/e/OS, from the Murena project, is de-Googled Android aimed at people who will not use a command line. There is an app store, an optional cloud, and phones sold with the system already installed. The default setup uses microG. That is an open reimplementation, and some features, such as push notifications, still go through Google’s […]
Ubuntu Touch is a Linux phone system maintained by the UBports Foundation. Google and Apple are not in the stack. The app store is its own. Fairphone, Volla, and Pine phones are the hardware people actually boot. Banking apps, ride shares, and anything that expects Google Play will not run. The catalog is small. Cameras […]
LineageOS is the community Android that replaced CyanogenMod. It supports a long list of phones and keeps devices alive after the maker stops. Google is not required. If you flash the optional Google package, you put Google back. There is no Graphene-style hardening, and many builds leave the bootloader unlocked. An unlocked bootloader is easier […]
GrapheneOS is a hardened Android that only officially runs on Google Pixel phones. Play Store apps can be installed inside a sandbox: they run as ordinary apps, not as the privileged Google services on a stock phone. Verified boot, a relocked bootloader, and extra exploit hardening are the point. The modem is fenced off from […]
CalyxOS is a de-Googled Android from the Calyx Institute. It uses microG so many normal apps still run. microG is an open stand-in, and pieces of it still talk to Google for push and similar jobs. You also get a firewall and a kinder installer than most custom ROMs. Pixels, Fairphones, and some Motorola phones […]
Android and iOS are the keys under every app. A new OS does not hide you from the carrier, the modem, or a recording of today’s handshake. Here is what actually changes, and which of the five systems is worth the afternoon.
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