/e/OS: A complete "deGoogled" mobile ecosystem

Big in 2020 (320 points, 136 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25253129

2019 (190 points, 82 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19005903

2018 (275 points, 183 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18521970

The front page should clearly answer this question: Do Android apks run on it without downsides

Years back I decided it wasn't worth my time to check out because of the name alone. What do you search for when you need help? "/e/ boot looping?".

Agree that the website should do this. But adding here that the answer is "Mostly, yes." e/os/ includes microg by default, which replaces some of the Google Services with open source implementations.

https://doc.e.foundation/support-topics/guide-micro-g

AFAIK, the answer is more Yes than on most others. I might even guess second only to GrapheneOS.

I don't see your issue, "/e/os boot looping" works fine. I'm even surprised to not the usual LLM generated slop

I am responding using an old Motorola G4 Play (2016 vintage) running e/OS.

The only software issue I have run across is a few highly security sensitive banking apps.

The solution is to simply use the bank's web site which typically works just fine except for paper check deposit and who really needs that nowadays?

Can I install their apps on a Google/graphene device? Add their App Store to my phone?

I've personally gone fully FOSS with my phone, using

  Aurelia - APP store Frontend
  Obtainium - APP manager
  Google Camera - with blocked network access
  Organic Maps - navigation
  K9 mail - email
  Koreader - epub reader
  Binary eye - barcodes
  PDF doc Scanner - scan to PDF
  Signal - messenger

Everything i need ;)

  PDF doc Scanner

For a lay person, can someone elaborate how does a custom ROM like Lineage OS fare compared to eOS? Can it de de-Googled to the same extent? Or never.

I truly truly wish you the best of luck in your futile endeavor.

My wife HATES all her apple products but still won't switch. Similarly, while I love Macbooks, iPhones make me sick and developing for them is like Apple personally giving you (the dev) the middle finger every time there's an update.

I don't know the solution. Wish I did. Wish the internet was as free and wild as it used to be. But you could have a foghorn go off on an iphone every 3 seconds and people still wouldn't switch.

I know this article is about google but I only had a good Apple anecdote so there you are.

With LineageOS it's not about degoogling, it's about not googling it - don't install the Google apps and services if you don't want them. You can use the same replacement as e/OS (MicroG).

e/OS *is* LineageOS de-Googled.

Nothing short of source code changes can achieve some of the de-Googling.

The LineageOS developers made a specific and deliberate decision to *not* do this.

What do you mean exactly? Lineage OS doesn't come with google play services or the like. It is "de-googled".

Just a heads up, thunderbird beta for mobile is here!

/e/ uses MicroG, which is a reverse-engineered re-implementation of some Google services. It requires spoofing the signature of the original Google apps, which official Lineage does not support for security reasons.

Is this more "deGoogled" than something like GrapheneOS? GrapheneOS gives the option install a sandboxed Google Play (and the associated services), but it's completely deGoogled by default AFAIK.

Can such system use social media apps like twitter and youtube?

I think the core difference here is that with graphene you use (if you want to) the google play services from google, but with very different security (iirc it runs like a regular app, without special access to the system). But /e/ (horrible name btw) uses microG, which aims to replace parts of the google play infrastructure (but still relies on google servers afaik)

Is this on a non google OS? Otherwise my question is, can you ever really block the camera's network access?

By the way check out Librera for ebooks. I have koreader on my kindle and I like it, I find librera's interface and features to be better suited to a phone. (apk is free on fdroid)

That is not true. MicroG works just fine on Lineage and there are no Google services on their AOSP distribution until you add them yourself. You have to manually Google the OS; not de-Google it.

I still have stock on my OnePlus 12, but I've disabled everything natively Google (except the camera and gallery, because they're linked and allow taking pictures without unlocking) and use Rethink DNS to firewall all apps. Nothing gets out without me having an idea (although that also means some apps may break until their access is properly configured, and some are really stubborn).

For YouTube access you'll likely need an alternative such as NewPipe (which I've been using for years and has only minor issues once in a while)

Can you explain where this wierd wish to talk about Apple in unrelated articles comes from? There's always one of you around that need to run an apple pitch in every topic where it's not needed or desired.

Google servers and services are hard coded into the AOSP distribution at various points. These could be used to facilitate identification and tracking.

e/OS/ removes, replaces and/or anonymizes these. LineageOS does not.

https://doc.e.foundation/support-topics/deGoogling-scope-and...

e/OS is the best. To anyone reading this, give it a shot - you can break from from Apple and whatever spyware garbage is installed on your Android phone.

I've installed it to three devices and have daily driven it since June 2023. I got tired of paying the Apple tax, so I picked up a Motorola Edge 30 (Dubai) for ~200 USD which was the newest non-Murena/Fairphone listed on the website - but it is no longer listed because they've shifted to the "easy installer". I've turned to community-built ROMs for my other devices, including a Xiaomi Pocophone F1 from 2017 - which works great - and a Lenovo Tab. I specifically purchased the Lenovo tablet because there was a ROM; there's a user on the forums who is creating a lot of ROMs for devices. I was looking for a tablet to serve as an e-reader and media consumption device, but it's powered off most the time.

The OS is very nice to use. It's very similar to iOS. The browser has automatic ad blocks, so some sites complain that I need to turn off my ad blocker, but this isn't possible. The privacy-first focus has helped me to avoid becoming a smart phone addict. I use it primarily for consuming hacker news articles on the go.

As far as errors go, /e/OS developers have stated they need to invest more time on tablet features, so the Lenovo Tab I have isn't an iPad competitor. Also, my Motorola Edge 30 was stuck on version 1.19 for about 7 months until I manually side-loaded the update. For the past month, App Lounge was having trouble anonymously connecting and updating apps. V2.5 was released a couple days ago and everything seems fixed.

I like being able to anonymously install apps using the "App Lounge". I tend to keep less than 30 apps on my phone and don't use it for gaming. The only Google App I've installed is Gboard for additional language input - other than that it seems like every other app is available. My bank and brokerage apps are supported. I did set up a Garmin smartwatch on the tablet so I could get offline Spotify playback. One negative is that Uber recently updated their app in the last 6 months which broke scrolling on the map, which makes it difficult to see how far away my driver is.

The only concern I really have is that the boot loaders aren't lockable, which could be a security risk if the phone gets out of my possession. Luckily, I have treated my phones as disposable for years.

There are only two things I dream of: 1. An open-source Samsung Dex alternative so that I could plug my phone into a monitor and keyboard and use it as a PC. 2. An /e/OS ROM for an e-ink device with support from Murena//e/OS developers for e-ink devices.

Is Google Camera FOSS?

Then someone here is lying:

> Why do we need a custom build of LineageOS to have microG? Can't I install microG on the official LineageOS?

> MicroG requires a patch called "signature spoofing", which allows the microG's apps to spoof themselves as Google Apps. LineageOS' developers refused (multiple times) to include the patch, forcing us to fork their project.

> Wait, on their FAQ page I see that they don't want to include the patch for security reasons. Is this ROM unsafe?

> No. LineageOS' developers decided not to include this patch for various reasons. The signature spoofing could be an unsafe feature only if the user blindly gives any permission to any app, as this permission can't be obtained automatically by the apps. Moreover, to further strengthen the security of our ROM, we modified the signature spoofing permission so that only system privileged apps can obtain it, and no security threat is posed to our users.

https://lineage.microg.org/#faq

Just add Magisk.

it's not quite unrelated, he clearly wants to get away from apple but can't tell us what it takes to do so.

he is subconsciously hoping that /e/os will fill that need some day.

(typed on /e/os ;-)

the name was supposed to be temporary, because the previous name (eelo iirc) had a trademark problem that they needed to fix quickly. so it looks like they picked the worst name possible to make it easier to change later. that new name was going to be murena. but then it appears they decided to use murena as branding for the phones with /e/os preinstalled and keep /e/os as name for the os itself

More like, /e/OS: A fork of LineageOS but for-profit and uses "deGoogle" to lure people while offering their insecure Nextcloud instance as some alternatives of Google services

More info: https://ewwlo.void.partidopirata.com.ar/evil.html

Isn't microG a hassle to get working on LineageOS? With CalyxOS I don't even have to think about it, it comes stock.

I don't want to root my phone.

Then add the spoof app from recovery.

Or... Just use an OS that includes it by default. Way less convoluted, and I don't have to redo things on updates.

False marketing.

They are one of the least "deGoogled" ROMs out there[1]. If you want the only real "deGoogled" OS that prioritizes security and privacy, use GrapheneOS https://grapheneos.org/.

[1] https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm

What's with non mainstream things having such shitty names? e/OS/ wtf

This is true. It's basically GrapheneOS or DivestOS as best options.

note using a vpn firewall is not as reliable as revoking internet android permission used by GrapheneOS

GrapheneOS offers a proper internet permission toggle using the Android permission system. If you install an app it will prompt you for it.

no. This is: https://github.com/GrapheneOS/Camera

/e/ like LineageOS still has many Google components and connections. If you want something truly without Google spyware you are better served with GrapheneOS which also has a desktop mode since pixel 8

no

There are still tons of Google connections similar with /e/. If you want a fully degoogled android use GrapheneOS

https://grapheneos.org/faq#which-legacy-devices

Their official support is for only 21 devices?

I don't like all the fluff that eOS adds. LineageOS is just clean android.

A good alternative is OpenCamera.

unfortunately GrapheneOS only supports a very limited number of phone models.

CalyxOS, lineage for microg...

There are options besides e.

Calyx is good but not officially available for as many devices. LineageOS is the most supported one. I don't trust random forum builds of smartphone OS - and they're too old/never existed anyways in case of my devices.

It's no big deal. If you managed to install the OS, installing MicroG is going to take few dozen minutes at most.

Lineage for microg isn't a random forum build

Nope, you have to apply signature spoofing and microg every time you update lineagos. I installed CalyxOS once and now OTA updates include microg.

Trust me, I've done both. Having it in the ROM is far easier for users.