Google launched the Pixel 11 series in mid-August. The lineup has four phones. All of them use the Tensor G6 chip. Launch prices rose from the previous generation. Memory and storage shortages may help explain that jump.
GrapheneOS will not arrive on these phones, according to its developers. The GrapheneOS Foundation says Google left out a major security feature. The group believes the cut was meant to save money. That claim has not been confirmed by Google.
The missing feature is ARM Memory Tagging Extension, or MTE. In a Mastodon post, the foundation said it built only a partial GrapheneOS port after one week of work. It could not finish the port. The Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold lack MTE support in software and firmware. Hardware support is also unlikely, the group said.
Earlier Pixels shipped with this protection. The Pixel 8, Pixel 9, and Pixel 10 series included MTE. GrapheneOS uses ARM hardware MTE across its base system, kernel, and standard processes. On supported devices, the feature is only turned off temporarily for a few device-specific tasks.
MTE aims to block many memory bugs. Those bugs often sit behind remote and local exploits. GrapheneOS added the technology to its hardened_malloc project and began using it across the system in October 2023. Pixel phones did not turn it on by default at first. Later, Android 16’s Advanced Protection Mode enabled ARM MTE for selected processes.
The foundation has not made a final product plan. It may skip the Pixel 11 series. It could then focus on upcoming Motorola devices instead. For now, it advises buyers who want GrapheneOS to stay with Pixel 8, Pixel 9, or Pixel 10 phones.
Google has not issued a detailed public reply on MTE in Pixel 11. Official confirmation of hardware support is still missing. Buyers who want the stock Pixel software are unaffected by the GrapheneOS decision. Users who rely on that hardened system will need another device.
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