Mobile platform /e/OS 3.6, which prioritizes the privacy of user data, has been launched. The platform was established by Gaël Duval, the creator of the Mandrake Linux distribution. This project supports 287 smartphone models and generates firmware assemblies for the most popular devices. Various smartphone brands like OnePlus, Fairphone, Teracube, HIROH, and Pixel have released their own editions of devices with pre-installed firmware /e/OS under the brands Murena One, Murena 2, Murena Fairphone 4/5/6, Murena Teracube 2e, Murena Pixel 5/7, and Murena SHIFTphone 8.
/e/OS firmware is a derivative of the LineageOS platform (based on Android) and is developed without any connections to Google services. This approach aims to eliminate the transfer of telemetry to Google servers and enhance user confidentiality. The microG package is included in the delivery, providing independent alternatives to Google services and eliminating the need for proprietary components.
One notable feature of the platform is the UnifiedNlp layer, which can determine location through Wi-Fi and base stations without using GPS. Instead of the Google search engine, users can utilize the metasearch service Murena Find, powered by the search engine Qwant. Requests for synchronization of the exact time are sent to servers from the NTP Pool collection, while the platform uses the current provider’s DNS servers instead of Google’s DNS servers.
The platform also includes an ad and script blocker enabled by default in the web browser to enhance user privacy. A custom service compatible with infrastructure based on Nextcloud has been developed for file and application data synchronization. The server components are open source and can be installed on user-controlled systems. Additionally, the user interface features its own BlissLauncher for launching applications.