GrapheneOS user buys an iPhone

Overview

After using GrapheneOS on a Pixel for several years, the reviewer tries an iPhone for about a month. They conclude that the two systems prioritize different things: the iPhone offers convenience and polish, while GrapheneOS offers more privacy, control, and customization.

iPhone: Positives and User Experience

• Excellent battery life: The iPhone lasted through a workday with little battery use, especially compared with the reviewer’s years-old, second-hand Pixel 7. The comparison was not scientific, and the reviewer uses their phone for only about two to three hours a day.
• Wallpaper expansion: The feature neatly adapts images that do not fit the screen, providing a small but appreciated example of polish.
• Action button and Shortcuts: These enable useful custom actions and automations, such as toggling a VPN or battery saver, changing Focus modes, or playing a sound when charging starts. A community shortcut can assign two actions to one button.
• Camera Control button: The physical button provides a convenient way to open the camera, allowing the reviewer to remove the camera app from the home screen.
• Thoughtful details: iOS felt carefully finished in many small ways. Apple may adopt some features later than Android, but their implementation can feel especially polished and convenient.

iPhone: Drawbacks and Frustrations

Coming from Android, the reviewer found several parts of iOS unintuitive:

• Back navigation felt inconsistent. Gestures and in-app back buttons varied, and some screens seemed to have no obvious way back.
• Downloading files was confusing. For example, a Discord download had to be explicitly saved to the Files app, and its initial location was unclear.
• The reviewer missed options to close all apps and clear an app’s cache from a universal settings control.
• Settings search sometimes failed to find an option, even when searching its exact name. The reviewer notes that this may depend on the iOS version.
• Calls through apps such as Instagram or Twitter can appear like ordinary phone calls, which the reviewer found confusing.
• Custom ringtones were difficult to set up, and alarms lacked a convenient indication of how much time remained before they rang.

These issues were often minor, but they repeatedly made the reviewer stop and wonder why iOS worked differently. They acknowledge that some design choices may have practical reasons and that long-time iPhone users may find them natural.

Sideloading Comparison

On GrapheneOS, installing an APK from the internet is straightforward. The reviewer sees the greater ease of installing malicious software as a trade-off for freedom.

The reviewer describes iPhone sideloading as more constrained. They outline the limits of free developer accounts and the older method’s short-lived certificates, then demonstrate a setup involving a computer, developer mode, iLoader, Live Container, and SideStore. Live Container can host multiple apps within one app, avoiding the usual three-app limit, but the initial setup requires a computer.

The reviewer says curated repositories of open-source apps can reduce the risk of malware, while acknowledging that the approach is also used for cracked apps. They criticize Google’s move toward requiring developers to verify their identity, arguing that it could undermine Android sideloading.

Apple’s Appeal

The reviewer came to understand why people are enthusiastic about Apple, beyond any single device feature. They describe a strong community and ecosystem in which users introduce one another to features, apps, and AirDrop.

Their experience at WWDC reinforced the sense of a shared developer culture. They also point to Apple’s control of hardware, software, and Swift as part of the ecosystem’s appeal.

The reviewer compares Apple’s community to the Arch Linux following: Arch users often celebrate what they personally built or configured, while Apple users are more likely to share and participate in the ecosystem. They see Apple’s marketing and carefully cultivated brand image as important to this appeal.

Privacy and Security

The reviewer distinguishes security—protecting a phone from theft or unauthorized access—from privacy and user control, such as limiting what apps can access and how much the company decides on the user’s behalf.

Apple’s tracking prompt lets users ask apps not to track them, but the reviewer argues that this offers less direct control than GrapheneOS and may affect apps that rely on tracking.

The reviewer considers GrapheneOS superior for privacy and control, citing:

• Full-device encryption
• Automatic restarts after periods of inactivity
• A duress PIN that wipes storage
• Isolated user profiles

They clarify that GrapheneOS profiles are not equivalent to iPhone Focus modes: GrapheneOS profiles isolate apps and data, while iPhone Focus modes mainly change settings and presentation.

For iPhone users, the reviewer suggests turning off iCloud sync to avoid online backups and enabling erasure after ten incorrect PIN attempts. They regard this as similar in purpose, but not identical, to a duress PIN.

The reviewer notes that no smartphone provides absolute privacy, particularly against a determined government, and that privacy concerns may call for avoiding smartphones altogether.

Verdict

There is no numerical rating in the video. The reviewer does not declare one phone universally better:

• Choose GrapheneOS if privacy, control, and customization are priorities.
• Choose iPhone if a polished, convenient experience with fewer operating-system decisions is more important.

Speakers

• Main reviewer: Provides the hands-on impressions, comparisons, and final assessment.
• Brief quoted or inserted voices: Appear for jokes or emphasis but do not provide a separate, sustained review of the product.