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GrapheneOS announced it is teaming up with Motorola to produce phones running the privacy-focused custom Android OS. Commentator Switched To Linux says the deal raises unanswered questions and concerns rather than excitement, without detailing specific terms of the arrangement.
GrapheneOS announced it is issuing a new OS build to fix a volume bar UI bug introduced by an upstream Android security patch, along with a Private Space interface issue. As a result, the long-in-development overhaul of its Messaging app, which the team has worked on for months, will now arrive after this maintenance release rather than alongside it.
GrapheneOS is rebuilding its Messaging app with a new Android Compose interface, along with numerous fixes and improvements. The project also confirmed plans to implement RCS messaging natively, eventually letting users message over RCS without depending on Google Messages, and it's developing a secure paste feature to stop apps from reading clipboard data left by other apps.
GrapheneOS developers discovered that Google's Pixel 11 phones do include hardware support for Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) after examining code in the Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 release. This contradicts the project's earlier assessment, made just days prior, that the phones lacked MTE and its accompanying warning against purchasing them.
Aurora Store, the popular open-source client used to download apps without a Google account, has started failing for many users with a 'Server busy, please try again later' error when installing apps anonymously. The problem persists across troubleshooting steps like clearing cache, using a VPN, or restarting devices, suggesting Google may be blocking access at the server level rather than a local bug.
The GrapheneOS development team says it could not finish porting its security-focused Android build to Google's new Pixel 11 phones because the devices lack support for Arm's memory tagging extension (MTE), a hardware-level security feature. Developers say they built a partial port after a week of effort but had to halt the project, calling the omission an apparent cost-cutting move by Google. As a result, the team may abandon future support for Pixel devices and focus instead on Motorola hardware.
The GrapheneOS project has said that Google's upcoming Pixel 11 will no longer support hardware Memory Tagging Extension (MTE), a security feature present in recent Pixel devices. The announcement came via a social media post rather than a detailed report, so specifics on why the feature was removed remain unclear.
A GrapheneOS user reports that the PayPal app now fails to launch, throwing a RootDetectionSecurityException citing a security policy violation. The user suspects the crash may be tied to having enabled the PayPal card for contactless NFC payments, though this hasn't been confirmed as the sole trigger.
Motorola has announced that its 2027 flagship smartphones will officially support GrapheneOS, a privacy-focused Android alternative. This marks a shift from the current situation where GrapheneOS installation is limited mainly to Google's Pixel devices.
The GrapheneOS Foundation announced it will extend its privacy-focused, open-source operating system beyond Google Pixel devices to Motorola smartphones starting in 2027. Support will begin with standard flagship models before expanding to foldables like the Razr Fold, once next-generation Snapdragon chips meet the necessary hardware security requirements. Current 2026 Motorola devices won't qualify retroactively since they lack certain security hardware.
GrapheneOS Foundation announced via Mastodon that official support for Motorola devices will begin next year with a high-end slab flagship, followed later by the Razr Fold and Razr Ultra foldables, making the Ultra the first flip phone to officially run the privacy-focused OS. The rollout targets phones using next-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chips, since current Motorola hardware doesn't yet fully support features like hardware memory tagging and secure element integration.
GrapheneOS detailed plans to bring its privacy-focused Android build to Motorola hardware, starting with a standard flagship phone before expanding to Razr foldables. The rollout depends on next-generation Snapdragon chips that add hardware memory tagging and improved secure element support, features current Motorola flagships still lack. Motorola will supply firmware and drivers directly, and devices must meet GrapheneOS's seven-year update requirement.