Motorola confirms GrapheneOS support for a future phone, bringing over features

Very interesting, I’ll keep an eye on Motorola phones. Not that I need a new one anytime soon, but still that’s the kind of thing that could be refreshing to read news about.

Open ##609541

@drmoose@lemmy.world 2026-03-03 03:18

This is crazy big news.

Open ##609869

@qualia@lemmy.world 2026-03-03 04:41

What’s the likelihood that Motorola will eventually lock down GrapheneOS though? Imho it’d be a bad move if they did. The FOSS mobile OS community has matured to the point that we don’t need to rely on for-profit monoliths any more. Motorola would be smart to lead the way to where the mobile device economy will be.

Open ##611780

@njordomir@lemmy.world 2026-03-03 05:01

I remember my original Moto G. It was a good phone for the time. I will follow Graphene wherever they go until a Linux phone is ready.

Open ##612100

@razen@lemmy.world 2026-03-03 07:11

How will they be able tackle the play integrity checks and all those things?

Open ##615222

@Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-03-03 09:16

Guess I know which brand my next smartphone upgrade will be. If they did some nice 7" tablets too, that would be perfect.

Open ##617688

@ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2026-03-03 09:53

I think most people here don’t really understand what’s going on here. Graphene OS is an Android mod with some extra security features designed to run on a hardened hardware. The main goal of Graphene OS is to protect users from some very specific attacks like some devices police uses to unlock phones or some targeted hacks by state actors. Unless you’re worried you may be targeted by such an attack and have some date you need to protect from them you don’t really need Graphene OS. You can run any of the other deGoogles Android mods on any hardware that supports it. You can already buy phones with pre-installed /e/ of iode ROMs. Many other phones support Lineage OS. Also, let’s keep in mind that GrapheneOS only supports Pixel because they don’t want to allow people to run their OS on hardware they don’t think is secure enough. It’s their choice not to support other phones. Also, Google still controls AOSP so this does not solve any of the bigger Android issues. Motorola forking AOSP and providing the resourced needed to keep the development going would be amazing news. This is just one phone maker promising to fulfill the security requirements of Graphene OS. It’s basically like Dell offering Ubuntu laptops. Good news but it will not have a big impact on the ecosystem.

Open ##618428

@Luminous5481@anarchist.nexus 2026-03-02 13:44

This is great news. While I still think we should make a push towards Linux phones being mainstream so that we don’t keep this duopoly on OSes, it’s nice to know that at least one manufacturer is _currently_ defying googles obvious goal of suppressing third party ROMs and marketplaces.

Open ##1358263

@Mwa@thelemmy.club 2026-03-02 15:48

maybe my next phone will be a Motorola.

Open ##1358264

@arcine@jlai.lu 2026-03-02 17:50

Well, fuck. I really hoped they would pick FairPhone. Motorola is... Okay. I guess they made the Nexus 5 ; which was one of the best phones ever. I hope they make a SMALL one, I am so tired of this GIGANTIC pixel 9.

Open ##1358265

@technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-03-02 15:52

Android seems intent on creating a huge market for this. Chef's kiss!

Open ##1358266

@Infernal_pizza@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-03-02 23:14

Let's see if it gets released before GrapheneOS and unlockable bootloader get outlawed

Open ##1358267

@gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 2026-03-02 15:39

I actually bought a new Motorola phone 2 months ago precisely because i wanted a phone with an unlockable bootloader, and motorola delivered that. Vote with your wallet.

Open ##1358268

@Crozekiel@lemmy.zip 2026-03-02 19:06

My biggest concern is the life cycle of the device. I almost went with Motorola for my last phone, but saw that you were lucky to get 3 years of OS updates. Is that likely to be better on GrapheneOS? If so, that is a huge win imo. If not, it still isn't ideal because I don't want to have to buy a new phone every 2 years...

Open ##1358269

@brokenwing@discuss.tchncs.de 2026-03-02 12:27

Fucking finally. Please be a Qualcomm chip.

Open ##1358270

@MrSoup@lemmy.zip 2026-03-02 15:02

> a future smartphone to have GrapheneOS pre-installed I'll not trust Lenovo (Motorola is Lenovo) preinstalling stuff on my phone. They've already ship Windows laptop with literally [malware and backdoors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenovo#Security_and_privacy_incidents) (even in UEFI, so persistent across format) preinstalled. I will rather install it myself.

Open ##1358271

@sefra1@lemmy.zip 2026-03-03 14:57

That's nice, but how much will those phones cost? Will GrapheneOS be an option on the low end devices or will they only support "some" devices, which happen cost as much as a Pixel anyway?

Open ##1358272

@usernameusername@sh.itjust.works 2026-03-03 00:39

W Moto ❤️‍🩹

Open ##1358273

@stebator@lemmy.world 2026-03-03 11:34

While the Motorola/GrapheneOS news is interesting, it's a shame that GrapheneOS's lack of root access continues to be a significant limitation. For users who prioritize data ownership and the ability to create full, local backups (Swift Backup being a prime example), it's simply not a viable option. Security is important, but so is control over your own data.

Open ##1358274

@zingo@sh.itjust.works 2026-03-02 18:13

All my phones have been Motorola, the first one was the Moto X - OG ! Very well built and great batteries. Quality phones with close to stock UI for a snappy experience. Love the Moto Actions as well. Only negatives were updates and cameras. Both are much better these days. Especially now with an upcoming OS alternative!

Open ##1358275

@mrnobody@reddthat.com 2026-03-02 12:18

Damn. Missed opportunity for OnePlus. I know their phasing out phones but I was going that was in favor of GOS. I really want an IR Blaster still (｡╯︵╰｡)

Open ##1358276

@wavebeam@lemmy.world 2026-03-02 15:20

I tried to switch from iPhone to Pixel 10 Pro Fold with GrapheneOS, but I needed RCS to work. Unfortunately, even installing Google Messages and allowing it permissions wouldn't allow RCS to work for more than 36 hours before I had to go through the whole install and allow process again. I would be willing to cut off all Google services, even banking apps and whatnot, but I need RCS to work. I'm unfortunately an American and cannot reliably expect my friends and family to use an app other than iMessage to text, so I need RCS. Will Motorola provide some GrapheneOS compatible RCS client? If so, I am likely to switch.

Open ##1358277

@lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2026-03-02 15:21

Will it have a headphone jack and sd slot

Open ##1358278

@laranis@lemmy.zip 2026-03-02 12:52

Take. My. Money.

Open ##1358279

@100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 2026-03-02 14:43

~~Motorola is a major supplier of communication equipment for the IDF and produces bomb fuses used in IDF's bombs. It also donated money to Project 2025.~~ Edit: there are two Motorola. The good one is the one shipping Google spyware and not updating their devices. The bad one helps Israel kill brown people.

Open ##1358280

@Schmerzbold@feddit.org 2026-03-02 14:43

Can it please be somewhat affordable? Privacy as a feature should be accessible to everyone.

Open ##1358281

@militaryintelligence@lemmy.world 2026-03-02 23:02

I always thought Pixel was the platform to have for fucking around with the OS and stuff. Of fucking course I was an idiot.

Open ##1358282

@rainbowbunny@slrpnk.net 2026-03-02 16:54

Anyone have a wild guesstimate on when this will be available?

Open ##1358283

@ProfThadBach@lemmy.world 2026-03-02 21:57

The reason I got my ZFold5 was I like the fact that it could open up and give me a larger area to view and bigger keyboard. I have gotten the biggest phone I could get for the last 15 years or so because I have a hard time seeing the tiny screens. I would be happy to switch to a new OS but my old ass needs a bigger screen.

Open ##1358284

@DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 2026-03-02 13:58

Seems like a good move. They need *some* market they can dominate, even if it's a small market at the moment. But, the only way this works is if we buy their phones. I wish them luck, and maybe they'll make my next phone. I want to get out of Apple and Google.

Open ##1358285

@superglue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-03-02 14:40

Looks like my next phone is going to be a Motorola. Having been on Graphene for 2 years now, I can't go back. My wife is still on stock and its cringe for me now.

Open ##1358286

Replies (40)