multiple Android versions outdated.

What's the pragmatic consequence of that? Are the security risk actually that great because Android architecture isn't that secure or rather isn't there a smaller and smaller amount of hard to execute exploit anyway that yes being up to date is always more secure yet only marginally so?

I'm asking because I worry that always playing faster catch up with Google leave them in charge.

Ah, glad you asked because this is precisely what I highlighted to a friend yesterday : it works, even that!

I make online purchases, like train tickets here in Belgium on the go, with the phone, via the website of SNCB (the national railroad) or any most other commercial website basically. So yes at least some banking apps do work, as I can't obviously confirm for ALL of them.

In practice you get App Lounge in anonymous mode, letting you download and install apps from the (proxied AFAICT) Play Store. So you do not need to login to any store yet can install apps beyond solely F-Droid. That being said the vast majority of Apps I use come from F-Droid or directly install the .apk via adb.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions as they come. I'm not /e/OS expert but this was the last piece in my transition from proprietary tech and walled gardens, so I admit very glad I tried and happy with the result!

PS: maybe /eOS work with a phone you or a friend has, see doc.e.foundation/devices

been running linux and bsd for 15 years, and now I’ve realized that my phone and the services I use have been a blind spot.

Exactly! Few months ago a friend was home and I was proudly showcasing my HomeAssistant on RPi, all ZigBee, no non-standards IoT, no vendor lock-in, SteamDeck to play on Linux, streaming videos with VLC on my video projector via miniDLNA, etc. He was impressed... then asked "Right, and what's your phone?" to which I, quite ashamed, had to confess I was relying on an iPhone. It was secure, no Android, etc. On that day I thought "Ok... ok I got PinePhones, I got other gadgets but somehow this specific part of my digital life is wrong!" and thought I should try, even if it wouldn't work, something else. I also wanted, due to geopolitics (sadly), a non American solution so checked volla.online/ which looked wonderful but too expensive for a test. Noticed Murena, French based, refurbished or even new phones but much lower price but still paying for service and I hope for /e/OS maintenance and voila, found a compromise that works for me for now!

S,T,U are build versions, where S and T are official and U is community. You can see a discussion on community.e.foundation/t/diffe…

Difference between /e/OS builds

Murena proudly present: Stable builds for FP2, a device never sold by Murena 😉 … /e/OS stable FP2 download Let’s say stable builds originally were intended for devices sold by Murena (or the e foundation back then), but it didn’t stay this clear-cu…

^{/e/OS community}

I live in the EU and thus I can travel pretty far away without having to ever show my ID card. Maybe it’s just personal experience but whenever I had to show it, no-one cared about it wasn’t valid anymore.

Another trick is acting stupid: “Oh, thank you! I didn’t notice! When would a normal person check that, eh? 🙂 … Right on next Monday I’ll going to renew it!” and then hasta la vista, we won’t meet ever again anyways.

The next time I have to renew it, is in 2031. I guess I won’t renew it till 2040.

depending on how you look, what your hair & skin colour is, you may be checked "randomly" while you're walking home or when you're crossing borders on a train. If your ID isn't valid, they won't just "not care about it"

that polite policeman passing you by with a "good day" would wake me up on the train to ~~check~~ harass me to see if i'm hiding who knows what in my testicles 🤬

Maybe it’s just personal experience

your experience doesn't reflect Europe, it is a commentary about what you see in the mirror

depending on how you look

… and even more where you cross the border. If I want to go (like in “just walk there”) from Poland to Germany, I could use this bridge for example:

It’s really just an ordinary bridge across a river, no border patrol, no ID check, nothing. Just walk from one country into another.

Or if I want to cross the border from Germany to France, I could just use that publicly accessible hiking path:

(Seen from French side, the barrier where the people sit is the whole border crossing point.) And this bridge with a view brings you from France to Spain.

Except border check points you’ll find luxury housing on French side and commercial buildings (stores and some warehouses) on Spain side.

At no point in that imaginary journey (now that I think about it, this would make a great road trip with hiking parts) you need your ID card when you travel to another country.

Long story short: It’s really easy to cross borders in the EU.

☞ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectiv…

Selective perception is the tendency to not notice and more quickly forget stimuli that cause emotional discomfort and contradict prior beliefs. For example, a teacher may have a favorite student because they are biased by in-group favoritism. The teacher ignores the student's poor attainment. Conversely, they might not notice the progress of their least favorite student. It can also occur when consuming mass media, allowing people to see facts and opinions they like while ignoring those that do not fit with particular opinions, values, beliefs, or frame of reference. Psychologists believe this process occurs automatically.

Selective perception has roots in cognitive psychology, where it is studied as a fundamental part of how individuals filter and process information based on biases, expectations, and past experiences. It is closely related to concepts like confirmation bias—favoring information that aligns with one’s beliefs—and cognitive dissonance, the discomfort of holding conflicting thoughts, both of which shape perception. Its applications extend beyond psychology, playing key roles in marketing (shaping consumer focus), politics (influencing voter perception), and mental health (understanding biases in disorders), highlighting its impact on both individual behaviors and societal trends.

This is it. Yes, a registration/ID system can make the tasks of a tyrannical government slightly easier, but not having one didn't exactly stop ICE raids. On the contrary, having such a system would make it much easier for legal immigrants to prove that they are legal and it could help them against illegal deportation due to misidentification.

And in any case the problem is the tyrannical government, not the ID system.