The release of the mobile platform /e/OS 1.17 has been announced, aimed at preserving user data privacy. The platform is based on Gaël Duval, the creator of the Mandrake Linux distribution. The project provides firmware for many popular smartphone models, and under the brands Murena One, Murena Fairphone 3+/4, and Murena Teracube 2e, it offers editions of smartphones like the OnePlus One, Fairphone 3+/4, and Teracube 2e with pre-installed /e/OS firmware. A total of 246 smartphones are officially supported.
/e/OS firmware is developed as a fork of the Android platform (using developments from LineageOS), free from dependencies on Google services and infrastructure, which allows for compatibility with Android applications and simplifies hardware support while blocking telemetry transmission to servers Google and ensuring a high level of privacy. Implicit information transmission, such as requests to Google servers for network availability checks, DNS resolution, and precise time determination, is blocked.
To interact with Google services, a microG package is pre-installed, which eliminates the need for proprietary components and offers independent alternatives to Google services. For location determination via Wi-Fi and cell towers (without GPS), a layer based on Mozilla Location Service is used. Instead of the Google search engine, a custom meta-search service based on a fork of the Searx engine is provided, ensuring anonymity for submitted requests.
For accurate time synchronization, the NTP Pool Project is used instead of Google NTP, and the current provider's DNS servers replace Google’s (8.8.8.8). The default web browser includes an ad and tracking script blocker. A custom service for file synchronization and application data has been developed, which can work with infrastructure based on NextCloud. Server components are based on open-source software and are available for installation on user-controlled systems.
The user interface has been significantly redesigned and includes a dedicated environment for launching applications, BlissLauncher, an improved notification system, a new lock screen, and other stylistic enhancements. BlissLauncher features a specially developed set of automatically scalable icons and a selection of widgets (for example, a weather forecast widget).
The project is also developing its own authentication manager, allowing the use of a single account (user@murena.io) for all services, which can be registered during the initial setup. This account can be used to access your environment through the web or on other devices. Murena Cloud provides 1GB of free storage for storing your data, synchronizing applications, and backups.
By default, the package includes applications such as an email client (K9-mail), web browser (Bromite, a fork of Chromium), a camera app (OpenCamera), an instant messaging app (qksms), a note-taking system (nextcloud-notes), a PDF viewer (PdfViewer), a task manager (opentasks), a maps application (Magic Earth), a photo gallery (gallery3d), and a file manager (DocumentsUI).
Key changes in /e/OS 1.17:
- The color scheme of the on-screen keyboard, adapted from Android 13, is now closer to the color palette used in /e/OS.
- The microG package has been updated. A location detection backend based on the Stadia API has been implemented.
- The web browser has been updated, improving bookmark management and enabling integration of the browser engine into applications without requiring the full browser to launch.
- Issues with receiving and sending SMS messages have been resolved.
- Only OTA updates suitable for the current device are displayed.
- Access issues to Android 13 settings have been resolved.
- Bug fixes and vulnerability patches from the LineageOS 20 codebase, based on Android 13, have been backported.
- App Lounge has correctly implemented opening links to F-Droid, along with improved layout for notifications and search results.
- On Fairphone 4 devices, the camera application has introduced the Camera lens feature.
- Emergency reboots on Pixel 4a, Pixel 6a, and Fairphone 4 devices caused by the use of firmware based on Android 13 have been eliminated.
- Boot and dtbo images added for the Pixel 5 smartphone.
Source: opennet.ru
