Apps I Use on GrapheneOS
After switching my phone to GrapheneOS, I reinstalled everything from scratch. Here is what I actually use. The X (Twitter) app wouldn’t let me log in, but logging in from the browser works fine.
How the app stores divide the work
GrapheneOS gives you several places to get apps. The roles split like this:
| Store | Role |
|---|---|
| Apps (GrapheneOS’s own) | System things like Auditor, and installing sandboxed Google Play |
| Accrescent | A curated, privacy-focused store. Small catalog |
| F-Droid | Open-source apps in general. Most of my apps come from here |
| Aurora Store | Installs Google Play apps without signing in to a Google account |
| Google Play (sandboxed) | Apps that genuinely need a Google account |
Security & privacy
- DNSNet (F-Droid) — Ad blocker. It uses Android’s VPN mechanism to block ad domains on the device itself (nothing gets routed through an external server)
- Auditor (Apps) — Continuously checks that the OS hasn’t been tampered with
- Tailscale — VPN for reaching my home PC. Right after installing, it’s safest to keep “Block connections without VPN” off — if it’s on before you’ve logged in, every app on the phone loses connectivity
Everyday
- Sumire keyboard — Japanese input
- Brave — Browser with ad blocking
- LINE / PayPay / banking apps (Play) — the messaging and QR-payment apps daily life in Japan runs on. They all just work
- Google Maps (Play) — Still my map. I tried Organic Maps, but Google Maps wins on routing
- Thunderbird — Email
- Slate — A text-only, minimalist launcher
Notes & records
- Obsidian — Notes, with a rich plugin ecosystem
- Grit — Habit tracker
- Money Manager Ex — Household budgeting
Tools & media
- Termux — Terminal, for SSH keys and git
- Material Files — File explorer. Reaches my PC over SFTP
- Aves — Gallery
- Lotus — Music player
- RiPlay — Music player for YouTube
- Puzzles — Simon Tatham’s puzzle collection