App compatibility
Will my phone still work as usual?
The most important question before you switch. Short answer: everyday apps such as WhatsApp and navigation work as usual, and for banking and ID apps we tell you up front whether yours work. Below is the honest picture for each country we ship to, including the few known exceptions that we do not hide.
How can a degoogled phone run ordinary apps?
On a Snowden Phone we install sandboxed Google Play as an ordinary, optional app. It does not sit deep in the system the way it does on a standard Android phone; it runs inside the same sandbox as every other app, with no special privileges. That is why the large majority of apps that normally need Google keep working, while Google gets no free rein on your phone.
A small group of apps checks whether you use a "Google-certified" device (the Play Integrity check). GrapheneOS deliberately does not pass that check, not because it is less secure, but because the operating system does not come from Google. Many banks and government ID apps do not need it, but this differs per app and per country. Below you can see what to expect in the country where you live.
Per country
Banks, government ID apps, tap-to-pay alternatives and mobile network notes, each with the sources we used.
Netherlands · Belgium · Germany · Austria · Sweden · Finland · Czechia
Netherlands
ING
ABN AMRO
Rabobank (install it via Aurora Store, then it works)
bunq
SNS
ASN
Knab
Known exceptions
Revolut (blocked at the time of writing; its status changes often, ask us before you order)
Triodos crashes on Pixel 10 (works on Pixel 9)
DigiD (government ID app), status: works. Works through sandboxed Google Play, including the NFC ID check.
Tap-to-pay: Google Wallet tap-to-pay does not work on GrapheneOS. Use your physical card or a wearable.
Mobile network: All Dutch carriers: VoLTE and VoWiFi work on Pixel 9/9a/10/10a.
Belgium
KBC
Belfius
BNP Paribas Fortis
ING Belgium
Argenta
itsme (government ID app), status: partial. itsme works, but must be re-activated after every GrapheneOS update. We explain how before you order.
Tap-to-pay: No NFC tap-to-pay alternative was found for Belgium; Payconiq (QR-code payment) works.
Mobile network: VoLTE and VoWiFi work; the 3G network was switched off in 2025.
Germany
Sparkasse
Volksbank/VR
Deutsche Bank
Commerzbank
ING Deutschland
DKB
Known exceptions
apoTAN crashes on Pixel 10
N26 (new sign-ups are blocked by Play Integrity; existing accounts keep working)
AusweisApp (government ID app), status: works. Works via the Play Store or F-Droid; on the Pixel 9a the Play Store install can hang, and retrying the install fixes it.
Tap-to-pay: Sparkasse 'Mobiles Bezahlen', VR Pay and PayPal NFC work; Google Wallet does not.
Mobile network: The 3G network has been switched off since 2021; VoLTE works on Telekom, Vodafone and O2.
- https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos/
- https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/27735-german-ausweisapp-v240-and-gos
- https://www.ausweisapp.bund.de/en/download
- https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/6598-app-compatibility-payment-mobiles-bezahlen-sparkasse-pay-volksbanken
- https://grapheneos.de/2026/01/09/klassisches-mobile-banking-funktioniert-auch-mit-grapheneos/
Austria
bank99
Bank Austria
BAWAG
easybank
George
ELBA
Oberbank
RaiPay
s Identity
Known exceptions
Volksbank (install it via Aurora Store, then it works)
ID Austria (government ID app), status: partial. Shows a warning that can be dismissed; then works.
Tap-to-pay: RaiPay is listed as compatible; Curve also works as a general NFC payment alternative.
Mobile network: spusu and HoT: check VoLTE before you order.
Sweden
Swedbank
SEB
Handelsbanken
Nordea
ICA Banken
Danske
BankID (government ID app), status: works. Works in the standard profile; the first activation may ask for a GPS fix outdoors.
Tap-to-pay: Swish works for NFC payments.
Mobile network: VoLTE and eSIM work as on a stock Pixel; no Sweden-specific network issues were found.
Finland
Nordea
OP-mobiili
Aktia
POP
Säästöpankki
Holvi
Mobile ID / bank credentials (government ID app), status: works. Government login runs through bank credentials or Mobiilivarmenne, which is SIM-based and works independently of the phone's OS.
Tap-to-pay: No tap-to-pay alternative was found for Finland in our research; ask us before you order if this matters to you.
Mobile network: VoLTE and eSIM work as on a stock Pixel; no Finland-specific network issues were found.
Czechia
ČSOB
KB Mobilní banka
George
Fio
Raiffeisen
mBank CZ
CREDITAS
Air Bank
eDoklady (government ID app), status: works. Works via Play Integrity after installing sandboxed Google Play; no hardware attestation is required.
Tap-to-pay: No tap-to-pay alternative was found for Czechia in our research; ask us before you order if this matters to you.
Mobile network: VoLTE and eSIM work as on a stock Pixel; the Pixel 10 is officially sold in Czechia.
Where we do not ship, and why
In these countries a government login blocks GrapheneOS outright, so we do not send phones there by default.
Denmark
MitID blocks activation on GrapheneOS (Play Integrity) since June 2024. Without MitID you cannot bank or use government services.
Italy
The IO app / IT-Wallet refuses to issue a wallet on GrapheneOS and PosteID (the largest SPID provider) blocks it.
Switzerland
AGOV (the federal login) blocks custom ROMs until at least the end of 2026, and SwissID does too. On top of that Switzerland charges 8.1% import VAT.
Live somewhere else in Europe? Ask us on WhatsApp; other countries are possible on request.
The two things you really need to know
No small print: these are the only common limitations.
1 · Paying with your phone (tap-to-pay) does not work
Contactless payment through Google Wallet does not work on GrapheneOS, in any country. In practice you rarely notice: you pay with your ordinary contactless bank card, and in the Netherlands public transport works the same way with OVpay. Want to pay with your wrist after all? In some countries a paired smartwatch or Curve Pay is an alternative.
2 · A single app with strict checks may refuse to run
Apps like Revolut, and occasionally a banking app right after an update, can refuse to run because they require Google certification. Banking and ID apps: we tell you up front whether yours work. In the Netherlands, for example, the big banks work and you can always pay through the iDEAL browser fallback. Unsure about one specific app? Ask us before you order and we will look into it for you.
Is a degoogled phone legal?
Yes. In the Netherlands, where we are based, it is fully legal. A Snowden Phone is an ordinary, legally bought Google Pixel with an open-source operating system on it. Installing other software on your own phone is allowed, and privacy is a fundamental right (ECHR, Article 8). GrapheneOS is used every day by journalists, lawyers, human rights activists and privacy-conscious consumers.
It has nothing to do with encrypted "crime-only" phones such as EncroChat or Sky ECC. Those were stripped down and sold exclusively to the criminal market. A Snowden Phone is the opposite: a fully featured smartphone with camera, GPS, app stores and all the usual apps, running a transparent, verifiable operating system that is available to everyone. (General information, not legal advice.)
GrapheneOS as standard, your apps your choice
You decide how much we set up on your phone in advance.
GrapheneOS is included as standard
Every Snowden Phone comes with GrapheneOS installed and a locked bootloader: degoogled from the very first second, included in the price.
App stores & apps as an option
Want app stores (F-Droid and Aurora Store, and sandboxed Google Play where needed) and your own apps (banking, ID app, WhatsApp) on the phone in advance? Tick them when you configure your phone. A one-off €29.99, and everything is ready when it arrives.
Personal support in English
Run into something? A real person from the workshop answers you on WhatsApp, Signal or email, in English, not a call centre. That holds for as long as you own the phone, and you get an answer within one working day.
Free personal compatibility check
Not ready to order? Send us the apps you use every day and the country you live in. We check each app on GrapheneOS and email you an honest answer, usually within one working day.
Still unsure about one specific app?
Send us the name, and we will check it honestly before you order.