Let’s get started!
Just starting out with a new GrapheneOS phone? Check out our quick (ish?) start guide to help get you going. If you purchased a phone from us, much of this work is already done for you, but if you’re going the DIY route then this will for certain help you with getting started with your new GrapheneOS device. To learn more about GrapheneOS, check out this page here.
Text highlighted in yellow in the Quick Start Guide below indicates the default items I install unless otherwise requested. These include F-Droid store, Aurora store, Brave Browser, show battery percentage, 3-Button Navigation, Magic Earth or CoMaps app, and VLC media player. We can also install other apps if you want, but we encourage you to try out installation on your own to get the feel for how it’s done on GrapheneOS.
F-Droid and Aurora are the main ways that you will get your apps, since there is no Google on the device. If you do require a Google Play Store app, know that it can be installed and used, but we encourage you to find a FOSS alternative apps instead. Still, if you must use Google for something, you are in much better shape using GrapheneOS with their Google sandbox feature enabled, rather than a regular Android. This way still drastically reduces the data that Google can get from your device.
If using an app that requires Google Services Framework (Google Play Store app), download the app and then if it won’t work properly without GSF, swipe up from your home screen and select the App Store application. Within this app you can choose to enable Google services. This allows the app to have full function, but won’t allow Google to grab other information from the phone, and isolates it within its own sandboxed environment.
Typically we recommend that when looking for an app, you start with F-Droid. If you cannot find what you need in there, look for the app you need in Aurora Store. If you don’t find the version you want, there are APK files available, however use caution when installing anything from an unknown source. You can also use Exodus-Privacy tool to check an app before you install it onto your device, Exodus-Privacy website will show you details on Trackers as well as App Permissions. To view a summary of this and all of the default recommended apps, view this Quick Reference Guide or an older, more detailed version below that:
GrapheneOS Quick Reference Guide 2026
Download here
GrapheneOS Quick Start Guide (generic) – GrapheneGoat v24.07
Download here
Much more content on Free and Open Source Software Technology available for free:
GrapheneGoat-Resources and Links page
Mt Shuksan, WA, one of the more incredible mixed climbs in the Pacific Northwest
