What's It Like Using CalyxOS Every Day?

03 Dec, 2024

Two years ago, I installed CalyxOS on a Pixel 5 as a Christmas gift for my oldest child, who is an adult and no longer lives at home.

Having just written a reflection of my own experiences with the operating system, I thought now might be a good time to ask for feedback on the experience of using CalyxOS daily as a young professional.

(The emphases with bold font are my own.)

INTERVIEW

How long have you been using CalyxOS?

Since December 2022 (2 years).

What are some of the positive experiences you've had with CalyxOS?

I like the peace of mind it gives me when it comes to my privacy. It's also very similar to 'normal' Android so it was easy for me to get used to it. Overall I would say its very easy to use and feels very familiar, even when I just started using it.

Also, even though it's deGoogled, I could still easily use my Google account when I still had one. I have recently switched, but for the majority of the time I used my Google account. I didn't have to jump through any hoops to add my Google account or use Google apps, it was just as easy as setting up an account on any other OS.

When you say you recently switched from Google, what you mean?

I switched from Gmail to Proton for Calendar and Mail, and switched my Microsoft OneDrive to Proton Drive too. I still have accounts online that use my Gmail address and I didn't delete my Gmail, but I'm trying not to use it and switch any accounts over whenever I come across one.

What are some of the problems you have had to deal with using deGoogled software like this?

Sometimes I have issues updating certain apps because of some Google Play services not being properly updated or installed. I'm not sure exactly what the issue with Google Play Services is, but it's something like that.

Also I've had issues using QR codes to pay for things in my banking apps; it usually does not work. QR codes everywhere else do work though.

I've also often had issues with my location. If I'm using Google Maps to navigate, it often doesn't find my location very quickly or at all. I am not sure if this is a calyxOS thing or just the local networks being generally pretty bad, coverage-wise. I suspect it's calyxOS though because my partner never has issues with Maps location on regular Android.

In daily use, how aware or unaware are you that you have a deGoogled phone?

I am pretty much completely unaware, except when I run into one of the issues I described above. I'm happy that I'm unaware. It's nice not to have to think about it. It's very nice that the OS just works like any other Android and doesn't require the user to know anything about how it works behind the scenes.

I didn't set it up myself but I know it's very easy to do. I'm happy that the OS is so accessible and that I don't have to constantly maintain or think about it.

It's great to read an honest review like this. Both the good and bad experiences are useful to know about.

I want to end with two comments:

End of support for Pixel 5

With a Pixel 5, you are currently on extended support from Calyx until August 2025 (and possibly longer). You should check here next summer:

https://calyxos.org/docs/guide/device-support/

If support for the Pixel 5 ends, then you'll need to look for a new phone, because you don't want to walk around with a phone without security updates.

Creating a separate user for Google applications

One tip for the problems you describe with banking applications and reading transactional QR codes. I have set up a separate, dedicated user profile just for that. You can create new users in CalyxOS, just like you can in Windows.

For that new Google-only user, I have installed the Google Play Store (instead of Aurora or F-Droid) and update my bank app from there. That seems to have fixed the QR code scanning issue for me.

I have been able to get my banking app to read payment QR codes by installing it via Aurora Store, but with inconsistent results, so this is how I run things now, on a separate user account.

I do have to make sure both my system and the banking app are always up-to-date. This is done by rebooting the phone and checking for updates on the app store regularly.