/e/ is a LineageOS fork promising a Google free ROM for privacy enthusiasts

LineageOS has a new form that goes by the name of /e/. /e/ is a form of the popular Android custom ROM, and what makes it stand apart in the market is the fact that the manufacture of the ROM is promoting a ROM that is completely free of Google and its tracking for Android users who are too much concerned about privacy.

LineageOS being an open- source solution, the makers of /e/ were able to leverage the existing LineageOS ROM which is famous for its exceptional performance, lack of unnecessary features and providing useful customization for the users.

Gaël Duval, an open source advocate was the first to think about setting up /e/ days after a series of articles titled ‘Leaving Apple and Google’ were published by him. The announcement of the ROM was made by him in this series of articles along with stating the goals which according to him were:

Making an OS that is
- Free from Google (including no Google Play Service, Play Store, Google Search, Google Chrome, etc.)
- Respectful of user’s privacy
- Be attractive
  - To ensure that it doesn’t get restricted to geeks or technophiles

The first public beta of /e/ has been announced earlier this week after a month of Gaël Duval making his announcement. The ROM is based on LineageOS 14.1 (Android 7.1 Nougat) and is currently available to the general public of supported devices.

Some of the non- Google-backed services that the ROM would come with out of the box are, Signal as the SMS app, Telegram, and Signal as the default chat app, K9 Mail as the default mail client and microG with Mozilla Network Location Provider for GPS- free location functionality.