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/e/OS

Most Android apps microG Active

Checked against the makers' own pages · Last reviewed October 15, 2026

/e/OS is a version of Android with the Google apps and services removed, made by the non-profit e Foundation and the company Murena, which sells phones with it preinstalled. It uses microG, an open-source stand-in for Google Play services, so most Android apps still run. The current release is /e/OS 4.3 (September 2026), with builds based on Android 16 for newer phones. [1][2][3][4][5]

Android app compatibility
Most Play Store apps run; apps that need Google's stronger device checks or deep Google services may not [3][6][11]
Google apps
No Google apps; microG preinstalled (optional Google sign-in through App Lounge) [1][3]
Apps
App Lounge (Play Store apps without a Google account, F-Droid, web apps) [8]
Phones it runs on
287 phones and tablets listed (our count, Oct. 15, 2026): 25 official builds and 262 community builds [17]
Buy it preinstalled
Sold preinstalled by Murena (new and refurbished phones), by Fairphone in Europe, and by HIROH [9][14][15][16]
Project status
Active; /e/OS 4.3 released Sept. 21, 2026 with the September 2026 security bulletin [4][5]
Latest version
/e/OS 4.3 (Sept. 2026), builds based on Android 16, 15 and 14 (plus older 13 and 12 builds) [5]
Made by
e Foundation (non-profit project) and Murena, which sells the phones and runs the Murena Workspace cloud [1][2]
Based on
LineageOS (a community Android version); /e/OS 3.6 was the first release with an Android 16 (AOSP 16) build [6][7]
App store
App Lounge: Play Store catalogue (anonymous login possible), F-Droid open-source apps and web apps [8]
Buy preinstalled in the US
Fairphone Gen. 6 / 6+, HIROH Phone, refurbished Pixel 7 and Pixel 8, Teracube 2s (Murena US store) [9]
On this page
  1. What it is and who makes it
  2. How it compares to stock Android
  3. Phones you can buy with /e/OS
  4. Installing it yourself
  5. Updates and project status
  6. Google's developer verification
  7. Questions people ask

What it is and who makes it

The e Foundation describes /e/OS as "a 'deGoogled' version of Android OS" with "no Google apps or Google services accessing your personal data". Gaël Duval launched it in 2018, and it is run as a non-profit project together with Murena, the company that sells /e/OS phones and runs Murena Workspace (email, cloud storage, calendar).

In /e/OS, Google services are replaced by microG, connectivity checks, time servers and DNS don't use Google servers, and network location uses BeaconDB instead of Google. A free @murena.io account with 1 GB of storage is optional. /e/OS is a fork of LineageOS; the project says it syncs with the latest LineageOS code before each major build. [1][2][6][10][11]

How it compares to stock Android

- Play Store apps: there is no Google Play Store. App Lounge downloads free apps straight from the Play Store catalogue, with an anonymous login, plus F-Droid open-source apps and web apps. Paid apps need a Google account sign-in, and in-app purchases are not supported. - Google sign-in and push notifications: microG provides the Google Play services interfaces apps expect, including push notifications, location and sign-in. The /e/OS docs say most apps need no Google sign-in; when one does, you can add a Google account system-wide from App Lounge. - Banking and payment apps: many apps check the phone with Google's Play Integrity test. The /e/OS docs say microG can pass the Basic level, but "the Device and Strong verdicts require certified hardware and are out of reach", so apps that demand those won't run. Its bootloader page adds that apps gated on Play Integrity or hardware attestation ("banking, payment, some streaming apps") keep failing even on a relocked /e/OS phone. The project's docs link to a list of banking apps that work and suggest a bank's website or web app when there is no working app. - Android Auto: supported since /e/OS 2.0 on Android 13 and newer builds, but you must install the Google app, Google Maps and Google Speech Recognition & Synthesis from App Lounge. - What else is different: Google search is replaced by Murena Find, the browser blocks ads by default, and the Advanced Privacy widget can block trackers in apps and hide your IP address or location.

Murena's own summary: "Most Android apps can be installed on /e/OS," but "some apps that depend heavily on those services might not run properly." See our guides to banking apps on a de-Googled phone and microG. [1][3][6][8][11][12][13]

Phones you can buy with /e/OS

Murena sells new and refurbished phones with /e/OS. Prices as of Oct. 15, 2026:

PhoneMurena USMurena EU
Fairphone (Gen. 6+)US$699.99689,99€ (sale)
Fairphone (Gen. 6)US$649.99639,99€ (sale)
HIROH PhoneUS$1,199.001199,00€
Murena GS6 / GS6 PROnot sold369,00€ to 449,00€
SHIFTphone 8not sold774,99€
Pixel 8 (refurbished)US$379.99419,99€
Pixel 7 (refurbished)US$319.99339,99€
Teracube 2sUS$386.99399,99€

The US store's country menu offers the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Murena says it ships to the USA, the EU, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Australia and New Zealand with duties and taxes included, and that all its phones are carrier unlocked. Murena's refurbished phones carry a one-year warranty and new phones at least two years.

Fairphone also sells the Fairphone (Gen. 6) and (Gen. 6+) with /e/OS in its European shop, and HIROH sells its phone with a choice of Android 16 or /e/OS. [9][11][14][15][16]

Installing it yourself

The /e/OS device list lists 287 phones and tablets (our count, Oct. 15, 2026). Only 25 are official builds, which the project says went through "a comprehensive testing cycle and can be used as a daily driver". The other 262 are community builds, "provided as best effort, without any guarantee". Both get updates over the air.

The web-based /e/OS Installer can flash supported phones from a browser that supports WebUSB; for other phones there are step-by-step guides. The docs say unlocking the phone's bootloader (the first program that runs at power-on and checks the system) "is what makes installing /e/OS possible"; it wipes the phone, and some apps refuse to run on an unlocked device. Relocking is possible only on official builds of some phones. The docs list 12 devices on which the bootloader can be locked again with /e/OS: the Fairphone 3/3+, 4, 5 and (Gen. 6 / 6+), Gigaset GS6 / GS6 PRO, Pixel 7, Pixel 8, Pixel Tablet, SHIFTphone 8, Teracube 2e, Teracube 2s and Volla Tablet. [1][6][12][17]

Updates and project status

Recent releases: 3.6 by April 2026 (the first with an Android 16 build), 4.0 launched June 11, 2026 with a redesigned launcher and a Gmail-to-Murena migration tool, and 4.3 on Sept. 21, 2026. The project's security tracking page lists the September 2026 Android security bulletin for its Android 16, 15 and 14 builds, and says security patches are no longer available for its Android 13 and 12 builds.

For its own phones, Murena says it aims for at least 8 years of software updates and publishes updates at least every 2 months. [5][7][10][11][18]

Google's developer verification

Google's new Android developer verification rules begin Sept. 30, 2026 in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand and apply to "certified Android devices", with a global rollout in 2027. Asked on the official /e/OS forum in February 2026, a member of the /e/OS support team replied: "As of now it does not impact /e/OS or the apps on it," adding that future changes by Google are not known. [19][20]

Phones in our database that run /e/OS

PhoneTypePriceStatusUSCarriersGoogle appsOS
Fairphone (Gen. 6 / 6+) with /e/OSFairphone · Netherlands6.31" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 4,415 mAh · 193 g De-Googled AndroidUS$649.99 (Gen. 6) or US$699.99 (Gen. 6+) at Murena's US store On sale Yes AT&T bandsT-Mobile microG /e/OS
HIROH PhoneHIROH · United States6.67" · 12 GB RAM · 512 GB · 5,000 mAh De-Googled AndroidUS$999 from HIROH (US$99 reservation, before tax and shipping) Pre-order Yes Verizon bandsAT&T bandsT-Mobile bands microG /e/OS (or Android with Google)
Murena GS6 / GS6 PROGigaset (sold by Murena) · Germany6.67" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 5,300 mAh · 230 g De-Googled Android€369 (GS6) or €449 (GS6 PRO) at Murena (Oct. 15, 2026) On sale Import No US carrier microG /e/OS
Google Pixel 8 seriesGoogle · United States6.2" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 4,575 mAh · 187 g Phones you de-Google yourselfRefurbished Pixel 8 from $389 (Google Store, Oct. 15, 2026) On sale Yes VerizonAT&TT-Mobile Yes Google Android; install a non-Google system yourselfAlso runs: GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, /e/OS, LineageOS, iodéOS
Google Pixel 9 seriesGoogle · United States6.3" · 12 GB RAM · 128 GB · 4,700 mAh · 198 g Phones you de-Google yourselfRefurbished with GrapheneOS from $845 (Pixel 9, third-party seller ameriDroid, Oct. 15, 2026) Discontinued Yes Verizon bandsAT&T bandsT-Mobile bands Yes Google Android; install a non-Google system yourselfAlso runs: GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, /e/OS, LineageOS, iodéOS
Google Pixel 9aGoogle · United States6.3" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 5,100 mAh · 185.9 g Phones you de-Google yourself$499 list at the Google Store (out of stock, Oct. 15, 2026) Out of stock Yes VerizonAT&TT-Mobile Yes Google Android; install a non-Google system yourselfAlso runs: GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, /e/OS, LineageOS, iodéOS
SHIFTphone 8SHIFT GmbH · Germany6.67" · 12 GB RAM · 512 GB · 3,820 mAh · 209 g De-Googled Android€695-€755 + €22 deposit (SHIFT) On sale Import AT&T bandsT-Mobile bands Yes ShiftOS G (Google) or /e/OS (Murena)Also runs: CalyxOS, LineageOS, iodéOS

Questions people ask

Is /e/OS free?

Yes. You can install /e/OS yourself on supported phones with the /e/OS Installer or the device guides. Murena also sells phones with it preinstalled. [1]

Do banking apps work on /e/OS?

Some do. /e/OS passes Google's Basic Play Integrity check but not the Device or Strong checks, so apps that require those won't work. The project links to a community list of banking apps that work. [3][6]

Can I buy an /e/OS phone in the US?

Yes. Murena's US store sells the Fairphone Gen. 6 and 6+, the HIROH Phone, refurbished Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 and the Teracube 2s, as of Oct. 15, 2026. [9]

Does Android Auto work with /e/OS?

Yes, from /e/OS 2.0 on Android 13 and newer builds, but it needs the Google app, Google Maps and Google Speech Recognition & Synthesis installed from App Lounge. [13]

Sources (20)
  1. /e/OS, e Foundation. Checked October 15, 2026.
  2. About, e Foundation. Checked October 15, 2026.
  3. microG, e Foundation (/e/OS documentation). Checked October 15, 2026.
  4. Leaving Apple & Google: Welcome /e/OS 4.3, Join the final days of /e/OS summer photo contest, e Foundation. Checked October 15, 2026.
  5. Security updates tracking, e Foundation (/e/OS documentation). Checked October 15, 2026.
  6. Device support & /e/OS phones, e Foundation (/e/OS documentation). Checked October 15, 2026.
  7. Leaving Apple & Google: HIROH phone at MWC; Discover Murena Find; /e/OS 3.6 is released, e Foundation. Checked October 15, 2026.
  8. App Lounge, e Foundation (/e/OS documentation). Checked October 15, 2026.
  9. Murena Smartphones (US store), Murena. Checked October 15, 2026.
  10. Leaving Apple & Google: Digital freedom without effort – meet /e/OS 4.0 & new Murena Workspace features, e Foundation. Checked October 15, 2026.
  11. Fairphone (Gen. 6) with Murena’s /e/OS (product page and shop FAQ), Murena. Checked October 15, 2026.
  12. Bootloader relocking, e Foundation (/e/OS documentation). Checked October 15, 2026.
  13. How to setup Android Auto with /e/OS?, e Foundation (/e/OS documentation). Checked October 15, 2026.
  14. Murena Smartphones, Murena. Checked October 15, 2026.
  15. The Fairphone (Gen. 6) now with privacy-first /e/OS, Fairphone. Checked October 15, 2026.
  16. Your phone. Your OS., HIROH. Checked October 15, 2026.
  17. Device Selector, e Foundation (/e/OS documentation). Checked October 15, 2026.
  18. Leaving Apple & Google: Save the date! /e/OS 4.0 is coming on June 11, e Foundation. Checked October 15, 2026.
  19. Android developer verification, Google (Android Developers). Checked October 15, 2026.
  20. /e/OS statement about Google developer-verification, e Foundation community forum. Checked October 15, 2026.