GrapheneOS, a Google-Free Android, Is Coming to Non-Pixel Phones
The “secure” Android variant GrapheneOS is expected to be made available on smartphones outside of Google’s Pixel ecosystem for the first time within the next few years. The developers behind the project recently announced that they are cooperating with a major provider of Android smartphones.
Google-free, ‘secure’ Android widely available?
GrapheneOS which is said to be particularly suitable for secure communication with its special hardening features, will “soon” be supported by smartphones outside the Pixel series. Like the team in Reddit posts (via PiunikaWeb) announced that it is working with a “major provider” of Android-based smartphones that wants to offer official support for the use of GrapheneOS on its devices. So far, only Pixel smartphones from Google are supported by GrapheneOS, but due to the cooperation with a major manufacturer of Android devices that has been running since June 2025, this will probably change in the second half of 2026 or 2027, it was said. Future versions of current smartphones from this manufacturer would then support GrapheneOS, according to the team.
GrapheneOS team praises Snapdragon SoCs
Initially, the aim was to make it possible to use GrapheneOS on several devices with a flagship processor from the Qualcomm Snapdragon series, as they offer high hardware security and a long support period. One advantage is that the Snapdragon devices offer significantly higher CPU and graphics performance than the Pixel models. In addition, the smartphones with Qualcomm SoC are equipped with high-quality WLAN, Bluetooth, GNSS and cellular features and there is support for eSIM and other functions as part of the platform. Apparently there are no plans to offer smartphones from the as-yet-unnamed manufacturer with GrapheneOS ex works.
Instead, they want to officially make it possible to install the Android version on the devices. It is unclear which manufacturer can offer appropriate support. After all, there are practically no major providers that officially offer the option of unlocking the bootloader, which is required for installing GrapheneOS. In terms of price, the upcoming devices with GrapheneOS should be at the same level as the currently supported Pixel smartphones from Google.
These are therefore more likely to be premium models. Availability will probably be worldwide. When it comes to GrapheneOS’s continued support for Pixel smartphones, the future doesn’t necessarily look bright. The Pixel 10 series will definitely be supported, but whether there will also be GrapheneOS for the Pixel 11 and its sister models is currently still open. The currently supported Pixel models will continue to be supported by GrapheneOS until Google’s “end of life”.
The team recently criticized Google because the US company had recently changed support for AOSP-based devices. For some time now, important security updates have only been integrated into the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) every three months. This makes it significantly more difficult for developers working with the AOSP to maintain high security standards.
