Lately, the developers of /e/OS have started releasing pointless apps and bundling them into system updates—apps that can’t be removed without using adb. For example, the recently added parental control feature: seriously, how many users actually use this? Maybe 0.01%? Fine, but what about “Find My Device”? I installed version 3.0 and wanted to disable it, but of course, that wasn’t possible. Sure, this feature might be important to some, but why not give users the option to turn it off?
Another example is the pre-installed Health Connect app. While health and fitness tracking can be useful for some, bundling such an app by default without an option to uninstall or disable it feels unnecessary for many users who don’t use these features. This adds to the growing list of system apps that clutter the system.
And the biggest shock: the so-called de-Googled system still uses Google Assistant? Are you serious right now?
It feels like the /e/ Foundation is drifting away from their original mission. Instead of maintaining system hygiene and security, they’re turning /e/OS into just another Google-like Android or Xiaomi’s HyperOS—with pre-installed apps that can’t be disabled. On top of that, building your own custom ROM now requires at least 16GB of RAM and 400GB of free disk space, which is not an easy task for the average user—especially if they don’t know how to work with Docker. Those who do will probably just build GrapheneOS for their phone instead.
If you’ve run out of ideas for protecting and improving the system, why not create a website where users can suggest real, useful features and vote on them? As developers, you could always keep veto power over which ideas get integrated.
After updating to 3.0, my system crashed, forcing me to roll back to 2.9 with a recovery wipe. I also noticed that the system’s password length limit, previously capped at 16 characters, now seems unlimited (though I haven’t tested the maximum length). I suspect something else might have been broken, especially since there’s no mention of password length changes in the official release notes on e / os / 🚀 Releases · GitLab.
My main point is: don’t turn /e/OS into just another second-rate system filled with unnecessary bloat. Give users the freedom to choose which apps they want to keep or remove—including Health Connect, parental controls, and “Find My Device.” That’s what real user empowerment looks
Here is my build information:
e_alioth-user 14 AP2A.240905.003 eng.root.20250322.060729
The device is not rooted.
/e/os: 2.9-a14-20250322478432-community-alioth
The same problem with v3.0-a14
I did not check the version below V2.9-a14
Phone model: M2012K11AG / alioth/ poco f3