GrapheneOS says Google is locking out rival operating systems and devices

GrapheneOS has posted a long thread on X, accusing Google and Apple of slowly making the internet and mobile apps more dependent on their own devices and software.

The project says tools like Google’s Play Integrity API and Apple’s App Attest are being pushed as security features, but they’re making it harder for users to opt for alternative operating systems.

Essentially, more apps and websites are starting to check whether you’re using a trusted phone and approved software before letting you in. According to GrapheneOS, that could give Google and Apple absolute control over which devices work properly online.

“Over the long term, this will increasingly lock out hardware and OS competition,” GrapheneOS wrote.

The platform mostly focuses on Google’s Play Integrity API used by Android apps to check whether a device is genuine, secure, and running certified software. Banking apps often use these checks to block rooted phones or devices running modified versions of Android.

Graphene says the system also blocks legitimate alternatives, including its own OS.

“Google’s Play Integrity API bans using GrapheneOS despite it being far more secure than anything they permit,” the post notes.

“The purpose of these systems is disallowing people from using hardware and software not approved by Apple or Google,” Graphene added. “This is wrongly presented as being a security feature.”

reCAPTCHA worries

Graphene’s post also talks about reCAPTCHA, Google’s CAPTCHA system used across much of the web. The platform notes that Google’s systems require users to verify themselves using a certified Android or iOS device.

In some situations, users may have to scan a QR code with their phone to prove they’re a real person before accessing a site or service. GrapheneOS says this could eventually affect users on desktop platforms like Windows or Linux, too.

“Control over reCAPTCHA puts Google in a position where they can require having either iOS or a certified Android device to use an enormous amount of the web,” the platform wrote.

GrapheneOS also says governments and banks are increasingly adopting these verification systems for things like payments, digital ID apps, and age verification services.

“Instead of governments stopping Apple and Google from engaging in egregiously anti-competitive behavior, they’re directly participating in locking out competition via their own services,” Graphene said.

Google and Apple have not publicly responded to issues raised by Graphene so far.