FAQs
DeGoogled Secure Graphene OS Phones
Phone Questions
-
Let us walk you though this process, as which phone you should buy depends on several variables such as; price, screen size, camera features, RAM memory for apps to function and phone storage capacity. We have compiled a summery of each model just below, to help you choose the phone that best meets your needs.
Also, please note for the highest level of DeGoogled Phone Privacy and Phone Security we have now released the new Extreme Phone which replaces our DeGoogled Phone and Secure Phone… it includes all their benefits and more.
WHICH MODEL TO CHOOSE…
The Extreme 9a phone is the most affordable model and a good all-rounder for typical use. It has a generous mid-sized 6.3 inch screen, a good 2 lens camera, sufficient 8GB RAM to handle your apps, and still has the same security and privacy abilities as our other phones. It comes with 128 GB of storage, sufficient for the average user and can hold approximately 10,000+ typical photos.
The Extreme 10a is the 2026 affordable Phone and a good all-rounder for typical use. It has faster charging, a brighter and more scratch resistant screen and enhanced bluetooth over last years 9a. It has a generous mid-sized 6.3 inch screen, a good 2 lens camera, sufficient 8GB RAM to handle your apps, and still has the same security and privacy abilities as our other phones. It comes with 128 GB of storage, sufficient for the average user and can hold approximately 10,000+ typical photos.
The Extreme 10 phone is our Business Phone with a higher build quality and excellent daily phone. It has an excellent mid-sized 6.3 inch screen, an excellent 3 lens camera, an additional 50% RAM at 12 GB to handle your bigger business apps, and still has the same security and privacy abilities as our other phones. It comes with 128 GB or 256 GB of storage, sufficient storage for approximately 10,000+ / 20,000+ typical photos, spreadsheets, documents, etc.
The Extreme 10 Pro phone is our Professional Phone with a higher build quality and pro quality everything. It has a pro quality mid-sized 6.3 inch screen, a pro 3 zoom lens camera, an additional 100% RAM at 16 GB to handle all your demanding apps at once, and still has the same security and privacy abilities as our other phones. It comes with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage, sufficient storage for approximately 20,000+ / 40,000+ typical photos, spreadsheets, documents, video and more.
The Extreme 10 Pro XL Phone is our Extra Large 6.8 inch Screen Professional Phone. It has the same specifications as the pro listed above, however, with an extra large screen.
The Extreme 10 Pro FOLD Phone is our Professional Foldable Phone. It has the same specifications as the pro listed above, however, with an extra large folding 8 inch [open] screen.
-
YES - just pop your SIM card out of your old phone and into your new Pixel Graphene phone and you are ready to make calls, texts and use your data plan.
-
NO - the privacy and security comes from the Pixel Phone, Graphene OS and how we configure it, not from the SIM. Just use your current SIM from your old phone, unless of course you want to change SIM providers or get a new number for other reasons.
-
YES - our Pixel Phones with Graphene OS support Dual SIM via one physical SIM and one eSIM which the user downloads from their mobile network provider.
Please view our eSIM Setup Guide for assistance.
-
YES - our Pixel Graphene OS Phones are based on the latest technology which are compatible with all mobile networks in Australia.
-
YES - our Pixel Graphene OS Phones are based on the latest technology, so can be used in all countries, though not all mobile networks in the USA and Japan are compatible.
-
NO - we don’t offer a store front to view or collect your order, we include free Australia Express Post and provide the tracking link once your goods are dispatched.
-
NO - Unfortunately we no longer export to other countries due to the high level of orders we receive within Australia and due to the international banking, credit card fraud and freight logistic challenges.
May we suggest you do an internet search for "graphene os phones for sale" in your country or region.
-
NO - we no longer offer that service for multiple reasons. We only sell new phones, configured and ready to use, as per our website offering.
-
YES - After we configure your phone ready to use, we install the Aurora App Store [spy-free] which gives you anonymous access to Play Store apps. You can download, update, and search for new apps like you would with the Play Store, only privately.
-
YES - Along with typical phones apps for phone calls, text, camera, etc, we add spy-free apps such as: Sat Nav, Proton Mail and VPN, Signal, Vanadium Secure Browser, Office Suite, To Do, Calendar and Weather.
-
YES - Vanadium Browser is included with our phones and is an extremely private, secure browser, based on the popular Chromium Browser, and is strongly recommended.
-
YES - Proton offer both free and paid options and we pre-install the Proton Mail + Proton VPN app so you are up and running in just minutes. Just enter your personal account login details and you are ready to go.
-
YES - You can install all your preferred apps like your banking apps, Gmail, your preferred VPN, and work apps too. Basically if there is an Android version of your app, you can install and use it.
Just use the included Aurora Store to add your required apps, as per our New User Guide.
The only apps that are more challenging are PAID apps, as you don’t use a credit card with our free, anonymous Aurora App Store. You can still install your paid app if that’s critical for you, by adding your app through the Google Play Store and your account logins.
-
YES - If you wish to disable 5G for personal reasons, please refer to our Pixel New User Guide and follow the simple instructions.
-
These messages do not compromise THREE CATS phone security or privacy. They are simply a SMS Text Message.
You can turn them off if you choose, by going into the phone app Settings / Safety & Emergency / Wireless Emergency Alerts and turn the toggle switch to the off position.
-
YES - Graphene OS supports the official release of Android Auto. Please view our Android Auto Installation Guide for assistance.
-
NO - We fully remove the A.I. that comes on the standard Pixel Android Phones.
-
Most users do NOT require Multiple Users Profiles". One use could be to have a second profile labelled "kids" if you wish to share your phone with your children to play games while keeping your important apps and documents secure in the primary profile.
-
NO - You may have read about User Profiles for added privacy or security, but for most users you do NOT need them, as Graphene OS provides automatic "sandboxing" to each app, effectively placing each app in quarantine.
-
You may have read about Sandboxing for added privacy or security.
Your Pixel Graphene OS phone provides automatic sandboxing as each app is placed in a separate secured space, a virtual “sandbox” to limit its ability to misbehave, effectively placing each app in quarantine.
-
NO - It is considered dangerous to use an old phone running an old OS [Operating System]. Newer operating system not only receive security updates but also receive important privacy enhancing updates too.
-
The Pixel Phone has a Two Year Warranty which is supported via the original purchase receipt from our Australian supplier that we provide to you.
-
NO - We are a small local I.T. service provider, and as such all purchases are final.
However at our discretion, we may offer an order cancellation and full refund for your phone order, if you have only just ordered and paid, and we have not yet purchased phone stock for your order.
Additionally, if your order is for a Stocked Item (i.e. not purchased in) and we have not yet begun the phone configuration per your order, we may choose to offer a cancellation and refund.
-
NO - We do not offer a Return Your Phone service. As we purchase physical products on your behalf, and then customise the software, we are unable to accept return of products, as the original store / providers do not accept product returns as the original packaging / box has been opened. If you have a physical issue / fault with the product, please review the original purchase receipt we provided with your product, and contact the suppler who issued the receipt.
-
YES - We have an online New User Guide for our DeGoogled Phones and Secure Phones.
-
YES - Due to the large number of new users each month, we provide a New User Guide to help onboard new users as quickly and easily as possible. We have also written specific Guides to help users with issues, which can be found via the menu, under Guides.
After reading our Guides, should you wish to learn more, or seek to customise Graphene OS further, we suggest visiting the Graphene OS Forum. There are hundreds of active users keen to share a wealth of information and answer your questions.
Additionally, paid clients are always welcome to contact us should they have need such as a Warranty Claim, etc.
-
If you have lost your password, please visit our Lost Password Guide for assistance.
-
If you have wiped or factory reset your THREE CATS Pixel Phone and wish to have it reconfigured to it’s original state, please read our Wiped Your Pixel Phone guide.
-
If you have replaced your screen and wiped or factory reset your THREE CATS Pixel Phone and want it reconfigured to it’s original state, we have a [half price] fee of $320 which includes return express postage.
Contact me for our current return postal address and we can begin the process to reconfigure your phone. We aim to complete your phone and dispatch it via express post within one business day of receiving your phone and funds.
-
If your app wont open or closes each time you try to open it, please visit our App Wont Open Guide.
-
If you have received your new phone and inserted your existing SIM, and can not send or receive SMS Messages, or have Mobile Data issues, please visit our SIM Mobile Problems Guide.
-
If you are having problems with charging your phone, or it will not start up normally, please visit our Trouble Charging or Starting Guide.
-
NO - We are not a scam :] Please visit our Scam or Honest page where we detail how you can verify our creditability and why you can trust us.
Advanced Questions
-
The Pixel Graphene Phone has 'Kill Switches' for securely disabling the camera, microphone, GPS, bluetooth, WiFi and the cellular network connection when these features are not required.
-
YES - Mobile Networks can track your location via cell towers. To avoid tracking, you can enable aeroplane mode which will disconnect you from the cell towers, preventing tracking and prevent all calls and text messages until you re-enable your connection by disabiling aeroplane mode.
-
Our Pixel Graphene Phones are extremely secure and also incorporate an advanced Verified Boot feature that confirms the hardware, firmware and operating system are genuine and have NOT been tampered with. Simply compare your phone’s Verified Boot Number displayed on your phone’s screen, against the official Graphene OS Verified Boot Numbers to confirm your phone has not been tampered with.
-
By default, your baseband modem will typically be set to support just about every generation of mobile cellular technology, from 2G to 5G. This gives a large attack surface. You can reduce this attack surface by limiting the baseband modem to just using the generation that you needs. In most cases, this would be 4G/LTE or 5G if you prefer. Graphene OS has the LTE only mode exposed in settings. We will set this for you to 4G / LTE though you can adjust this by going to Settings → Internet → Your carrier name → Preferred network type.
-
Installing a custom Android-based operating system can help increase your privacy and security. However the vast majority of these operating systems do exactly the opposite - breaking the Android security model, ruining your security while providing no or dubious privacy benefits. If you are using a modern Pixel phone, the best choice is to use GrapheneOS. If you are on a device supported by DivestOS, use DivestOS. Otherwise, do not blindly use an Custom OS just because it is advertised as “degoogled”.
-
It’s important to not use an end-of-life version of Android. Newer versions of Android not only receive security updates for the operating system but also important privacy enhancing updates too. For example, prior to Android 10, any apps with the READ_PHONE_STATE permission could access sensitive and unique serial numbers of your phone such as IMEI, MEID, your SIM card’s IMSI, whereas now they must be system apps to do so. System apps are only provided by the OEM or Android distribution.
All our Pixel phones are based on the latest Android version, then deGoogled only with Graphene OS ensuring we end up retaining all the latest security and privacy enhancements.
-
On Android, the phone unlock (Password, Pin, Pattern) is used to protect the encryption key for your device. Thus, it is vital that your unlock secret is secure and can withstand Bruteforce attacks. Pattern unlock is extremely insecure and should be avoided at all cost. This is discussed in detail in the Cracking Android Pattern Lock in Five Attempts research paper. If you trust the hardware enforced rate limiting features (typically done by the Secure Element or Trusted Execution Environment) of your device, a 8+ digit PIN may be sufficient. Ideally, you should be using a 8-10 word diceware passphrase to secure your phone. This would make your phone unlock practically impossible to bruteforce, regardless of whether there is proper rate limiting or not.
-
Rooting Android phones can decrease security significantly as it weakens the complete Android security model. This can decrease privacy should there be an exploit that is assisted by the decreased security. Common rooting methods involve directly tampering with the boot partition, making it impossible to perform successful Verified Boot. Apps that require root will also modify the system partition meaning that Verified Boot would have to remain disabled. Having root exposed directly in the user interface also increases the attack surface of your device and may assist in privilege escalation vulnerabilities and SELinux policy bypasses.
-
Auditor provides attestation for Graphene OS phones and the stock operating systems on a number of devices including our Pixel phones. It uses hardware security features to make sure that the firmware and operating system have not been downgraded or tampered with. Attestation can be done locally by pairing with another Android 8+ device or remotely using the remote attestation service. To make sure that your hardware and operating system is genuine, we perform local attestation immediately after your device has been setup and prior to any internet connection.
DeGoogled Graphene Questions
-
The standard iPhone and Android phones send your data back to Apple or Google up to 90 times per hour. They listen to your conversations, track your location, your proximity to other phones, what apps you use, which websites you visit and more.
A DeGoogled phone keeps your activities private by preventing your phone OS [Operating System] from spying on all your personal activities.
-
DeGoogling a phone requires that we wipe the original OS [operating system] off your phone and install a custom OS that has all the google spyware removed. The custom OS is safe, open-source software, that programmers have reviewed to ensure it is safe for you to use and does not spy on you!
-
Graphene OS [Operating System] is considered to be the most private and most secure OS available, providing significant benefits over other "privacy operating systems" and over standard Android OS and Apples iOS.
For additional information, please view our Privacy OS Comparison.
-
NO - Graphene OS has been designed specifically for the Pixel Phone which includes a Secure Encryption Chip that no other phones have.
-
NO - Apple deliberately blocks any changes to the iPhone OS [operating system] so it is NOT possible to stop Apple spying on iPhone users.
-
YES - If for some reason you wish to restore your Pixel phone to its original Android OS, it can be reflash with Android OS, returning the phone to its original state.
-
NO - Pixel phones are designed to support custom OS [Operating System] installations, so installing Graphene OS does NOT void your 2 Year Pixel Warranty.