GoKawiil
Tech News
ASN Bank, a Dutch bank known for its ethical banking stance, has reportedly restricted its banking app from working on Android devices that don't run Google's standard services, including privacy-focused systems like GrapheneOS. Users of de-Googled or custom Android builds are apparently unable to access ASN's banking app as a result.
New court filings reveal that Homeland Security Investigations flagged activist Samuel Tunick for suspected 'terrorist activities' before CBP agents stopped him at an Atlanta airport, but officers told him they were searching his phone for child sexual abuse material. Tunick, tied to the Stop Cop City protest movement, now faces up to five years in prison for allegedly wiping his GrapheneOS phone during the stop, under a rarely used law normally applied in cases like drug trafficking.
GrapheneOS reports that after a week spent building a partial port for the Pixel 11 series, it cannot complete the port because the devices lack working support for ARM hardware memory tagging (MTE) in software, firmware and likely hardware. The project notes the Pixel 8 introduced hardware MTE in October 2023, but neither Android nor the Pixel OS enabled it by default, and Android 16's Advanced Protection Mode only turns it on for a handful of processes. GrapheneOS adds that Pixel 11 still gains some security upgrades, including post-quantum verified boot, AOSP IMS replacing Samsung Shannon, and a Titan M3 chip.
GrapheneOS says it has traced a regression in Google's Android 17 QPR1 update that causes lag, stuttering, freezes, and app crashes on Pixel devices under memory pressure. The project says the bug originates in Pixel firmware and drivers supplied by Google, meaning it can affect stock Pixel software too, and it has already patched the issue in its own OS release while Google has not yet issued a fix.
GrapheneOS says Android 17 QPR1, released for Pixels on September 15, contains a regression in the Pixel kernel driver tree that causes stuttering, lag and freezes under memory pressure, severe enough to trigger process kills. GrapheneOS inherited the bug through its firmware/driver updates but says it has shipped a fix in today's release, linking the kernel commit on GitLab.
Google has activated its developer verification system on certified Android devices in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, blocking installation of apps from unverified developers by default. A global rollout is planned for 2027. Users can still sideload apps via methods including Google's multi-step Advanced Flow, ADB, Shizuku, rooting, or custom ROMs such as LineageOS and GrapheneOS.
An unofficial Android app called MotoKey Plus reprograms Motorola's dedicated AI key into a customizable button, assigning distinct functions to single press, double press, and press-and-hold. Users can set actions like flashlight, screenshots, media controls, notifications, Quick Settings, Gemini, or any installed app, with adjustable timing for taps and holds. The app is currently sideload-only, though its developer says a Google Play release is planned.
A GrapheneOS user running a Pixel 8 for about a year found that OsmAnd, the OpenStreetMap navigation app, runs noticeably slower than on other Android devices. Investigation traced the lag to GrapheneOS's hardened memory allocator, which can be disabled per-app via the app's info screen under 'Exploit protection,' restoring normal speed after a restart.
GrapheneOS confirmed on X that Motorola's newly unveiled Signature 27 will be the first phone supported under its partnership with Motorola, ending years of Pixel-only availability. The project said official details on rollout timing and preinstallation are still pending.
GrapheneOS has introduced a feature called Secure Paste that lets users paste text normally while preventing apps from silently reading clipboard content in the background. The feature aims to close a long-standing privacy gap where apps could monitor copied passwords, codes or personal data without user awareness.
Security researchers found a flaw in Android's network stack that lets any app, without special permissions, send UDP packets through the device's Wi-Fi or cellular hardware that bypass VPN tunnels entirely. This occurs even when the 'Block all connections without VPN' setting is enabled, exposing a user's real IP address. The bug was reported through Google's Vulnerability Reward Program but closed without action, while GrapheneOS says it is working on a fix.
GrapheneOS has shipped version 13 of its Messages app, rebuilding the interface with Jetpack Compose and Material 3 design. The update adds conversation management tools like pinning, snoozing, archiving, and multi-select actions, plus support for large-screen two-pane layouts and a redesigned recipient picker.