LineageOS is the perfect minimal smartphone for non-tech savvy folk (opens in new tab)

This is a very good initiative! There is also https://divestos.org/pages/devices?golden=true

Great list! Thanks for sharing. Noting how many developers work on the device is a nice addition.

The context is that it's somebody else setting up what's basically a dumb phone for family members. I agree that custom roms are a terrible idea for non-tech savvy folks if they have to set it up themselves, but in this specific narrow case it's a good solution.

For those who are trying to put space between them and Google GrapheneOS + play services is a bit of a mixed bag given that it only runs on "Google hardware" (i.e. Pixel devices) and those additional play services let Google in through the back door. A non-Google device running LineageOS or some other AOSP derivative + F-Droid serves this purpose well and comes without any dependency on Google or it's services. For those few proprietary 'apps' which are only distributed through the 'play store' something like Aurora store (an alternative play store cliënt which works without a Google account) can be used.

Completely agree. Overall a better install experience. Can install google play super easily after install as well if you aren't worried about that.

Graphene is only supported on Pixel devices however.

> if you've got this guy to do it for you then you're good I guess.

as long as he'll also provide the bimonthly necessary tech support with a fast response time.

Since you are explicitly asking for cheapest: a used Motorola Moto G7 Play can be gotten very cheap. Alternatively, a used Pixel 3a. You probably find something cheaper from Xiaomi, but I'd stay clear as unlocking the bootloader is not pleasant on these devices.

Personally, I would aim a little higher though. I run it on a Pixel 4a and am quite happy. (Don't get the Pixel 4/XL since those do not have a fingerprint reader but only Face Unlock, which the latest LineageOS does not support.)

I use a Samsung S4 mini with it. There are unofficial builds for it, but it's not the most pleasant experience.

OnePlus are my go to

Check out one of the supported Motorola's, they sell cheap brand new.

Can also recommend new Motorolas. Currently on G52 with LineageOS (microg fork) and it feels as good as a factory ROM.

Previously I had a Moto One Action and the system had a few quirks, but overall was OK.

Even with Google Play Services working, there's a much more difficult underlying issue that makes for a rather unpleasant user experience with banking apps: SafetyNet Attestation/Play Integrity/CTS profiles/whatever other names there are for it.

I remember that ages ago I had to use Magisk and a finnicky Xposed module on my phone to be able to get past the root protection my banking app had. I'll be honest, these days I just don't have the mental energy for those sorts of fights anymore.

MicroG has a LineageOS distribution, they build for all the supported devices by upstream Lineage: https://lineage.microg.org/

That should cover at least the notification side. If I can't bank on a mostly open-source mobile OS than I would rather just not bank on mobile at all. Banking on stock ROM is not an option for me.

I've been using LineageOS for 2 years now since my 2020 phone started to slow down due to bloatware. From the moment I installed it, the phone became fast again. Regarding notifications, I haven't had any problems with WhatsApp or any other messaging apps. As for my bank, I downloaded the app from the Play Store (I use microG) and I haven't had any issues either. I think it depends on your bank and the restrictions they place. In my personal experience, LineageOS has allowed me to continue using a phone that would have otherwise been thrown away due to planned obsolescence by the manufacturer.

I'm amazed this didn't come up yet as a part of the DMA because everything related to the play services and integrity are a blatant antitrust violation.

TFA says that the intended user does not care about having banking apps on that phone.

Also, there is nothing stopping you from just keeping an old phone around just for the banking app. It's not like I really need to do banking on the go, and the app is nothing more than a glorified 2FA app for when I do home banking, on my actual computer.

Agreed - this is a good solution for people that don't want or need any of that stuff. You'd be surprised how many people out there don't do any form of internet banking at all and simply manage their money in the bank branch or over the telephone directly to the bank. For the elderly, it's a great idea to remove their internet banking (or not give them access to it in the first place) and protect them from scammers.

This is covered in the linked post.

On my phone, using crDroid (no official lineageos support), I can use Google Pay without problems. This wasn't possible when it was still rooted, so I think root access is what prevented that from working before.

As for Google Play, you can just install those right after installing Lineage. Or you use MicroG or something if you don't like the closed source Google services client.

I've been daily driving Lineageos with MicroG on a cheap Motorola and have had no problems with Whatsapp at all. (Thankfully I've been able to avoid banking or ID apps so can't chime in on that)

You can use Google Play services on Lineage os. IIRC they are installed by default though there are ways to use it without them (doing that right now). About banking apps idk.

Fire your bank if they don't respect your boundaries.

which is why LOS is exactly not for non-tech savvy folks. he probably proselytized his priorities until his family members couldn't hear it anymore and just surrendered. i hope he has a lot of time because exactly the points you mentioned plus all his "advantages" will come back to haunt him.

having said that i love anything anti-google but i'd be careful to advertise it to others.

Do you mean root detection? Because running Google apps on lineage OS devices is probably more common than not.

Yeah we have extensive use of eID here in Sweden and they all require device integrity. https://wiki.lineageos.org/quirks/snet/

It's kinda funny that device integrity is so important to them, implying evil maid attacks, but the most common attack on eID is simply stealing someone's code or convincing them to use their eID over the phone.

Of course, with the evil maid attack enabled stealing someone's phone would become much more common, rather like stealing someone's credit card.

Yeah, that's a really big problem for any Android enthusiast who wants to have a root and tinker with the device.

I ended up with 2 phones because of that and my second is an iPhone mini, because of the shitty financial apps that didn't work properly on Android. The upside of a walled garden I suppose is that the bank would test it properly on a more consistent iOS.

If you use those apps, you're part of the problem.

Yeah, look for a bank that does not require you to have a smartphone.

when i switched from lineage to /e/OS i found the latter much more user friendly. important tools such as maps worked out of the box while at the time (some 5 years ago) lineage needed a lot more manual effort to be usable, so i didn't consider that it would be suitable for non-technical users.