I need a bit of advice from those who have used /e/OS for awhile. I’ve got a pair of Moto 5G 2024s on sale to replace my parents very aged devices. For the sake of longevity and improved privacy, I am going to flash them with either LineageOS or /e/OS.
/e/OS is new to me and I have concerns, but I want to give it a fair consideration before making my choice. Could someone help me answer the following?
Can I get Nextcloud Talk (with push notifications through google services, no F-droid version) but never touch anything from CleanAPK(dot)org? Basically does AppLounge use CleanAPK for apps from the Play Store.
If 1’s answer does involve CleanAPK, will there be any system conflicts if I use the Aurora Store alongside AppLounge?
Is it true that LineageOS will support a device longer than /e/OS? I know /e/OS is based on Lineage, but will /e/OS support a device as long as LineageOS continues to support it?
Should I be concerned about /e/OS in the same manner that I do about niche Linux distros? Politely asking, is it better to stay with the mainstream LineageOS for its larger user-base, swifter updates, and being directly based on ASOP instead of a smaller derivative with a lesser-known history.
Does the delay from ASOP to LineageOS to /e/OS to the client device concern any of the long-term /e/OS users?
I appreciate the work that the developers of /e/OS have done, so please don’t read these questions in a harsh way. I’m just try to make the best decision I can. Thanks All.
For context, I daily drive GrapheneOS and have deployed LineageOS on many devices, so I’m not concerned about the flashing and configuring process. Just seeing if /e/OS is right for these circumstances.
Sounds like you’re well-versed in the custom ROM scene, so I’ll skip the basics, and share my raw opinion:
Yes, you can get the Play Store version of Nextcloud Talk, and it will be fetched using the Google Play API, not the CleanAPK API. Sources of Applounge are: Playstore and (F-Droid and PWA) so both. i get apps with google services all the time, it works.
Yes, you can absolutely use the Aurora Store alongside AppLounge without any system conflicts. (personal experience, i have done it for a while)
It is very likely that LineageOS will maintain support for a device longer than /e/OS. It is almost certain that /e/OS will not support a device after LineageOS has dropped it.
Valid point but not really, e/os has Murena on it’s back it has a whole work space. (i have moved to docs and sheets etc to Murena as well from e/os) i get the analogy is Linux distros as well, and personally that it not the part that bothers me. rather having Murena , and Fairphones (and other launches) stand it out.
The delay is real. but then again e/os just works for me, i am still on Android 14 e/os when i can move to A16 in some other ROMS. but in my personal experience, i get so much smoother feels, performance, battery, Advance privacy, Murena workspace (so no to other sheets/docs etc) all out of the box. it all makes it worth. (plus the Bliss launcher is just lovely)
(typed in a hurry without spell check so might edit later to fix typos if any)
@cwasiey Thank you for the response! I appreciate you covering the individual points.
I wrote the original post because /e/OS does genuinely add some nice feature over stock LineageOS. You’re definitely right, the Bliss launcher is very friendly and easy to navigate. Also, I wouldn’t need to add/manage DAVx5 for Nextcloud Contacts/Calendars as /e/OS’s account manager is already baked in. Just to name a few things.
If it wasn’t for needing push notification on Nextcloud Talk, I’ve got them running exclusively on F-droid apps already. So if I understand it right, AppLounge is like the Auroura Store for Play apps, but CleanAPK(dot)org is still uses in some fashion for PWAs and F-droid apps. Therefore I would still install the F-Droid store, if I wanted to avoid this 3rd-party.
If my understanding is right, I think I have enough information to make a good choice. @cwasiey again thanks for taking time out of your day to help me on this.
yep you got that sorted. The app lounge gets the google play store apps from google api. and the Fdroid and PWAs via CleanAPK, so we can use F droid directly to avoid that.
I personally have Aurora and F droid both installed in addition to the default AppLounge and have uninstalled the AppLounge, just because i want to have a separation in what i get from where (play store vs Foss), as a personal preference.