Background information
NewPipe: like YouTube for Android, but better
by Dominik Bärlocher
/e/OS: an unboxed Fairphone
8.5.2020
Translation: machine translated
Fairphone gets unglued. Partly. In addition to the normal version of Google phones, there are now versions on the market that work without Google services.
"Your data is your data", chants the /e/ Foundation. This appeals to developers and stakeholders of the Fairphone. The Fairphone 3 therefore embeds /e/OS, an Android version delivered without any software from Google.
Google Apps despite Google services
/e/OS is based on LineageOS, born out of the failure of CyanogenMod. The decision on the Fairphone software was made in Amsterdam, based on recommendations from the community of fans of repairable smartphones.
Services are not applications
For a better understanding: applications are not services, services, not applications. But the latter need services to function. Services are one level below applications.
The issue of privacy comes into play when the manufacturer of mobile services is called Google. The search giant makes Android available for free, but the services are proprietary, meaning you can create your own version of Android, but you're not necessarily allowed access to Google's services. Over the years, Google has created what critics call a "gilded cage" market.
Google's mobile services not only offer a lot, they also take from you. Google diligently collects your data for analytics and advertising purposes.
MicroG is removing all Google services from its software, replacing them with services with the same functionality, but without the purpose of analytics and advertising.
Many applications would run smoothly without Google's services. YouTube is the best example of this. Third-party apps like NewPipe achieve this without any problems. No ads, no Google services, full functionality.
The importance of services
With the MicroG project, the Android community is taking an important step away from the yoke of Google and politics. Indeed, the trade war between the United States and manufacturer Huawei shows that technology can quickly become the plaything of political interests. The best example of this? The ban on collaboration between Google and Huawei in May 2019, for political reasons, following which Huawei is not allowed to use GMS.
Then there are the privacy concerns. Does Google really need to collect metadata? Should we really let it do so?
Fairphone users aren't buying it. Fairphone has heard them. MicroG is continuing to work towards the liberation of this famous golden cage.
The Fairphone is immediately available in the /e/OS version on the Foundation website. The normal Android version is still available. So if you want a /e/OS version, pay close attention to the software description when you buy it.
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