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Trust your phone [again].

Unhappy with phones running stock Android or iOS due to lack of trust in the corporations behind them, but feel there isn’t any other option? There is a better choice…

open[mobile] + iodéOS

“Be smarter than your phone”*

We sell refurbished phones pre-loaded with iodéOS** (pronounced like to “yeo-day-O-S”), an open, “de-Googled”, privacy-by-design version of Android you can trust to respect both you and your personal data.

We also have a bring your own device (BYOD) option to re-flash your existing phone with iodéOS, if it meets our requirements.

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* quoted from the iodé website
** open[mobile] and iodé are not affiliated, we’re just fans and advocates of their work

Several phones running iodéOS

Pieces of the puzzle

Putting it all together

There are several parts that combine to make open[mobile] + iodéOS the answer you may be looking for. Read on for more about these pieces and how they fit together.

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Piece 1: An open base

Being open is the first step toward building trust

Simply put, if software (as with a lot of aspects of life) isn’t open, then how can it be trusted? Closed mobile platforms from Google or Apple are locked down behind proprietary algorithms and services continually running in the background on our phones that are so deeply integrated into all aspects of our personal lives. Numerous studies show that a stock Android device connects back to Google or other apps up to 90 times per hour, constantly tracking you and your activities, and sharing all that data with 3rd party advertisers or others.

Being open can be more secure and more respecting

Alternatively, if your phone is running open software the code can be publicly inspected to ensure there aren’t any “big tech” backdoors or bloatware compromising your data or reducing the performance of your device. Often bugs and vulnerabilities are fixed sooner in open software because of the availability for anyone to contribute.

iodéOS starts with LineageOS, an open-source implementation of Android without any Google services included, as its base. But this base alone doesn’t give us a fully featured solution.

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Piece 2: App support

microG makes it all work

Let’s face it, there are too many situations where an app is required for products or services that are important to you. So going back to the days of a “dumb phone”, while initially appealing, would leave you disconnected from the world you are a part of.

To this point, much of the Android app ecosystem won’t work correctly without some level of Google integration. But this doesn’t mean that you need the fully closed Google Play Services and its embedded trackers and data loggers continually running in the background.

Instead, iodéOS relies on microG, an open source reimplementation of Google Play Services, to enable things like passing Safety Net (required by many apps and services to ensure your device hasn’t been hacked), receiving messaging app notifications, and navigation integration to still work on your phone without compromising your privacy.

It is true that some apps require such a deep level of Google integration that microG will not work for them, but we can help you evaluate what apps you may need, and if there are alternative services before you purchase. Contact us if you need to check on usability of the apps most important to you.

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Piece 3: Tracker blocking

While iodéOS is free from all the system-level embedded tracking and monitoring services part of a standard phone system, and microG implements the functionality needed for app and feature compatibility, there still are a lot of privacy concerns with apps themselves compromising your security through embedded trackers and other behind-the-scenes network activity.

iodé blocker is there for you

These concerns are why iodé developed iodé blocker, a user-friendly app-level traffic monitoring and blocking service. Using it you can easily view request and block statistics for apps, and you can also set individual network access limits on apps that you may need to use but don’t trust.

While their default blocking is quite extensive, you can additionally choose to subscribe to their reasonably-priced iodéOS Premium service for integrated child protection features and further customization of app-level network restrictions.

iodéOS Premium is one of the key income streams for iodé and is why we are personally happy to pay for it to continue to support the development of iodéOS. This said, be sure to understand that the default blocking provided by iodé blocker will always be free.

Woman checking the security of her phone illustration

Piece 4: open[mobile] devices and services

Now to our part in this journey. iodéOS has created a great software solution, and they even sell refurbished phones themselves, but unfortunately not to the USA market. Enter open[mobile].

Hardware setup and support

Our part is to get a mobile phone running iodéOS into your hands and make it as painless as possible. We seek out the best quality and best value used phones on the market. We then ensure their condition, unlock them, and re-flash them with iodéOS. We can also perform this service on your existing device, if it meets our requirements.

About our phones, you may find it ironic that we exclusively sell Google Pixel model phones, but hear us out! Pixels are some of the few phone models that allow the bootloader to be unlocked (to install an alternative system such as iodéOS), and re-locked again after iodéOS install (to ensure the highest level security for you as the end consumer). These facts in addition to their top-tier hardware specs, especially their high-quality cameras, make Pixel phones perfect as a base for a de-Googled phone!

iodéOS onboarding help

We know that it is a big step to move away from “Big Tech”, and there will be questions and concerns along the way. That is why we are here to help. Each phone sale comes with up to 30 minutes of one-on-one remote support, and also with a “no-questions asked 30 day return policy” if you find it just isn’t a good fit for you.

As trusted volunteer contributors and donors to iodé, we are here to help facilitate your transition to iodéOS and the iodé community. Take back ownership and control of your mobile device so that you can trust your phone again!

5 friends connecting around the world on their phones illustration

Why buy from us?

All refurbished phones come with the following features:

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    iodéOS pre-installed

    Ready to start using out-of-the-box

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    iodéOS onboarding assistance

    Email or video call support to get you up and running and connect you to the community

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    “Near Mint” condition refurbished phones

    No scratches on screen, excellent battery capacity

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    Screen protector

    A tempered glass screen protector will be pre-installed on all phones.

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    Free shipping

    Free shipping to the continental USA on all devices!

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    Sustainability and Longevity

    Updates from iodé will long outlast those provided by the hardware manufacturers themselves