The Verizon packages are only enabled when using a Verizon / Verizon MVNO SIM. They're equivalent to uninstalled when not using one. This is a requirement from Verizon for all Android devices to fully use their network features. GrapheneOS has always omitted these apps and therefore is missing certain features like Wi-Fi calling on Verizon which work fine on T-Mobile and other carriers internationally.

Aside from the packages not being enabled without a Verizon SIM, this retail demo app iVerify/Palantir claim is a serious vulnerability has the extra layer of being disabled unless it's manually set up. The access needed to set it up or especially to enable the package in the first place is already very invasive.

They're also trying to portray it as if Google unnecessarily or accidentally included this without knowing what it is but that's really not the case. Verizon was using this for actual demos in their stores and required OEMs to install it to have Verizon selling their phones. Pixels made sure the packages were completely disabled along with the other Verizon apps when not using Verizon and then it's also disabled even when using them.

Issues in these apps are an overall Verizon Android problem, not Pixel specific, and hardly something which was overlooked on Pixels. They know it's unfortunate that these apps are needed and have gradually gotten rid of the need for most carrier app. Verizon is the only significant holdout. One carrier in the whole world has this problem. The retail demo app is hardly part of the issue. Turned out Verizon doesn't actually use it anymore so Google removed it in Android 15 which can be seen from the Android 15 Beta releases that are available.

It appears entirely correct that Google deemed this was not even a Low severity vulnerability. Android 15 will probably be released in September where the app is gone.

Incredibly strange that this got portrayed as a serious issue when it's not really relevant to anyone. Meanwhile, tons of serious vulnerabilities get fixed in both Android and iOS on a regular basis. Non-Pixel Android devices don't ship Low/Moderate severity patches for the most part until the next yearly release since they skip monthly/quarterly releases and only apply High/Critical severity backports. They've got a lot of other weaknesses compared to Pixels too.

iPhones and Pixels with the stock OS are both still getting exploited by Cellebrite Premium with no sign of stopping it for more than a couple months at a time after certain updates:

https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/112826067364945164

As a bonus, there was a whole inaccurate news cycle about that too recently with the same publications falsely claiming Cellebrite couldn't exploit the latest iOS based on leaked docs from April 2024. They simply fell a bit behind after a release as often happens and had already caught up BEFORE the news cycle. We posted the new July 2024 docs as the news cycle was still propagating. Now they're onto their next fake story, and they'll simply move on to the next and the next without ever correcting or retracting all the false claims. Even the New York Times and Washington Post published this fake Showcase story promoting iVerify/Palantir.