What you get with PhoneKite
Quality re-purposed phone
We re-purpose phones with the CalyxOS Operating System that adds additional privacy and security functionality to the Android Open Source Platform.
CalyxOS works mainly with Google Pixel models and its installation increases the life of the phones.
Our phones are refurbished Pixel devices in good working condition and have been double-checked with a minimum aesthetic grade of 8/10.
With PhoneKite, you reduce your environnemental footprint and encourage the reuse of phones made from rare metals.
Privacy Apps
1. Preinstalled Apps
CalyxOS Operating System comes with a list of suggested freeware apps to facilitate private online access, but the user always has the choice to activate them or not. They will always be available if needed, even offline, since they are included in the Operating System.
To better protect your privacy, we have pre-installed other open-source applications that you are free to use and/or uninstall.
These secure applications cover a wide range of the primary uses of a phone: calls, messages, internet browsing, emails, geo navigation, weather, notes, tasks, contacts and calendars synchronization, and file backup.
Your privacy is our priority !
Signal
Encrypted Private Messenger
DuckDuckGo Browser
All-in-one Privacy Browser
Calyx VPN
Free Network Traffic Encryption
Chromium
Ungoogled Secure Browser
Organic Maps
Open-Source Community-driven Navigation
K-9 mail
Open-Source Email Client
Proton Mail
Encrypted Email
Element
Encrypted Messaging and Video Calls for Matrix
VLC
Universal video and music player
AntennaPod
Open-Source Podcast Player
Simple Note
Open-Source Note Taking
Nekogram X
Secure Telegram Messenger
MuPDF viewer
PDF Reader
DAVx⁵
CalDAV/CardDAV Synchronization and Client
Weather
Privacy Friendly Forecast
Aegis Authenticator
Two-factor authentication manager
Seedvault-Backup
Encrypted File Backup
Datura Firewall
Apps Network Access Control
2. Apps Stores
Our phones equipped with CalyxOS offer users the possibility to install many other applications through two stores.
F-Droid is the preferred application store of PhoneKite. All applications available in F-Droid are free and open-source software and contain no trackers or advertising. Some apps may need access to specific clearly defined permissions. CalyxOS grants F-Droid special privileges to streamline application updates, installations, and uninstallations.
Aurora Store is an alternative application store to the standard Google Play Store. By default, Aurora Store accesses the Google application catalog anonymously. If you want to install paid applications, or if the anonymous mode does not work, you can also use your Google account credentials (while not recommended). These applications are mainly proprietary apps, with trackers, advertising and permissions.
Protection Against Tracking
The phone in your pocket has become the remote control of your digital life. However, various parts of the phone are sources of personal data recording:
- the Operating System (OS), the central software required for the operation of all systems on the device (hardware, apps,...);
- Proprietary Applications with trackers and unneeded permissions;
- Communications with unencrypted phone calls and messages via the cellular network;
- Browsing the Internet and interacting with websites in an unsecured manner.
1. OS Tracking
The phone in your pocket can constantly record the outside world through its integrated mic, camera, GPS, and other captors.
When you choose an Operating System, you also give it the ability to access some of your phone's hardware capabilities.
Even when the phone is idle and the user is not connected, Apple iOS and Google Android share data with Apple/Google every 5 minutes: phone number, phone IMEI, hardware serial number, location, cookies, local IP address, etc...
When this data is collected individually, it may seem that the information recorded is meaningless. However, a continuous and aggregated record of device activity builds a complete identity of your activity and usage patterns.
Our solution is to offer you a secure phone environment without giving up your usual practices.
2. Application Tracking
The apps on your phone track you when you drive to work, when you go to the food store and when you fly to a foreign country.
Personal information about your identity, preferences or physical location is sent hourly to Google, Facebook and other companies without you even knowing it.
Even if you turn off Location History, some Google applications continue to automatically store time-stamped location data without asking you.
The combined data from your multiple applications, as well as your other online histories and behaviors, can be used to generate a very detailed profile of you and your loved ones, even down to the identity of your children.
Our solution allows you to use free alternative applications without a tracker and to cut them off from the Internet if necessary.
3. Legacy unencrypted phone calls and messages
When making a phone call or sending a text message to a friend, we have to be aware that many telecom corporations and other third-party organizations stand between the person we are calling and us.
They potentially collect information about these simple interactions and store them indefinitely; this conversation that we thought was intimate is no longer private.
Our solution is to provide you encrypted methods of communication that you can still use over a cellular service to avoid making traditional calls and texts.
4. Internet traffic sharing
Every day, we browse the Internet and access websites to read and write data on servers hosted worldwide; this brings fantastic value to our life and provides a wealth of knowledge available instantly from our pocket devices.
The data traffic of what we visit and who we interact with is going through many intermediary devices and services. While most of today's internet traffic is encrypted (the "HTTPS" in your browser bar), we still leak personal information to third parties we know nothing about.
Our solution is to pre-install your phone with privacy tools, like a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or a secure browser. These applications ensure your personal data are always protected and keep the origin of your Internet interactions hidden.
Transition at your own pace
Our phones offer several levels of privacy protection to allow you to transition at your own pace and to suit your needs.
- If you choose Low Privacy, you can continue to use your traditional applications as you did with your old phone, while enjoying a minimum of privacy with our secure CalyxOS operating system.
- If you're already ready, you can choose either Moderate or Strong Privacy mode.
Whatever your initial choice, our phones come pre-installed with Moderate mode for a great privacy and user experience.
| Low Privacy | Moderate Privacy | Strong Privacy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MicroG* | Enabled with Google Account | Enabled without Google Account | Disabled |
| Calyx VPN | Disabled | Activated with phone use | Always activated |
| Communications** | 10% with Signal/Element | 50% with Signal/Element | 90% with Signal/Element |
| Location | Enabled | Enabled with restrictions | Disabled |
| Permissions | Maximum | Moderate | Strict minimum |
| F-Droid apps | 20% | 80% | 100% |
| Aurora apps*** | 80% | 20% | 0% |
- * some apps may not work and/or have longer notification times
- ** remaining % with cellular operator
- *** some apps are trackerless : ex ProtonMail