/e/OS 3.0 Debuts with Refined Parental Controls, New Privacy Tools and Murena Vault

There aren't many de-Googled Android-based operating systems that offer both a good user experience and privacy as effectively as /e/OS. It gets rid of many Google services in favor of open source alternatives, giving users great control over their data.

Murena, in close partnership with the e Foundation, provides /e/OS on its own smartphones as well as on select devices from other brands. You can even install it yourself if your smartphone is supported.

The OS is designed to work for the user and not for a surveillance-powered ecosystem that disregards user privacy (read Android).

Since the /e/OS 1.0 release, both the operating system and the Murena brand have evolved significantly, shifting from an experiment to something that's good for daily use.

And, now, with the arrival of /e/OS 3.0, the project marks its newest, most refined release yet.

/e/OS 3.0: What’s New?

To begin with, there's a new search engine, Murena Find, which is powered by Qwant, offering privacy-focused, unbiased search results that don't rely on tracking a user's activity. Murena mentions that it operates in the "no tracking" mode by default to ensure maximum privacy.

Next up is the speech-to-text messaging support that allows Murena Workspace subscribers to dictate messages when their hands are occupied. Now, when a user is walking, driving, or multitasking, they can easily and securely compose messages using their voice.

Finding lost devices is easier, too, as there is now support for Find My Device via SMS, letting users locate their smartphones without an internet connection. It relies on SMS technology to provide geolocation for devices.

For those with kids in the house, /e/OS 3.0 introduces refined parental controls that give guardians more control over app installations and screen time. Plus, apps rated as "PG" will now require a security code to install, giving guardians an extra layer of control over what their children can access.

The security code can also be enabled for other applications on a device.

Users with larger screens will appreciate the new Tablet Mode with this release. It adjusts the interface to fit bigger displays better, making navigation easier. As a result, the user interface should now feel more intuitive to use on a tablet, and multitasking should be better than before.

Similarly, /e/OS's Advanced Privacy feature has got some buffs, where it now shows detailed weekly reports on app tracking and an overall Privacy Score to help users better understand how their data is handled. There’s also a new option to customize app geolocation access, letting users decide which apps see the device’s true location and which are shown a fake one.

And finally, we have Murena Vault, a new experimental cloud storage solution powered by CryptPad. It offers niceties like end-to-end encryption, real-time collaboration, and secure file sharing.

Commenting on the release, Gaël Duval, founder of /e/OS and CEO at Murena, added that:

We believe that technology should serve people, not the other way around.
With this new version of /e/OS, we are raising the bar even higher in our
powerful proposition for a healthier, more ethical, and user-first digital life.

Wrapping Up

The official documentation and the installer are useful starting points if you are looking to download this release for your smartphone. Be sure to check the compatibility list to see if your device is supported.

For the source code, you should visit e Foundation's GitLab instance.

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It's FOSSPratham Patel