GrapheneOS Will Overhaul Default Apps and Implement a Secure Clipboard

GrapheneOS announced that they are overhauling the default apps into "modern" apps, including RCS support in the messaging app, as well as implementing a secure clipboard feature to stop apps from accessing it without permission.

GrapheneOS (@grapheneos.org)

We’re well into the process of converting the Messaging app included in GrapheneOS into a modern app. We’ll be making a new release later today with a completely overhauled user interface written in Android Compose. We’ve made a massive amount of other improvements and bug fixes beyond that too.

Bluesky SocialGrapheneOS

GrapheneOS is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), an open source operating system that most Android device manufacturers use as a base upon which they add their own proprietary components to ship as the operating system in their devices.

AOSP includes some basic apps such as the Gallery app that technically function, but have mostly been abandoned. Google themselves use their own proprietary apps for photos, messaging, etc on the operating system for their Pixel devices.

Now, GrapheneOS says they're "overhauling or fully replacing the rest of the AOSP apps in the near future."

One of the sticking points that they plan on addressing is RCS messaging support in their default messaging app. Previously, if users wanted to use RCS, they would have to install Google Messages and give it potentially sensitive permissions.

Despite RCS not being an "open platform in practice," GrapheneOS says they plan to implement it along with end-to-end encryption support. RCS is a huge usability improvement over SMS, and E2EE messaging support would let you have secure, cross-platform messaging by default.

They are also scaling up improvements to the base OS as well. Of particular note is their new secure clipboard that will prevent apps from being able to see other apps' clipboard contents without permission.

They say the goal is to preserve usability as much as possibly and only target the "most problematic part" of the clipboard API.

iOS has a feature that prevents apps from reading your clipboard without permission under certain circumstances; it'll be interesting to see how the approaches compare.

GrapheneOS says they have "many of these features planned," referring to similar OS-wide security features that give you more control over what data apps have like their Storage Scopes and Contact Scopes features.