Mobile operating system privacy ratings

Privacy-focused Android-based systems.

10 mobile operating systems are rated against 4 public criteria, and 10 have enough evidence for a letter grade. Our picks are GrapheneOS or LineageOS. Of the 8 with a known jurisdiction, 4 are based in a Five Eyes country, and 7 in the wider Fourteen Eyes.

Open-source mobile operating systems only · Criteria for this category · Suggest an addition · Markdown

Mobile operating systems privacy ratings, sorted by pick and then by grade
Name	Grade	Score	Data	Jurisdiction	Open source	No trackers or telemetry	No ads or data sales	Independent audit
GrapheneOS Our pick A privacy and security focused mobile operating system with Android app compatibility, developed as a non-profit open source project for Google Pixel devices.	Grade B	80	100%	–	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
LineageOS Our pick A free and open source operating system based on Android that supports many phones and tablets, including ones no longer updated by their manufacturers.	Grade C	65	100%	United States Five Eyes	Yes	Partial	Yes	No
CalyxOS An open source, de-Googled Android OS with optional microG, a built-in firewall and encrypted backups.	Grade B	80	100%	United States Five Eyes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
iodéOS Android-based mobile operating system derived from LineageOS, without Google apps, with microG and a built-in blocker that filters ads and trackers across all apps.	Grade B	80	100%	France Nine Eyes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Nura Linux distribution for phones and other mobile devices, formerly named postmarketOS, based on Alpine Linux and aiming to keep devices usable long after vendor support ends, with a choice of mobile interfaces.	Grade B	80	100%	–	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Ubuntu Touch Mobile operating system for phones and tablets developed by the UBports community, using the Lomiri interface and running on devices originally shipped with Android.	Grade C	65	100%	Germany Fourteen Eyes	Yes	Partial	Yes	No
/e/OS Android-based mobile operating system without Google apps or services, using microG for app compatibility and shipping its own app store, privacy controls and optional Murena cloud services.	Grade D	50	100%	France Nine Eyes	Partial	Partial	Yes	No
Sailfish OS Linux-based mobile operating system developed by Jolla, with a gesture-based interface and optional Android app support, available on Jolla phones and as a paid license for selected Sony Xperia models.	Grade D	50	100%	Finland Outside Eyes	Partial	Partial	Yes	No
iOS Apple's closed source operating system for the iPhone, with the App Store as the main app source and integration with iCloud and other Apple services.	Grade F	35	100%	United States Five Eyes	No	Partial	Partial	Partial
Android Google's mobile operating system, shipped on Pixel phones with Google Mobile Services such as Google Play, Play services and Google apps on top of the open source Android base.	Grade F	25	100%	United States Five Eyes	Partial	No	No	Partial

Questions

What is the most private option among mobile operating systems?

Our picks are GrapheneOS or LineageOS. Hardened Android for Pixel phones with no Google services by default, sandboxed Google Play only if you choose it, and no analytics or telemetry. Open source and funded by donations. Keeps many phones beyond Pixels updated with open-source, Google-free Android. Anonymous device statistics are on by default and can be turned off.

How are mobile operating systems rated?

Each entry answers 4 questions: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and independent audit. Answers need links to evidence. See the full criteria.

Does jurisdiction matter?

Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. Each entry shows its country and whether it is in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes. The data a provider can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Read about jurisdictions and the CLOUD Act.