# /e/OS 89 Hacker News commenters recommended /e/OS and 69 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 13 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 2 years (14 owners). **Verdict:** Recommended as a privacy-focused, de-Googled Android for phones that works well day to day. Most common caveat: app compatibility, especially apps that need Google Play services. ## Why people recommend it - Privacy from Google and tracking (5 comments): "If your main concern is protecting your privacy from Google and extending the life of your smartphone without breaking a sweat, /e/OS is probably the best option." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47216090)) "it just feels like a normal smartphone, except noticeably quieter in terms of tracking and background noise" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47217342)) "it is at least as secure as everything else. Plus it actively helps you preserve your privacy" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47959013)) - Works on many phones (6 comments): "I also recently switched from an iPhone to a Fairphone with e/OS and can say that I absolutely share that experience." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47222182)) "/e/ on FP3 has been my daily driver for 1.5 years and my daughters run it on their FP4s with no problems at all" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47223082)) "I've not had any compatibility issues when using /e/OS on a Teracube 2e. It's a smooth experience all along." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47221165)) - Works well day to day (4 comments): "/e/ on FP3 has been my daily driver for 1.5 years and my daughters run it on their FP4s with no problems at all" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47223082)) "I've not had any compatibility issues when using /e/OS on a Teracube 2e. It's a smooth experience all along." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47221165)) "I am using /e/ daily for myself and my family, and it's working like a charm." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47216325)) - Built to serve users (3 comments): "i will trust Gael based on his reputation far above anything coming from google" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49617562)) "The OS experience is pretty impressive for not being made by an evil megacorp." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48158966)) "Feels like a breath of fresh air to have software that's built to serve me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47588473)) ## What people warn about - Lags on security updates (5 comments): "/e/ lags far behind on standard privacy and security updates everywhere but misleads users with an inaccurate Android security patch level" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47052400)) "What makes it worse is that /e/OS also uses ancient kernels and firmware bundles for most devices with many known vulnerabilities." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47658354)) "It doesn't provide bare minimum standard privacy and security patches while setting an inaccurate Android security patch level." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48573102)) - Undisclosed data collection and tracking (2 comments): "/e/ does have services collecting data on their users which isn't disclosed including user tracking via unique identifiers in the update client." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49600021)) "services collecting data on their users which isn't disclosed including user tracking via unique identifiers in the update client" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49954250)) - Privileged microG and Google connections (2 comments): "/e/ makes many connections to Google servers by default and gives highly privileged access to the implementation of those services (microG)." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50174654)) "/e/OS ships with the privileged microG, which means that Android Auto or Google Play Store have privileged access to the phone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48164360)) - App compatibility gaps, banking apps (2 comments): "same here, except for banking apps. the one i am supposed to use now doesn't work." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47217868)) "The experience is... fine. Not great. App compatibility is the main pain point." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47217185)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Android](https://hackerapproved.com/p/android.md): 372 recommend - [Apple iOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ios.md): 308 recommend - [LineageOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lineageos.md): 186 recommend - [Sailfish OS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sailfish-os.md): 80 recommend - [Ubuntu Touch](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ubuntu-touch.md): 35 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "/e/OS", https://hackerapproved.com/p/e-os/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).