Here's When GrapheneOS Is Coming to Motorola Phones

Many of us don't think twice about the OS our smartphones are running. On the surface, it really seems like there are only two options: iOS, for those of us with iPhones, and Android, for all other phones. But the conversation is much more nuanced than that: Many non-Apple smartphone manufacturers have their own takes on Android that make for a slightly different experience. Samsung has One UI, OnePlus (RIP) has OxygenOS, and Nothing has Nothing OS, for example. (Pixel ships with stock Android, as Google makes both the hardware and the software.)

However, the mobile OS rabbit hole goes even deeper. If you're particularly technical (and you don't have an iPhone) you can install a new OS on your smartphone to give you added control or features you won't find on Android. GrapheneOS just so happens to be one of those custom OSes, and its list of supported devices is about to grow.

What is GrapheneOS?

GrapheneOS is an open-source mobile OS designed with privacy and security in mind. While the OS is built on the Android Open Source Project, it employs a number of privacy and security features to both thwart common security vulnerabilities and block invasive trackers from scraping your data. Because it's built on Android, it supports Android apps, but won't include Google apps or services by default. It won't block Google Play outright, however: Users can choose to install Google Play in a "sandbox," which limits the elements of your phone Google's apps and services can access.

Crucially, GrapheneOS has a long list of requirements manufacturers must meet before it decides to support new devices. Some of those key prerequisites include the ability to run alternate OSes with full hardware security access, commitments for at least five years of updates, secure element integration, and hardware memory tagging, among many others. If you want to run this custom OS that prioritizes privacy and security, you either need to pick your new smartphone carefully, or hope your preferred manufacturer creates a device in the future that meets these specifications.

GrapheneOS is coming to Motorola phones next year

As of this article, only Google's Pixel phones currently support GrapheneOS—though GrapheneOS doesn't necessarily recommend using all supported Pixels at this time. The OS will run on Pixel 6 and newer (minus Pixel 11) but GrapheneOS recommends at least Pixel 8 or newer, because of Google's minimum seven years support, and Pixel 8's hardware memory tagging.

However, Pixels won't be the exclusive choice for GrapheneOS for long. The OS maker has been working with Motorola to bring support to its phones. And, as reported by The Verge, GrapheneOS recently announced some key updates on this front. Of note, Motorola's 2027 lineup of "slab" phones (non-folding, in other words) are currently planned to be the first to support GrapheneOS, which should support Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite chips. GrapheneOS explained its thought process in a Mastodon thread: It says that Motorola's current-generation phones, including the Motorola Signature, Razr Fold, and Razr Ultra, "are very close" to meeting its aforementioned security requirements, but are missing some crucial features coming to Motorola's 2027 lineup, including adequate secure element integration.

GrapheneOS also emphasizes its enthusiasm for Snapdragon chips, which it says provide better CPU and GPU performance as well as isolated components (such as cellular, wifi, Bluetooth), over Google's proprietary Tensor chip. GrapheneOS says that Tensor has been a "sidegrade or downgrade" from Snapdragon in many ways, but came with security advantages that Snapdragon hasn't caught up to yet—though that now appears to be changing. While GrapheneOS has found it harder to work with Pixel in recent years, the company says that Motorola has done much of the work in bringing GrapheneOS to its devices, which is encouraging: My guess is users who choose to install GrapheneOS should find it well-optimized.

GrapheneOS says it plans to support Motorola's foldable and flippable phones as well. The company says that it already supports the Pixel Fold, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold, so the foldable form factor is nothing new. However, a "flip" phone is a new design for the company. In addition, GrapheneOS is working on support for the 11th-generation Pixel devices.