CalyxOS

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CalyxOS
DeveloperThe Calyx Institute
OS familyUnix-like (Android)
Source modelOpen source with proprietary components[citation needed]
Repository
Update methodOver-the-air (OTA), ROM flashing
Package managerAPK-based
Platformsarm, arm64
Official websitecalyxos.org

CalyxOS is an operating system for smartphones based on Android with mostly free and open-source software. It is produced by the Calyx Institute as part of its mission to "defend online privacy, security and accessibility."[1]

History[edit]

The Calyx Institute annual reports[2] state CalyxOS was publicly launched during their 2018-2019 fiscal year. Inspiration included TAILS and Qubes, and goals were said to be "completely open source", removing proprietary Google tracking, and including apps Tor, Signal and CalyxVPN for increased privacy.[3]

CalyxOS supports Pixel phones Pixel 3 and newer.[4] In April 2022, CalyxOS announced Android 12L for testing on Fairphone 4, and OnePlus 8T, 9, and 9Pro.[5] However, in May 2022, CalyxOS announced OnePlus builds were pulled because of a "relock issue".[6] As of July 2022, according to CalyxOS the OnePlus relock issue had not been resolved.[7]

Software[edit]

CalyxOS includes features and options not available in the official firmware distributed by most mobile device vendors. These features include phone dialer integration with encrypted calling applications such as Signal, integration of Tor, and the inclusion of free VPN services run by The Calyx Institute and other non-profits such as Riseup.[citation needed]

Until June 2022, default web search was DuckDuckGo and default web browser was DuckDuckGo's Android browser. In June 2022, DuckDuckGo browser was dropped as default, but remained installed if previously installed. The new default web browser became a Bromite fork of Chromium with Adblocking included.[8]

CalyxOS includes MicroG as a privacy enhanced replacement for some of the functionality in Google Play Services.[citation needed]

CalyxOS has sponsored development of SeedVault, an encrypted backup and restore application for Android based Operating systems,[9] which has been adopted in LineageOS,[10] GrapheneOS[11] and others. The Calyx Institute annual report states they "debuted SeedVault" during their 2019-2020 fiscal year.[12]

The operating system preserves the Android security model, using Android's Verified Boot system of cryptographic signing of the operating system, and running with a locked boot loader.[citation needed]

Reception[edit]

CalyxOS was added to AlternativeTo in June 2020.[13] CalyxOS F-Droid repositories are included in F-Droid's "Known Repositories" list.[14] Phones with CalyxOS preinstalled are being sold.[15] GoFOSS.net published a CalyxOS review and installation guide.[16]

In October 2020, Moritz Tremmel reviewed CalyxOS.[17] A month later, Tremmel explained why he preferred CalyxOS over LineageOS.[18] A year later in September 2021, Tremmel further explained how CalyxOS was different from other ROMs because it did not require as much "fiddling".[19] Rahul Nambiampurath, writing for MakeUseOf in March 2021, termed CalyxOS, "[one of the] best [Android] ROMs for privacy ... offers the perfect middle ground between convenience and privacy".[20] In August 2021, Android Authority wrote CalyxOS "puts privacy and security into the hands of everyday users."[21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About The Calyx Institute - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  2. ^ "Financials and Annual Reports - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  3. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-07-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "CalyxOS". calyxos.org. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  5. ^ "Fairphone 4, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus 9 test builds now available". calyxos.org. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  6. ^ "May 2022 Security update - Fairphone 4, OnePlus 8T, 9, 9 Pro". calyxos.org. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  7. ^ "OnePlus Android 12 firmware - relocking no longer works". calyxos.org. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  8. ^ "r/CalyxOS - June 2022 Security update - Pixels". reddit. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  9. ^ "SeedVault - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  10. ^ LineageOS adopts SeedVault as its open source backup solution
  11. ^ Frequently Asked Questions
  12. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-07-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "CalyxOS, Privacy-focused operating system for smartphones based on Android and microG". AlternativeTo. Retrieved July 26, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Known Repositories". F-Droid Forum. 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  15. ^ "What are the differences between LineageOS, GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, and others? - Private Phone Shop". privatephoneshop.com. 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  16. ^ "Degoogled Phone | Definitive Guide to CalyxOS & Micro G". gofoss.net. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  17. ^ Moritz Tremmel (2020-10-19). "CalyxOS im Test: Ein komfortables Android mit einer Extraportion Privacy". Golem.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  18. ^ Tremmel, Moritz (November 10, 2020). "Bye-bye, Lineage OS!". www.golem.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  19. ^ "CalyxOS: Google-freies Android". Linux-Magazin (in German). Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  20. ^ "What's the Best Privacy-Focussed Android ROM?". MUO. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  21. ^ "Gary Explains: Linux turns 30, Tesla's D1 chip, Power⚡️ over Ethernet & more!". Android Authority. Retrieved 2021-11-02.

See also[edit]

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