CalyxOS

CalyxOS
Developer	The Calyx Institute
OS family	Android (Linux)
Working state	Current
Source model	Open source
Latest release	6.2.0 / 5 December 2024; 2 months ago
Repository	gitlab.com/CalyxOS
Update method	Over-the-air (OTA), ROM flashing
Package manager	APK-based
Platforms	arm, arm64
Kernel type	Monolithic (Linux)
Official website	calyxos.org

CalyxOS is a Android-based operating system for select smartphones, foldables and tablets 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."^[2]

CalyxOS preserves the Android security model, using Android's Verified Boot system of cryptographic signing of the operating system, and running with a locked bootloader.^[3]^[4] CalyxOS also features an installer that guides the user through the process of unlocking and then re-locking the bootloader.^[5]

History

The Calyx Institute annual reports^[6] state CalyxOS was publicly launched during their 2018–2019 fiscal year. Inspiration included Tails and Qubes OS, and goals were said to be "completely open source", removing proprietary Google tracking, and including apps Tor, Signal and CalyxVPN for increased privacy.^[7]

CalyxOS supports select Google Pixel, Motorola and Fairphone devices, While offering "extended support" for some older Google Pixel devices and the SHIFT SHIFT6mq.^[8]

Around April 2022, CalyxOS announced support for the Fairphone 4, OnePlus 8T, 9, and 9 Pro.^[9] However, in May 2022, CalyxOS announced OnePlus builds were pulled because the bootloader could no longer be relocked on newer device firmware.^[10]^[11]

In March 2024, CalyxOS added support for the Fairphone 5.^[12]

Software

name

Feature(s)

Notes

Aurora Store

Alternative to the standard Google Play Store

Aurora Store uses the same standard catalog of apps and installs apps directly from the Google servers to phone.^[13] CalyxOS gives Aurora Store special privileges so that app updates can be automatically installed.

Chromium

FOSS web browser

Bromite fork, succeeded DuckDuckGo mobile browser as the default web browser in June 2022.^[14]

F-Droid Basic

Repository of FOSS applications for the Android platform

CalyxOS includes a version of F-Droid called "F-Droid Basic" which allows for streamlined app updates, installs, and uninstalls without elevated privileges.^[15]

MicroG

FOSS implementation of proprietary Google Play Services

Some apps dependent on Google Play Services may not work with MicroG, use of MicroG is optional.^[16]

Organic Maps

Navigation app with privacy

A privacy-focused navigation app for driving, hiking, and cycling. The application uses OpenStreetMap for its map data. It can download maps on the device to be used for location information and navigation without an internet connection.^[17]

Seedvault

Encrypted backup and restore application for Android

The Calyx Institute sponsored development of SeedVault ^[18] and an annual report states they "debuted SeedVault" during their 2019-2020 fiscal year.^[19]

SeedVault is also used by LineageOS.^[20]^[21]

Signal

Encrypted calling/messaging app

Free, privacy-focused messaging and voice talk app, preinstalled as messaging app in CalyxOS.^[22]

CalyxOS ships with MicroG as an open-source alternative to the Google Mobile Services, including Mozilla Location Services as an optional replacement to the location services provided by Google, but gives the user the option to disable microG and its location services.^[23]

Reception

In October 2020, Moritz Tremmel reviewed CalyxOS.^[24] A month later, Tremmel explained why he preferred CalyxOS over LineageOS.^[25] A year later in September 2021, Tremmel further explained how CalyxOS was different from other ROMs because it did not require as much "fiddling".^[26] 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".^[27] In August 2021, Android Authority wrote CalyxOS "puts privacy and security into the hands of everyday users."^[28]

In 2022, the book c't Sicher ins Netz: How to block out monitors and attackers, said "CalyxOS is one of the youngest custom ROMs, it will only celebrate its second birthday in summer 2022. With a built-in Datura firewall, VPN and Cloudflare DNS, Calyx promises more security than some other mobile systems."^[29]

In 2023, CalyxOS was the one alternative phone operating system recommended by Carey Parker in the book Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons.^[30]

References

^ "Android 15, December 2024 Security update, Partial". calyxos.org. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
^ "About The Calyx Institute - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
^ "Security FAQ". calyxos.org. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^ "Android Security Bulletins". calyxos.org. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^ "CalyxOS: Google-freies Android". Linux-Magazin (in German). Retrieved April 13, 2023. Bei der Installation wird auch der Geräteschlüssel von Google gegen einen von CalyxOS ausgetauscht. Das ermöglicht einen verifizierten Bootvorgang und stellt sicher, dass sich nur von CalyxOS signierte Updates installieren lassen. Um den Schutz zu aktivieren, fragt der Installer am Schluss, ob er den Bootloader wieder sperren soll, was es zu bestätigen gilt. Anschließend ist die CalyxOS-Installation startklar.
^ "Financials and Annual Reports - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
^ "Annual Report 2018-2019" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "Device Support". calyxos.org. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
^ "Fairphone 4, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus 9 test builds now available". calyxos.org. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
^ "May 2022 Security update - Fairphone 4, OnePlus 8T, 9, 9 Pro". calyxos.org. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
^ "OnePlus Android 12 firmware - relocking no longer works". calyxos.org. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
^ "Fairphone 5, March update progress". calyxos.org. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
^ "Aurora Store". calyxos.org. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
^ "June 2022 Security update - Pixels". Archived from the original on October 25, 2022.
^ "F-Droid". calyxos.org. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
^ "microG". calyxos.org. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
^ "Organic Maps: Offline Hike, Bike, Trails and Navigation". 13ea2c58.organicmaps.pages.dev. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
^ "SeedVault - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
^ "Annual Report 2019-2020" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ Hazarika, Skanda (November 4, 2020). "LineageOS adopts SeedVault as its open source backup solution". XDA Developers.
^ Hazarika, Skanda (March 31, 2021). "LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11 is here for nearly 60 devices". XDA Developers. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
^ "Signal". calyxos.org. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
^ "5 De-Googled Android-based Operating Systems". It's FOSS. November 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2023. Instead of not shipping the Google Mobile Services (GMS) and leaving users to figure stuff out by themselves (flashing gapps etc), CalyxOS ships with microG. However, you can choose to enable/disable it, thus, giving you total control. [...] Uses Mozilla Location Services instead of Google's Location Services
^ Moritz Tremmel (October 19, 2020). "CalyxOS im Test: Ein komfortables Android mit einer Extraportion Privacy". Golem.de (in German). Retrieved February 2, 2021.
^ Tremmel, Moritz (November 10, 2020). "Bye-bye, Lineage OS!". www.golem.de (in German). Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
^ Tremmel, Moritz. "CalyxOS: Google-freies Android". Linux-Magazin (in German). Retrieved November 2, 2021.
^ "What's the Best Privacy-Focussed Android ROM?". MUO. March 29, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
^ "Gary Explains: Linux turns 30, Tesla's D1 chip, Power⚡️ over Ethernet & more!". Android Authority. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
^ c't-Redaktion (May 18, 2022). c't Sicher ins Netz: So sperren Sie Überwacher und Angreifer aus (in German). Heise Medien GmbH & Co. KG. ISBN 978-3-95788-313-1.
^ Parker, Carey (2023), Parker, Carey (ed.), "Odds and Ends", Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Security and Privacy for Non-Techies, Berkeley, CA: Apress, pp. 541–558, doi:10.1007/978-1-4842-9036-1_13, ISBN 978-1-4842-9036-1, retrieved April 13, 2023

[1] "Android 15, December 2024 Security update, Partial". calyxos.org. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.

[2] "About The Calyx Institute - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved November 2, 2021.

[3] "Security FAQ". calyxos.org. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

[4] "Android Security Bulletins". calyxos.org. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

[5] "CalyxOS: Google-freies Android". Linux-Magazin (in German). Retrieved April 13, 2023. Bei der Installation wird auch der Geräteschlüssel von Google gegen einen von CalyxOS ausgetauscht. Das ermöglicht einen verifizierten Bootvorgang und stellt sicher, dass sich nur von CalyxOS signierte Updates installieren lassen. Um den Schutz zu aktivieren, fragt der Installer am Schluss, ob er den Bootloader wieder sperren soll, was es zu bestätigen gilt. Anschließend ist die CalyxOS-Installation startklar.

[6] "Financials and Annual Reports - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved July 26, 2022.

[7] "Annual Report 2018-2019" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[8] "Device Support". calyxos.org. Retrieved October 11, 2023.

[fairphone4-oneplus-9] "Fairphone 4, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus 9 test builds now available". calyxos.org. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

[10] "May 2022 Security update - Fairphone 4, OnePlus 8T, 9, 9 Pro". calyxos.org. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

[11] "OnePlus Android 12 firmware - relocking no longer works". calyxos.org. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

[12] "Fairphone 5, March update progress". calyxos.org. Retrieved May 11, 2024.

[13] "Aurora Store". calyxos.org. Retrieved September 29, 2022.

[14] "June 2022 Security update - Pixels". Archived from the original on October 25, 2022.

[15] "F-Droid". calyxos.org. Retrieved September 29, 2022.

[16] "microG". calyxos.org. Retrieved August 1, 2022.

[17] "Organic Maps: Offline Hike, Bike, Trails and Navigation". 13ea2c58.organicmaps.pages.dev. Retrieved August 24, 2023.

[18] "SeedVault - Calyx Institute". calyxinstitute.org. Retrieved July 23, 2022.

[19] "Annual Report 2019-2020" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[LineageOS-20] Hazarika, Skanda (November 4, 2020). "LineageOS adopts SeedVault as its open source backup solution". XDA Developers.

[21] Hazarika, Skanda (March 31, 2021). "LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11 is here for nearly 60 devices". XDA Developers. Retrieved April 13, 2023.

[22] "Signal". calyxos.org. Retrieved September 29, 2022.

[23] "5 De-Googled Android-based Operating Systems". It's FOSS. November 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2023. Instead of not shipping the Google Mobile Services (GMS) and leaving users to figure stuff out by themselves (flashing gapps etc), CalyxOS ships with microG. However, you can choose to enable/disable it, thus, giving you total control. [...] Uses Mozilla Location Services instead of Google's Location Services

[24] Moritz Tremmel (October 19, 2020). "CalyxOS im Test: Ein komfortables Android mit einer Extraportion Privacy". Golem.de (in German). Retrieved February 2, 2021.

[25] Tremmel, Moritz (November 10, 2020). "Bye-bye, Lineage OS!". www.golem.de (in German). Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2021.

[26] Tremmel, Moritz. "CalyxOS: Google-freies Android". Linux-Magazin (in German). Retrieved November 2, 2021.

[27] "What's the Best Privacy-Focussed Android ROM?". MUO. March 29, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.

[28] "Gary Explains: Linux turns 30, Tesla's D1 chip, Power⚡️ over Ethernet & more!". Android Authority. Retrieved November 2, 2021.

[29] 't-Redaktion (May 18, 2022). c't Sicher ins Netz: So sperren Sie Überwacher und Angreifer aus (in German). Heise Medien GmbH & Co. KG. ISBN 978-3-95788-313-1.

[30] Parker, Carey (2023), Parker, Carey (ed.), "Odds and Ends", Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Security and Privacy for Non-Techies, Berkeley, CA: Apress, pp. 541–558, doi:10.1007/978-1-4842-9036-1_13, ISBN 978-1-4842-9036-1, retrieved April 13, 2023

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CalyxOS

History

Software

Reception

See also

References

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