A (too long) update on the old person's #GrapheneOS phone:

Today, they were told their car insurance rates were going up by 30%. Fortunately, they can install a physical tracker, along with a phone app, that will get them a 30% discount off their rate. What a deal! Also, as it turns out, the local agent gets a little incentive for each person they get hooked up with this. Now, this person doesn't assume everyone is absolutely trying to fuck them sideways, so they said.....yes.

And a bunch of people's heads just exploded, as did mine.

BUT...the car insurance scam artists aren't able to install their spy app on the GOS Pixel because, as far as they know, it doesn't have an app store. Not being able to just install whatever crap the insurance prick says is "needed" bought enough time for some conversation, and now they'll be shopping for insurance rates elsewhere. The insurance agent will NOT be taking advantage of the elderly today. Stopping the hard sell was a happy bonus to getting the stock OS off the phone. This is probably a good use case for any OS without a familiar-looking app store.

As for the daily phone usage, it's going well. There are a few frustrations with gestures, but it's mostly unlearning iOS stuff, and it's getting better. The biggest complaint I'm getting is the lack of some specific novelty ringtone. I have to track this down ASAP before the world as we know it literally ends and we all die in the fires. I was able to download photos from iCloud (less than 100 on there!!?!?) and transferred the notes from iCloud into Standard Notes. None of this was encrypted.

Pay attention to this:

Some of the notes had a title of "private do not open" or similar and were actually logins/passwords to financial accounts and addresses/alarm codes to friends and family members' homes. Because "contacts" is where we put phone numbers, not addresses.

Please understand that this is not a stupid person. Their understanding of the tech led them to believe that this was secure. It's not just the Council of the Ancients that get screwed by this stuff, either. The failing-at-life insurance salescritter would have been able to READ YOUR ADDRESS AND ALARM CODE because this sweet old person knows you.

Take care of the old folks. You'll get ulcers, and occasionally want to hasten their journey to Valhalla, but it's for the best.