this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2025
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I wanted to share an interesting statistic with you. Approximately 1 out of every 25 people with a Google Pixel phone is running GrapheneOS right now. While it's difficult to get an exact number, we can make educated guesses to get an approximate number.

How many GrapheneOS users are there? According to an estimate released by GrapheneOS today, the number of GrapheneOS devices is approaching 400,000. This estimate is based on the number of devices that downloaded recent GrapheneOS updates. Some users may have multiple devices, such as organizations, and some users may download and flash updates externally, but it's the best estimate we have.

How many Google Pixel users are there? Despite Google's extensive data collection, this one is surprisingly harder to estimate, since Google hasn't released an exact number. There's a number floating around that Google has 4-5% of the smartphone market, which is between 10 million and 13.2 million users in the United States. I can't find the source of where this information came from. That number is problematic, too, because Japan supposedly uses more Google Pixel phones than the United States. The Pixel 9 series was also a big jump in market share for Google. I couldn't find any numbers smaller than 10 million, and it made the math nice, so that is what I went with.

Putting the numbers together, it means that 4% of Google Pixel users are running GrapheneOS. That means in a room of 25 Google Pixel users, 1 of them will be a GrapheneOS user. If you include all custom Android operating systems, that number would certainly be much, much higher.

To put it into perspective, each pixel in this image represents ~5 Google Pixel users. Each white pixel represents that those ~5 people use GrapheneOS:

Even with generous estimates to Google's market share, GrapheneOS still makes up a large portion of their users.

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[–] hiramfromthechi@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

One of my ideas for increasing GrapheneOS market share is to market GOS as the minimalist phone so many crave.

In recent times, I've stumbled across a handful of articles about how dumbphones are back, and how people crave more minimalist phones to curb smartphone addiction or otherwise.

GrapheneOS is a great minimalist phone that's still "smart," yet secure and private.

GOS is a way better option than dumbphones because:

  1. Chances are you'll need some sort of smartphone functionality. For example: Digital "live" tickets that you can't screenshot and need to be opened on your phone directly (Ticketmaster, MLB, etc.)
  2. Using a dumbphone reverts you to older technologies and protocols, like cell towers and SMS. These are inherently insecure and shouldn't be used anymore. So even though you might "feel" like you're better off, your communications (text, audio, video) take a huge leap backwards in terms of privacy and security.
[–] Danitos@reddthat.com 139 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That image is a horrible way to represent any ratio. I love it!

[–] HereIAm@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I actually do like it. I don't see it as trying to show an actually accurate ratio, or for you to be able to make an informed decisions from it. I read it as a vibe check, just a quick "what would a room fu LLM of pixel users" look like.

[–] Ferk@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I'm not sure if that'd be what it'd look like.. distributions are hardly ever that heterogeneous.

I'd bet all the GrapheneOS users would get together in their own corner and nerd out about their customizations.

For the record: 1 in 25 is 4% ...the image gives (intentionally?) the illusion of the proportion being higher.

[–] potatopotato@sh.itjust.works 125 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Hello fellow criminals, anyone get up to any good crime lately?

[–] huquad@lemmy.ml 46 points 1 week ago

Nice try FBI

[–] zurohki@aussie.zone 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I didn't do the legally mandated number of "Hail Corporate!"s yesterday.

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[–] jali67@lemmy.zip 15 points 1 week ago

Just doing my best to avoid surveillance capitalism and government surveillance. Is that illegal yet?

🏴‍☠️

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[–] smiletolerantly@awful.systems 69 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Graphene explicitly says the 400k are worldwide. You cannot then go ahead and use the US numbers for your comparison. From your own source, Google shipped 10 million Pixel 9 devices in 2023 alone. This does not account for other/older pixel models, or the sum total of sales before that point, or since.

Why not just share the actual number: worldwide, there's 400k users.

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[–] shadowtofu@discuss.tchncs.de 58 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Google sold 40 million Pixels between 2016 and 2023, and that number has grown rapidly in the last few years. I think an estimate of around 40 million active Pixel phones is reasonable, which would give GrapheneOS a relative market share of 1%; certainly less than 2%.

[–] Charger8232@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 week ago (6 children)

I'm certain that most people between 2016 and 2023 bought multiple devices to upgrade old ones.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

I'm on, I think, my 3rd Pixel. All of them were chosen because of the possibility of putting a third-party firmware on them, but my current one is the first I've actually done it to.

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[–] Moonrise2473@lemmy.ml 36 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Considering that if you use a custom ROM, you're a pro user, the 1% of the users, this means only one of this two cases:

  1. The Google Pixel line is a complete failure and failed to reach mainstream status, nobody knows the brand and buys the phones in a store, they're moving 1000x less units than Apple

  2. There's some error in your numbers

[–] Ferk@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
  1. The Pixel is easily unlockable, so one can install custom firmware without being a "pro", its hardware is (or was reverse-engineered to be) compatible enough to make the experience seamless, with a whole firmware project / community that it's exclusively dedicated on that specific range of hardware devices, making it a target for anyone looking for a phone where to install custom Android firmware on.

But I'd bet it's a mix of 2 and 3.

[–] fluxx@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

I bought my mom a pixel and installed graphene on it and gave her. She is by no means a power user. Never underestimate the will of nerds to go a step further :)

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[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 33 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I never would have guessed anywhere near 400k, that's wild!

[–] Salvo@aussie.zone 12 points 1 week ago (9 children)

I’m surprised it isn’t more.

Pixels are the reference platform for a lot of open-source phone operating systems. A disproportionate number of people who purchased Pixels are the type of person who did believe Googles motto of “Don’t be Evil”, even after Google abandoned the motto.

Now that Google is inarguably Evil (not Musk Evil, but definitely more Evil than Apple), these people are searching for solutions. They are gun-shy and are not likely to get an Evil iPhone, have a large investment in the Android ecosystem so are unlikely to pivot to Linux Phone, and the niche Android variants are more likely to be assassinated by Google.

GrapheneOS is the obvious choice. I’m surprised it isn’t a higher percentage.

[–] human@slrpnk.net 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm sure it's a mix, but I would expect fewer people that have GrapheneOS because they have a Pixel than have a Pixel because they are the only devices supported by GrapheneOS.

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[–] grue@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

I mean, I still buy (used) Pixels even after knowing Google is evil, because they're still the least-bad option because of things like Graphene OS.


Also, re: "unlikely to pivot to Linux phones:" that's not because of any sort of "large investment in Android;" it's because Linux phones either suck or are expensive (or maybe both). I say that as a desktop Linux user exclusively for almost a decade and owner of a Pinephone. I want to be using a Linux phone, but they just aren't there yet.

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[–] Tywele@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You are comparing worldwide numbers to US-only numbers.

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[–] mlg@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (2 children)

One one hand, a superior ROM choice

On the other hand, subpar crappy Google hardware

[–] jnod4@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

Totally agree processor wise. But can you give me a phone that has bigger camera sensor (+telephoto) than Pixel 9 Pro that has a screen smaller than 6.3 inches?

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[–] midtsveen@lemmy.wtf 18 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I'm one of those people who use GrapheneOS every day, I love my Pixel 9a.

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[–] NickwithaC@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (3 children)

1 in 25 is a very odd way to say 4%...

[–] favoredponcho@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

4% is a very odd way of saying 1 in 25

[–] Courantdair@jlai.lu 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

1 in 4% is a very odd way of saying 25

[–] pirat@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

4% of 25 is a very odd way of saying 1

[–] huquad@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If you actually read the source, you'd know it's closer to 2 in 50.

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[–] Bloefz@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's not, it's easier to visualise one person out of a group of 25 than it is 4 out of a group of 100.

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[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

cool. that's actually way more than i expected.

the fact so many people distrust phones gives me some unironic faith for humanity, this also explains why they are trying so hard to kill custom roms.

[–] Bloefz@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Yeah 4% is big enough to get on Google's radar as a threat. Especially if it's trending upwards.

This is more than just a few tinfoil hats now.

And yes they're working on locking bootloaders and also making AOSP less useful

[–] vatlark@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

c/dataisbeautiful :P

I had no idea the share was so large.

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[–] confuser@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week ago

Is there a theydidthemath lemmy community lol I'd like to be one of those reddit posters who link communities because funny lol

[–] sausager@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (18 children)

Hi, Google Pixel user here, wtf is GrapheneOS? And why should I get it?

[–] Charger8232@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 week ago

GrapheneOS is a privacy and security focused operating system for your phone, based on Android. It provides much more security than stock Android. If you want a more private or secure device, then GrapheneOS is the go-to recommendation for Pixel devices.

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[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Can I install it on a pixel that bricked during an upgrade?

[–] AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Depends on if it's a soft brick or a hard brick. Does it bootloop? Or just not turn on at all? Can you get into recovery?

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[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Makes sense. Pixel is the successor to Nexus, which was always meant for tinkerers. The Pixel is (was?) sold unlocked, too. Unless you bought it from a carrier.

Pixel is also underpowered compared to iPhone and Galaxy, but priced similarly. So either you buy it because you just love Google that much... or you want to do something else with it.

Wondering if Graphene OS supports the AI hallucination camera mode on the Pixel 10 Pro where you zoom it at "100X" and it makes up details. Don't get me wrong here — as an iPhone/Galaxy user (I main the iPhone but I do use both, and have also used HTC and Motorola) I think the feature is awesome... unless you're trying to capture text. In which case it won't work. Well, it'll try to work. It won't work well. And I don't suppose you could show it the text later and update the 100X photo, but if you had that opportunity, you would just take a better picture up close.

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