[HOWTO] Use the AppStore

eOSWiki HOWTOs
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:warning: Information in this guide is outdated. There is a new app which now replaces the App Lounge. Read all about it here

The AppStore is the /e/ ROM’s Application repository. Built from scratch by the /e/ development team, the AppStore updates apps downloaded or installed in the ROM.

This is how it will look on your main screen (notice the icon marked Apps)

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On clicking the Apps icon you come to this main screen which shows Top updated apps and Top updated games.

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Below the main screen of the AppStore you would see five icons marked - ‘Home’ , ‘Categories’ , ‘Search’, ‘Updates’ and ‘Settings’.

Click on Categories brings up this screen. Here as you can see the applications available in the repository are divided into groups or ‘Categories’ .
The two categories you can see are APPS and GAMES.
Under each you have a further grouping of applications in different sub-categories for e.g Art and Design, Auto and vehicles, Beauty, Books and reference and so on

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Clicking on one of these sub categories will display all the application in the repository related to the particular sub category .For e.g. here we go into the Books and reference sub category and this is what shows up

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To return to the previous screens you can either use the navigation button on the phone or click the small arrow on the top left of your App store screen

Clicking on the Search screen bring you to this display. As the name suggests this is where you can search for your applications. Type the name in the text box next to the lens icon. Usually it fetches the app from the repository.

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In case the search does not return an app that would mean the app is not in the repository .

The next icon on the bottom panel of the App Store is ‘Updates’ . Clicking on it will show this screen. This means there are no updates available for the applications on your device at the moment of checking.

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The last icon on the App Store panel is ‘Settings’ Clicking this will display this screen. Here we can make some changes to the way the Application updates are made to the ROM.

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  • Update check interval
    This setting allows you to set the interval when you want the application to check for updates. This check is only for applications in the App Store
    Options available are Daily, Weekly or Monthly
  • Show Available updates
    A check box which if check will display a notification when there are updates available.
  • Automatically install updates
    A check box which allows you to have the updates installed automatically without you having to manually decide for each
  • Only on un-metered networks
    This is important if your mobile data is limited and costly. By checking you can ensure that the automatic updates will happen only on free networks like wifi.

Update: For Updates on the App Store refer the FAQ on our Documentation site

Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/ the unGoogled mobile OS and online servicesphone

3 Likes
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Google and Kindle?:face_with_hand_over_mouth:
No, really, it looks amazing. Very nice job to /e/ devs!!!:+1::clap:
It just looks so funny to see Chrome and Amazon’s reader apps appearing!

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I think it should be useful to add the possibility to sort apps by privacy, name, download number, users rating…

A simple modify to do… I think.

Also, some Apps required doesn’t appear on the store

Perhaps it would be a good idea to put a placeholder for these apps that explain why these apps can’t work with /e/ and/or a link to a guide to install.

For example, my banking app doesn’t appear even if I ask for it weeks ago…

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Why are there two delta chat apps? One is 25 MB and the other one is 51 MB.

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@Panta, there are about 4,700 banks in the eurozone countries. In the (still) 28 EU member states plus the EFTA countries (European Free Trade Association) there are about 6,600 banks. And how many banks worldwide - no idea.

To feed the e-App Store with this data would be an enormous amount of work. A functional check if every single banking app works under microG - hardly realistically possible.

The banking app manufacturers make it very easy for themselves by using the Apple App Store and G°°gle Play Store for distribution. This leaves the user only the possibility to get the banking app .apk from elsewhere and hope that it works under /e/ OS with microG.

By the way: My two banking apps work very well - including reading QR code.

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I was looking at some of the apps in the AppStore, and many of them do not strike me as safe to use for those who wish to have their privacy respected. @Manoj, are all the apps in the AppStore safe to use (from the perspective of privacy)?

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There is probably a lot of them to avoid, from a privacy perspective.

1 Like
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Hi @MarkG_108 the applications that show up in Apps Installer are requested by the users. In the Apps interface each application will show you a list of trackers that come with it. That is what you should use to decide if you want to go ahead with the installation or not. Not the perfect solution for an installer on a privacy focused ROM but that is what the majority of our backers and users want.
If you have been following the topics on this forum you may have read that a FOSS only version of /e/ is slated for release by Feb end. This will have FDroid as the default repository.
Personally I am also looking forward to the FOSS only version of /e/

2 Likes
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@Manoj, thanks for the answer. I’m new here, so I’m just getting used to things. Previously I had LineageOS 13 on a Galaxy Nexus. I did not have GApps, and relied solely on F-Droid. Recently I got a Nexus 5 to try out Ubuntu Touch (interesting, but it’s not quite usable enough for me), so I’m now trying this. I look forward to the FOSS only version.

1 Like
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Hello,
could you clarify how is determined the privacy-score (criterias / weight) ?

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The privacy score is picked up from Exodus privacy …Check the App Store FAQ document here for details

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Thanks for the feedback; however I’m still confused the way the mark is calculated :
Let’s consider Fortuneo app : Exodus detects 8 trackers and 28 permissions ( https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/fr/reports/com.fortuneo.android/latest/ ) ; Apps shows a mark of 1/10. Is this “1/10” really provided by Exodus, but hidden on their website ? Or computed by your App Store based on the {8, 28} from exodus, then with which formula ?

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Hello.
Maybe you could update the link below to request a new app, as it is now possible to “suggest an app to be added from inside the application : Apps >> Settings >> Request app”.
Thanks !

1 Like
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Thanks I removed the old link. BTW it is editable and can be edited by any user :slight_smile: The idea was to have documentation that can be updated by users.

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Hello,

I have 2 questions about the AppStore:

1/ Would it be possible to filter apps to the “FOSS only” Apps?

2/ In the v0.17 version, when there is an available update of any App, will we get the Update description of it? + its new version number?
Currently, I always get the same version number of the App, with an “Update” button and the very same description as when you install the App, aka the App description and not the changelog/update info.

Thank you for your information!

Best regards,

Nico

1 Like
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Hi,

General information first, please

I suggest that the information about the “Apps” application should be:

  • The “Apps” App-store is … fill in your definition
  • it contains applications that are known work with microG (link to what microG is)
  • the applications are rated by Exodus concerning the level of privacy they seem to give you
  • if you do not find an application that should work on your phone, you should … what to do (see below)

More infos on the different app store possibilities, please

I also suggest that alternatives are mentioned, especially F-Droid - I installed the F-Droid repository app and the Aurora Store. I am not sure if the latter is required or useful at all.

  • Are there apps in the “Apps” Store that are not in the Aurora Store? (I have no clue)
  • Are there apps in the Aurora Store that are not in the “Apps” Store? (definitely)
  • Is there a difference installing apps from the “Apps” App-Store or the F-Droid store when they are both FOSS enough to be in the F-Droid store?

As a new user (coming from a non-smartphone) I am completely at loss wanting a de-googled smartphone/tablet and seeing “Angry birds” as the first suggestion in the app store.

Thanks

18

Ok, now (after two days of searching) I found your link at the bottom of the Wiki-entry:

This FAQ is crucial and explains a lot to me (the new user), actually in more detail than most users want.

Nevertheless my proposal to add the general information in the HowTo stands and I propose to make the link to the FAQ very prominent.