Usually, I have a spare Pixel on hand to test things out with, but the power button broke off of my 2XL.

Anyway, I’ve had a 10a for a couple of weeks now after my 9a was stolen, and I’m finding it really difficult to get jazzed about starting from scratch.

As such, this seems like the perfect time to say “fuck it, I’m giving GrapheneOS a try.”

So, my questions are:

  • Does my eSIM remain intact on the device?

  • How do I get apps without Google Play?

  • Can I still attach a Gmail account for notifications without going all in?

  • What about contacts and message history?

  • Is there a good way to get my password keychain transferred?

  • What is the status of NFC payments?

This whole experience has been hell (I last had to set up from scratch with my 2XL, and as I’m on a 10a now, seems like that was eight years ago), but it’s not even done, and I have no interest in finishing.

This said, as a homeless single guy, having a phone is important, and while I’ve rooted some lesser phones in the past via ADB, I have no margin for error here.

ETA: Without NFC, it can’t be done. My physical card was canceled because my phone was stolen, so my only form of payment is NFC. That’s a shame.

  • Scott@lem.free.asEnglish
    31·
    2 days ago

    Not exactly true.

    I run GrapheneOS and can use NFC payments. You just need the right app and provider.

    In the UK there’s Curve and in Europe there are a number of banks that have apps that can provide the requisite functionality.

    • djdarren@piefed.socialEnglish
      1·
      20 hours ago

      Be aware that if you fail the ID check for Curve (which I somehow managed to do) they’ll essentially just ghost you without offering the opportunity to try again. I’ve tried a few times to get someone from their customer service to help me sort it out, but it always fizzles out after a couple of messages.

      As an alternative, I use Monzo with a Garmin watch. It’s not perfect because I have to transfer any money I want available from my bank to Monzo, but once I’ve done that it’s easy enough to access on my watch. All in all, I mostly carry my bank card in a magsafe wallet, but it’s handy to have payments on my watch in a pinch.

      • Scott@lem.free.asEnglish
        1·
        5 hours ago

        I failed the check first time too. I persevered with their, admittedly terrible (at the time), customer service. I had to resort to using X to grab their attention.

        Now that they’re part of Lloyds I would hope the support to get better but, luckily, I’ve not had to deal with them recently.

        I also bank with Monzo, if that’s worth adding.