FOSS phone apps

Upgrade to GrapheneOS

I’ve been using GrapheneOS for about a week now (more on that later), which meant I wiped my phone. Before that, I used YouTube Vanced, but that was about it, in terms of FOSS apps. I try not to use my phone too much anyway, but certain apps (YouTube, Reddit, Spotify, Pocketcasts) I do use on a regular basis.

A return to a better age

In 2023, when Reddit pulled API support and broke third-party apps, I deleted my account and stopped using reddit altogether. However, over time, I found myself out of the loop for general news and specifically for news about the school I was attending. I hated reddit for pulling this shit, but figured, after a while, that I was ‘punishing’ myself for their decision. So I made a reddit account to only be used for my school. Over time, I allowed myself to add a few specific interests, but I really did really only use it for that. Unfortunantly, as I realized that I have no social outlet, I began to use it more and more, especially after graduating. For the last year, I’ve used reddit daily for a while each day.

I figured, since reddit has been shitified and none of the third-party apps work, it sucks to be me, so I suffered through the reddit app, ads and all. A few days ago, I came across a comment with a guide of GitHub for how to patch these and make them work, so I tried it. I tried a few of the third-party apps, including the one I used to use, and found that, with this guide, they still can be used like the old days. No ads, cleaner experience, more customization. It reminded me that there are so many smart people out there doing wonderful things that I probably can always find a project that improves upon some big corporate shitshow.

I use a custom skin on Spotify for desktop, use Vanced, and now I’m back to a better solution for reddit.

Don’t just accept the shit they try to feed you. There’s almost always a better option if you’re willing to put some time into looking for it.