was-sick-of-android-apps-spying-on-me-so-i-tried-grapheneos-and-plugos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/i-was-sick-of-android-apps-spying-on-me-so-i-tried-grapheneos-and-plugos\/","title":{"rendered":"I Was Sick of Android Apps Spying on Me, So I Tried GrapheneOS and PlugOS"},"content":{"rendered":"

I Was Sick of Android Apps Spying on Me, So I Tried GrapheneOS and PlugOS<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/i-was-sick-of-android-apps-spying-on-me-so-i-tried-grapheneos-and-plugos<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-05-27 10:06:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.pcmag.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Cost: One Requires a $299 Device, the Other Requires a Pixel<\/h2>\n

If you’re interested in PlugOS, the first thing you should know is that you need a physical piece of hardware, a PlugMate, and it isn\u2019t cheap, with an MSRP of $299 (although at the time of writing, it’s on sale for $199). That price gets you the PlugMate, a thin plastic case, and a card with your unique access key.<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: Justyn Newman)\n<\/p>\n

Also in the box is an angled USB-C extension that runs the PlugMate behind your phone, making it easier to handle.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: Justyn Newman)\n<\/p>\n

It comes in one memory configuration with 128GB of storage and 4GB of unspecified flash memory. The site shows an additional 6GB\/256GB version, but it cannot be selected.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: PCMag\/TrustKernel)\n<\/p>\n

The PlugMate uses an octa-core MediaTek Helio G80 mobile processor and runs a virtualized, stripped-down version of Android 14. The outer shell comes in black, red, or starlight gray.<\/p>\n

GrapheneOS, on the other hand, is a free, open-source operating system that replaces the one on your phone. You don\u2019t have to purchase anything to get the protection it offers, but there\u2019s a rather big caveat\u2014you need to have a supported Pixel phone for it to work. It\u2019s a no-brainer on the cost front if you already have a Pixel, but the PlugMate becomes more affordable if you have to buy a specific phone for Graphene.<\/p>\n

\"GrapheneOS<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: PCMag\/GrapheneOS)\n<\/p>\n

As for support, Graphene is compatible with most OEM-unlocked Pixel phones and tablets starting with the Pixel 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pay close attention to that OEM-unlocked criteria. Some carriers, like Verizon, restrict OEM unlocking, so make sure the device you have (or the one you plan to buy) is carrier-unlocked. <\/p>\n

Support for Graphene is set to expand via an upcoming collaboration with Motorola. Graphene will be compatible with flagship Motorola devices in 2027, with potential support for midrange and entry-level devices down the line. <\/p>\n

Privacy: GrapheneOS Explains Everything,…<\/h2>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I Was Sick of Android Apps Spying on Me, So I Tried GrapheneOS and PlugOS…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":259820,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/comparisons\/327.fit_lim.size_1200x630.v1779824426.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[116,72,86],"class_list":["post-259819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-android","tag-motorola","tag-pixel","tag-samsung"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259819"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259819"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259821,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259819\/revisions\/259821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}