De Google, E OS vs Lineage OS, opinions and experience

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Sorry if this has been posted before , I had a brief search but to no avail .

I like the idea of ‘De-googling’ for many reasons, mainly for better battery life and privacy concerns .

I understand the two main options for degoogling the FP3 are /E/ OS ( android 10?) and Lineage OS ( 17.1 , Android 10)

Just wondered which one would be better ? I have previously used Lineage on many previous handsets and liked the performance increase .

Can anyone give their experience on either or both ? Pro’s and cons of each , can I still use banking apps .

Many thanks in advance

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There is also LineageOS 18.1 which is based on Android 11. It can be found right here.

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Ahh thanks , I guess there is many improvements with 18.1/ Android 11 , any expereience with it ? I find the stock rom to be a little sluggish but , I guess that’s all the google tracking/monitoring/surveillance

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Just a note that you can achieve some of your concerns by manually de-googling.

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A little collection of topics you can have a look at:

I know I have missed a lot of other very well written posts as this topic was quite extensively discussed already :slight_smile:

I personally prefer Lineage for UI and simplicity reasons, /e/ for security reasons. And at the end I use a slightly tweaked Lineage.

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And here is the link to the wiki on how to install /e/ on a FP3(+):

https://doc.e.foundation/devices/FP3/install

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I think it’s a matter of taste. Both systems depend on LineageOS and MicroG, but they use different stock apps and launchers. While e/OS aims to offer a slightly different and user friendly interface, LOS4mG’s look and feel is more similar to standard Android (as Fairphone’s stock ROM).

I’ve tested both of them, and each one worked as it should. I personally prefer LOS4mG, because I don’t like some of the pre-installed apps of e/OS (Launcher, Magic Earth, K9-fork…). But as I mentioned before, this is just a matter of taste, which might be influenced by the fact, that I’ve been using LOS (and CyanogenMod) for many years and thus I am very comfort with it.

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If privacy is important to you, then iodèOS is definitely worth a look. It is also based on LineageOS. They made changes in LineageOS to prevent data leaks to Google servers. You can use it with or without microG. The current version based on Android 11/LOS 18.1 can be found here:

Installation instructions:
https://iode.tech/en/iodeos-installation/#1611161852971-b5073e27-d67b|sc-tabs-1631890984821

detailed infos:

test:

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@HMZ

Thanks for your reply . I have personally used, and am using LineageOS ( on spare phone ), even before since Cyanogen Mod (Android Gingerbread) , I allways preffered it to stock android , as it offered better performance . FWIW I am using a 2013 Moto G , with Lineage 16/ Android 9, works absolutely fine , compared to the stock 4.0 Moto ROM

The Privacy and performance aspects seemingly are linked , since the tracking and data extration have an effect on the phone ( frequently accessing GPS, Nearby Wifi beacons , ect ). However I am a data privacy advocate , and am allways keen to hear how we can best achive privacy also .

Also , currently the latest stock Fairphone OS seems a little broken to me, lots of weird things are happening ( alarm intermittant, Screen brightness has a mind of its own , general slugishness) , though this is not the main reason for the OS change . Battery life and performance are two of the main advanges for me , so whichever OS is best in this respect .

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@LibrePhoner

Thanks for this , the plot thickens , you just made my indecisiveness even worse ;S . I never remember being so spoilt of choice , it used to be a simple choice of CM/Cyanogen MOd vs stock only, with every other phone I had .

With regard to Micro G , while I understand the Privacy aspects of Micro G , the apps are still using Google’s bloated (spyware/tracking) apps right? Therefore you will get a performance penalisation vs using a third party app provider such as F-Droid ?

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I’m not sure I understand your question correctly. MicroG is an open source alternative to Google Play Services to avoid tracking by Google as much as possible. What remains is the use of Google’s infrastructure. If you only use apps (often with open source apps) that work without Google Play Services, you can uninstall MicroG. If you want to be tracked as little as possible, it is recommended to choose apps that do not call home. There will certainly be apps that you can’t do without, but that still call home. In this case, you have to configure iodé’s adblocker or another one (Netguard, etc.) accordingly. And there are certainly some more tips. If you’re familiar with German, I can recommend Mike Kuketz’s blog and especially his series of articles on how to set up LineageOS in a privacy-friendly way. IodéOS seems to be preconfigured exactly in the sense of this article series. I hope that answered your question…

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This maybe a bit off topic and I am not sure if it is related to the driver or operating system of the FP3. Officially Fairphone said the WiFi calling is an ‘experimental’ feature and they recommened to turn it off to avoid issues .

In my experience the stock OS has never allowed me to make a ‘WiFi’ call . The operator has confirmed WiFi calling should work . The settings on the phone , suggest WiFi is enabled , however I still cannot make a call through WiFi . I put my Sim Card inside A Shamsung S10+ and WiFi calling worked automatically , so it is not a provider issue .
This is of particular importance to me now , as my house is in a signal blackspot and calls keep dropping .

I am hoping to find more anecdotal evidence of the benefits of alternative O/S’s , such as WiFi calling .

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I would create a new topic on this wifi issue, it is serious. I haven’t seen that statement from Fairphone can you reference it?

Luckily for me works and like you I’m in network dead zone.

So

  • What network are you using?
  • have you tried it in many places?
  • have you tried another network, maybe a friends SIM

Really make another topic 'Wifi not working on *** network ***

I have two FP3s since my daughter dumped hers, no issue on either anywhere with two networks in the UK.

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I will make another thread , thanks

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