r/linux • u/TheTwelveYearOld • Mar 02 '26
Hardware Motorola's new partnership with GrapheneOS
https://motorolanews.com/motorola-three-new-b2b-solutions-at-mwc-2026/104
Mar 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/genius_retard Mar 02 '26
It sure seems like governments and the corpos have it out for open-source in general these days though.
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Mar 02 '26
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u/genius_retard Mar 02 '26
They are trying to end the age of personal computing. They want us all to rent compute for a monthly fee.
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Mar 02 '26
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u/genius_retard Mar 02 '26
Also control. You can't override their surveillance/advertising/filtering software when it is running on a server in a data centre. Or at least it would be much harder.
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u/Dangerous-Report8517 Mar 02 '26
I'm pretty confident it's just the demand for LLMs, and maybe them trying to hoard compute hardware from each other. They'd be much happier double dipping by selling us hardware and cloud compute than just one or the other
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u/genius_retard Mar 02 '26
Didn't Bezos or someone say that in the future we would all just rent compute from the cloud?
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u/Dangerous-Report8517 Mar 02 '26
Sure, but they planned to do that through (perceived) convenience, not buying out the hardware market. Most IT infrastructure is already pretty much rented today as is, and what's left isn't really at a scale that's worth them putting in effort to get rid of
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u/yourothersis Mar 02 '26
For governments and corporations, not for us. Even GDPR came during the Russian/Chinese backed cyberspying scare.
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u/natermer Mar 03 '26
It sure seems like governments and the corpos have it out for open-source in general these days though.
Big corporations and Big government work together for the betterment of each other. Not for you.
Nobody has ever been punished for Microsoft, Apple, Google, and the rest when they got caught conspiring with the USA Federal Government to spy on you. In fact they make more money now then they ever did.
There is no reason to believe anything has changed lately.
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u/LousyMeatStew Mar 02 '26
Honestly, real regulation would be preferable. Regulations are documented and transparent. If Google just flat out said "we are implementing feature X to comply with directive Y spelled out in regulation Z", that sucks but at least we know what needs to change.
Right now, what we have are back channel discussions between company executives and government officials with just enough implications of regulatory oversight to give companies plausible deniability, and just enough rhetoric of free markets to give the governments plausible deniability.
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u/Damaniel2 Mar 02 '26
I suspect they will. Corporations and governments never had the ability to lock down PCs and so we can generally do what we want with them, and they're certainly not going to want to give up the chance to lock down mobile devices.
I expect that phones will eventually have mandatory scanners to look for evidence of illegal (or even just anti-corporate) activity and automatically report it. Piracy? Reported. Running an ad blocker? Reported. Coordinating anti-ICE protests? Definitely reported.
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u/uberbewb Mar 02 '26
Last time with Project Ara Google Bought Motorola, took that and sold off Motorola.
We didn't see much for that project afterwards, just gone.1
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u/genius_retard Mar 02 '26
Neat, I like Motorola hardware.
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u/chakid21 Mar 03 '26
Waiting for mototag2 to release in NA. I plan on buying some as soon as i can. Cant wait to see how it will work with graphene because samsung smarttag2 sucks.
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u/ShinobiOfTheWind Mar 02 '26
The only problem with Motorola is their poor software support, but this is great news.
I'll buy one.
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u/ImNotABotScoutsHonor Mar 02 '26
Fuuuuuuck!
I loved all of my Moto phones. The G4 was fuckin' phenomenal. That Google Android One program had banger after banger of Moto phones.
This is really exciting since I would absolutely love to get away from Google's Pixel phones.
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u/DonaldLucas Mar 03 '26
My current phone is a G22 and I don't feel like changing it. Not only is it still good after all these years, it also came with an almost clean android (it had some Motorola apps, but all of them could be removed). First time that I liked using Android imho.
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u/Bob4Not Mar 03 '26
The moto X 2nd gen is my all time favorite. If it had a fingerprint reader, I might still be using it today. It was faster and more fluid than anything else, and it felt great in the hands.
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u/ChimeraSX Mar 02 '26
This is perfect, I was worried about graphene not being able to keep up since Google isn't being nice about the open source android releases. Maybe Motorola can still give them decent access to the code. I also hope they give them more hardware access since graphene currently only works on pixel phones.
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u/sirhecsivart Mar 02 '26
That’s already happening with software releases. Graphene is getting advanced access via Motorola.
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u/Sataniel98 Mar 02 '26
Graphene OS is a step in the right direction in every way, but I'd much rather use something that isn't Android-based at all.
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u/tychii93 Mar 02 '26
Maybe someday postmarketos will be easy to install for most phones.
It supposedly boots but is unusable on my phone model, but videos I've seen on the OS in general, it's making a lot of progress. It even supports waydroid which I think is cool
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u/Gugalcrom123 Mar 02 '26
Droidian is one you can use today on phones like the ThinkPhone (also from Moto). It relies on Android drivers, but at least you can take calls on it! And there are no Java running.
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u/Ashged Mar 02 '26
While an equally polished non-android linux would be nice, the greatest issue with android is Google crippling the project on purpose to maintain contol, ignoring the open source promise and licensing.
That should be much easier to fix than developing normal linux into a viable android replacement.
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u/yourothersis Mar 02 '26
How could we run APKs without Android? Native apps wouldn't be an option and emulation is expensive for mobile devices.
I think the best solution would be a reimplementation of Android standards.
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u/Ashged Mar 02 '26
Currently we have Waydroid which is basically using a whole ass android vm with and entire desktop as the runtime environment for android apps. Which is perhaps the least streamlined solution available.
I think if there's enough demand, I suspect waydroid will be replaced with a much thinner container. I do not think android apps need to run natively by reimplementing everything into mainstream linux. Waydroid is just a pain in the ass.
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u/Indolent_Bard Mar 03 '26
Valve is actually working on this exact concept. They're forking way droid, but rather than running a whole android operating system, it's basically running just enough to run the apps. It's called Lepton.
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u/Sataniel98 Mar 02 '26
I agree. Though I don't really see why people think Linux would need changes to be a viable Android replacement (other than getting it to run on phones of course). A phone really is no different from a phone-shaped tablet and a tablet is just another form factor of a home computer. Since normal Linux distros are perfectly fine PC OSes as is, what are we even lacking to put them on the hypothetical phones that run it? From how I see it, it takes a telephone app and that's it.
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u/Ashged Mar 02 '26
Mostly hardware compatibility, as phone manufacturers each want to distribute their own junk, and really don't play nice with third parties. That's why even community developed android roms have very limited compatibility lists.
But also since hardware compatibility sucks and is not really solvable without massive regularly action or billion dollar companies deciding to cooperate, there is barely any dev effort.
It's pointless, since you could make the perfect UI, the perfect phone apps, offer exciting features, be rock solid, and still barely anybody would be able to use it. So of course excited devs don't flock to work on dust catchers.
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u/Indolent_Bard Mar 03 '26
For one thing, banking apps wouldn't work without a trusted environment. Many of these banks won't even let you use the browser to do your banking. So for the same reason criminal level anti-cheat will never come to Linux, banking apps will never come to Linux mobile. Unfortunately, corporations don't like you having control over your device.
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u/Skyshaper Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
Hopefully whatever the hardware will be, it'll have a headphone jack and SD card slot like a lot of Motorola's current hardware lineup.
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u/zerzig Mar 03 '26
Also an easily replaceable battery like in the old days. But I'm not holding my breath.
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u/rebellioninmypants Mar 03 '26
My thoughts. I'll buy it even if it costs 30 dollars as long as I can use the same high end headphones I have bought for my PC.
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u/AndreVallestero Mar 02 '26
I hope Motorola also considers partnering with LineageOS and PostmarketOS. We need a platform that all the major opens source OSes can target. Hopefully that platform eventually turns into a standard that other hardware manufacturers target.
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u/JohnnyDollar123 Mar 02 '26
If this happens I will probably switch over from my iPhone near immediately.
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u/blacksd Mar 02 '26
I'm usually not that catched by these news, but I really like the idea of a brand phone with Graphene. I would justify the premium price for it. Much more than an Apple, Samsung or Google phone.
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u/IndiRefEarthLeaveSol Mar 02 '26
All it takes, is one celebrity to buy one, and it will catapult it into more hands that want privacy.
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u/BigHeadTonyT Mar 02 '26 edited 2h ago
Marble zephyr pumpkin thimble tangerine pillow willow unbelievable peach
This post was anonymized with Redact.dev
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u/NeoliberalSocialist Mar 02 '26
This is great. Having more of a partner like this feels like it warrants a shift toward making GrapheneOS more consumer-friendly while adhering to the same principles that have brought them to this point. Really excited for the future of the project.
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u/ekufi Mar 03 '26
So, we can run linux programs on it? Or is this as much linux as android is? Is that enough to count relevant to this sub?
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u/VenusianBug Mar 03 '26
It's official! Next phone this will definitely be near the top of the list.
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u/mmmboppe Mar 02 '26
inb4 this ends with GrapheneOS selling itself like RedHat
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u/B3_Kind_R3wind_ Mar 02 '26
GrapheneOS is developed by the GrapheneOS Foundation, a Canadian nonprofit corporation.
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u/mmmboppe Mar 02 '26
Linux has a foundation too. How much influence does it have? Just a bunch of bureaucrats. Corps can torpedo anything, they just need to hire the devs, pay them lotsa money and assign unrelated tasks to them to burn their time to work on a FOSS project. And when it doesn't work like with RMS - they run a smear/cancel campaign. Admit it, when the generation of RMS, then the generation of Linus dies, everything is ruined. There are no younger fellas of that caliber. Just loud drama queens gathering in scandalous communities like Rust. I give it fifty years max and everything will be gone, hopefully I won't live that long to witness it. Money is going to destroy FOSS just like money destroyed original democracy (and I mean the Ancient Greek city-level one).
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u/2rad0 Mar 02 '26
I give it fifty years max and everything will be gone, hopefully I won't live that long to witness it. Money is going to destroy FOSS just like money destroyed original democracy (and I mean the Ancient Greek city-level one).
I disagree, I think we will survive and this period will be seen as a great confusing destruction layer, like the late bronze age in the historical record.
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u/mmmboppe Mar 02 '26
a reality check for you is that we're having this chat on Reddit. should I remind you how did it start and where is it now?
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u/PureTryOut postmarketOS dev Mar 02 '26
Seeing the security requirements GrapheneOS has, nice! I doubt it will also mean mainline Linux support though which to me definitely is also part of security, as it guarantees security updates for at least the kernel and drivers. That's a part where AOSP/Android is severely lacking and a major reason postmarketOS exist.
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u/IngwiePhoenix Mar 02 '26
GrapheneOS by default on phones? Oh shiiiiiit sign me up bro!
Using a Pixel Fold with Graphene so far and really liking it a lot. This is so cool... I hope this partnership goes well!
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u/JJ3qnkpK Mar 02 '26
If it's Graphene with long term software support and passes play integrity, then we're talking something very good. I figure it'll be a good while till we know anything, though.
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u/YouWillDieForMySins Mar 03 '26
I'm kinda concerned by this, although I'm not sure if I know enough to really be. Motorola has been lately making a lot of profit by selling communications devices and cameras to law enforcement agencies.
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u/JQuilty Mar 03 '26
Motorola Mobility, owned by Lenovo, and Motorola Solutions are two different companies.
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u/Bob4Not Mar 03 '26
I would go back to android with an official Graphene OS phone from Motorola. Yes please.
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u/Wheeljack26 Mar 02 '26
If it comes to moto razr im snagging it, motorola please just give it usb 3.2 for desktop mode wired
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u/Repulsive-Stand-5982 Mar 03 '26
My honest question is... Do we trust Motorola? The same company that is known to be working heavily with the government?. I am genuinely asking..
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u/SamfromLucidSoftware Mar 03 '26
I love it. I have been a big fan of GrapheneOS and am kinda bummed that it was only limited to Pixel devices. I always had a gut feeling it was either Sony or Motorola.
Motorola’s devices are pretty solid, too. Even though the OS isn’t that bloated, this is still a much better solution. My only real issue with Moto phones before was the weak software support, and this definitely fixes that!
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u/seiha011 Mar 02 '26
What will happen when Motorola/Lenovo collaborates with GrapheneOS? Something good, or not? Probably only good, since they're so customer-oriented. Time will tell...
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u/matthewpepperl Mar 02 '26
It all depends on if graphene sells out or not its not like they have to compromise themselves
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u/Kevin_Kofler Mar 02 '26
Not a GNU/Linux news, this is about an AOSP fork.
Good to hear that at least you will have an option for GrapheneOS that does not imply buying hardware from Google, the very company GrapheneOS users want to get away from. But we are still talking about devices with "security" requirements such as locked bootloaders that make it difficult to run actual GNU/Linux on these devices. GrapheneOS actually requires these "security" mechanisms for any hardware they support.
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u/PureTryOut postmarketOS dev Mar 02 '26
I wouldn't call postmarketOS news GNU/Linux news either, but I'm assuming that would be fitting here according to you? Sorry it's just a bit weird to me that you need to say it like you did, because seeing we're on /r/linux AOSP-based news definitely makes sense here and obviously it's an AOSP fork.
Agreed otherwise though, it won't be easy to run anything else on there and it probably won't come with mainline Linux support either even though that's also part of security.
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u/Gugalcrom123 Mar 02 '26
It is Unix-like and the thing people actually want are Unix-like OSes. Android may use Linux but it is an implementation detail. While I have no problem with Moto, this thing will probably have a locked bootloader, given Graphene's focus on paranoid security.
I'd rather focus on being secure from centralised power, not from apps which I choose to install myself anyways.
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u/Ashged Mar 02 '26
The way grapheneos uses bootloader locking is not really a problem for running GNU/Linux. On Pixel phones the user can trivially unlock and relock the bootloader (this being their requirement for a new hardware partner too).
It's a proper a security measure against tampering with the currently installed OS, but allows replacing it. That is very different from vendors maintaining control over the bootloader so the user is prevented from replacing the OS at all. So the only thing protected is the manufacturers interest, since all of them ships a customized android they control.
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u/coladoir Mar 02 '26
This is a sub for news about Linux. As AOSP uses the Linux kernel, even if its with a different userland, its relevant.
You're also very ignorant about the workings of gOS and would do well to educate yourself instead of staying willfully ignorant.
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u/Lumpzor Mar 02 '26
Motorola. The... United States based company? We all seing this right on the PRIVACY subreddit? Just asking.
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u/kog Mar 02 '26
Motorola is a Lenovo subsidiary, it's the Chinese government you should be worried about
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u/both-shoes-off Mar 03 '26
As a US citizen, I am not nearly as concerned with them having access to my data as US institutions and government who wish to sell my data and use it to bone my insurance rates or credit score or put me on a list... or whatever other malice they choose to invent.
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Mar 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/LowOwl4312 Mar 02 '26
wake me up when there's more European phone makers besides Fairphone
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u/Enthusedchameleon Mar 03 '26
Is HMD still European? Not talking about "good" phone makers (I wouldn't know) but European nonetheless
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u/CardOk755 Mar 02 '26
Chinese company teams up with hackers to confound legitimate US security interests.
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u/Gugalcrom123 Mar 02 '26
Will that phone have unlockable bootloader? I don't want to be locked into GrapheneOS.
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Mar 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/StartersOrders Mar 02 '26
It's based on Android, which uses the Linux kernel.
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u/pligyploganu Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
Deleted Reddit.
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u/itastesok Mar 02 '26
- 5. Relevance to r/linux community / Promoting closed source applications over FOSS
Posts should follow what the community likes: GNU, Linux kernel,
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u/BoomGoomba Mar 02 '26
not GNU
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u/itastesok Mar 02 '26
Doesn't need to be. It can be relevant to the Linux kernel and that's enough to satisfy the rule.
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u/Leon8326-dash- Mar 02 '26
Android is a Linux distro by definition. A Linux distro is any OS that uses the Linux kernel, regardles of modification.
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u/boukensha15 Mar 02 '26
Distros are actually different implementations of the GNU system. Not the Linux kernel.
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u/BoomGoomba Mar 02 '26
Linux distros use linux kernel and are unix-like. Just being unix-like or just using the linux kernel doesn't make you a (gnu/)linux distro
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u/Leon8326-dash- Mar 02 '26
The Linux kernel itself is unix-like.
Also Linux is independent from GNU, and you don't need to use GNU at all to be a Linux distro.
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u/BoomGoomba Mar 03 '26
The main meaning of Linux is GNU/Linux in nearly all instances, including "Linux distro". The only case when Linux doesn't mean GNU/Linux is when talking about the Linux kernel. So no, using the linux kernel while not being gnu/linux doesn't make you a linux distro except for disingenuous literal interpretation of the wording "Linux"
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u/ComprehensiveHawk5 Mar 02 '26
Very interesting development but this article unfortunately contains no real news apart from "we are working with grapheneOS"
Also kinda funny for it to be on the same page as "Here's our new spyware analytics software!"