Description

CalyxOS is an Android-based mobile operating system built by the Calyx Institute, a non-profit founded to make privacy practical for ordinary users rather than only for experts. It is based on Android and LineageOS device support, and ships without Google apps: microG can stand in for Play Services if you want it, F-Droid and Aurora Store replace the Play Store, and a firewall called Datura sits in front of every app’s network access. Security updates arrive automatically each month.

Key Features

• Datura firewall — fine-grained control over which apps may use the network, including traffic in the background.
• microG, optional — a Play Services replacement for the core functions many apps need, without Google’s tracking; leave it off and the phone still works.
• Automatic monthly OTA updates — security patches install without a manual flashing session, and verified boot checks that the OS has not been altered.
• Radios that switch themselves off — Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, camera and microphone can be turned off automatically when not in use.
• Private dialer — built-in Signal and WhatsApp calling options, and Sensitive Numbers, which hides helpline numbers from the call log.
• Seedvault encrypted backup — app and file backups to a USB drive or Nextcloud, encrypted on the device before they leave it.
• Work profile isolation — run work apps and data in a separate profile on the same phone, with no access to your personal side.
• Sensible defaults — DuckDuckGo as the search engine, Tor Browser and trusted VPNs (Tor, Riseup) ready to use, Aurora Store for the Play catalogue anonymously, and Restrict USB to block unknown devices.

Why Use CalyxOS?

CalyxOS is the de-Googled Android you can hand to someone who does not want a project. Updates land on their own, apps install from an app store, the phone makes calls and takes pictures, and the privacy features — the firewall, the radio timeouts, the private dialer — are already on. The Calyx Institute also supports hardware the Pixel-only alternatives ignore, including Fairphone and SHIFTphone.

Use Cases

• A daily-driver Android without Google’s services for non-technical users
• De-Googling a Fairphone, SHIFTphone or supported Motorola instead of a Pixel
• Separating work and personal life with an isolated work profile
• Keeping an older Pixel, Fairphone 4 or OnePlus running with current security patches
• Reducing radio exposure with automatic Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, camera and microphone shutoff

Supported devices

Android devices: Pixel 6 through Pixel 10a including Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet, Fairphone 5 and Fairphone (Gen. 6), SHIFTphone 8, and the Motorola moto g 5G (2024), g84 5G, g34 and g45. Extended support covers older Pixels, the Fairphone 4, moto g52/g42/g32 and OnePlus 8T/9/9 Pro (beta).

Related

Compare with GrapheneOS, LineageOS and /e/OS.

Licence

Apache-2.0, on an Android and LineageOS base.