Every Privacy Phone arrives with four app stores already set up. You can browse and install without a Google or Apple account.
Pick a store. Install what you need. The phone still feels like Android.
How to install apps on a Privacy Phone
Install from GrapheneOS Apps, Accrescent, F-Droid or Aurora.
Most Android apps run on GrapheneOS.
If a bank or a government app asks for Google Play, turn on sandboxed Play in that profile. The User Manual walks through it.
Use the stores first. A random APK file is the last resort.
A normal phone puts a Google or Apple login at the door of every install. This one does not.
The four app stores on a Privacy Phone
GrapheneOS Apps is the project’s own store. The camera, Vanadium, and the other first-party tools, signed by GrapheneOS.
Accrescent is a small, high-trust store for this system. Apps are checked against pinned signing keys. The catalogue is shorter on purpose.
F-Droid is free and open-source apps. Listings note trackers, so you can see them before you install.
Aurora Store is the Google Play catalogue without signing in with your own Google account. Use it when the app only lives on Play. A paid purchase still needs a Google account for that transaction.
Common questions about installing apps
Will the apps I need work on a Privacy Phone?
For most people, yes. Major Australian banks generally run once sandboxed Play is on in the profile that needs them. We leave Play off at dispatch, so the default stays private. You add it only if a specific app asks.
Sandboxed Play is an ordinary app. It is isolated from the rest of the system. It does not get the system access Play Services has on a stock Android phone. See details in De-Googled Phones Australia: Switching in 2026.
Do I need a Google or Apple account to install apps?
No. The four stores work without one. The exception is a paid Play purchase through Aurora. That transaction needs a Google account.
Can I install an APK file directly on GrapheneOS?
GrapheneOS allows it. Prefer a store with signed apps when you can. The User Manual covers the safer path, and when a website is enough without an app at all.
What about Maps, YouTube or my bank apps?
Most banks work with sandboxed Play. Maps and video already have private alternatives on the phone. See apps that come pre-installed. You can add the official apps from Aurora or sandboxed Play if you choose to.
What about the September 2026 Android install rule?
From 30 September 2026, certified Android phones in four countries only install apps from registered developers, with a wider rollout planned for 2027. A GrapheneOS phone is not a certified Play device, so it does not enforce that rule. The stores above keep working.
