My wish list for /e/

Over the last couple of years we have shared with you roadmaps and release plans.

We discussed what /e/ is all about. We have explained that we are not exactly all about absolute privacy but more of finding the right balance between privacy while remaining in touch with the outside world.

In this post we would like to know what you think is most important or some of the important features you think /e/ should have.

Is it stability of the applications or a better UI. Or is it the services that come along with the OS…

Jot down a few points that come to mind and let us know in this thread. It will go a along way in helping us understand you and your /e/OS needs better.

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

17 Likes
  1. Stable VoWiFi functionality… For me this is the number one feature.

  2. VoLTE for supported phones (cough, cough S9 / S9+)

I know, I know, easier said than done, but you asked! :smiley:

2 Likes

Working tasks without workaround with Dav5X.

Three phones tested and none of these was working.

2 Likes

I’m not a fan of having two app stores on a phone. If Apps can’t cover the gauntlet of Android apps I think it should be replaced with Aurora (or an equivalent).
Better Easy Installer compatibility.
Also not so much a feature for the phone but I’d say a “resource” of what phones work on what networks. Myself and a few other users had a lot of problems with the S9/S9+, and eventually learned that the international versions of those phones didn’t play nice in the US, and that there were really only two /e/ capable phones that worked flawlessly with T-Mobile.

5 Likes

++ Explorer in dark mode with visible text ^^
++ Gallery being able to access SD card ^^
++ mail did not access the e.email account and I had to use FairEmail instead which seems more a communication issue between servers
++ possibility to uninstall system apps (mail in my special case)

I think the system apps do really need some perfection (especially the GUI) in order to improve readability and config. Particularly, the permanent ones …

8 Likes

Canalize notifications, mail messages, messenger messages, SMS, MMS, tweets, upcoming calendar events and other crap into one well ordered timeline shown by a single app.

The mess of notifications, bullets on app icons (on different screens) and different apps for handling several events is confusing and antiquated. Give the user a productive tool to handle them all in the same way.

This app should also have a good full screen widget. The timeline should be categorized so that the user can collapse unwanted categories.

7 Likes

Give Apps a blacklist.

2 Likes

Full phone backup program for PC & Mac-
Apps
App data
Files
Phone settings etc

16 Likes

What’s the problem with opentasks? For me, it worked like a charm - maybe I could give a little support off-list.

Have a nextcloud installation on a raspi at home, connected thru FritzBox using DynDNS and 2 or 3 phones (older Samsung) continuously syncing there.

The ability to move widgets on various pages

Troubleshoot MicroG and Rooted Device Reports

@Irrlicht: I’d dream of something like a refurbished, modern form of MoreInfo for the Newton (search for that, I’m sure there are good descriptions around) containing/including (i) all sort of messaging, (ii) calendar and task items, and (iii) notes (structured lists, maybe even mindmap like)/pictures etc., maybe even more (contacts, phone calls). With the ability to link things of course.

I’d like to have an integrated tracker blocker (something like TrackerControl).
And dual-head GPS fully working : actually, inherited from LOS, only first head is used.

Also, I’d like /e/ to make me rich and immortal :clown_face:

3 Likes

I use /e/ now for almost a year and I am a happy user. But the main reason I do not yet recommend /e/ to regular users such as my girlfriend is the lack security related (e.g. banking) apps support. I always have to say “/e/ is great, but your banking app will not work”, which always results in a “no thank you”. Therefore, my wish list is:

  1. SafteyNet support, the check still fails with this app
  2. Root Detection, still fails with this app on my not rooted device

Second I’d love to see an /e/ app store ecosystem where app makers can publish their applications so we know where the APKs are coming from. This could then also generate revenue for /e/ as I am more than willing to pay for quality services which respect my privacy and freedom. That’s why I bought a /e/-cloud package :v:

Last but no least, I really like Bliss and it’s simplicity. The focus on average users is wonderful I love the fact that:

  1. There is no app drawer! My mother never ever will understand the difference between an app drawer and the home screen. The iOS design is just simple and straightforward.
  2. Widgets are on the side line, as I don’t think that they are very important anyway.
  3. I’m not the biggest fan of crazy customization and Bliss just does the job.

I’d vote to round up the experience with full app support, then build up the ecosystem to then finish up the UX. Thanks for your great and hard work :heart:

9 Likes

The problem s that you have /e/ tasks working only locally and you have to install opentasks to operate on davs or clouds

@smu44 Immortality has worked for me until now !

Minimal “James Bond” install or easy system app removal.

7 Likes
  1. To be able to place the apps icons where we actually want them to be unlike the buggy current bliss behaviour and to be able to remove them from the home screens.

  2. Finally the necessary freedom to uninstall “system apps” we don’t need and don’t want on our phones like the sketchy “apps” that won’t stop crashing since I cut it from internet access (a lot of users prefer to use the excellent Aurora store with F-droid) and the weather widget.
    It has been requested a long time ago (since the beginning actually) and we are still waiting for that basic freedom for an OS which marketing is based on “empowering its users”.

10 Likes

My personal list in order of importance:

  • Being able to use banking apps as it is a major blocking point for people around me
  • OTA OS upgrades to prevent the phone from going obsolete
  • Better dark mode because the UI revamp broke it and a lot of text is impossible to read
  • Better app store: many apps are out of date or impossible to find
  • Uninstall system apps
13 Likes

For me it’s

  1. Banking apps to work without Magisk hide (I don’t like to be forced using that method & it’s pain to try help family / relarives to use that while OS update will wipe that functionality => I don’t even try and many haven’t changed to use /e/), so it’s critical. Maybe passing SecureNet & rootcheck would be enough in many case.

  2. Better camera UI with detection of cameras or possibility to name those (if autodetection & naming won’t work) instead of just ID & show macro, wide etc. simply in the UI. Maybe even some night mode to camera app & possibility to take ie. 48MP pictures in case someone wants to.

  3. For Bliss, possibility to re-arrange apps in the folder and lot more stability so folders wouldn’t “explode” and throw all the apps around homescreens. This has currently forced me to change another launcher.

  4. Please at least consider to give option to spp drawer and if you do, give option to use app categories like at Poco launcher for example (and no, I don’t use Poco launcher, but it’s good example of app drawer with all + category views).

  5. Possibility to remove default weather widget & viewing suggested apps at widget view. Adding rss news widget would be nice. I do have Feeder installed, but possibility to see weather (from user selected weather widget) + news at glance would be nice.

Edit.

  1. Simplify folderview at /e/ cloud, like putting system relsted folders under system folder or similar, leaving like Pictures (with subfolders for photos, screenshots etc), Videos and Documents + user created folders. Or something similar to make view more simple for those coming from google drive (one complains I’ve heard).

  2. Allow sharing Carnet notes (especially shopping list with another /e/ account), again similar function to Google Keep, but most likely needs changes to Carnet app too.

3 Likes

Just request to make the process simpler. Android empowers you to do this by default, it’s just not done with the press of a button. No need for the overly dramatic oratory like it’s the end of the world.

4 Likes

In first place I would like some malfunctions to be fixed.
I’ve got a Fairphone 3.

1.) Since 3 OS updates display of the timer does not work anymore (extremely tiny error message: “no translation found for seconds”). When I the device was new, it worked. It is a known problem discussed at github.

2.) Notifications of the calendar don’t come in time, but hours or even days after the event has passed by.

3.) Notifications of birthdays stored in Contacts apparently don’t exist at all.

4.) The weather widget with Open Weather worked in the beginning, but now is not accessible anymore. But perhaps Open Weather changed something?

3 Likes