As I had stated earlier, I’ve been considering updating my phone to one more privacy focused. Read the earlier post for more information on why.
Well, I had never gotten around to purchasing a CopperheadOS phone, and now it appears I’ll never do so. The CopperheadOS project has imploded, with the developer and business partner parting ways under “less than ideal” circumstances.
See the post here for more information:
Goodbye
by inCopperheadOS
Where does that leave me? I had purchased an unlocked Pixel2 via eBay a while back, and it’s still sitting here unused, with a valid SIM in it. I also have my daily driver Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. I would prefer to keep my daily driver using the regular Android version so that I don’t have to transfer things around. My ideal is to take the new phone and install a more private & secure OS on it, get it fully running and then consider upgrading either the whole S7, or the OS on it.
What options am I considering?
1. Upgrade one of the phones to LineageOS. While it doesn’t have the security and privacy of CopperheadOS, I can get it without Google Play services, which are prime in my privacy concerns. If I were to upgrade, I would have to determine whether to upgrade my S7 (less desirable since it requires more data migration), or try the currently unofficial support for the Pixel2.
2. Wait and see. I could either sell the Pixel2, or just hold on to it looking for a better solution. Yes, it means less privacy and security than I would prefer, but to be honest, I’ve not exactly been focused on this. Progress has been slow. In addition, there is some encouraging information being posted by the previous developer of CopperheadOS:
The project will be continuing with a new name and external funding to run it as a non-profit project
byu/DanielMicay inCopperheadOS
It may just come down to available time. I’ll probably activate the Pixel2, start running it normally, see if I can migrate my key apps and turn it into my daily driver. If I have time, I’ll upgrade the S7 to LineageOS without Play Services. And yes, until then, Google and many of the apps I install on my phone will know where I’m at, what I’m doing, be able to turn on the microphone & listen to me, and a myriad of other nitpicky details that I would prefer they don’t have access to.