{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
Whereas I just like the privateness options of /e/OS and have even taken to spoofing my geodata a lot of the time, the actual killer characteristic to me is the /e/OS app retailer, which is known as the App Lounge. After I used LineageOS, I put in apps from a number of completely different app shops. There’s F-Droid, which hosts open supply apps, and Uptodown, which just a few apps I exploit assist (Vivaldi being the primary one), after which I had just a few I may solely get by the Google Play Retailer. As anybody utilizing LineageOS can inform you, it is rather a lot to maintain monitor of.
The /e/OS App Lounge combines apps from a wide range of sources, together with the Play Retailer and F-Droid, amongst others, making all of them out there in a single place. (You may also choose to solely present open supply apps.)
Additionally good is the choice to remain nameless when connecting to any of the app shops, though you will have to be logged in to get the apps you paid for, since these are tied to your consumer ID. I’ve additionally had the nameless login fail just a few instances, giving me token errors. This is likely one of the few locations I’ve had points with /e/OS.
The App Lounge makes use of a well-recognized design that appears like Google Play however provides just a few options. The primary is that App Lounge supplies privateness details about every app, grading it on a 1 to 10 scale, the place 1 is horrible for privateness and 10 typically means no trackers. The App Lounge additionally grades apps in accordance with which permissions they require. The less permissions (like entry to your images or geodata), the upper the score. It is a good manner of offering advanced info in a manner anybody can simply parse.
In a win for the bigger Android-alt neighborhood, /e/OS claims to be engaged on making the App Lounge out there as an app that may be put in wherever. (Within the meantime, the Aurora Retailer is a detailed various.)
What Doesn’t Work
As a lot as I like /e/OS, it isn’t good. I’ve had some minor points with geodata. I reside on the street, so my location adjustments each couple of weeks. Generally /e/OS is gradual to select up on this, and the Maps app will present me search outcomes primarily based on the place I used to be final week. The included Maps app itself continues to be tough across the edges (and makes use of some proprietary code). It is higher and extra correct than each different map app I’ve tried, but it surely is not nearly as good as Google Maps. I do not care what you consider Google; its Maps app is unmatched. I nonetheless use it as a backup when the default /e/OS app would not discover what I would like.
The opposite huge lacking characteristic for me is speech-to-text. Proper now, /e/OS ships with out speech-to-text in any respect. There is a good abstract of the choices out there within the /e/OS boards. None of them are ideally suited, however I’ve managed to get by with a mix of Sayboard and the inventory /e/OS keyboard. The excellent news is {that a} built-in speech-to-text characteristic is on the street map for /e/OS in 2024. This can even open the door to an /e/OS assistant, which isn’t presently out there. The mission is unclear about what kind this may take, given the privateness implications of interacting with a server to reply queries, however one risk is a big language mannequin operating regionally.