Having used Android phones on stock OS for many years, I bought a Pixel 6 in 2022 with the express intention of flashing it to Grapheneos.
After flashing it and using Grapheneos for 2 years, I had had no problems, so I bought a Pixel tablet in 2024 with the express intention of flashing it to Grapheneos.
After flashing it and using Grapheneos for a year, I had had no problems. However, security updates for the Pixel 6 that I had bought run out in a year. I have, therefore, bought a Pixel 9 Pro XL with the express intention of flashing it to Grapheneos.
I have flashed it to Grapheneos and this is the point. This, RIGHT HERE, is the point where you discover why you’ve moved from stock OS to Grapheneos. You are now essentially just upgrading your hardware.
Other people are buying new phones so that they get access to whatever fancy new software or apps come pre-installed on that phone. I am buying a new phone so that I have access to the extra years of security updates for the hardware and firmware but I can still use, or not use, whatever apps I want on that phone.
My partner, who uses stock android or an iphone depending on which shiny new thing they want asked me how I was getting on with my new phone and was very confused when I said “it works fine, I currently have it set the same as my old one”. Lol.
May I ask how you approached getting your old device’s data onto the new one? Did you use the integrated backup functionality?
Not OP, I went from a Pix5 google stock to Pix9 with Graphene on it. I transfered data manually. I think it the best way to go about it.
A lot of of apps have an export setting feature that I used.
IMO is also a good time to clear out bloat - the app you haven’t opened in 3 years doesn’t need to get copied over. Old downloads or a meme you shared one time 2 years ago - gone. Pictures or anything of sentiment get backed up and maybe copied to new phone.
I transfered most files by plugging in both phones into the computer and copying files the easy way.
I also setup syncthing to automatically sync the picture folders, a folder where I put copies of the exported setting files and few others for misc files and stuff I want backed up regularly.
That can only work if the apps you’re using, as you say, have that export feature and if it is also complete, because oftentimes it doesn’t carry everything over. I had compiled a list of my apps to get all those details written down and many had incomplete exports.
I was asking about the native feature specifically to know from someone else how good it is, since I’ve only had my first Graphene OS device as of now