Comparing Android Alternatives: Lineage OS, ∕E∕OS, and Graphene OS

Summary

Comparing Android alternatives: Lineage OS, ∕e∕OS, and Graphene OS A significant part of the de-Googling experience is finding ways to replace a smartphone vendor’s bloated, data-siphoning firmware with something more acceptable. While at one time the main focus of Android ‘custom ROMs’ was hacking and customization, the projects that have survived to the present day seem to focus more on improvements to privacy and security. Consequently, interest in this area may actually be increasing a little, with new and updated firmwares becoming available on a regular basis. In this article I compare three open-source Android-derived firmwares: Lineage OS, ∕e∕OS, and Graphene OS. There are others; I’m focusing on these three because I have most experience with them. Despite what their proponents sometimes claim, these firmwares have more commonalities than differences. All are derived from the Android Open-Source Project (AOSP), so they look similar, and offer similar features. You’ll need the same tools and skills to install them all. However, the differences are significant, and may not be obvious on casual inspection. I’m trying to be unbiased here, because I recognize that we all have different views on what makes for the best compromise between privacy, security, and convenience. However, I do have an opinion on which is best, at least for me, and I can’t help my preference being somewhat visible. I’ll start with Lineage because it’s the oldest of the three and, in some sense, the ancestor. Then I’ll review ∕e∕OS and Graphene, largely in comparison with Lineage. Lineage OS Lineage OS is one of the best-established alternative Android firmwares, dating back to Cyanogen, the first really popular ‘custom ROM’. A standard installation is quite minimal, and doesn’t include Google Play Services, or even a substitute for it like MicroG. You can install these things later if you wish. In its basic form, Lineage is snappy in use, and allows pretty good battery life, because ther...