What is Reddit's opinion of
/e/?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
100 reviews of this app found across Reddit:
Your best bets are probably the /e/ project and Lineage OS.
The first one has the advantage of selling smartphones pre-installed with /e/ so you don't have to it yourself and those phones should work pretty well with /e/
Both are Android based but only use the free parts.
This should tick all boxes.
Oh and there is also the Gemini PDA which features a fully fledged Debian system on the go. For WhatsApp you'd have to resort to the web version but that's a small price to pay for a mobile Debian, isn't it? ;)
FYI: You can use an Android phone without any Google apps/services, by installing a Google-free Android ROM, F-Droid and microG.
Of course, it's not for everyone - some apps don't work if you don't have any Google Play Services installed and some may crash, but it's certainly doable.
Check out https://lineage.microg.org and https://e.foundation
This is a Google service. Google does all it can to track you. They use cookies, browser fingerprinting, if you're logged into their service they know even more about it. And then there is the location service running on your devices, which may in addition to GPS use bluetooth and wifi networks (both visible and just hardware addresses of these routers).
Google does all that - because they are essentially an Ad service, so they can provide you with the best matching ads based on who you are and where you are.
If you want to avoid this. Stop using any of the Google services first of all. Use a de-googled phone, like https://e.foundation/ ... and wipe cookies as often as you can.
yes : https://e.foundation/
the most polished un-googled Android out there.
It's basically LineageOS+microG+opensourceApps all packaged, ready to use. All ropes and trackers communicating to Google are cut out on the inside. Great for non tech savvy users.
It is right on their Website - https://e.foundation/legal-notice-privacy/
> e Foundation > Non-profit organization under the French law for association 1901 registered on April 26th 2018 > > Nº Siret: 84014633600010 > Code APE: 6209Z
https://www.societe.com/etablissement/e-foundation-84014633600010.html
Rough translation:
> The company E FOUNDATION currently domiciled its main establishment in Paris 10 (headquarters of the company). It is the establishment where the administration and effective management of the company are centralized. The establishment, located at 28 rue d Hauteville in Paris 10 (75010), is the establishment of the company E FOUNDATION. Created on 26-04-2018, its activity is other computer activities.
>I like android but the androids that I buy have Google Apps and customs ROMs aren't available for every phone out there.
That's the problem with manufacturers. Just like tv's running Linux. Android itself is free and open source(see AOSP, Lineage OS, /e/), google apps are not.
BTW, /e/ is now supporting/funding Marvin Wißfeld (https://e.foundation/e-foundation-announces-official-support-of-microg-development), maybe because the /e/ ROM is in essence a LOS for microG.
Now, even is microG has stalled new development, leaving version 17 particularly unsupported, that hasn't stopped LOS to progress, and for those phones that are still stuck at LOS 16 officially, I still see no reason for them not getting upgraded on LOS for microG. Any ways, might be devs on LOS for microG also stalled all their great effort, until seeing more active development on the microG side, which is sad if that's the case, given there are still upgrades on 16...
I've been happy with /e/OS installed on a Moto G7 - super cheap and great battery life. You can also install it on higher end phones, or buy one pre-installed.
you can check compatibility with Linux on https://www.protondb.com/
many games already work very well
the distro choice itself hardly matters, typically however you probably want newer software on newer hardware
> Oh, and same question for a mobile device. I'm using a Samsung phone that uses the Android OS, but idk if that's secure. I do play an awful lot of gaming apps on the phone too, so that could be another question. But idk if that matters too much. Just some questions to spark up a discussion on privacy and gaming.
you might want to look into https://e.foundation/
it doesn't support all phones though
AOSP :
https://e.foundation . Supposedly degoogled. I have used it as a daily driver and it works.
https://grapheneos.org/ used an earlier version, but works as a daily driver.
Non - Android.
If you can find a device that is fully supported device, https://www.ubports.com . I run it on a Nexus4. Camera does not work.
Nah that's not what I intended, it was supposed to be "what the frick, why is it discontinued?". I'm not sure you're on the right sub if you're pro OEM, but I'll fight for your right to hold that opinion, even though I disagree (facebook as a system app? really?).
Either way, I understand that there needs to be a maintainer, I just thought there were several, it's not that old of a phone after all. I also wonder if a bunch of whatever a maintainer does could possibly be automated.
Maybe I'll check out /e/ next, shame Replicant doesn't get any attention.
Privacy focused - iOS? 😂😂😂. Since they came up with their CSAM plans and their ignorance to fix the Pegasus back doors I decided that my next phone won’t be an iPhone but a Google Pixel with e or CalyxOS
As said by u/thefanum you can try the Pinephone with some Linux distro. But it still bêta versions so the user experience is not very good.
If you still want Android but without Google you can check the /e/ Android project https://e.foundation/ It s a deGoogled version of Android.
Is there any "good" alternative to Google Photos? I find it the most difficult to replace.
- DuckDuckGo
- email (protonmail perhaps?), docs and calendar (I don't know)
- Firefox or Brave
- Check this project: /e/ https://e.foundation/ (based on lineage OS). No need to change from Android.
- Big question for me.
- Spotify :P
​
The only complaint I have about /e/ OS is no support (yet) for contactless payment apps, but that's not a deal-breaker for me. I've had my e.Foundation S9 for about a week now, and I love it. Just waiting on a case to arrive.
To your feature requirements:
- Camera is EXCELLENT
- MicroSD goes into the same tray as the SIM
- Headphone jack is present
- Exynos 9810 chipset seems to hold up well enough.
- IP68 certified
I was wary of buying a refurbished phone, but it arrived in 3 days and looked pretty much new. Fair warning, mine did only ship with /e/ OS 8.1.0 (Oreo). To get it to "Q", I had to flash it with a stock Samsung/Android 10 firmware for the German unlocked (DBT) SM-G960F, *THEN* flash over using the /e/ OS Q dev and recovery images. Whole process took about 15 minutes on my Pop!_OS (Ubuntu) equipped Thinkpad using "heimdall" and a Type-C cable.
Good luck!
If you don't want to loose an ecosystem maybe you would like /e/ OS: https://e.foundation/
It's far from perfect, but some day it could be a simple, complete and userfriendly ecosystem that can do everything google can do.
Alternatively try the approach of little steps. Switch from google search to ecosia, from chrome to firefox, from gmail to tutanota. Completely doable if you can afford to lose a bit of convenience
Official Support Site from Fairphone states:
> Our aim is to support Fairphone 3 with security and software upgrades for 5 years after the launch.
So that answers the second question, for the first there is no official statement as far as I know, but they are highly dedicated to bring new OSes to their phones. Also there is "official support" for third-party OSes like /e/
Since it's proprietary there is no way to know what it's actually doing. If you really care about your privacy you could look for Open Source alternatives. F-Droid is a package manager similar to the play store that only has Open Source apps making it a great tool to look for alternatives. https://e.foundation/ is also an interesting project.
My stance is that this is an important project whether or not it ships hardware. I consider crowdfunding pledges to be a support for the idea rather than a purchase of hardware, and I'm fine if I never see phone-in-hand from this, although I would certainly love it if I do.
That being said, it sounds like they might've bitten off more than they can chew. The laptops were a much easier packaging problem, much lighter software mods, and laptop hardware tends to stay relevant for longer so an extended timeline doesn't mean certain obsolescence.
On the other hand, I'm still running a Galaxy S4 as my daily driver, so I'm not too concerned with outdated hardware, evidently! At the moment I'm pretty optimistic about the /e/ effort, since it seems like piggybacking on other people's hardware is a lot more practical, even if it doesn't give control over the whole stack the way Purism likes to work.
Ultimately we need control over the whole stack. There's no doubt in my mind that this is important. I'm just not sure if it's practical.
Il y a des gens ici qui ont essayé une ROM /e/ ?
Je viens de voir que mon Redmi 5 est supporté et vu que je n'arrive pas à me décider entre LineageOS, AOSPExtended et toutes les autres, je me dis qu'autant tenter le tout pour le tout.
I don't like Google, but honestly "degoogling" can get into the realm of diminishing returns. Gauge how much time you want to spend going after those last little scraps of Googliness on a phone that, for the most part, doesn't use Google.
Having said all that, you may also look into the /e/ Foundation project at https://e.foundation
Danke. Ich wollte halt eben mal versuchen, auf das Thema aufmerksam zu machen, weil es aktuell in dem Bereich noch zu viele Schwierigkeiten gibt. Beispielsweise die Installation des Systems selber fand ich zwar im Nachhinein nicht sonderlich schwer, aber ich hab mich auch Jahre lang mit IT auseinandergesetzt. Und trotzdem erstmal einen Freund um Rat gefragt, weil ich mir unsicher war. Ich wünsche mir halt, dass es irgendwann dazu kommt, dass man eben nicht mehr so große Hürden hat und jedem die Möglichkeit gegeben ist, auf Alternativen auszuweichen, ohne sich erstmal tief in das Thema einarbeiten zu müssen.
Was mir noch einfällt, ist, dass es aktuell einen größeren Anbieter gibt, der fertige Smartphones ohne Google verkauft: https://e.foundation/de/. Die versuchen da, so ziemlich alles was man brauchen könnte auch verfügbar zu machen. Ich kann Dir aber leider keine Erfahrungswerte liefern, ob und wenn ja wieviel man da am Ende des Tages potentiell doch noch selber basteln muss.
Not much out of the box, it's a simple Android without uninstallable bloat such as Facebook. However it still has Google Play Services.
However they have a partnership with the e foundation, which sells Fairphones with ungoogled android versions.
I tried /e/OS on an old spare Samsung phone, it's a version of Android that claims to remove all links to Google,including tracking and services that are embedded in most android versions. It worked surprisingly well and was a lot faster than using Lineage and stock ROM. My main concern was not being able to access apps due to the lack of Play Store, but the app store that comes with it had almost everything I needed, with the added bonus of not having tracking software bundled with a lot of them. It requires some changes in habits if you want to de-google, but it was surprisingly easy.
My main everyday phone is still under warranty, otherwise I'd install it on this phone too; using custom firmware tends to void any warranties.
Been running an iPhone X since it came out and swapped out the battery a year back. All I’ve seen in terms of yearly hardware updates is a slightly better camera and faster processor which I don’t notice in Day to Day use.
Although the recent news doesn’t impact me (not a child predator, not in the U.S.), it’s cause for alarm. It’s the “screeching voices of the minority” line that got me to reconsider purchasing another iOS device and to look elsewhere when getting a new laptop. I was holding out for the 16” MBP but that’s definitely not happening after this.
I’ll be working on untangling my services from iCloud and Apple as a whole. This has to change, and consumers need to vote with their wallets instead of keeping this on Reddit.
It depends on your phone, if your phone has a LineageOS build, you can unlock the bootloader and load a custom firmware, or you can buy one without google services.
A good start would probably be here: https://e.foundation/
They have their own fork of LineageOS where they add some default apps that replace a bunch of google stuff. I'm not familiar with all the apps in that list but I don't see any red flags at first glance.
There is also /r/degoogle and /r/microg for further reading.
PS: Horns up! \m/
If you're not into flashing your own phone https://e.foundation/ sell (but also let you download and flash if you want for free to your own device) pre-flashed degoogled phones. Been using mine for over a year & it's awesome (European user)
MicroG is more like the underground railroad in more ways than one.
If you are looking for a complete stable whole package ungoogled, check out the e.foundation os. They are building an entire ecosystem of sorts as much as possible.
Schöner Abriss. Danke dafür!
An der Stelle möchte ich kurz mal noch kakendreist Werbung für Telefone mit /e/ Betriebssystem machen. (Entgoogeltes Android für Nicht-Nerds.)
Ich hab das kürzlich meinen Eltern verordnet und beide haben es als Android-Nutzer ohne Flausen angenommen. War, um ehrlich zu sein, überraschend.
Wiki
Web
Shop
I am using /e/os on my S8 for almost a year now.
Main site here: https://e.foundation/
Downloads here: https://doc.e.foundation/devices/
You can choose to install with their easy installer, or just the usual route via command line, whatever suits.
The only company i know that has what you are looking for is /e/ phones and yes there is a company called /e/
Here's their website
Freedom at its finest
you also got linage phones but these as far as i know run Linux, which may not suit you as a daily user however, that doesn't mean they are bad
Plus if you got a Samsung phone, you can flash their ROM onto the phone but check its supported first.
> any of you know of a good non-google OS compatible with Oneplus?
I don't know of an alternative to CalxyOS in the narrower sense of an either/or decision, because the bootloader cannot be locked with a foreign OS on the OnePlus 7.
With the /e/ slogan "Your data is YOUR data!" and the data protection oriented and privacy focused philosophy, for me e.foundation's /e/ OS 'Q' AOSP Android 10 for the OnePlus 7 (Pro) represents an alternative to CalxyOS in the broader sense for me. MicroG is integrated into the system by default.
https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/
edit: i misread, that said non-google android phones, i thought it said non-android. oh well, still an option there, you can replace plasma mobile with a degoogled android ROM, or try out https://e.foundation/
Like I said, I don't know much about smartphones because I prefer dumbphones. But explaining it in a simple way, what needs to be done is to delete everything that comes on the smartphone (as if you were formatting your pc) to get rid of proprietary programs and bloatware. Then you install another "OS". There are sites specialized in this, with several ROMs. In the previous link there's something about this at the end, an alternative that uses android but removes everything google has put into it, leaving less invasive of privacy. link to /e/
But to do this you need superuser privilege (need to root) which may have some side issues. So if you're going to do this it's good to do a lot of research first. Take a look here and here.
I would recommend looking in to https://e.foundation. It's Lineage plus a bunch of polish for making going Google free less painful on Android. You pretty much have to have one of their supported devices, though.
I did think about it but am not a system / dev guy, mostly network / infrastructure as of now.
But at least one of my fellow french 20y+ acquaintance has not just thought about it, he's actively doing it. Check Gaël Duval's e.foundation and it's /e/ beta LineageOS fork !
Former 9900, Q10, and Passport user. I switched to the Xiaomi Mi A1. What follows has some relevance if you're thinking of making the jump to an Android BlackBerry.
The phone was about CDN $240, the entire user experience is excellent (although I rooted it and switched to webOS-style gesture-based navigation), and I don't regret the change, except for an issue that is common to all Android handsets: it constantly feeds information back to Google.
I have AFWall+ installed and have been progressively blocking as many apps and services as I can from network access, while still maintaining MMS messaging, which is a baseline for me. I have also disabled Google's suite of apps (I use the BB apps). Even so, the phone still connects to Google's servers.
As soon as I have a little time, I'm going to wipe the device and install an /e/ ROM (https://e.foundation/). If that doesn't solve the problem (I think it should), I'll be pulling my 9900 out of the drawer again. I live in a rural area and do not need access to all of the apps that have become so central to urban life.
In the end, if you're not thrilled about volunteering to be a drone in the surveillance hive (I know, no one ever has anything to hide, but the political principles involved in consenting to mass data collection actually do matter), do a little research on Android before you jump to an Android-based BlackBerry. Because BlackBerries are so locked down, you'll have a lot fewer tools in your arsenal to protect your privacy.
Apparently, iPhones feed less data back to Apple.
Here's a paper on the subject. There are many more if you search around. https://digitalcontentnext.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DCN-Google-Data-Collection-Paper.pdf
I recommend Fairphone with /e/os
Better than Pixel I would say
Have a look at this - https://e.foundation/
Also https://grapheneos.org/ - this is security focused fork of android. They don't sell devices directly but plenty of stores do sell pixel phones preloaded with graphene OS if you don't want to do it yourself.
So I was thinking want to install /e/ os (a custom ROM without any Google apps at all) on to my phone. The question is, is this game can run without any Google components available? I know probably the in app purchases need a Google Play Services but I won't buy anything, I just wanna play the game.
I intend to use /e/ which is a modified Android stripped of all Google services. I will install it myself but they also sell some phones with the system preinstalled. (They have a partnership with Fairphone for this.)
If you are interested, there are several system available like LineageOS. The downside is not every system is compatible with all phones. Some systems not based on Android (like Ubuntu Touch) aren't also compatible with all Android apps. And very few systems have industry quality standards as of today. As always it all depends on your needs.
You follow Google Apple and co subreddits ? I'm not sure I got what you meant.
Imo, part of the militancy is making people aware you don't want to use that. Sometimes they'll even adapt or realise that not depending on Google for their sensitive data is a good thing. But yeah, I get that you have to work in the end. (If that makes you feel better I still partly use Windows at work for some reasons. But I consider it doesn't count in my collection.)
For the phone I entend to go with /e/ which is a LineageOS fork and made by the initiator of Mandrake Linux. It should be compatible with all Android apps. For talking with my foreign family I intend to make them use Signal. After that I can leave Whatsapp. No pressure though.
And no Google apps.
Exactly because of this.
> Does /e/ = Lineage OS + MicroG?
/e/ is forked from LineageOS. We’ve modified several parts of the system (and we’re just getting started): installation procedure, settings organization, default settings. We’ve disabled and/or removed any software or services that were sending personal data to Google (for instance, the default search engine is no longer Google).
...
Just read a little about the history of Mandrake > Mandriva and now Mageia + other forks seemingly. Sad to see the company behind Mandriva folded a few years ago too. So many good distros have come and gone over the years. There can’t be many other software categories that consistently move forward at the pace Linux has since the 90s. Seems to cause a huge churn of companies, brands and ideas.
Seems that Gaël Duval, the guy that created the original Mandrake distro singlehanded, is now running e.foundation, building a Google-free Android variant with a privacy focus etc. Sounds like a noble endeavour although they’re not alone in that space.
Very interesting that you transitioned from dev to design - may I ask what motivated that decision? It’s a big upheaval for anyone but especially since it sounds like you had a successful career already. Was the journey tough?
Linux for me helped considerably in my own journey to learn elements of development as a young person. The lack of stability in Win 98 at the time drove me try out other things - hence even trying BeOS etc, and opened up a whole new world of experimentation where I could suddenly deploy my own web server, email server and so forth. It was a joy that I never knew existed while in Windows and I was lucky to have access to all of it because in hindsight it was an invaluable learning experience.
I worked in “web design” not long after. “Front end developer” hadn’t yet even become a term, and so I spanned both design and dev including tables based HTML lol, some early JavaScript + php/mysql stuff and also Macromedia ColdFusion as I recall.
In the last 5-6 years I’ve transitioned from design to 3D modelling & development in Unreal Engine. It’s been pretty fun learning a whole new skill set but very intimidating at the start because the learning curve can be steep!
I actually went through the same: updated, and the system became pretty slow and crashed a lot.
However, the alternative wasn't great either: stay on the old version and its security issues. Not great if e.g. you use it for online banking or have passwords on there.
What I ended up doing after not liking the upgrade is transition to /e/OS, following these instructions.
So in that sense, you could go for the upgrade, see how it works for you, and if it's not great, you have /e/OS as a backup.
(I should say that the Fairphone Open upgrade is pretty simple. Installing /e/OS is a bit more involved.)
judging by your heavy use on google services and your tech literacy, i dont think you should use graphene os, try something like calyx os or the /e/ project
calyx os: calyxos.org
/e/ project: e.foundation
Hope im not too late to the party You can look up the e-foundation. They have refurbished phones as well as fairphones and i bought a refurbished it is like new. Plus they put /e/ on it, which is a pretty good degoogled android version (a lineage fork), which I run as well. And they have custumer service as well as cloud services and email etc if you want that (to replace the google cloud-based services) Hope that helps :)
The difference from downloading the app from Google Play and Aurora Store is minimal in regards to the downloaded apps. In regards to the information Google collects, it is bigger - but not as much as it could be compared to a de-googled Android device. You don't really know when and how often the Google Play services runs and what they report back to its mothership.
If you want a decent de-googled experience, check out /e/ OS.
Personalmente credo che passare dai Google Play Services a quelli di Huawei forse davvero si passa dalla padella alla brace.
Piuttosto un Apple che almeno dice di crittografare tutto e di non analizzare i dati per profitto.
L'alternativa migliore però, come suggerito anche da u/Yyegerr è sicuramente un Android già degooglizzato tipo un /e/ o uno iodé o, se sei capace di farlo in autonomia, un Pixel a cui mettere CalyxOS.
I take advantage of this moment to mention that if you care about Google getting more and more of your data, have a look at /e/ for mobile. It is a completely degoogled version of Android.
The solutions will be really long and complex, as you mentioned, and possible won't be fun to use.
I would first ask you to research a few other topics before you fully jump into a Pi-based phone
- AOSP without Google play services | Degoogle Lineage OS
- GrapheneOS
- https://e.foundation/
- Pinephone Pro
- Ubuntu Touch
Perso j'utilise un e phone (https://e.foundation/?lang=fr). Cela me permet d'avoir des applis android sans etre pisté continuellement. Un truc assez incroyable est l'effet du changement de système sur la batterie. Je suis passé d'une recharge par jour, à une tous les 3/4 jours. C'est essentiellement due aux transferts données continus sur un système google-android sans que tu en ai forcement conscience.
Tu peux acheter des téléphones reconditionnés avec le système pré installé. Le téléphone est fourni avec une connexion a un serveur nextcloud (pour stocker des photos par exemple). Le stockage de base est pas terrible mais tu peux acheter un abonnement pour avoir plus de capacités.
coté applis, c'est sur que prendre un système sans google, pour installer immédiatement après facebook et des tas d'applis qui aspirent tes données ne va pas servir à grand chose. Après, n'étant pas particulièrement accros, je m'en passe très bien. Pour les cartes, j'utilise l'appli maps (Magic Earth) qui est fournie et qui a en plus le bon gout de télécharger les cartes quand tu as du réseau ce qui permet de s'en servir hors ligne.
You can look into <strong>/e/</strong>, which is essentially a more accessible and user-friendly fork of Lineage OS, and check whether the easy installer is supported for your phone.
/e/ OS https://e.foundation/
It's based on lineage os and they try to remplace google's product with an alternative based on nextcloud.
And for the launcher i prefer KISS.
Newpipe can play youtube's video but i'm not sure about music. For Reddit : Slide.
Its not Tello, you bought a Google Phone
There is always a way... https://e.foundation/e-os/
You can ask questions here: https://community.e.foundation/
It looks like they might have Uber working on it, but you might want to ask. There are people who mention the non-EU version works on Tello.
Personally, I'd just get the cheapest Android that does what you need, with the phone number assigned to the phone open a new google account (assuming tello numbers work with Google for new accounts) when you don't need the internet, turn off wifi, mobile data and gps that way you can deal with Google as little as possible.
That's because you have to "clone" microg into the work profile too. (And no, all is free software, like, for real, open source and no payment needed, even if I like to send some donations when I support a project) And you can have both microg configured differently (my work profile have no contacts, no network localisation, no nothing). I do not know calyxos, but the main differences between LOS+microG are : * /e/ app store (I do not like it, it is a mix between F-Droid and Google Play Store, and I only use F-Droid, but it can be usefull in work profile) * No link to Google by default (not Google DNS, no call to Google to check conectivity, the app store do not get apk from Play Store directly), the only link is if you add a Google account. * microG is fully integrated (I think they hired microG dev) * /e/ cloud, which is a NextCloud with some tweaks (I have my own NextCloud so no need, but the sms online app works on their fork and not yet on standard NextCloud)
I may hve forgotten many things but you'll fine stuff there : https://e.foundation/
Thank you so much! This is great. Can you please clarify a couple things? I've looked at JMP and I have a couple questions. As I understand it, JMP gives me a number but not an app to use the number, right? How do I keep my number that came with my phone but not use it, and instead use the JMP number? Should I download an app? The SIP thing sounds the best, but my phone gives me a warning when I try to download the CSipSimple app that they recommend. I am using a de-googled phone (e.foundation and I'm also getting a Pixel 4a and plan on installing Graphene).
​
Thank you!
Well, several.
1) Install Microg using any ROM with Signature Spoofing support. Or if OP's lucky, install Lineage for MicroG (https://lineage.microg.org/). Install the Google apps they need and use them.
2) Buy a phone from eelo (https://e.foundation/products/), already ungoogled, already with MicroG and support for Nextcloud out of the box.
3) Not being snooped at all is an option too if OP decides Organic Maps or Osmand (based on OpenStreetMap data and in https://fdroid.org) are enough for their needs. They both work without Google Play Services and are FOSS. Aurora Store is perfect if OP does not want to use Google Play Store.
4) Sandboxing Google Maps Web with GMaps VW and use UnifiedNlp. This is not ideal, but I guess it helps in a hurry.
I am not being exhaustive, just what I know that can help and trying to prove the point.
https://esolutions.shop/shop/e-os-fairphone-3-plus-fr/
a possible solution is the dutch Fairphone3+ you can replace the battery, upgrade it, repair it (they also include some tools) and comes preinstalled with /e/ a privacy oriented Android distribution (deGoogled) with an integrated cloud system that you can easily self host (you get all the sources) if you need to
if you don't like the fairphone /e/ can be installed on dozens and dozens of other phones
if you don't like /e/ and you're slightly more tech savvy there's also CalyxOS and GrapheneOS
> It’s a custom rom, the phones they’re selling are insecure off the shelf phones. They unlock the bootloader (exposing the phone to all sorts of attacks) and install their custom rom.
Valid point. But tight security wasn't a requirment in your comment. I'll point you to the Libum 5 then.
>Also /e/ practices are questionable at best, shady at worst.
Citation needed. Not that I don't believe you, but that's a tall and vague statement.
>They still include apks downloaded from apkpure in their roms, making it not fully opensource.
News to me, so I'll look into it. However, if this is in reference to them grabbing apks to use in their store, I fail to see how running a closed source app makes the OS any less open source.
> Oh and I almost forgot, most of their code is just lineage os, but they don’t really credit anyone
The more I see this, the more I swear it's some kind of dog whistle. That's literally how FOSS software works. Its a fork of lineage OS. They literally say this in the FAQ.
Trouver de l'Open hardware c'est compliqué, mais de bons OS libres pour mobile il y en a aujourd'hui. LineageOS par exemple. Perso je me suis tourné vers le projet de l'os /e/ (https://e.foundation/fr/) car possibilité d'acheter un téléphone avec leur os préinstallé. Mais sinon ils ont des procédures assez simples pour tout une liste d'appareils.
I don't like e for different reasons:
- Attributions are really hidden on the website. e is mostly just other foss tools bundled together, with some minor tweaks. E.g. you have to really dive deep on https://e.foundation/ website to found out that they are using microG. While LOS4Mg is literally called "for microG", it's not hidden, it's in the name. It's the same for other tools, like the "e cloud" is just a hosted nextcloud instance.
- Also they try to sell it if they invented everything. I don't like this approach.
- They use outdated android version. No phone on android 11, while it was released nearly a year ago: https://doc.e.foundation/devices
I know marketing can sell things to regular users, and it's somewhat useful for the foss community as a whole (more users are better), but it's just a bit too much to me.
Those prices are quite high considering there are already cheaper options available with <strong>e/foundation</strong>, and <strong>iode</strong> with their proprietary privacy OS's and <strong>atsanik.com</strong> with CalyxOS and GrapheneOS
Having said that, there is a service here that people will use. Not everyone has the skills or wants to buy a phone, unlock the bootloader and install the OS if they are new to this. Much the same way some people pay for someone to cut their gas or change their oil on their cars - both of which are not difficult to do.
Using these FOSS android forks you can also use android without all the closed-source google software. If that is something you want the easiest place to start is probably https://e.foundation/
You can also use lineageOS to run your phones without googles software. This does mean you don't have access to the play store. However: you can use f-droid, which is a store that only has open source apps (and the only appstore I know of that up to now has never had any malware apps).
AsteroidOS devices looks interesting. Another one is bangle.js.
I personally chose a Polar Vantage clock after looking at alternatives some years ago. Back then their Android app wasn't too bad in trackers and such; nowadays it's worse. But I do have more trust in their ToS and privacy, also given that it is a Finnish company which is also under EU privacy regulations. Even though this is still not optimal, it is far better than many other alternatives.
I've also exclusively used phones with LineageOS without Google Play Services, but recently switched to a Fairphone 3+ with e.foundation pre-loaded.
The Polar Flow app has worked flawlessly all the time. And another good detail is that Polar Flow account only need a valid e-mail address, it is acceptable use by Polar to provide incorrect name, birthdate and other personal information.
I do wish there would be better open source alternatives, but for me this was the best available alternative when balancing between features, quality and privacy.
https://e.foundation is a fully FOSS Android phone for sale, with it's own cloud ecosystem. But if you live in Europe https://iode.tech is a fantastic option. They also sell refurbished phones, with a de-googled LineageOS with MicroG and privacy respecting applications included.
What do you want from a mobile OS? While Linux phones are looking promising, there are good alternatives right now for privacy friendly FOSS. For example, I use this de-googled fork of LineageOS.
Aurora isn't necessarily more secure than the Play Store, it just stops Google from tracking you. I mostly use F-Droid for open source apps, and only use Aurora for things that I can't replace. I haven't looked at completely uninstalling Google apps, but I would love to install something like PostmarketOS or /e/OS that is completely deGoogled, with no junk installed by default.
What you can do right now if you already have an iphone, buy a old phone, a pixel is ok. But install LineageOS, learn it first. Forget about grapheneos and all the pivacy marketing. You can use both (iphone and LineageOS try to use LineageOS for every day) at the moment until you do the change to lineageos. Then when you fell is ok you may try any other Android distros because you have your iphone, so format and install calyxos, grapheneos or /e/ the site https://e.foundation
I am in a small threema group related with privacy if you are interested to be part of, or any want that read thin send me you threema ID in private message.
Obviously an old dumb phone like a Nokia (there are others too) leaves the least amount of digital footprints. A De-Googled Android is one step up with the convenience of having a few app stores that do respect your privacy and nurture Free and Open Source. Stock Android still has a lot of telemetry in it, and depending on where you are in the world, that can get pretty invasive. Your device has an ID (and several vectors can make up an ID too) and if that somehow gets used in any telemetry, you're being tracked whether or not there is an email address attached to it (not-logged in to Google).
Maybe look into using https://e.foundation/, it will set you free from anything Google and still have Android. /e/ isn't available for your current device, but if you are concerned about your privacy, then maybe get a compatible second hand model? (I've even installed it on an old Nexus 4 phone and it works great). Yes, it is a custom ROM, but it's really worth it. And they also sell pre-installed devices with warranty. I've installed it on two phones and I'm really happy with it. Using F-Froid as an app store helps in finding Free and Open alternatives for the apps you want.
Interesting. I have never tried to skip everything on a Googled Android device to check if it still tries to set an adverting ID and use it. I know that it can't do that on a de-googled Android device (and I have never seen traffic to Google from an /e/ Android (my current preferred de-Googled OS as it's based on LineageOS). If your device has some form of Google services on it, then you will be tracked in as many ways as they can get away with. From default "opted-in" anonymized usage statistics to Carrier services (possibly with a device ID and more). I have never looked at the actual data that's being transmitted from my phones to Google, I do have a Pi-hole at home at which point a boat-load of tracking is stopped in its tracks. Samsung phones being worse than Google's own Pixels, perhaps not surprisingly. And on a low Googled phone (like LineageOS without GApps) there is minimal tracking, but there is still some telemetry going on there. I've never tested Graphene OS, but I suspect there is no tracking happening on there, nether does on /e/ (which I like for it's simplicity). I'm not technically well-versed enough to be able to look at what data is handled, I'm sure someone smarter than me can sniff the packets.
I do think that to get away from Google's tracking, you really need to stop using their services and fortunately there is an easy on-ramp for de-Googled pocket-sized Android devices. See what I mean with /e/ here: https://e.foundation/
So there is hope, the projects that do exist, are increasing its ease of use.
In Europe the /e/ Foundation has an open source de-googled version of Android that does not spy on you. You can also download it, but you need a compatible phone:
I do like that they even sell phones ready to go, in Europe they have their own deal with Fairphone (an easy to repair phone.)
A good project to support for sure:
Taken from their website
> Aren't you stealing LineageOS developers' work?
> No – we’re using the rules of open-source software. Just like AOSP-Android is forking the Linux kernel work, just like LineageOS is forking AOSP work, /e/ is forking LineageOS work. /e/’s focus is on the final end-user experience, and less on the hardware. We encourage core developers to contribute upstream to LineageOS. When thinking about LineageOS vs /e/, think about Debian vs Ubuntu.
Maemo -> Meego -> Sailfish. Use los primeros 2, pero no me ya no me dio para comprarme un celular con el ultimo, y si bien podia instalarlo en algunos celulares que venian con android, los modelos disponibles no me convencieron comparados con otras alternativas. Cada uno es mas o menos "la siguiente version" del anterior, seguro que con los primeros 2, y el tercero es el sucesor espiritual. Si no hubiera tanta manija con Android/IOS hubiera sido un lindo competidor. Tizen en cierto momento pudo haber agarrado fuerza, pero tampoco lo logro, esta mas bien en televisores a esta altura. Todo basado en Linux, y con una usabilidad bastante buena, lastima que la mafia de Symbian por un lado y el espia de Microsoft del otro hicieron que Nokia lo abandonara.
Ubuntu Touch no era tan usable como esos de arriba, pero tambien hubiera estado bueno que agarrara momento.
La ultima alternativa sobreviviente mas o menos libre de Google y Apple es /e/, un sistema operativo basado en Android, pero de-Google-izado.
We will never know for sure. You could choose another operating system like e - e.foundation However, it is more likely to have others spying on you using a ransomware, keylogger and things like that. That said, an up to date and locked Android is more secure (harder to get the stored on phone data) than iOS.
My way to go is LineageOS for microG + root for Firewall and a DNS-Blocker like AdAway. They build only twice a month, sometimes irregulary.
I also know OmniROM and /e/ that integrate microG but haven't really used them. Plain LineageOS wasn't really usable for me (had GPS issues) and Google Services were a nogo.
For now, degoogled systems like https://e.foundation is probably the best route, until pinephone and librem5 gets a bit more mature. Its what i use myself, and then i have the pp as secondary device for backup and tinkering.
Xiaomi redmi note 4
I run the /e/ os it's based on Lineage.
However I don't recommend this OS since certain apps can't be use (e.g N26 banking app)
I choose this phone because of its price but right now I might move to Fairphone.
Well, there's /e/ which is even officially supported since Fairphone cooperates with the /e/ foundation.
I've been using it on my Fairphone since its release for the FP3 and think it is very suitable as a daily driver.
There are privacy-focussed Android forks like /e/ but they're only available for a handful of devices. There's amazing work being done on full-fledged Linux phones like the Pinephone but they're nowhere near ready for daily use yet.
Incidentally, I stumbled across e.foundation sometime after making this post, and it looks pretty lit.
I also checked uber without the app through a browser, I think that, in theory, if there exists a corresponding website for an app, it might be possible to use it on a Linux phone as well, the UI might be different, but it might work out.
But I had no idea about microG or android Treble. I will definitely look into them more closely. Thank you so much for mentioning them in the post.
Aside from the comments you've already read about people not wanting any Facebook garbage preinstalled, there's also the legal issue.
You can't just host someone else's binaries, that would be copyright infringement. If the anbox folks would do it, they'd basically be a week or so away from a Facebook lawsuit.
WhatsApp depends on Google's services as far as I know so it'll always be a pain outside Android phones until Facebook decides to make an official app for Linux. Same with Inbox or any other closed-source app you can think of.
Any open source app (like the ones on fdroid) might be repackaged and redistributed with Anbox, but what's the point.
The pinephone is probably not for you. It's an incredible project that is opening a world that the Samsungs and Qualcoms of the world want to keep closed, but it's not ready for general consumer use yet. If you don't want to use the pinephone because it's a hackable Linux device, you'll probably want to wait for the next one because right now it's slower than other phones in its price class, has little to no app support and has bad battery life.
If you want to move out of Google rather than entirely out of Android, consider using something like LineageOS instead. It's got all the usability festures of Android with none of the Google stalking (at least, until you install the Google stalking apps of your choice). There's a hard-to-Google project called /e/ that takes LineageOS and extends it with stuff similar to what Google does: it offers cloud sync, an email client, maps, an app store, contact sync and a browser with ad blocking by default. All together it's a neat project that offers a non-Google smartphone while stil feeling like a full smartphone.
If you want to buy a device with support, an OS preinstalled, ready for consumers, your options are Apple or any of the Android manufacturers. Sorry.
It seems there may be some truth about not being able to update some MicroG images automatically via OTA for lack of MicroG signed recoveries. See here https://www.reddit.com/r/MicroG/comments/i6eeo2/how_to_upgrade_to_lineageos_17_with_microg/g146763/?context=3
Hopefully your device is supported via Eelo ROM that has MicroG bundled as well but perhaps they have more maintainers. See here https://e.foundation/
Worth keeping in mind that this Searx engine’s privacy policy states: > IP addresses are logged for the minimum legal duration.
And being based in France, I believe the duration is 1 year.
I have ZERO idea how that'd work. What kind of data would you want and how would you access it? I'm sure if you have the know how you can use twilio and a server to programmatically read your emails, put it in a database, use twilio to receive text messages (your commands), then based on the commands text the emails to your dumb phone.
I'm not sure if you know what a webhook is but basically you buy a phone # with twilio, every time you get a phone call or a text to that number twiolio sends a POST to your http(s) server and you response with XML (like to forward call to another number or simply an OK so twilio won't email you saying your server is down). You use twilio API to send send text. It's all extremely easy and well documented.
But dude you'll hate yourself when you need directions.
I want to try this, if you try it please let me know what you think https://e.foundation/
Actually, most people do. Over 80% of smartphone owners use Android. So why Android, and not /e/, or iOS?
It's because Android is the most accessible to the most people. Phones come preinstalled with Android at a range of competitive prices to Apple, and they don't require their users to download and install any software to use them, they're just ready to go. Android phones have name recognition, whereas most consumers have probably never even heard of alternative linux-based mobile OSs, meaning that even those who might prefer something like /e/ would not know to search for it, and may never find their online store.
The case is the same for Android as it is for Windows. Desktop PCs and laptops with windows preinstalled are accessible at a range of price points and locations, and are built to meet the widest range of consumers' needs. Even if most users might have a better user experience on a linux-based OS, they most likely won't have the time, know-how, or inclination to choose one (one OS, from what may be an overwhelming number of options), download, and install it themselves, or to buy a PC with a linux-based OS preinstalled from some obscure vendor.
I suggest any ROM that is based on LineageOS. I personally use Bliss, but another good option is ResurrectedRemix, If you get your hands on a pixel (ie idk ebay maybe) , CalyxOS is often preffered over Graphene.
I've an S9+ and it's served me pretty damn well with Bliss+MicroG though nothing stops you from not using MicroG.
I'd advise checking out XDA Developers for your phone (and your options for which phone you intend to get) and see what ROMs are available, bonus points for Official Roms!
Alternatively, if you just want a phone that's already degoogled and not having to worry much I'd also advice checking out /e/ (https://e.foundation/) though their roms are a bit outdated last time I checked
Ні, Android - Opensource-проект, Гулаг його не монополізував - https://e.foundation - тут взагалі продають айфони на андроїді зі своїими сервісами замість гулагівських, і це не єдиний подібний проект.
Гулаг володіє правами на сервіси та додатки Gapps, в тому числі на Google Play, сервіс пуш-повідомлень та деякі інші сервіси і не більше
Not really. Out of the box, Apple is probably the best about it, but all of them track you to some degree. I'd personally avoid anything from the Chinese manufacturers, unless you can root and flash an alternative android ROM like LineageOS.
If you really want to prevent tracking, you'd need an android phone without Google Web Services. If you use almost any app on Android, it uses Google Web Services. The only project I know of that is truly doing non-GWS android is /e/ android (more info here: https://e.foundation/).
So, if you were to put things on a scale from most spying to least, it would go:
- China phones (install Facebook for extra spying)
- Typical Android Phones - Samsung, motorola, etc
- LineageOS with Google Services (you pretty much need them if you use any apps)
- iPhones
- LineageOS without Google Services
- /e/ android.
Obviously none of this matters if you install spyware on your phone like WeChat, Weibo, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Fortnite, or whatever else.
Really it's about picking who you are willing to let spy on you. I chose Apple, since they won't give into the FBI or what have you to crack phone passcodes, and phone home at 1/10th of the rate that a typical android does. I also don't have much for social media (only Reddit and Snapchat), and use DuckDuckGo instead of Google.
You should install the googlefree Android called /e/.
It is based on LineageOS and a great OS. It is fully compatible with Fairphone 3. You can find it at e.foundation
Do not listen to u/AragornDR . The LineageOS guys are just salty, because /e/ is based on Lineage. /e/ is not a scam, but a great OS. And it is not worse in regards security.
Try it!
I think that is pretty cool, I just learned about the https://e.foundation/ today too. I think this stuff is pretty cool, I'd love to have a phone that is absent of Google and Apple.
Are there any major limitations of the Aurora store? I really just need firefox and skype, whatsapp. I know they are not private applications but i unfortunately do need to use them.
I found links in your comment that were not hyperlinked:
I did the honors for you.
^delete ^| ^information ^| ^<3
The difference is that /e/ is easier for non-tech users. It's like a turn-key solution. They want to make it easier for non techies to have a google-free phone. I find it commendable in it's own way, but if you know how to do it, Lineage for MicroG is better. It's like Ubuntu, worse than Debian and other ditros, but better than Windows, privacy-wise.
From their FAQ: >Why should I use /e/? I can customize the ROM myself…
>Absolutely! /e/ was not made for geeks or power users, it’s designed to offer a credible and attractive alternative to the average user, with more freedom and a better respect of user’s data privacy compared to mobile operating systems offered by the worldwide duopoly in place.
I'm going to post this here too so it's under the main thread
there's a version of Android with all the crap stripped out and it's available on refurbished older phones from them or you can install it yourself if you're good at that kind of thing.
At the moment I would say that your best all day experience is just android without GAPPS. LineageOS without GAPPS is surely a good start. If you want it even further degoogled and probably simpler, try /e/-OS: https://e.foundation/
I agree with some of the replies about small steps. Do some research, and just start with one thing, like switching your browser. I found it useful to keep a record and notes of problems and solutions.
I would consider using a 'dumb' phone to get away from Android (I have the Light Phone 2 now, but used a Nokia for a year) and using your smart phone on Wifi as a kind of mini tablet. If you want to go further than that, investigate /e/ OS for a truly de-Googled smartphone: https://e.foundation/about-e/ You can now buy FairPhone with eOS installed.
If you are Linux/command line savvy, upgrade to /e/ (https://e.foundation). It’s a privacy focused version of Android.
If you install Aurora App store (from e’s app store) you have a pretty and good OS without google.
I did it and so far I like it.
I think I should not post it here but Privacy aware devs and mods should also support other privacy aware ROMs. Check out e/OS they have been working on creating a fully de-googled android ROM and have also started making devices too!!
https://e.foundation/