Last issue we reviewed Murena’s Fairphone 4 (its latest and greatest offering loaded with the L privacy-respecting /e/OS). We noted a few rough edges, but on the whole were very impressed. So much so that we decided to dedicate four pages to /e/OS. DeGoogled Android is nothing new, but until now no one’s come up with a satisfactory solution to replace those ever-so-convenient Google services and Play Store apps.
With /e/OS, you get full Play Store access (if you want it), your own privacy-respecting cloud services, and a beautiful and unique user interface. Thanks to MicroG, the dreaded machination that is Google Play Services has been expelled. And thanks to the Murena cloud, you don’t have to miss out on centralised storage, contact management and notes. Your data is stored on windpowered, GDPR-compliant servers in Europe. If you don’t like the idea of using someone else’s services, you can even self-host almost exactly the same Murena cloud offerings on your own infrastructure.
One of /e/OS’s standout features is its Advanced Privacy Settings. These enable you to block trackers, hide your location or even route all your traffic over Tor. And all without any messy configuration. Honestly, there’s never been a better time to ditch Apple and Google, so read on and discover how Murena and the e Foundation are putting privacy before profit.
Back in 2018, the EU levelled a fine against Alphabet Corp (Google’s parent company), citing anti-competitive behaviour with respect to the Android mobile OS. While theand other popular Google apps (pretty much anyone selling an Android device) must also install big G’s browser and search app alongside them. This was, of course, highly reminiscent of the EU’s antitrust rulings against Microsoft in the mid-2000s, which culminated in the browser ballot screen and banishing of the (quite dreadful) for EU customers. In the Android case (dubbed ‘the great unbundling’), manufacturers could provide the core G-Apps without having to also include and search.
