For extra privacy, you can sign into the Play Store with a Google Account that isn't tied to anything else.

I think the increased popularity of GOS is going to draw in more users like me who picked it for reasons adjacent to Graphene's original purpose, and I hope it's not too annoying for their community.

It's a shame that there is no official way to install apps on android without a google accout[1], since it's a basic functionality, just like calls or a web browser.

[1] For obvious reasons I don't want her to download apks from the internet.

GrapheneOS supports installing the standard Play Store app as a regular sandboxed app without special access. For people using sandboxed Google Play, we recommend the sandboxed Play Store for obtaining apps only published on the Play Store. That doesn't mean we recommend obtaining apps from the Play Store as the best option. We prefer people getting developer signed builds of apps, ideally through an app store with enforcement of standards such as a minimum API level and better enforced policies against abuse than the Play Store. Accrescent is very promising. There will hopefully be more serious Play Store alternatives to replace what it used to provide prior to them phasing out developer signed builds and beginning to gate access to apps.

On GrapheneOS, Aurora Store is mainly useful as a way to work around the Play Store having a way for developers to restrict their Play Store listing from devices not passing the Play Integrity device and strong integrity level.

Aurora uses burner account for anonymous login. looks like their account pool is flagged

This seems like it was destined to get banned somehow... and I don't think it means that the store itself is blocked, just the pool of accounts they (ab)use.

You may need to refresh a few times, or refresh again after a few updates.

Not news nor "blocking".

Play Store won't let me install them, but AuroraStore will, and most of the time they work fine after that.

For example, I have Balatro running on my Ayn Thor this way.

Even this particular error ("Server busy, try again later"). I've been seeing over the past weeks but then a few days later it worked again. I'm not too worried. It also happens or me right now indeed.

https://en.aptoide.com/

Just after paying for a ticket in the Ryanair website "we are going paperless so if you want the boarding pass, you need the app" what about PDFs you might ask? That is not good enough apparently

I got no Play store, and Aurora was not working, luckily Apkmirror/f-droid/Universal installer saved the day

In the end I could also claim the app was not working and get a paper at the desk

But the present is here "everything is easy!" You just need a google/apple, with 100 apps, 200% battery, and loose internet for a minute you are not a valid citizen anymore