[rkagerer]

One clarification:

> It backs up data for apps opting out of cloud backups with allowBackup="false"

This is untrue for older apps targeting API 30 (Android 11) and earlier. As I understand it, allowBackup is still respected for them, preventing their backup even in D2D mode. https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/1112#i...

Those apps are slowly going extinct since the Play Store stopped accepting updates written against the older SDK in 2022, but I gather there are still a few floating around out there (including some niche favorites that have unfortunately abandoned development).

And one wish:

I'd love the ability to maintain a "hotspare" device that's identical to the original in every important way. So if your phone is chucked in the ocean, dropped down a cliff, etc. you can just grab the other one (checkpointed from a few hours or a day ago) and seamlessly keep on going.

I think this is impossible today because of the way the system protects secrets in the Android Keystore and how it's intertwined with the TEE / secure element / Titan M2 / etc. I wish there were a way to truly own my phone including the ability to perform perfect-fidelity backup and restore.

[grapheneos]

In general, it's a very bad sign if an app isn't targeting a recent API level. It's largely not because apps are abandoned but rather to abuse weaker privacy and security protections for older target API levels. We'll likely move the standard warning when launching an app for the first time to the install process and will make it more prominent with an actual explanation of the risks.