The release of the /e/OS 2.2 mobile platform, aimed at preserving user data privacy, is now available. The platform was founded by Gaël Duval, creator of the Mandrake Linux distribution. The project provides firmware for many popular smartphone models, as well as under the brands Murena One, Murena 2, Murena Fairphone 4/5, Murena Teracube 2e, and Murena Pixel 5, offering editions for OnePlus, Fairphone, Teracube, and Pixel smartphones with pre-installed /e/OS firmware. The platform supports 250 smartphones.
/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 package called microG is preinstalled, allowing users to avoid proprietary components while offering independent alternatives to Google services. For locating via Wi-Fi and cell towers (without GPS), UnifiedNlp is utilized, which can work through OpenWlanMap, Mozilla Location Service, openBmap, OpenCellID, lacells.db, and other alternative services. Instead of Google’s search engine, there is a proprietary meta-search service based on a fork of the Searx engine, ensuring anonymity for submitted queries.
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 suite includes applications such as an email client (K9-mail), web browser (Cromite, a fork of Chromium), camera app (OpenCamera), instant messaging app (qksms), note-taking system (nextcloud-notes), PDF viewer (MJ PDF), task planner (opentasks), maps application (Magic Earth), photo gallery (gallery3d), and file manager (DocumentsUI).
Key changes in /e/OS 2.2:
- Parental control features have been added, allowing the restriction of children's access to certain types of content, settings, and applications. The level of restrictions varies depending on the selected age group. A DNS service provided by Cloudflare is used to restrict access to adult websites. Only apps with age ratings in the Google Play and F-Droid catalogs that correspond to the child's chosen age are allowed to be launched and installed. Certain system operations, including factory reset, app uninstallation, and cache clearing, are prohibited.
- The Advanced Privacy package provides applications with fake location and IP address data, as well as blocking embedded user activity tracking systems, ensuring the blocking of over 800 user tracking systems.
- The App Lounge application manager features a marking system for applications that have a potentially unsafe rating (NSFW - Not Safe For Work) in the F-Droid catalog.
- The calendar planner offers the ability to highlight events in a color chosen by the user.
- The firmware for the Fairphone 4 smartphone has added an option to use the native camera application.
- The camera application provided by the platform /e/OS supports 48MP/50MP mode on Fairphone 4 and Fairphone 5 devices.
- The update manager has added an option to view all available updates, not just the next one.
- Fixes have been transferred from the LineageOS 20 branch, based on Android 13. The microG package, with components to replace Google services, has been updated to version 0.3.2.240913.
Source: opennet.ru
