Hey gang, I posted this in the relevant community but I figured it won't hurt to cast a larger net. I haven't done the custom ROM biz since around 2013 and I'm looking to degoogle my family on the cheap. I've spent the last 3 weeks getting dicked around by google pixels so if I can avoid those entirely I'd like to.
My plan is to go with CRDroid, curate the apps myself using mostly FOSS. Here's where I'm in need of an adult:
-
Oneplus 9 is in my price range and looks like it will last but I can only find it t-mobile locked. I can carrier unlock it myself, but will I be able to access the boot loader. I know I can't at all for Verizon, I wanna make sure i don't accidentally get trapped again.
-
I can't find many options outside of GrapheneOS, lineage, and crdroid, is that really the whole list? I like the options in crdroid but I'll take other suggestions.
-
I've been using Blu phones for ages, they don't come with any of the headache to get them unlocked and I've been using this one for nearly 8 years so I know they last. Is there a ROM that runs on Blu? I hate that all the compatible devices are name brand, high dollar, nonsense.
-
Are there any parental control apps that aren't just data harvesters? I want to give me kid a phone for emergencies, but he's 11 with ADHD that gives him the impulse control of a toddler surrounded by candy. It'd be safer for everyone if I didn't make is easy for him to repeat the mistakes I made at his age.
Any help whatsoever would be amazing, I've been coming apart at the seams over this for 3 weeks now and all I really want is to be able to take all the crap off my next phone and not wake up with new crap installed.
i don't know, sorry.
sadly, yes. the custom rom scene is really dead these days. there are some smaller roms like evolution x, paranoid android, blissos, derpfest (probably a few more) but i'm not sure if using them is a very good idea. honestly haven't seen much useful feature from those since android 9 days.. i just use lineageos btw, but usually an older version (<=android 11 so i can use gravitybox, which gives those customization features)
if you can bootloader unlock them, it is possible to install a treble GSI rom, since all android devices released with android 8 oreo and later features treble. try searching phh-treble, these roms are built to work on as many devices as possible and some features may not work properly.
sorry, i have no idea about this. maybe you can lock the phone down to the bare minimum by hiding/disabling all the apps except the essential stuff? lineageos stock is pretty much already that, just need to remove the web browser with adb pm uninstall i believe.
It's pretty much Graphene and Lineage now.