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How it works
Every phone we sell is a used Google Pixel that we source, wipe, and rebuild with GrapheneOS — a hardened, de-Googled Android. You get a private phone without spending a weekend flashing one yourself.
Why only Pixels
GrapheneOS supports Google Pixel hardware and nothing else. That isn't a preference on our part — the project targets Pixels specifically because they ship an unlockable bootloader that can be re-locked around a custom OS, plus a hardware security chip the OS can lean on. A Samsung or an iPhone cannot run it at any price.
We also only list a handset when its bootloader can actually be unlocked — either because it was sold factory unlocked, or because unlockability has been explicitly verified on that specific unit. Carrier-sold Pixels frequently have OEM unlocking disabled for good, and no amount of SIM unlocking brings it back. A phone like that can never run GrapheneOS, so it never appears here.
What we do to each phone
- Inspect and grade. Cosmetic condition and measured battery health are listed honestly, with photographs of the actual handset.
- Flash the official release. GrapheneOS comes from the project's own release channel and is verified against its signing key.
- Re-lock the bootloader. This restores verified boot, so the phone refuses to start tampered software — the same protection stock firmware gives you, now guarding GrapheneOS instead.
- Confirm attestation. We check the device reports a valid boot state before it leaves.
What you get on the phone
A clean GrapheneOS install with no Google account, no Play Services, and no vendor telemetry. Google Play can be installed later in a sandbox if you want it — GrapheneOS runs it as an ordinary, permission-limited app rather than a privileged system component. That's your call to make, not ours.
How we rate condition
All of the phones we sell have real photos of the device you will actually receive. However, we also rate each device cosmetically. All of our devices are Used or Refurbished in some way. A brief summary of our rating scale is listed below.
It is important to note it is not possible for us to show every scratch on the phone and screen. So you should always use both the rating scale and photos in tandem when reviewing the condition of each device:
Like New Condition. Little to no use.
Average to Excellent condition for a USED phone.
Pretty much everything else. There will be scratches on the screen and/or body, below average.
Below average with serious cosmetic issue(s) (like deep/heavy scratches/dents or otherwise etc).
Grades describe cosmetic condition. Where a handset has a functional fault, we say so on its own page — separately from the grade.
One listing, one phone
Our stock is individually serialised — each listing is a single physical handset with its own photos and its own grade. If a listing disappears, that phone sold. On the rare occasion one is claimed elsewhere after you've paid, we refund you in full immediately rather than quietly substituting a different device.
Questions
Send us a message and we'll get back to you.
GrapheneOS is an independent open-source project. ShadowPhones resells hardware with GrapheneOS installed and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the GrapheneOS project or Google.