Yessss! It’s not just me And, well, I’ve learned SO much since I shared that original post you replied to. Three things in particular for anyone who has time…
The first thing I learned was what OS I wanted. Talking with folks in the JP Telegram group helped me narrow it down. Since I don’t need my phone to do anything other than text, call, and Telegram I went with what I hear tell is the most private: GrapheneOS. Then I decided which phone from there because Graphene only works on certain phones according to the website.
The second thing I learned was when I hit a bump with that phone I mentioned in my original post. I discovered that it’s bootloader was locked and the OEM was grayed out, which means you can’t put a different OS on it. I’ve heard that you still can sometimes somehow unlock the OEM, but apparently it’s super hard. So, I returned that phone (thankfully I could return it!) and started trying to find a phone that has an unlocked bootloader.
(Side note: If you don’t know the difference between carrier unlocked and an unlocked bootloader, be sure to read this short post: Unlockable Bootloader List)
I decided to start asking phone sellers if the phone’s bootloader was locked. BackMarket doesn’t have a way to contact sellers before a purchase. Swappa does, but I didn’t want to pay with PayPal (which is their only payment method). So, after talking to some people in the JP Telegram channel I found that several of them had bought Pixel phones with GrapheneOS or CalyxOS already on them from sellers on eBay. That sounded great, so that’s what I ended up doing. Not only did that let me know for sure that it has an unlocked bootloader, but I didn’t have to put an OS on it myself. There is so much that can go wrong during that process, which brings me to the third thing I learned…
Not only do folks like you and I like such things to have detailed instructions, but it’s actually very important. In fact, I’ve been reading a lot from @Cnturion and @Slamminbones that before you even start to put a different OS on a phone, you need to read and learn as much as you can about it.
That was a lot of words! but all that to say, agreed re: detailed instructions… and maybe my story will help you on your journey. Take everything I’ve said here with a grain of salt and your own research too as I’m still VERY much learning. And still learning to communicate it properly tech-wise as well.
Hey Wayne! I’ve been waiting to reply to you because I was testing out the two Pixel phones I got. Overall the experience was great. The eBay sellers were good, and the phones are awesome. Lightweight device, fast to tap around on to get things done, and GrapheneOS is so delightfully clean and of course, most importantly de-googled.
The one issue I had was that both phones had delayed notification issues for SMS text messages. Sometimes I would get notified of new texts right away, but most of the time I would only see them when I unlocked the phone. After searching online I found lots of other people with Pixel 2, 3, and 4 phones who experience this as well. According to GrapheneOS it’s an issue in the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) firmware.
There is a solution however! I installed an app called Signal and set it to be the default SMS app in Settings. That worked perfectly, I was notified of every text immediately after that–which does seem to confirm that it’s a firmware issue.
Btw, I installed Signal via APK from their site so I didn’t have to use an app store, but I’m sure finding and downloading another app via F-droid or Aurora that sends and receives SMS would work wonderfully as well.
So, even though that worked awesomely, I actually decided to go a totally different direction regarding de-googled phones for me and my family. My plan is to wait till mid-January for these /e/ phones, so I’m selling both the Pixels on forum, here: Classifieds - Jeff.pro.
Also, I came across two links during the the last few weeks that I found helpful/interesting and I thought you might too. This is a post here on the forums that you may have already seen: Graphene OS - DIY De-Googled phone explained!. And this is a site where I heard some JP admins are de-googling phones to sell: https://azadius.com.
Hope all this helps! Let us know how your journey goes
Thank you! Extremely helpful information. Have you heard anything about or tried the phones that are made for Linux? The aren’t de googled but made with Linux installed?
You’re welcome, glad to hear it! I’ve heard of Linux phones and whenever people share about them here or in the Telegram channels I click and look through what’s out there (like this page I just found). So far they’re way outside my price range, but maybe there’s something new, I’ll have to do a little digging. What about you, found anything interesting along those lines?
Im still gathering information in my spare time. My main objective right now is getting everything set up on my 2 Linux machines. Im just about there. Just working out some fine details but I’ve come a long way since I started following this forum a few months ago. Im keeping up with your progress and will see what you find.
Hi, Tracy! I just got another new/certified refurbished pixel 3 and have installed grapheneos. I haven’t posted it yet, but I’m selling it for $200 plus shipping, and including a new case and screen protectors. If you decide to do an install yourself, I’d be happy to help for free:) My mom and I started in this group together as newbies…she’s 74 and is installing Linux on computers now! Everything is possible:)
@hannahgirl And @Teresa, thank you, am not a hardcore user at all(75yo) just regular stuff. I switched my 2014 Mac Air a few months ago to Ubuntu Mate and then to Budgie. It was pretty painless and while it does do everything I basically need and runs better than new. I like learning a bit more as I go. I like your phone info up there (@hannahgirl )and got on a waiting list. Honestly thought I might just get a flip, lol. I also was just about to head to u tube on my iPad(not yet totally disengaged) to check on de googling a Surface tablet. I would still like a tablet option
@rickandaj1 If you search YouTube for Pine Phone, you’ll find a lot of videos describing various peoples’ experience with using it. It’s essentially a beta work in process, and continually getting better, from what I’ve observed. It’s currently more appropriate for testers and tinkerers than for daily use. But it can be used daily with limitations.
Hi Teresa! I’m waiting on a Pixel 4 to arrive and plan on trying to de-google & install graphene-os. Would you be willing to help me if I hit a snag? Thanks!
My pleasure! If you’re on Telegram, I highly recommend you join our group over there at Bones’ Tech Garage and Tech Garage Chat. The admins and many of the members there are very knowledgeable and are constantly sharing expert tips and support for everything related to degoogling phones, Linux, etc. You can get help almost immediately with whatever questions or hiccups you may run into. Slammingbones, Dale, Shane…they are your real experts in this, so maybe peek in over there if you haven’t already! Have a blessed day!
@Will , what is your battery life on the PinePhone? I observed ~7 hours (running Arch Linux ARM). I used it as my main phone for a week maybe, but couldn’t stick with it. Do you get any better battery life or do you just live with it?
And, well, I’ve learned SO much since I shared that original post you replied to. Three things in particular for anyone who has time…
I’ve been waiting to reply to you because I was testing out the two Pixel phones I got. Overall the experience was great. The eBay sellers were good, and the phones are awesome. Lightweight device, fast to tap around on to get things done, and GrapheneOS is so delightfully clean and of course, most importantly de-googled. 
I installed an app called Signal and set it to be the default SMS app in Settings. That worked perfectly, I was notified of every text immediately after that–which does seem to confirm that it’s a firmware issue.
Let us know how it goes for you, what you decide to do–I’m loving the learning together thing 
