September 2025

iOS Privacy Alternative?

*sponsored by Proton Mail​

I switched from iPhone to Open Source

This last month, I put my iPhone away to see if it would be possible to make a Pixel flashed with Graphene OS my primary device. Some of the results were expected, but one particular feature turned the whole experiment upside down.

​Lifelong iPhone User Switches to Open Source OS​

Go Deeper: You've heard me talk about Graphene OS a lot lately. They're not a sponsor, it's just been something I wanted to test for a while now. Next week, I'm bringing on somebody with a lot more experience than me to talk about the privacy features of Graphene and how he sets it up.

Live Stream Soon! Next Tuesday, September 16th, join me for a livestream to talk about Graphene OS. ​Check Stream Start Time →​

Android vs Graphene Dig in to understand the difference between stock Android and Graphene OS. ​Read the full breakdown →​

The Convenience Conundrum

Hi [CORRECTED_NAME GOES HERE], you've heard me say over and over again that one of the hardest decisions we have to make is how we personally balance convenience and security/privacy.

In most cases, you can't have both.

I knew coming into this Graphene OS experiment that it was going to be a test of my convenience tolerance. I'm pretty comfortable living in the Apple ecosystem - as are many people - but I also don't like allowing Apple that much control of my life.

There were a few primary hurdles I anticipated:

• Messaging: without iMessage, how easy was it going to be to communicate with my family?
• App Availability: if part of this experiment meant ditching both the iPhone and all Google apps, how easy would it be to find replacements? Would all my regular apps work as well?
• Photos: how easy would it be to not only take photos, but also to send or transfer them where I needed them to be?

Strangely, at the end of the day none of those were particularly difficult hurdles to overcome. But...

...there was one hurdle I didn't anticipate.

Be sure to watch the full video to see what it was.

Sponsored by:

Proton Mail One thing I noticed while testing Graphene OS was how valuable it was to have a secure email account that wasn't associated with either Apple or Google! Considering how you can open account for free, it's really a no-brainer for anybody who values privacy and security. Create a Proton Account

This Week in Privacy News

​sophisticated PayPal attack​

A sophisticated phishing campaign targeting PayPal’s massive user base has emerged, utilizing deceptive “Set up your account profile” emails to compromise user accounts through an ingenious secondary user addition scheme. The emails are spoofed to look like they come from a legitimate PayPal URL.

--> Cybersecuritynews.com/threat-actors-attack-paypal-users/

​​
​​is Twitter's new "XChat" secure?​

Twitter/X has started rolling out a new encrypted messaging feature they call "XChat". Cryptography experts, however, are warning that X’s current implementation of encryption in XChat should not be trusted. They’re saying it’s far worse than Signal, a technology widely considered the state of the art when it comes to end-to-end encrypted chat.

--> Techcrunch.com/2025/09/05/x-is-now-offering-me-end-to-end-encrypted-chat-you-probably-shouldnt-trust-it-yet/
​

​automated sextortion spyware is creepy​

A new form of widely available spyware has turned a relatively manual sextortion crime into an automated feature, detecting when the user is browsing pornography on their PC, screenshotting it, and taking a candid photo of the victim through their webcam.

--> Wired.com/story/stealerium-infostealer-porn-sextortion/

Would you switch to Graphene?

As I said in this week's video, I really enjoyed the Graphene OS phone but realized that I still need to have an iPhone as well, whether I like it or not.

What about you? Have you tried ditching your iPhone or Android with success? I'd love to hear how it went for you.

✌️

Josh

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3824 Cedar Springs Rd #801-8170, Dallas, TX 75219
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