The /e/OS 3.2 mobile platform, focused on user privacy, has been released. The platform was founded by Gaël Duval, creator of the Mandrake Linux distribution. The project supports 253 smartphone models and creates firmware builds for the most popular ones. Custom device builds have been created for OnePlus, Fairphone, Teracube, and Pixel smartphones, distributed with /e/OS preinstalled under the Murena One, Murena 2, Murena Fairphone 4/5/6, Murena Teracube 2e, Murena Pixel 5/7, and Murena SHIFTphone 8 brands.
The /e/OS firmware is being developed as a fork of the LineageOS platform (based on Android), freed from the connection to Google services and infrastructure to exclude the transmission of telemetry to Google servers and to increase the level of privacy. Among other things, implicit sending of information is blocked, for example, requests to Google servers when checking network availability, resolving DNS and determining the exact time.
The package includes the microG package, which offers independent alternatives to Google services, eliminating the need to install proprietary components. For Wi-Fi and base station location (without GPS), the UnifiedNLP layer supports BeaconDB, OpenWlanMap, openBmap, OpenCellID, lacells.db, and other alternative services. Instead of Google search, the device offers the Murena Find metasearch service, based on the Qwant search engine.
To synchronize the exact time, instead of accessing the Google NTP server, requests are sent to servers from the NTP Pool collection, and instead of Google's DNS servers (8.8.8.8), the DNS servers of the current provider are used. The web browser has an ad blocker and scripts for tracking movements enabled by default. To synchronize files and application data, a proprietary service has been developed that is compatible with the Nextcloud-based infrastructure. The server components are based on open source software and are available for installation on user-controlled systems.
The user interface includes its own BlissLauncher application launcher, an improved notification system, a new lock screen, and a different style. BlissLauncher uses a set of automatically scalable icons developed for /e/OS and a separate selection of widgets (for example, a widget for displaying the weather forecast).
The project is also developing its own authentication manager, allowing you to use a single account (user@murena.io) for all services, registered during the first installation. The account can be used to access your environment from other devices or via the Web. Murena Cloud provides 1GB free of charge for storing your data, synchronizing applications and backups.
The included applications include: the Mail email client (a fork of K9-Mail), the Cromite web browser (based on Chromium), the OpenCamera camera program, the QKSMS instant messaging program, the nextcloud-notes note-taking system, the MJ PDF PDF viewer, the opentasks scheduler, the Magic Earth map program, the gallery3d photo gallery, the file manager, and the App Lounge application catalog.
Major changes in /e/OS 3.2:
- The Advanced Privacy package, which sends fake location and IP address data to apps and blocks built-in app tracking, now includes a feature that notifies you in real time about attempts to send user data from apps. You can disable these notifications in the settings.
- The App Lounge app manager now displays the size of apps installed from the F-Droid catalog. The most popular apps are now listed by region, not locale. Performance optimizations have been implemented.
- The Fairphone 6 firmware has expanded its capabilities: support for customizing actions performed when pressing the side button has been added; the Fairphone Camera app has been added for working with the camera; the battery charge limiter has been added to the settings; and wired headsets now work correctly when listening to music and making calls.
- OTA updates with /e/OS firmware based on Android 15 have been generated for Fairphone 5, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 devices.
- The reliability of the parental control system has been improved.
- Ported updates and fixes from LineageOS 22.2, which is based on Android 15.
- The web browser engine has been updated to Chromium 141.0.7390.111.
- The microG package has been updated to version 0.3.10, which fixes issues that could sometimes cause crashes when upgrading from an older version of /e/OS.
Source: opennet.ru
