ercarta on Nostr: Replaced “iOS” with “GrapheneOS” in Grok for the giggles… In GrapheneOS, ...
Replaced “iOS” with “GrapheneOS” in Grok for the giggles…
In GrapheneOS, apps are designed with strong isolation in mind, which impacts how they can share data with one another, including through mechanisms like deeplinks.
Let’s break this down:
Can a GrapheneOS App Share Data with Another GrapheneOS App?
Yes, apps on GrapheneOS can share data with each other, but this is tightly controlled and typically requires explicit user interaction or permission. One common way this happens is through intents, a standard Android mechanism that allows one app to request an action from another app (e.g., opening a specific app via a deeplink). Deeplinks, which are URLs that point to specific content or actions within an app, work in GrapheneOS just as they do in standard Android, provided the target app has registered to handle them. For example, if App A sends an intent with a deeplink (like myapp://action), App B can respond if it’s configured to recognize that URI scheme.
However, GrapheneOS’s security model ensures that this interaction doesn’t automatically grant App A access to App B’s data. The sharing is limited to what the intent explicitly passes (e.g., a URL or small payload), and the receiving app must opt in to handle it. Without user consent or a specific sharing mechanism (like the Storage Access Framework, discussed below), apps cannot directly access each other’s private data.
Do They Use Shared Storage?
GrapheneOS inherits Android’s modern storage model but enhances it with features like Storage Scopes, which affects how shared storage works.
Here’s the key points:
• App Isolation: By default, each app has its own private storage (e.g., Android/data/), which is inaccessible to other apps. This is true in both GrapheneOS and standard Android.
• Shared Storage: GrapheneOS supports shared storage areas (e.g., Pictures/, Documents/, Download/), where apps can read and write files if granted appropriate access. However, an app can only access files in shared storage that it created itself unless the user explicitly grants broader access.
• Storage Scopes: This is a GrapheneOS-specific feature that replaces traditional storage permissions. With Storage Scopes enabled, an app assumes it has the storage permissions it requests, but its access is still scoped to specific files or directories the user selects via the system file picker (Storage Access Framework, or SAF). For example, if App A wants to share a file with App B, the user would pick the file in App A, share it via an intent, and App B would receive access to just that file—not App A’s entire storage.
• No Direct Access: Apps cannot arbitrarily read each other’s files in shared storage without user intervention. Even in shared directories, access is mediated by the system, ensuring isolation unless explicitly bridged.
Practical Example with Deeplinks and Shared Storage
Suppose App A wants to open App B with a deeplink and share some data:
1 App A creates a file in a shared storage directory (e.g., Documents/myfile.txt).
2 App A sends an intent with a deeplink (e.g., appb://open?file=myfile.txt) and includes a URI pointing to myfile.txt via the SAF.
3 App B receives the intent, processes the deeplink, and uses the provided URI to access only myfile.txt—not any other data from App A.
This process works because the SAF acts as a secure intermediary, and GrapheneOS enforces that App B can’t overstep its bounds.
Key Takeaways
• Deeplinks: Yes, apps can open other apps with deeplinks using intents, and this functions normally in GrapheneOS.
• Data Sharing: Limited to what’s explicitly shared via intents or user-approved file access; no automatic data leakage between apps.
• Shared Storage: Exists but is tightly controlled. Apps don’t have free rein over shared storage—access is scoped and user-mediated.
GrapheneOS’s design prioritizes privacy and security, so while apps can communicate (e.g., via deeplinks), they don’t get unrestricted access to each other’s data or shared storage without deliberate user action.
In GrapheneOS, apps are designed with strong isolation in mind, which impacts how they can share data with one another, including through mechanisms like deeplinks.
Let’s break this down:
Can a GrapheneOS App Share Data with Another GrapheneOS App?
Yes, apps on GrapheneOS can share data with each other, but this is tightly controlled and typically requires explicit user interaction or permission. One common way this happens is through intents, a standard Android mechanism that allows one app to request an action from another app (e.g., opening a specific app via a deeplink). Deeplinks, which are URLs that point to specific content or actions within an app, work in GrapheneOS just as they do in standard Android, provided the target app has registered to handle them. For example, if App A sends an intent with a deeplink (like myapp://action), App B can respond if it’s configured to recognize that URI scheme.
However, GrapheneOS’s security model ensures that this interaction doesn’t automatically grant App A access to App B’s data. The sharing is limited to what the intent explicitly passes (e.g., a URL or small payload), and the receiving app must opt in to handle it. Without user consent or a specific sharing mechanism (like the Storage Access Framework, discussed below), apps cannot directly access each other’s private data.
Do They Use Shared Storage?
GrapheneOS inherits Android’s modern storage model but enhances it with features like Storage Scopes, which affects how shared storage works.
Here’s the key points:
• App Isolation: By default, each app has its own private storage (e.g., Android/data/), which is inaccessible to other apps. This is true in both GrapheneOS and standard Android.
• Shared Storage: GrapheneOS supports shared storage areas (e.g., Pictures/, Documents/, Download/), where apps can read and write files if granted appropriate access. However, an app can only access files in shared storage that it created itself unless the user explicitly grants broader access.
• Storage Scopes: This is a GrapheneOS-specific feature that replaces traditional storage permissions. With Storage Scopes enabled, an app assumes it has the storage permissions it requests, but its access is still scoped to specific files or directories the user selects via the system file picker (Storage Access Framework, or SAF). For example, if App A wants to share a file with App B, the user would pick the file in App A, share it via an intent, and App B would receive access to just that file—not App A’s entire storage.
• No Direct Access: Apps cannot arbitrarily read each other’s files in shared storage without user intervention. Even in shared directories, access is mediated by the system, ensuring isolation unless explicitly bridged.
Practical Example with Deeplinks and Shared Storage
Suppose App A wants to open App B with a deeplink and share some data:
1 App A creates a file in a shared storage directory (e.g., Documents/myfile.txt).
2 App A sends an intent with a deeplink (e.g., appb://open?file=myfile.txt) and includes a URI pointing to myfile.txt via the SAF.
3 App B receives the intent, processes the deeplink, and uses the provided URI to access only myfile.txt—not any other data from App A.
This process works because the SAF acts as a secure intermediary, and GrapheneOS enforces that App B can’t overstep its bounds.
Key Takeaways
• Deeplinks: Yes, apps can open other apps with deeplinks using intents, and this functions normally in GrapheneOS.
• Data Sharing: Limited to what’s explicitly shared via intents or user-approved file access; no automatic data leakage between apps.
• Shared Storage: Exists but is tightly controlled. Apps don’t have free rein over shared storage—access is scoped and user-mediated.
GrapheneOS’s design prioritizes privacy and security, so while apps can communicate (e.g., via deeplinks), they don’t get unrestricted access to each other’s data or shared storage without deliberate user action.