Android unexpected on my new "ungoogled" phone

Teracube 2e
#1

My new Teracube 2e just arrived and I was quite surprised to see “android 11” appear when it was turned on.

I bought this phone because it said it would have the e OS preloaded and I thought this was promoted as a google-free phone!

I am new to this community and have not been able to find anything that will reassure me that I will be able to use this phone without any interaction with google. I am willing to do without any app that would be required to use the play store.

If this is not the right place to find out about this, please help me get to the right place.

Thanks for any assistance.

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#2

The /e/ OS is still based on the Android Open Source Project. It is un-Googled in the sense that it doesn’t run any Google apps or send data to Google. You should do some research on it to see if it will meet your needs. There are phones/software that don’t use Android at all but they are harder to find and have their own tradeoffs.

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#3

Where did you purchase your TeraCube 2e?

There are two variants, one that runs regular Google, and the Murena T2e which comes with /e/OS.

#4

This is the one I bought, direct from e solutions shop.

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#5

Thanks for your response.

I saw some comments on a forum about at least some google apps being on these phones by default. I have not found a proper User Guide to help me learn about this phone. Only a few notes, nothing comprehensive.

The second response to this inquiry has a link to the selling page for this phone. It refers to its OS as “deGoogled.”

#6

This is interesting. Can you (or anyone) provide some links to where I could learn more about these Android-free phones?

Thanks!

#7

Does it say /e/ OS anywhere? Could you share some pictures of the booting screen or your home screen?

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#8

Attached are photos of the three things seen during start-up, including the default “on” screen.

IMG_20220414_144532057
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IMG_20220414_144613499_HDR
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#9

That looks like the /e/OS default wallpaper, and that stylized e looks like their boot logo.

#10

Yes, but where can I get information about how to ensure that there is nothing google happening on my new phone?
Thanks

#11

That is the main feature of /e/ OS - no google stuff. You can read more on the /e/ website and their forums.

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#12

Hi, I just received a placement today and I opened it up and it does not have the e/ OS platform. I was expecting it to look like my last 2e but it shows stock google Android OS. How can this be changed? A little frustrating to have this surprise

#13

You can follow the instructions here (depends if it is the 2021 or 2022 model):
2021:
https://doc.e.foundation/devices/2e

2022:
https://doc.e.foundation/devices/emerald

#14

Sharad,
Thank you for this link. It looks like exactly what I needed. I have started reviewing the Getting Started section.

#15

For anyone else who is not so tech-y, like me, or new to alternative Operating Systems (OS), it may be helpful to mention that it looks like the User Manuals nowadays are more about the OS (software / computer codes) than the physical phones (hardware).

This is a distinction I had not encountered before and would explain why I was unable to find a user manual for my new phone. The user manual appears to be for my new OS instead.