A closer look at e/OS: Murena's privacy-first 'deGoogled' Android alternative | TechCrunch
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Murena is in the business of deGoogling Android smartphones in the name of privacy. The French/European firm has been doing this for around five years, as We recently got our hands on a Fairphone 4 running Murena's tracker-blocking /e/OS. Our curiosity was piqued to see an alternative OS running on alt hardware. Step in for a closer look...
      • essteeyou@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        3 years ago

        Can I get my banking app on F-Droid? How about my home security system app? How about a dozen other apps that I want or need, and can’t be replaced by loading a website in Firefox?

        • butter@midwest.socialEnglish
          7·
          3 years ago

          This is entirely on the companies. There’s no technical reason or requirement for this happening.

          Fdroid works great and is the most likely thing to be adopted, in my opinion. It’s easy enough for anyone to spin up their own fdroid server and distribute their own app.

          If you’re wanting to use a new store, you’re going to have to wade through the growing pains of adoption. It’s just a fact of life.

          • essteeyou@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            3 years ago

            I’m still waiting for Linux on desktop to be a big thing like I thought back in 2004. I suspect the third party app stores will be just as quick.

        • Cris@lemm.eeEnglish
          2·
          3 years ago

          Wait, I assume if you install a banking app through Aurora it still works? Totally fair if that doesn’t work for your needs (you kinda need a google account, even if a blank one, to have it work right now) but I assume installing apps through it doesn’t limit them or make them less functional for having been installed through Aurora?

        • ExLisper@linux.communityEnglish
          3·
          3 years ago

          We’re talking about stock android having 3rd party app store with permissions to install apps in the background. Yes, you can install f-droid but on a stock android it can’t update apps automatically. It’s not an alternative for normal users. And as long as 3rd party stores are not used by normal users app developers will not care about publishing apps there. What needs to happen is that EU needs to force google (and apple) to allow alternative stores, some heavy weights have to support it and developers need to start publishing apps there.

          • shortwavesurfer@monero.townEnglish
            2·
            3 years ago

            Droid-ify can install apps in background (or at least without the package installer popup. The main f-droid app is still targeting too low of an android version to do it.

            • ExLisper@linux.communityEnglish
              1·
              3 years ago

              f-droid can install app in the background on my iode OS. It’s not a technical problem, it’s a legal issue. Google and apple don’t allow 3rd app stores preinstalled on the phones.

              • shortwavesurfer@monero.townEnglish
                1·
                3 years ago

                Thats because the fdroid extension is installed. By default it cant do that. Google added the ability for app stores that target android 12 and above to update apps that also target android 12 or above without the package installer.

  • nope@jlai.luEnglish
    34·
    3 years ago

    Probably not the first degoogled android, but maybe one of the first ‘just works’ degoogled phones Edit: yep I misread but still true

    • Carobu@lemmy.worldEnglish
      17·
      3 years ago

      Lineage OS by default comes DeGoogled and works just fine. Both phones I ran it on had absolutely no issues. It must be more niche than I thought though because no one here is talking about it.

    • n2burns@lemmy.caEnglish
      11·
      3 years ago

      At no point does the article claim it is “the first degoogled android”.

      • Captain_Ender@kbin.social
        13·
        3 years ago

        I see the confusion by op. It says privacy-first, as in privacy is its core function not a first in its class. I think they just misread the title.

  • Anti Weeb Penguin@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    23·
    3 years ago

    I built that ROM back in june and honestly, i don’t recommend it, the interface and apps are just terrible and they take almost a year to release a new android version.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBanned from communityBEnglish
    23·
    3 years ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    First up, instead of the usual Google gubbins, replete with the adtech giant’s commercial trackers, /e/OS users will find a set of native open source apps and services Murena has developed to replace all that.

    Murena also bakes a set of “advanced” private browsing features into the OS, including a tracker blocker; a location faking option; and the ability to hide your IP address.

    On the flip side, when all the switches are set to off each one displays a one-word warning — either “Vulnerable” or “Exposed” — giving users a visible nudge to think about how their online activity might be compromising their privacy.

    And this tension between locking everything down (to achieve perfect privacy) and opening select hatches (to boost utility) remains the core confounder for such an ambitious against-the-mainstream-grain tech endeavour.

    The wider question is how much highly motivated demand there is to put in the small amount of extra effort required (and possibly also shell out some additional cost) to tread an alternative, less feature-rich path — if, at the end of the day, all you get for your effect is a product that won’t look or feel especially thrilling.

    So its conviction of where the mobile puck is headed must be that there’s a growing pool of mainstream Android users with an appetite for iOS-style ‘low friction’ privacy delivered outside Apple’s walled ecosystem.

    The original article contains 2,593 words, the summary contains 228 words. Saved 91%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • PrincessZelda@lemmy.worldEnglish
    19·
    3 years ago

    Can I install/update my bank apps, and pay with my phone? That’s the bare minimum I need to switch to a deGoogled OS.

  • Gunpachi@lemmings.worldEnglish
    12·
    3 years ago

    I hope more newer phones get supported by them.

    I have a samsung galaxy s23 and I need to scratch my de-google / custom rom itch.

      • EDRBd97kWbT2KzK@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        3 years ago

        GrapheneOS only supports modern pixels though. LineageOS is the one with the largest compatibility with both modern and older devices.

  • Azzu@lemm.eeEnglish
    10·
    3 years ago

    Have been using it for a while on my Fairphone 3, just works nicely :)

  • ExLisper@linux.communityEnglish
    6·
    3 years ago

    I’m using iode which is very similar and I’m happy with it. It’s a good compromise. It doesn’t have any google apps, have some additional security and privacy protections and ‘it just works’.

  • MotherFlocker@jlai.luEnglish
    1·
    3 years ago

    Wish I could try it out but couldn’t successfully install it on my device. So I’m sticking with LOS. LOS is already good enough (if not great) as it’s stable and gets update more often.