Replaces Android
European alternatives to Android
Mobile operating systems built in Europe
Browse the category: Mobile operating systems
Android is the open source mobile operating system that runs on phones and tablets from a long list of manufacturers. The base platform, AOSP, is freely licensed, but the version shipped on most retail devices leans on Google's proprietary layer, in particular Google Play Services, for app distribution, push messaging, location and account handling. That combination is what most people mean when they say Android.
The reason to look further is usually that proprietary layer: it ties the phone to accounts and telemetry handled by a US company, which is awkward for organisations with rules about where personal data is processed. A European alternative to Android replaces those services with its own. /e/OS builds on the Android base while swapping out the Google layer, and Sailfish OS is an independently developed mobile system with its own interface and application model.
European options 2
Our pick
/e/OS
Google free mobile operating system from France
/e/OS is an open source mobile operating system based on Android, developed by the /e/foundation in France and shipped as the default system on Murena smartphones. It comes without Google apps and services, using the open source microG to stand in for the Google APIs so most Android apps still run, and it installs on over 200 handsets.
FranceOpen source
FinlandQuestions
Will my Android apps still run?
App compatibility is the main thing to test. /e/OS is built on the Android base and Sailfish OS has its own approach to Android applications, so check each project's documentation and its list of supported devices before you commit.
Which devices can I install these on?
Both projects publish supported device lists, and /e/OS is also sold preinstalled on some handsets. Start from that list rather than from the phone you already own.
Is there a free European option instead of Android?
/e/OS and Sailfish OS both have freely available components, though the licensing and the paid options differ per project. Read the current terms on each project's own site before rolling devices out to a team.