---
title: "Your Smartphone Isn’t Yours: Here’s How Soverli is Changing Mobile Security"
description: Soverli offers a dual operating system phone focused on privacy and encryption. How the mobile platform challenges smartphone data collection practices.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-12-15T09:41:41.000Z
updated: 2026-03-31T11:25:13.277Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/your-smartphone-isn-t-yours-here-s-how-soverli-is-changing-mobile-security
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/Soverli-co-founders-Ivan-Puddu-CEO-left-and-Moritz-Schneider-CTO-right-%E2%80%93-Photo-Credit-is-Daniel-Kunz.webp
categories: Science & Tech
content_type: Spotlight
region: Europe
publication: Sovereign Magazine
about:
  - type: Organization
    name: Soverli
    description: "ETH Zurich spin-off Soverli AG, is a Zurich-based cybersecurity company providing a patent-pending platform that packs multiple fully isolated phones into one device — delivering the highest level of security without compromising on convenience and unlocking true digital sovereignty. By enabling independent operating systems to run in parallel on the same smartphone alongside Android and iOS, Soverli helps enterprises, governments, financial institutions, and every consumer combine strong security, user freedom, and modern app ecosystems. Find out more at https://soverli.com/"
    url: https://soverli.com/
---

Smartphones are the most personal devices we own. They store messages, location data, financial details and even biometric information. Yet, despite their central role in modern life, they are not truly ours. The operating systems they run, Android and iOS, are closed systems that even governments and enterprises cannot audit or control. This creates a systemic risk: a single faulty update, like the 2024 CrowdStrike outage, can disable hundreds of millions of devices, crippling airlines, hospitals and financial systems. Spyware like Pegasus can exploit vulnerabilities to access messages, calls, emails and even the camera and microphone without the user’s knowledge. Until now, the only way to regain control was to abandon mainstream operating systems entirely; this was a trade-off few could afford.

## The Problem with Uncontrollable Systems

Europe has invested billions in digital sovereignty, building sovereign cloud infrastructure, AI governance frameworks and national networks. Yet smartphones remain the weak link. Governments, emergency services and critical industries rely on devices running unauditable Android and iOS systems. The European Commission’s 2025 digital sovereignty agenda highlights the need for technological self-sufficiency, but smartphones are a glaring gap. Understanding [what sovereign tech actually means for Europe](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/what-does-sovereign-tech-actually-mean-for-europe) becomes crucial when examining these vulnerabilities.

The risks are clear: a single misconfiguration or hidden vulnerability can render millions of devices inoperable, as seen in the CrowdStrike outage. For individuals, the threat is just as real. Between 2020 and 2025, Pegasus spyware was used to target journalists, activists and political figures worldwide, exposing the limitations of even the most secure apps. This challenge mirrors broader issues where [European tech companies face digital sovereignty dilemmas](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/sweden-s-ai-darling-lovable-is-actually-a-us-company-and-that-s-europe-s-real-problem), highlighting the continent’s ongoing struggle for technological independence.

Switzerland, ranked among the top five countries in the [Global Cybersecurity Index 2024](https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Cybersecurity/Pages/GCI.aspx), has long prioritised secure digital infrastructure. Yet, like the rest of the world, it faces the same challenge: how to secure smartphones without sacrificing usability.

## A Sovereign Solution Without Compromise

[Soverli](#about-soverli), an ETH Zurich spin-off based in Zurich, is addressing this flaw with a sovereign operating system layer that runs alongside Android and iOS. No hardware changes are required. Developed over four years of research, Soverli’s patent-pending technology allows multiple operating systems to run in isolation on a single device. Users can switch between a sovereign OS and Android or iOS in milliseconds, without rebooting or losing functionality. This reduces the attack surface by 500 times, ensuring that even if Android is compromised by spyware like Pegasus, sensitive data in apps like Signal remains confidential.

“Availability is mission-critical, yet organisations still rely on operating systems they cannot control or audit,” says Ivan Puddu, CEO of Soverli. “We built a fully auditable smartphone sovereign layer that stays operational even when Android is compromised. It’s a fundamental change: instead of hoping the OS never breaks, Soverli guarantees continuity if it does, without forcing users to give up the modern smartphone experience.”

Soverli’s technology is particularly relevant for organisations responsible for emergency response and critical infrastructure. If Android fails due to a misconfiguration or attack, Soverli’s isolated environment keeps running on its own dedicated software stack, ensuring communication and essential workflows remain operational. This approach complements other [advanced device security technologies](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/how-digital-dna-recognition-works-fingerprinting-puts-invisible-protection-to-the-test) that focus on invisible protection and user access control.

This is critical for first responders, journalists and human rights workers who rely on secure messaging apps. Enterprises can also benefit by isolating business and personal environments on the same device, enabling secure bring-your-own-device programmes without compromising privacy.

Antonia Albert, an investor at Founderful, puts it simply: “People deserve phones they can actually trust. Soverli’s sovereign layer is the kind of breakthrough that can set a new standard for mobile security.”

## Further Context

**Q: How does Soverli’s technology isolate the sovereign OS from Android or iOS?**
Soverli uses a combination of virtualisation and isolation techniques to run a sovereign operating system layer alongside Android or iOS without hardware modifications. The sovereign OS operates independently, with its own dedicated software stack, memory, and processing resources. If the primary OS, such as Android, is compromised, the sovereign layer remains unaffected, preserving critical functionality and data confidentiality.

**Q: What are the potential challenges or trade-offs of running multiple operating systems on a single device?**
Running multiple operating systems on a single device can introduce higher resource usage, including battery drain and increased demand on processing power, alongside potential app compatibility issues and added complexity in managing data flows between environments. Soverli’s system is designed to reduce these trade-offs through performance optimisation and smooth switching between OS layers.

**Q: How does Soverli compare to other secure smartphone alternatives, such as GrapheneOS or /e/OS?**
GrapheneOS and /e/OS replace Android entirely, which can limit app availability or reduce usability for some users. Soverli takes a different approach by preserving full Android or iOS functionality while adding a sovereign layer for sensitive tasks. This allows users to keep access to the mainstream app ecosystem without changing their daily workflows.

**Q: Is there independent verification of Soverli’s claim to reduce the attack surface by 500 times?**
Soverli’s claim is based on internal research and testing that measures the reduction in exploitable vulnerabilities when critical functions are isolated within a sovereign OS layer. The methodology has not yet been publicly audited by third parties, though the approach follows established cybersecurity practices such as compartmentalisation and attack surface reduction.

**Q: Could Soverli’s technology itself become a target for surveillance or exploitation?**
Any security technology could become a target. Soverli limits this risk by isolating the sovereign OS layer from the primary operating system, which narrows exposure points. The system is also designed to be fully auditable, allowing organisations to review its behaviour and identify anomalies.

## The Demand for Control

The need for digital sovereignty is not just a theoretical concern. Governments and enterprises require infrastructure they can control and audit, yet they still depend on commercial operating systems that leave them vulnerable. This trend aligns with how [European boards now prioritise local security providers](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/why-european-boards-now-prioritise-local-security-providers-over-tech-giants) over international tech giants, seeking greater control over their digital infrastructure.

Soverli’s technology provides a sovereign layer that ensures operational safety and continuity, even if the primary OS fails. This aligns with Europe’s push for digital sovereignty, where regulations like the Digital Services Act and Cyber Resilience Act are driving demand for secure, auditable systems.

## What’s Next for Soverli

Soverli recently raised $2.6 million in pre-seed funding led by Founderful, with participation from the ETH Zurich Foundation, Venture Kick and cybersecurity experts. The funds will expand its engineering team, support more smartphone models and strengthen integrations with mobile device management systems. The company is already working with public-sector organisations and plans to scale partnerships with original equipment manufacturers to make sovereign mobile infrastructure accessible to everyone.

The long-term vision is to redefine mobile security. Soverli’s architecture introduces a model where institutions can enforce their own security posture on consumer-grade hardware without requiring custom devices or sacrificing usability. This could transform how governments, enterprises and consumers secure their data.

## A Secure Future

Soverli’s technology addresses a fundamental flaw in mobile security: the lack of control over the operating system. By enabling true digital sovereignty without sacrificing usability, it provides a solution that is both practical and transformative. As digital sovereignty becomes a priority for governments and enterprises, solutions like Soverli’s will be essential in securing critical infrastructure and personal data. The question is no longer whether digital sovereignty is necessary, but how quickly it can be achieved, particularly as Europe continues to explore [building its own technology stack](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/european-digital-stack-can-europe-build-its-own-eurostack-for-digital-sovereignty).

**About Soverli**

ETH Zurich spin-off Soverli AG, is a Zurich-based cybersecurity company providing a patent-pending platform that packs multiple fully isolated phones into one device — delivering the highest level of security without compromising on convenience and unlocking true digital sovereignty. By enabling independent operating systems to run in parallel on the same smartphone alongside Android and iOS, Soverli helps enterprises, governments, financial institutions, and every consumer combine strong security, user freedom, and modern app ecosystems. Find out more at https://soverli.com/

[Website](https://soverli.com/)