Given the recent issues cropping up with Aurora’s Anon functionality this is a very helpful link to me 
This is also massively useful, thanks @itsMe. I’ve seen both sides of this in the wild, but an actual paper is always something I appreciate having to hand
think about the vast majority of people that use Android - can they identify and remove remove ad/tracking components? can they read source code? can they read source code? can they compile source code (not every developer releases packages)? what would they compile it on? apparently a lot of people don’t even have a PC anymore
For the vast majority of free software, this isn’t an issue because they publish APKs. I wouldn’t expect most people to build apps and I certainly wouldn’t commit to that even though I know how. I haven’t come across a free software developer that doesn’t release APKs. Do you know of one?
Most people, including myself, do not read the source code of free software projects. We just trust it’s good and that other people have read it. It’s…not the best, but what can you do? F-Droid doesn’t read the source code either! They run some automated tests to check for certain things.
Additionally, Obtainium easily supports Signal’s standalone ‘harm-reduction’ APK, which cannot be packaged on F-Droid because Signal believes F-Droid’s security is not good enough.
On the subject of F-Droid demanding the client be free of ads and trackers—the ads part is certainly true, but trackers cannot be meaningfully defeated by focusing on the client. Most apps today are just clients that connect to a server somewhere, and that server is free to store, analyze, and distribute any information about you to anyone, and you wouldn’t have a clue about it. Even the most privacy-friendly client won’t save you if you’re connecting to a double-crossing server, but of course, it’s better to have a less chatty client.
also there’s the huge convenience of a one-stop-shop that catalogs and categorizes the software
In my experience, people don’t find new software on app stores; they get recommendations from friends or on social media. I could be wrong about this. This is a nice benefit for at least some users, though, I’m sure, so +1 to F-Droid.
The sad thing is I still can’t find a free software Japanese keyboard that isn’t in permanent alpha… I’ve just resolved to not write Japanese on my phone.
I will reiterate the most worthwhile benefit of F-Droid is it only accepts software which does not depend on non-free libraries. A lot of Android software depends on Google’s libraries to support features like push notifications and sometimes obtaining your current location. But the other thing to consider is that if these developers are shipping a version of their software like that on F-Droid, you can probably get the same APK directly from them with Obtainium.
I think F-Droid has done a great amount of good for free software on Android, and continues to do so. I do much prefer Obtainium personally.
I, too, use Obtainium and recommend it to everyone. It’s quite handy and useful.
The Fairphone is getting a limited release in the US and will have /e/OS preinstalled.
Bought one. It will be here soon.
please do report back, I’m interested in how it handles 
I’m on day 4 of daily use.
The phone is large. Not as large as an iPhone 14 supermax biggie tho. It’s also thick which makes it easier to grip. Both things I like because I have large hands and I hated the whole super slim, super slick phone craze that made you feel like you were holding a double edge knife by the blade. It is a bit heavier than the iPhone mentioned above.
The hardware is all solid mid-range. I don’t play games on phones so it does everything fast enough for me without annoying lag. The screen is big and clear. The camera is midrange too which works for me since I don’t take many pictures. But if you have to have cutting edge tech then look for a premium phone.
For US users: they are only recommending use on T-Mobile and the discount telecoms that use T-Mobile network. I’ve seen some speculation as to why AT&T is not recommended but it’s all speculation so I won’t get into it.
eOS runs very smoothly. The version of eOS that comes with the Fairphone 4 is based on Android 12 and they promise updates for a really long time.
5G works great. The phone seems to switch to 5G much faster than 4G on my old phone did when WiFI cuts out. I’m not sure if this is a phone thing or a 5G thing but it is more seamless.
I won’t get into a whole eOS review here. I like it because eOS just quietly works in the background like an operating system should. It’s not flashy nor is it full of high drama like Windows used to be. And unlike Apple they leave the app choices up to us the users. I really like the eOS app store since it gives a privacy rating for each app. eOS figures you are an adult and if you want to install an app with a terrible privacy rating they let you do it, but they try and warn you.
Back to hardware. Things I don’t like. There is no little flashing LED notification light like most Android phones have had. I grew to like it over the years because I could tell something was waiting for me at a glance and I miss it. The weight takes some getting used to. I carry the phone in my shirt pocket and you can definitely feel it. But it’s a worthwhile trade-off for Fairphone being built to be repairable.
If you have questions I’ll try and answer.
I now own a Pixel 6a, which is the smallest device in the lineup. I still find it too big at times. Regardless of my palm size, I find it slipping out when I wear loose-fitting shorts (so, sports), which never happened with the iPhone.
Not so much a question as a “can you corroborate this experience?”
The overlap in how we use phones is close enough to be a circle.
Typical question for a person with so much disassembled kit around about my desk, have you opened it up and had a poke about; if so, how does the modular nature of it feel?
I’m a pretty stubborn mender of friends’ phones, mostly iPhones, and to me the main hardware factor (ignoring the sea change of stopping waste, marketing etc.) is whether or not it feels like you’re actually disassembling a phone when you mend it. My Framework feels almost like tech Lego to muck about with, so I’d confidently recommend it (price tag notwithstanding) to people who haven’t done this kind of fine work before, but I wonder how this approach translates to something so… small, relatively speaking
I can’t corroborate, sorry. I’ve been carrying my last 3 phones in my shirt pocket and all 3 would bounce out if I tried to do sports. I generally put a silicone case/bumper on my phones to offer some drop protection but also more grip surface. Perhaps that would help provide more pocket friction?
I’ve had a look and it looks very modular and intended for disassembly. Every component is held in place by tiny standard Philips screws. Things are layered so you may have to take a few things out to get down to, for example the screen.
The back is removable without tools. I had to remove the battery (no tools) to put the SIM card in then drop the battery back in place. That’s when I had my look around, but I didn’t try and take anything apart.
From the looks of it, this is a legit repairable product.
A couple of things I forgot from my review above.
A. There are two fingerprint lock readers: one on the on/off switch and one center screen. I forgot to mention them because I only use PIN lock. Because of uncertainty of US state and federal laws I can’t be physically forced to unlock my phone with a fingerprint if I don’t use it.
B. Dislike: There is no earbud jack. Not a big deal for me since I don’t listen to podcasts or music on my phone. But wired earbuds are dirt cheap and available at any dollar store, whereas rechargeable wireless earbuds just seem like an over complicated, not very green, “solution” to a problem that didn’t exist.
C. No wireless charging. I’m lazy so it was nice to just set a phone down on a charger plate on my nightstand and let it charge. But connecting a cable isn’t a big deal and Fairphone does rapid charging which is nice.
I’ve been carrying my last 3 phones in my shirt pocket and all 3 would bounce out if I tried to do sports.
It’s not so much while I’m doing sports, but when I’m wearing them, perhaps in the car driving to and from the sports center. It’s dropped out of my shorts two times since I bought it. And I don’t really have a shirt pocket, haha.
A proper case is a good suggestion. I ended up spending money on the default Google ‘case’ for some reason—I clearly wasn’t thinking straight.