this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2026
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New to android ROMs and degoogling and I have questions. (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 day ago by Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
15 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

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[–] sbeak@sopuli.xyz 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

  1. Aside from the three you mentioned, there is also iodeOS (which seems to be a fork of LineageOS with extra privacy stuff) and e/OS (also based on Lineage, they have their own flavour of UI that some say is similar to iOS. Never used it personally though)

  2. Neither of those run on Blu phones though, being based on LineageOS.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, it's looking like no matter where I go I'm going to have to spend too much fora device with a logo if I want out of this corpo nonsense...

[–] sbeak@sopuli.xyz 1 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

I mean, you could go with a Fairphone if you want something that will last (may not be within budget though)

[–] Yaky@slrpnk.net 2 points 19 hours ago

I know of:

  • LineageOS
  • LineageOS+microg (is its own thing)
  • GrapheneOS - this is what I use
  • eOS - shiny degoogled Android
  • iodeOS - degoogled Android with some extra features and parental controls - might be something you want?

Some other Android-derived projects are inactive: DivestOS shut down, CalyxOS is paused.

For 3, I think it has to do with popularity, unlockability, and the chipset.

[–] ExtraMedicated@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I have a Oneplus 9 pro that I installed LineageOS on. Their installation instruction were very good and easy to follow while I wasn't successful with other ROMs.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 2 points 19 hours ago

That's what I keep hearing. From the look of it, getting the new OS will probably be the easiest step, the hard part is getting my hands on a phone without putting my whole rent into it.

[–] DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

https://github.com/pluja/awesome-privacy?tab=readme-ov-file#operating-systems

As for devices, take a look on GSMArena. You can filter by features so it'll show you what's possible and you can work from there. Or you could poke around forums and such. Lineage has a wiki for supported devices. See what tallies up with GSMArena's spec sheet.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

but I can only find it t-mobile locked. I can carrier unlock it myself

Careful with that assumption. I bought a TMO-locked OP Nord N200 thinking I could do that but even after using it on my account for a year, they say "it's not in our system" and it remains carrier-locked. Basically when it hit the secondhand market, it was removed from TMO's system and they have no record of it and cannot carrier-unlock it (or that's the story that was told to me by 3-4 different people within TMO).

but will I be able to access the boot loader

Depends if you can carrier-unlock it.

https://service.oneplus.com/us/search/search-detail?id=op588

[–] DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

Carriers always technically can unlock a phone. They often don't want to help.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So t-mobile might screw me, but if they don't I will have bootloader access? That's better than Verizon but not as good as unlocked from the start. Thank you

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

When I put the IMEI into OP's tool, it said I had to go through TMobile to [bootloader] unlock it since it was a retail model.

TMobile said the phone "wasn't in our system" and couldn't provide either SIM or bootloader unlock codes.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Well I guess that's a dodged bullet lol. Time to keep hunting.

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

  1. i don't know, sorry.

  2. 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)

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 2 points 1 day ago

It's pretty much Graphene and Lineage now.

[–] BigBolillo@mgtowlemmy.org 0 points 1 day ago

The most easy way IMO to get into android custom roms stuff is, buy a cheap MediaTek chinaphone which the bootloader can be easily unlocked(there are many that you just need to enable OEM unlock option and then enter fastboot and run a command) after you have the bootloader unlocked just install a GSI of your preferred custom OS. Another good option is to buy a carrier-unlocked phone and if it's the case the manufacturer bootloader unlock procedure.