Using GrapheneOS In Korea
Table of Contents
1. Preface
GrapheneOS is my absolute favourite OS. It's better in terms of both security and privacy, but one killer feature that would make it really hard to move away from GrapheneOS is the user profile feature. It's this feature that motivates me to use Pixel phone even in Korea, where Pixel devices are not officially sold nor supported. I decided to buy it and bring it to Korea, and this post is intended to inform you that, yes, it works.
2. Note
This assumes that the phone is not rooted. If you root it, some of these may not work.
3. VoLTE
If your phone calls are not working, this is probably why. Thankfully, GrapheneOS now adds carrier settings override toggle in the settings, allowing you to enable VoLTE without installing any apps! Previously, there was an app called Pixel IMS that did this, but it required Shizuku.
4. App Compatibility
It turns out most apps work just fine. Primary reason why certain apps do not work on GrapheneOS devices is that it does not pass the Play Integrity API.
4.1. Finance
4.1.1. Working Without Issue
Toss
File storage permission need to be enabled manually, but otherwise it worked flawlessly.
- KakaoBank
- UpBit
- KB Star Banking
KakaoPay
It's one of the apps that implements contactless and does not use Play Integrity API. With this app, you can use contactless in GrapheneOS.
4.2. Bonus
4.2.1. Monzo
Yes, it's a British finance app. The app worked without any issues.
4.2.2. 국방부보안 앱 (The app you need to install to use your phone in military bases)
For better or worse, the app is not compatible with GrapheneOS because it assumes you have Knox. I still managed to get my device approved by putting a sticker on the camera lenses. So much better than installing sketchy shit on my device. I remember approval code being something like 11111111.
4.3. Apps That Did Not Work
- WhatsApp: Uses Play Integrity API.
5. Conclusion
Despite the fact that GrapheneOS is usually not "approved" by these big companies, they worked exceptionally well, especially considering that the number of people who use Pixel in Korea is probably something like in double digits. The common concern of finance applications not working were mostly not true, though it kind of sucks that contactless doesn't work because GrapheneOS is not approved by Google. I heard Curve works without it, but could not try it out because I couldn't pass the Curve's KYC procedure.