Those who say they don’t have Google Assistant probably have the “t” version. I also had nothing on the “t” version, but on the “a14” version, it already appeared.
I am sure of this because with every update, I checked absolutely all the added programs.
I will probably switch to another system myself when the Pine64 arrives.
I 'm on A14 and don’t have Google Assistent on my device.
3.0-a14-20250528496285-official-FP4
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no. Others just don’t have a device that includes the apk in its proprietary-files.txt - it’s not something that originated at /e/OS. Install LineageOS and you’ll have it too. DivestOS author used to weed prop files / blobs more dilligently at the expense of “some amount” of functionality.
Enable adb root and nuke it from /product/priv-app, and if there’s no hard dependency on boot - problem solved (have backups). I will read into it later why Lineage includes it from the devices oem firmware, I’m pretty sure it can be removed for non-Googlers. Why isn’t it removed yet? because for most devices it’s the LineageOS maintainer only
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Google pixel 7a lynx, doesnt have the assistant either on e/os v3-t
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I’ve also got a device with A14. There a several Google Apps on it, that can’t be deleted, but that may depent on the fact, that it’s a Google device.
It should probably be called “Google-reduced” rather than “de-googled”.
This somehow shows that e/OS is a fight against windmills, like Don Quixote…
Yet it’s not on my OnePlus Nord? Running community a14. 3.0.
Do you have a community flash? Then Google Assistant could be part of the flash ROM.
My opinion about up and coming changes to e/os is fairly simplistic. I would prefer that the emphasis on privacy is maintained with only the minimum of compromises.
- microg - for me, this is an acceptable compromise as it is very difficult to avoid using any closed source apps at all. And if I could, I could use an alternative os like Graphene, or others.
- Cloud - someone once said that using cloud storage is just putting your data on someone else’s computer. I use an air gapped computer for my all my stored data and would never choose an other option that exposed it, at all, online. So, I don’t want to use any cloud service or even worse, be forced to use it.
- Find My Phone - could I be allowed to look after my own phone? If I use such a service, that means exposing my location and that of my phone, and I am not at all comfortable with that. Again, I would choose not to use such a service and certainly would not want it forced on me.
- Google Assistant, Siri - these are all excuses for data gathering on a massive scale. I can check my own ‘offline’ calendar to find out about my time committments, I can write my own emails. I don’t want or need an assistant to ‘learn’ all about me so, that it can do all these things for me that I can already do for myself.
I was already pretty happy with my e/os phone. If there is a demand for new features, or to grow the existing user base, I don’t mind as long as I am not compelled to use them - they can be switched off permanently and not switched on again in future updates, as I used to find with iphones.
As long as Murena sticks to it’s guiding principle - “your data is your data”, then I will continue to be happy with my phone. But, if I start seeing that this principle is being watered down, I will have to consider moving away from e/os. After all, Google’s slogan was " Don’t be evil". Apple once advertised the iphone “Privacy, That’s iPhone”. How things can change!
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Quick reminder inbetween:
It was already established that in this case a device-specific part got inherited from LineageOS, as /e/OS is based on LineageOS …
Which, of course, shouldn’t happen with the observed result, but there was precedent …
So, the way to fix it should be the same …
It happened before, and it got checked by developers before. It can be checked by developers now … Report an issue.
(In case a current GitLab issue about this already exists it’s my mistake to be struck with momentary blindness.)
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I also found security issues in v3.0, but I’ll probably wait, maybe they’ll notice themselves.
on https://images.ecloud.global/{buld type}/{device name}, all versions of 3.0 were removed, so maybe they’ve already noticed.
Thank you for the clarification regarding the Google Assistant issue being inherited from LineageOS. I understand that /e/OS is based on LineageOS and that some device-specific components are carried over. However, what I don’t understand is why /e/ Foundation seems to trust the upstream source blindly. LineageOS, as a project, never promised security to its users—only a de-googled experience. But as an /e/OS user, I expect the promises of privacy and security made by /e/ Foundation to be upheld.
If this is not an isolated incident, it raises serious concerns about the overall security of /e/OS. It means that, in the event of a compromise in the LineageOS supply chain or a vulnerability in the vendor files (as happened with the xz backdoor incident), users expecting a secure OS could instead be exposed to backdoors or other risks.
For me personally, this situation has caused me to lose trust in /e/OS as a secure operating system. At this point, I don’t see a solution to this issue, and I am left questioning the safety of continuing to use /e/OS.
I believe that it will not be too difficult thanks to the research by @tcecyk to adjust the affected builds if we can get someone to Report an issue. This will also require some testing, I don’t know if we have testers for alioth and other affected devices.
There could be a danger if we have no ROM maintainer and no testers that the affected devices may be dropped; lead devs will certainly want to take some action.
Edit Action: builds withdrawn as far as I see at this time.
In order to expedite a report here is an editable_by_all table if more affected users would care to add to it.
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the existing gitlab issue has a device list in the comments. At least the Oneplus commonized repos are pre-existing at the /e/gitlab to boot off prop.f lines. Merging continually will take some amount of effort.
The decompiled apk doesn’t look like doing any networking, just the glue between waking up and relaying. I can’t get behind the general Google Angst in a Google OS, there’s a lot more potent+closed firmware without a google string in the package name that doesn’t cause outrage.
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Where did you get this trust from in the first place?
Please can you clarify the actual OS from which your Google rich image was taken.
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Yeah that irks the hell out of me when bundled apps can not be disabled or uninstalled from the Apps section of Settings. They seem to do that a lot on Android for no apparent reason.
“Find my Device” is actually a feature I really want so I’ll definitely enable it. However the big disappointment for me is it seems there’s no Murena Workspace access to it through a browser. Evidently it’s done through SMS using another phone…FAIL. I’m hoping FMD browser access will be added to Murena Workspace sometime in the near future.
All they had to do was remove the “Don’t” and their slogan would be appropriate. When they ran under the original founders they really weren’t evil. They were actually the good guys. When the founders sold out, Google went full on corporate which equates to full on evil.
LOS does not advertise separation from Google, they advertise security. We have /e/os to offer a de-googled version of LOS.
As far as Google Assistant, I don’t want that abomination on my phone at all. However it’s just something inherited from LOS that slipped through. It can be disabled which would probably be good enough for me or otherwise uninstalled using ADB. No harm no foul.
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I edited the table I did not report lemonadep.
I report that the google assistant is not in the following phones at eOS 3.0 a14;
Google Pixel 6a blujay
OnePlus Nord avicii
Samsung gta4lwifi (tablet)
I would update my other phones but it looks like updates have been pulled. I think that maybe the case in point in this thread may be the exception not the rule. Maybe others at eOS 3.0 a14 can report if the google assistant is present.
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True, on a OP 9 Pro with freshly installed 3.0 community (as there’s only community builds for this device) it as well brings two instances of “Google Assistant 13”, but I assume that they are data-related inactive. The app size is only 28,67 kB, as well, which should be (ways) too small for a fully functional Google assistant.
The “why” gets understandable thanks to the information delivered by @tcecyk and others.
I assume the same, it doesn’t seem to have any functional connectivity. But that’s just my amateur analysis.
I’m new at this foundation, there’s a lot of experience with hardware and partly software, but I’m no expert regarding android programming.
Still found around two to three bugs which I would like to report. And one aspect which could be mentioned, as it works, technically, without disadvantages (while being described as problematic in the FAQ / install manual).
Is there a place for reporting those bugs?
(I’ll stay with E OS, even as the version builds were withdrawn, it’s for this phone one of the most promising solutions so far and I am positively impressed by the thoughts which went into E OS.)
An image showing it, based on actual (now withdrawn) e-3.0 build:
For lemonadep I’m willing to test (even by plain usage, as I’ll still use the build withdrawn for now).
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Hi @Fox welcome to the /e/ forum and thanks for confirming the Google presence on lemonadep. Apologies @Jets for misreading your perfectly clear report when I was reading a personal text copy of this thread; thanks for making the edit.
Personally I feel issues should be kept independent unless they look positively connected. There are at least two options with reporting issues.
- Many will report an issue in the Feedback thread Feedback for v3.0; this gives others a chance to comment, help or reinforce.
- This links the procedure to Report an issue direct to devs. As a new user you will almost certainly come across Getting an error message in new ID creation on /e/OS Gitlab?. Please read that if affected then come back here and specifically ask for help if you want it to get registered. As it requires real ID the help will by Private message with an Admin off the forum.
I am sure you would be welcome as a tester and that way you can hope to get rid of the visible Google contamination more quickly.
Of course as mentioned above this Google contamination is not yet reported by a first hand affected user (preferred method as devs can be in touch with the reporter and thus the device). It has been mentioned along with a very similar historic Closed issue Google apps found in /e/ system on Essential PH-1 (mata) (#4412) · Issues · e / Backlog · GitLab
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Hello @aibd ,
thank you for the friendly welcome and information, that helps a lot!
As it isn’t sure if those bugs are only related to the OnePlus 9 Pro - or a number of devices (or community builds, as could be possible) or all of e OS actual v3, I’ll post in the Feedback-thread.
That thread seems like a good idea for cross-checking with other users of same and different devices / official or community builds, if the bugs happen for them, as well.
I’ll have to check if the bugs were already reported, maybe those are already well known.
You mean that it is not reported at the Gitlab?
How far the forum topics here, including repeatedly verified issues or bugs - are noted by developers wasn’t clear to me, so depending if it works & helps, might register at the Gitlab as well.