The release of the mobile platform /e/os 1.17 was announced by Gael Duvans, the founder of the platform. Gael Duvans is best known as the creator of the MANDRAKE Linux distribution. The firmware provided by the project is compatible with numerous popular smartphone models, including Murena One, Murena Fairphone 3+/4, and Murena Taracube 2e. The firmware is also available for OnePlus One, Fairphone 3+/4, and Teracube 2e, with a predefined firmware called /E/OS. In total, 246 smartphones are officially supported by /E/OS, as listed on the official website.
Firmware /E/OS is developed as a branch from the Android platform, utilizing achievements from Lineageos. It is delivered without any binding to Google services and infrastructure, making it compatible with Android applications while ensuring a high level of confidentiality. The firmware blocks the transmission of telemetry to Google servers and prevents implicit sending of information, such as network availability checks, DNS resolving, and time determination.
The firmware comes preinstalled with a Microg Pack, which allows users to interact with Google services without installing proprietary components. Instead of relying on Google services, /E/OS utilizes independent analogues. For location determination via Wi-Fi and base stations (without GPS), it employs a layer based on Mozilla Location Service. Additionally, it features a metasearch service called Spot, based on the Searx engine, ensuring the anonymity of sent queries.
Alternative services are also utilized in place of Google NTP for time synchronization and Google DNS servers. The default web browser includes an ad blocker and anti-tracking scripts. To synchronize files and application data, /E/OS has developed its own service that can work with an infrastructure based on Nextcloud. The server components are open source and available for installation on user-controlled systems.
The user interface of /E/OS has undergone significant redesigning and includes its own application launcher environment called Blisslauncher. This revamp enhances the user experience on the platform.