Once the domain of privacy enthusiasts, GrapheneOS is going mainstream in a new partnership with Motorola. Security and Android experts assess what that could mean in terms of the privacy and usability of future devices.

At this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Motorola announced plans to support a GrapheneOS-based Android stack on future devices, potentially bringing hardened Android security to mainstream smartphones.

The two companies say they will collaborate on research, software improvements, and new security features in the coming months.

While the announcement doesn't spell it out directly, the partnership could eventually lead to Motorola smartphones shipping with GrapheneOS – or Graphene-inspired security features – built in.

That would be a milestone for an open-source project that has traditionally been limited to privacy enthusiasts and security professionals.

What is GraphenOS?

GrapheneOS is an open-source mobile operating system built on the Android Open Source Project (ASOP), the base version of Android that anyone can modify.

The key difference is that Graphene removes Google’s data collection components and adds additional security features.

As Subho Halder, a mobile security researcher and Android platform specialist, explains:

“The Android phones you use rely on the open source Android project. Companies like Samsung use that OS project and then make their own flavor of the operating system.”

Graphene, he adds, takes that foundation and pushes it in a different direction.

“GrapheneOS is a privacy-and security-focused mobile operating system based on ASOP designed to eliminate the pervasive tracking and data collection found in mainstream Android, including Google apps and services.”

This approach is often referred to as “de-Googling” Android – removing Google services such as Play Services, maps, tracking locations, and other built-in data collection mechanisms.

For privacy advocates, that’s appealing. But it can also create usability challenges.

Why GrapheneOS hasn’t gone mainstream already

Until now, Graphene has had two big limitations: installation complexity and limited hardware support. Currently, it officially supports only Google Pixel smartphones – including the Pixel 6,7,8,9 and 10.

Installing it usually means unlocking the phone and installing the operating system manually.

“Traditionally there was no easy way to install it, you need to know the how to unlock the device to install the OS,” Halder explained.

The mobile security specialist said that he previously used the system himself, but eventually moved away to iPhone.

“Another problem is the updates, which used to be a pain,” he notes, although added that the process has “improved significantly”.

The other big issue for many users is app compatibility. Because GrapehenOS removes Google services by default, some apps struggle to function normally.

“They’ve removed the Play Store and other features in normal Android,” Halder said.

“For me to install banking applications, I needed to install the Play Store app and go through that process. Banking apps don’t recognize it.”

He adds that even using everyday services can become harder.

“If you are using Uber, GrapheneOS will stop location. You would need to import extra map services.”

Subho Halder, mobile security researcher and Android platform specialist

Motorola’s partnership may change this by shipping devices with GrapheneOS or Graphene-based features already configured.

“It's an interesting partnership.” Halder noted. “They are going to port some Graphene features into devices, although they haven’t clarified which ones."

Can GrapheneOS actually stop spyware?

One of the biggest motivations for using hardened operation systems is protection against spyware.

Tools like Pegasus spyware can secretly infect smartphones and extract messages, microphone recordings and location data – and have been used to target journalists and activists around the world.

But experts say expectations should be realistic. Aimee Simpson, director of product marketing at security firm Huntress, said that while GrapheneOS can improve baseline security, it isn’t a silver bullet.

“Realistically, while GrapheneOS will help defend against some vectors – especially with its improved sandboxing – saying that it can mitigate spyware attacks/zero-click exploits entirely is a stretch."

Aimee Simpson, director of product marketing, Huntress

“There are some improvements to baseline security to be made here, but that doesn’t completely nullify the threat.”

She added that attackers inevitably adapt. “One continual truth in cybersecurity is that whenever new technology develops to protect against a threat, the threat mutates into something else.

“While implementing GrapheneOS might see a short-term decrease in spyware, that doesn’t mean it’s a long-term solution.”

If widely adopted however, hardened Android systems could disrupt parts of the spyware market.

“A mass integration would mean that standard forms of spyware would instantly become much less effective. In the short term, this would definitely disrupt the spyware market,” she noted.

How hardened Android raises the cost of attacks

Security researchers say GrapheneOS includes technical protections designed to make the kinds of vulnerabilities exploited by spyware much harder to use.

Stanislav Kazanov, head of GRC, cybersecurity and sustainability at Innowise, says many advanced spyware tools – including those used in ‘zero click attacks’ – rely on exploiting small bugs in how apps handle memory.

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“The majority of zero-click exploits rely on links with a collection of memory corruption vulnerabilities in background processes such as media parsers and messaging daemons,” Kazanov explained.

Attackers often target components that automatically process content such as images, videos or messages because these processes run silently, in the background. A malicious file can sometimes trigger the exploit without the user having to tap a link or open an attachment.

GrapheneOS attempts to make these attacks much harder to execute.

“GrapheneOS includes a unique, hardened memory pool, and aggressive Address Space Layout Randomization. There are still bugs, but instead of the spyware vendor's exploit working, it fails, and the application crashes, without the spyware being installed.”

These protections tightly control how apps access memory. Even if attackers find a vulnerability, reliably turning it into a working exploit becomes far more difficult.

Instead of silently installing spyware, the attack is more likely to simply crash the targeted app.

That doesn’t mean spyware disappears entirely but it does make it significantly more expensive and harder to deploy.

"If a [Spyware] vendor attempts to use a standard Android exploit chain against a target with GrapheneOS on it, it must burn an entirely different exploit that is exponentially more scarce than the same exploit. This will cause the R&D costs for the suppliers of spyware to skyrocket.”

Stanislav Kazanov, head of GRC, cybersecurity and sustainability, Innowise.

However, even hardened operating systems can’t solve every security problem.

“Many real-world attacks do not exploit the device itself,” said offensive security researcher Kwangyun Keum.

“Phishing attacks, credential theft, token or session hijacking – all of these happen in the phone’s browser. A hardened OS cannot prevent this type of attack.”

High value targets are still vulnerable from well funded attackers, he added.

“Funded spyware vendors may still achieve their goals. The exploit chains are becoming difficult to connect but it doesn’t insinuate that they will be safe from zero day attacks,” Keum said.

The Google ecosystem conundrum

Even if GrapheneOS improves privacy and security, its biggest challenge may be compatibility.

Modern Android devices rely heavily on Google services and certification programs. David Gillies, head of Android research at mobile security company iVerify, says that could limit adoption.

Some applications – especially banking, streaming services, payment platforms – rely on Google’s Play Integrity levels tied to certified OS builds, and those checks can block aftermarket OS users.”

GrapheneOS tries to solve this by sandboxing Google Play services rather than integrating them directly into the system.

But the broader acceptance from app developers and Google itself may still be necessary.

“For wider adoption the bigger challenge is ecosystem acceptance otherwise everyday app compatibility becomes the limiting factor,” Gillies added.

Could other vendors follow?

Motorola’s move could be a test case for the wider industry. According to Kazanov, the strongest demand for hardened Android devices may come from government and enterprise buyers rather than consumers.

“If Motorola does receive multiple government contracts based on its newly built technology stack, other manufacturers, like Samsung, may develop "ultra-hardened" versions similar to Graphene,” Kazanov said.

Gillies also thinks broader adoption will depend on demand.

“Other manufacturers would likely follow only if demand from enterprise customers, regulators or government pushes them to."

David Gillies, head of Android research, iVerify.

For now, Motorola’s partnership marks a rare moment where a niche, privacy-focused open source operating system is stepping closer into the mainstream.

Whether it becomes the future of secure smartphones or remains a tool for privacy-focused organizations and enthusiasts will depend on whether security, usability, and the Android ecosystem can find a workable balance.

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