Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

On 03/02/2026 01:00, Maria Sophia wrote:
ort that out with the T-Mobile store that whom signed the paperwork from.

What do you think of the Pixel 9A?

Are you putting GrapheneOS on it?

--
Jeff

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

On 03/02/2026 19:17, Maria Sophia wrote:

Jeff Layman wrote:

On 03/02/2026 01:00, Maria Sophia wrote:
ort that out with the T-Mobile store that whom signed the paperwork from. >>>

What do you think of the Pixel 9A?

Are you putting GrapheneOS on it?

That's part of the allure, I think, of a Pixel.
Does the Pixel really allow easy rooting or not?

I don't know.
Do you?

No, but Google was my friend (heavy irony!). <https://xdaforums.com/t/install-and-root-grapheneos-with-magisk.4762986/>
From the Pixel 9a forum: "Install and root GrapheneOS with Magisk."

--
Jeff

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

On 04/02/2026 08:17, Maria Sophia wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Maria Sophia wrote:

Jeff Layman wrote:

Are you putting GrapheneOS on it?

That's part of the allure, I think, of a Pixel. Does the Pixel really
allow easy rooting or not?

Google make it straightforward to unlock the bootloader on Nexus/Pixel
devices, you don't have to find any exploits to do it. I can assume you
don't run any apps (such as banking) that care about rooting, but for me
it would be a deal-breaker.

I looked up how easy it is to unlock the pixel bootloader and it seems to
be trivial.
a, You toggle OEM unlocking in Developer Options.
b. fastboot flashing unlock

But some apps-especially banking, payments, and DRM-heavy apps-will refuse
to run on a device with an unlocked bootloader or root access.

In a billion years, I couldn't imagine any of those on my phone. :)
But it seems GrapheneOS avoids this by not rooting the device at all.

It uses hardened security without requiring root, and it supports relocking the bootloader after installation, which restores full integrity checks.

Hence, banking apps generally work because the device passes integrity checks.

BTW, I found a temporary workaround for my broken USB port.
a. It won't charge with a smart USB-C charger, but,
b. It will charge with a dumb USB-A charger.

Go figure.
But I still need a new phone. I just have a bit more time to find it.

Ever thought about a Furiphone?
<https://furilabs.com/spy-free-furios/>

It doesn't look bad, and will even run (some) Android apps in a
container. From the faqs:

What operating system do Furi Labs phones run?
Our phones run FuriOS, a Debian-based Linux mobile operating system. It
uses the Phosh graphical shell and supports both native Linux apps and
Android apps via a container running LineageOS 20.

I think you'd have to check with the compatible carrier list to be sure
the phone would work:
<https://furilabs.com/forum/flx1/confirmed-carriers/>

--
Jeff

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

On 03/02/2026 19:17, Maria Sophia wrote:

Jeff Layman wrote:

On 03/02/2026 01:00, Maria Sophia wrote:
ort that out with the T-Mobile store that whom signed the paperwork from. >>>

What do you think of the Pixel 9A?

Are you putting GrapheneOS on it?

That's part of the allure, I think, of a Pixel.
Does the Pixel really allow easy rooting or not?

I don't know.
Do you?

No, but Google was my friend (heavy irony!). <https://xdaforums.com/t/install-and-root-grapheneos-with-magisk.4762986/>
From the Pixel 9a forum: "Install and root GrapheneOS with Magisk."

Unless you have a really specific need, rooting GrapheneOS is a bad idea.
You install a security-focused OS and then rooting throws away much of the security part of it. You still get the privacy improvements, but I strongly suggest that you look for a way to do what you want without rooting.

Theo

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

Maria Sophia, 2026-02-03 02:00:

The only reason Google or Samsung doesn't add a fifty-cent sd slot in any phone is they make a *lot* of money,which is something we all know.

I don't know, if they really make a "lot" of money by just saving fifty
cent for a slot.

Not everybody is willing to pay money for Google Drive or similar
services and on the other hand, backing up data is needed anyway. Doing
backups by removing the SD card and copying data from it, s is not
really practical. A better way to do this would be to use tools like FolderSync, apk etc. and maybe your *own* server with Nextcloud or
similar software.

At the moment I have only 128 GB memory in my smartphone and still more
than 40 GB available. I manage the storage this way:

1. FolderSync will automatically upload all new pictures I take with the
camera to my own Nextcloud instance (you get 1 TB for about 5 EUR at
Hetzner: <https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share>, but I have my
own setup)

2. In addition FolderSync will also copy all local backups from
different apps (Signal, Periodical etc.) on a daily basis also to Nextcloud.

3. The server, where my Nextcloud is running, will be backup daily using
Borg backup to an external storage which will then also be synced using
a NAS in my office automatically.

Data which is not backed up this way, is not that important - for
example all e-mails are already on the server. So if I ever need to move
to a new device, it may take some time to get thing up again as before,
but last time this was just a matter of a few hours and not days.

Unfortunately for me, I broke my Galaxy A32-5G and T-Mobile will give me lesser phones for free (Revvl, Moto's, A16/A17, etc.) but only the A35/36 & Pixel9A make any sense in terms of an upgrade but the A36 has no sd slot
and costs more than the Pixel 9A which also has no sd slot & is free.

The question you need to answer for your self is what you need SD cards
for. Is it just to get more memory cheaper to to have replaceable memory?

Personally my reasoning when getting my current Pixel 6a was, that I
didn't need more than 128 GB but I wanted to have a device which
contains a "pure" Android with quick security updates and long support.
Since Google nowadays provides 5-7 years for the newer models, and you
usually can then still use alternatives like LineageOS, this was more
important for me than having the option to put in SD cards. I also
experienced stability and performance issues with some SD cards which I
never had with the built-in memory.

[...]

Right now I'm hung up in the "electronic signature" garbage (which destroys your privacy because it's 15 pages long with zillions of privacy-robbing agreements), but I'm likely to end up with an Android 15 Pixel 9A once I
sort that out with the T-Mobile store that whom signed the paperwork from.

Why? You can just purchase a Pixel 9a from Google itself or a dealer
without involving T-Mobile at all. And getting this as part of a
contract extension is not neccessarily cheaper.


--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

Andy Burns, 2026-02-03 11:57:

Maria Sophia wrote:

I ordered the Pixel 256GB for the extra 100

I considered whether I would likely need more than 128GB within the
lifetime of my Pixel 8a, and decided against. I still own the only
phone that Google ever sold with an SD slot, and it certainly needed it.

I'm likely to end up with an Android 15 Pixel 9A

Why not android 16?

It will automatically get Android 16 - maybe Maria is just not aware of
this. Pixel 6a also got Android 16 a while ago.


--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

Maria Sophia, 2026-02-03 20:17:

Jeff Layman wrote:

On 03/02/2026 01:00, Maria Sophia wrote:
ort that out with the T-Mobile store that whom signed the paperwork from. >>>

What do you think of the Pixel 9A?

Are you putting GrapheneOS on it?

That's part of the allure, I think, of a Pixel.
Does the Pixel really allow easy rooting or not?

Yes, they do. That's one of the advantages getting a Pixel device. You
don't even need to register you device to get an OEM unlock code etc. -
just enable it in the developer options and then use adb/fastboot to to so.

<https://grapheneos.org/install/cli>

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

Theo, 2026-02-04 16:18:

Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

On 03/02/2026 19:17, Maria Sophia wrote:

Jeff Layman wrote:

On 03/02/2026 01:00, Maria Sophia wrote:
ort that out with the T-Mobile store that whom signed the paperwork from. >>>>>

What do you think of the Pixel 9A?

Are you putting GrapheneOS on it?

That's part of the allure, I think, of a Pixel.
Does the Pixel really allow easy rooting or not?

I don't know.
Do you?

No, but Google was my friend (heavy irony!).
<https://xdaforums.com/t/install-and-root-grapheneos-with-magisk.4762986/> >> From the Pixel 9a forum: "Install and root GrapheneOS with Magisk."

Unless you have a really specific need, rooting GrapheneOS is a bad idea. You install a security-focused OS and then rooting throws away much of the security part of it. You still get the privacy improvements, but I strongly suggest that you look for a way to do what you want without rooting.

I agree. Root access is not needed in most cases just to use your phone
and you will introduce additional security issues. I know, that some
people have still this understanding of "without root I do not really
own my device" - but this is not true, since you are able to replace the
whole firmware. But *using* the device everyday is another thing. And
applying modifications using "Magisk Modules" to change API calls,
modify or add/remove system components etc. will only open many ways to introduce bugs and security problems.

You should decide if you want to hack your device or have a secure one.
You can not have both, if you do not compile Android on your own and now *exactly* what you are doing.

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> wrote:

Maria Sophia, 2026-02-03 20:17:

Jeff Layman wrote:

On 03/02/2026 01:00, Maria Sophia wrote:
ort that out with the T-Mobile store that whom signed the paperwork from. >>>

What do you think of the Pixel 9A?

Are you putting GrapheneOS on it?

That's part of the allure, I think, of a Pixel.
Does the Pixel really allow easy rooting or not?

Yes, they do. That's one of the advantages getting a Pixel device. You
don't even need to register you device to get an OEM unlock code etc. -
just enable it in the developer options and then use adb/fastboot to to so.

<https://grapheneos.org/install/cli>

AIUI Pixels are bootloader/carrier locked in the box, and on first boot talk
to a Google server which enables unlocking (although some US carriers
prevent bootloader unlocking, I believe Verizon is one). So you may need to
do initial setup in the stock OS before you are able to reflash them.

If it's a secondhand phone, somebody already did the first-time setup so it should be good to be reflashed (unless it came from Verizon).

Pixel is still the go-to device for modifications, though, due to the way
they support alternative OSes.

Theo

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

Maria Sophia wrote:

It's a nice plan to keep the Pixel on stock Android untli support dies. Then we can put GrapheneOS on it I guess.

A pixel 9a will drop off graphene support by then, the same way you shouldn't put graphene on a Pixel5 or 5a now.

https://grapheneos.org/faq#device-lifetime
The 9a is supported until April 2032, which is when it drops off Google's support.

In the past, have GOS supported 'harm reduction' releases for about a year
or so after the EOL date - they are based on the last released Google OS (so are missing security patches for more recent vulnerabilities) but still have GOS' own security improvements. They're mostly intended as an offramp to a newer phone that's in support, but are still useful if you're using the
phone for some secondary purpose.

I'm not sure if they're going to do that for phones that are 7 years old at that point, as likely fewer of them will still be in circulation.

Theo

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: What do you think of the Pixel 9A 256GB (even though it has no sd slot)?

Maria Sophia, 2/6/26 01:32:

Arno Welzel wrote:

[...]

Doing
backups by removing the SD card and copying data from it, s is not
really practical.

But it has nothing (per se) with doing backups.
The sd card can be replaced with a *bigger* sd card at any time.

That's where they make their money.

They don't. People buy, what they want to afford.

Money is done with services - and storage is only one of *many* services (GMail, Google Docs etc...).

You have to plan five years in advance for your storage needs.

I never did this. I buy, what I need *now*. And usually this will be
enough at least for the next 2-3 years. And in most cases it was even
enough for 5 years.

A better way to do this would be to use tools like
FolderSync, apk etc. and maybe your *own* server with Nextcloud or
similar software.

The advantage of the sd card is you can get away with a 64GB phone.
As you know, I have over a thousand packages installed on mine.

So you know *now* how much storage you need. Or do you expect to have "tenthousands" of packages installed in five years instead of only a "thousands".

[...]

And, to me, the default (free) Pixel 9A with only 128GB is too little.

Then get one with 256 GB. And if you believe that you may need 1 TB in
the future, get a device with 1 TB or an SD cards lot and a 1 TB SD card.

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)