Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
TL;DR A leaked Cellebrite chart shows Pixel phones running GrapheneOS largely resist the company’s forensic unlocking tools.
The leak came from a private Google Teams call that someone joined and screenshotted before posting on a GrapheneOS forum.
Pixel devices running standard Android still allow limited data access before first unlock, but GrapheneOS versions appear to block it more effectively.
Google Pixel phones already have a solid reputation for security, but leaked Cellebrite documents show they’re even harder to crack when running GrapheneOS, the privacy-focused Android alternative.
Cellebrite builds the forensic tools law enforcement uses to get data from locked phones. As reported by 404 Media, the leak came from someone who managed to join a private Microsoft Teams call between Cellebrite staff and a prospective customer. During the meeting, the uninvited participant took screenshots of what appears to be an internal ‘Android OS Access Support Matrix’ and then shared them on the GrapheneOS discussion forum.
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The leaked slide compares Cellebrite’s success across Pixel generations and Android versions. While its software can still pull some information from standard Pixels that haven’t yet been unlocked, every locked Pixel 9 running GrapheneOS was listed as inaccessible. Older devices running GrapheneOS only showed partial results up to 2022 or 2023 security patch levels, suggesting those exploits were later closed off.
In simple terms, the chart shows that GrapheneOS effectively shuts the door on most of Cellebrite’s current extraction methods. Regular Pixels still reveal some encrypted data before they’re unlocked for the first time, but GrapheneOS devices appear to stay fully sealed.
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