Customers frequently ask us if certain applications will work on the Ghost Phone. The short answer is, “YES!”
Most apps will work just fine.
It is highly likely that whatever application you are curious about will work just fine on the Ghost Phone. This is because almost all apps have an Android version, along with an iOS version and all Android versions of apps will run just fine on the device.
Unfortunately, if you have a question about a specific app, or list of apps, our team does not always have the resources to hunt down these details and so our hope is that we can arm you with the knowledge and information to hopefully answer this question for yourself faster than we can!
What is The Ghost Phone?
The Ghost Phone is simply a Pixel device running the GrapheneOS open source operating system that has a few settings configured and @ 20 applications installed so you can get up and running quickly once the device arrives at your doorstep.
What is Android?
Android is an open source mobile operating system framework, known specifically as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), used by the majority of smart phones around the world.
Google Android is built off this open source framework and closed source.
GrapheneOS is built off this open source framework and remains open source.
This is why most all android apps will work just fine on the GrapheneOS operating system and byproxy, why they work just fine on The Ghost Phone.
What is Google Play Services?
Some application developers use a service from Google to make their development a little simpler and easier, which leverages software specifically designed by Google to pull and push information from/to the device. This means applications using Google Play Services, and the data from those applications, clears through Google’s servers prior to hitting the server maintained by the company responsible for managing the application you may be using.
On The Ghost Phone, and in GrapheneOS, you have the option of installing and using a “sandboxed” version of Google Play Services. This allows for any app that requires Google Play Services to function just fine, without providing Google, or the application requiring the services, full access to the data on the device itself. Complete documentation about GrapheneOS’s sandboxed Google Play Services application, can be found HERE.
There is also a tutorial on how and when to use the GrapheneOS sandboxed Google Play Services found at the end of our detailed Getting Started Guide that comes printed inside the box of every phone we ship. The .pdf version can also be found HERE.
How do I know if there is an Android app available?
If you can find it on the Google Play Store then this means you’ll be able to find and download it via the Aurora app store which is pre-loaded on The Ghost Phone.
If you can find it on F-Droid then this also also means you’ll be be able to find and download it onto the device.
Some apps, although very few, offer direct downloads from their websites via a file type known as an .apk (Android Package Kit). It is not encouraged that you download random .apk files from websites, however, unless you know what you are doing and trust the website and company offering the .apk file for download.
Do I really NEED this app downloaded on my device?
Not every app you use NEEDS to be downloaded to the device for you to use the service offered by the app!
Most companies offer apps for you to use simply because by doing so they gain access to your data, far above and beyond what they might otherwise have access to if you simply logged into your account from their website using a secure browser.
With such access, and data, they can monetize you and your information in many more ways.
With this in mind, you if you can access the information provided by an app from your browser on your laptop, you can and should do the same from your phone. We explain how to do this, and many other interesting things with your phone, HERE.
Am I even comfortable with the data/permissions the app requires I provide it?
That new cool flashlight app you just downloaded for free has access to your GPS, wifi, camera, microphone and records what you’re doing on all your other applications. Did you even know it has this access? Are you comfortable with the company that created the app accessing and selling your data?
If you’re like the vast majority of other technology users, you likely have never read a “Terms and Conditions” or “Acceptable Use Policy” that nearly every website and app you install has available. If you did, and could understand what you were reading, you likely would start to seriously question if you should even use the website or app at all.
In many cases, when you download and use an app and quickly tap on the “I Agree” buttons to get through these sections so you can start using the app, what you’ve just done is provide the company that manages the app free reign access to all the data you provide it. This is the case not just while using the app, but across all the other apps you use on your device. Pretty crazy… right? Pretty intrusive and Orwellian too… right?
Even companies that swear up and down that they do not do this, have lost numerous court cases and paid large fines for doing the very thing they swore to the public they would never ever do. If you follow our social media channels (see the bottom left side of our website), you’ll see us dropping links almost daily to a new ruling that proves this is a chronic and disgusting problem largely ignored by most major media outlets.
Is there an alternative app I can use that doesn’t spy on me?
If the app you are using requires Google Play Services to function (fewer and fewer apps do these days, but some banking apps and games do), you should ask yourself if you really NEED the app on your phone or is there an alternative you can find that accomplishes the same thing that does not require Google Play Services.
Note: We have found it very interesting that many apps may say they require Google Play Services to function, however, once installed the app in fact works just fine without it. We believe the “requirement” is really because the Google Play Services component helps the app track more of your data on the device! Unfortunately, you will not know for sure if it will work w/out Google Play Services until you have the phone and give it a try.
To see if there’s an alternative, go to F-Droid.org (or open your F-Droid app on your device) and do some digging around. You can also simply search for, “Is there an open source alternative to __ app?” and see what comes up. You’re likely not the only person who’s had the question!
If you STILL have questions, after having looked through the information above, please don’t hesitate to reach out to support@mark37.com and we’ll try to get back to you as quickly as possible. You can also sign up for a free 15-30 minute digital privacy consultation to dig through any outstanding questions you may no matter where you are on your journey toward digital sovereignty.
I need to use an app I know spies on me for work (…or name whatever reason)
We get it. Sometimes work requires you use MSFT Teams, Zoom or Outlook.
Heck, you may even need to use (or think you need to use) WhatsApp or Facebook or TikTok.
As mentioned above, you still CAN use these apps on The Ghost Phone, or any phone running GrapheneOS. There is definitely a “safe(r)” way to use these apps, and you simply must be aware of what permissions you’re providing the app when you install them.
All I can do is teach you how to safely do something.
Just like teaching someone how to safely handle a firearm, I can’t then prevent someone from accidentally, or willingly, shooting themselves or the people around them after I’ve explained to them how to successfully NOT do that.
This is how these phones operate now. YOU have the control. You decide what the device, or any app, can and cannot do.
Is there another way to use the service without the app?
Did you know that all major video conferencing tools allow you to use their service without needing to install their software on your device?
Enable if you Host Zoom Meetings
To learn how to do this for whatever other conferencing app you need to use, simply go to your browser and search, “how to join _(name of conferencing solution)_ meeting from my browser” or “how to join _(name of conferencing solution)_ without downloading a plugin or app”
Often you can also simply use a service by logging into via your browser vs the app… so are you SURE you need the app downloaded? Have you talked to your tech team at work about this? If not, is your privacy worth at least trying to have a conversation with them about it?
If all other options have failed…
Create a separate User Account on your phone
Setting up a separate user account on your phone essentially compartmentalizes all your data on the device.
Any and all data that is accessible within one user account will not be accessible from the other user account. Hence, this is a great way to ensure anything happening within one user account stays as far away from everything else you may be doing on the other.
Setting up a separate user account where you download and install the various apps you may “need” for work, and downloading and installing the Sandboxed Google Play Services (see above for details) is the best way to accomplish this.
How to do this is explained in the last section of our Detailed Getting Started Guide.
Example 1
We have a doctor client who has an app he needs to use to write prescriptions to clients that requires Google Play Services to operate. He only needs it for a few minutes a day, so we worked with him to setup the separate user account, download Google Play Services, then download and install the required app and get him logged in.
Now, he spends 10 minutes at the end of every day jumping over to the “work” user account to take care of all of his prescriptions, and then he logs out and operates within his primary user account the rest of the day.
Example 2
We have another client who needs constant access to work email using a work specific VPN app. The customer decided she didn’t want to flip back and forth between user accounts all day, so she simply installed the sandboxed Google Play Services on your primary account along with the other work apps she needed. She made sure to only provide her work apps with the access it absolutely required and needed to function and simply turned off permissions for everything else.
Although not “ideal” it helps her stay off a Google Android or Apple iOS operating system and prevent her work from having access to everything else she does on her device.
Example 3
Another “cowboy” we know still uses Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to preach Truth in Love and wake people up on those platforms every day. Unfortunately, some of the features that allow him to push and manage his posts require he uses the app vs simply logging into the platform from his browser… so we setup a separate “Social Media” user account on his device, downloaded sandboxed Google Play Services, downloaded and installed the needed apps, and made very clear not to provide permissions to these apps outside the very specific ones it needed to have.
Now, when he has a post he wants to share, he flips over to the social media user account, takes care of business, and then flips back to his primary user account on the same device.