European Alternatives to Android

European alternatives to Android are few, because a phone needs both an operating system and hardware that runs it. The directory lists five: /e/OS and Murena (France), Volla (Germany), Jolla with Sailfish OS (Finland) and Ubuntu Touch (Germany). Android is the mobile operating system of Google LLC in the United States. Its core is open source, but most phones ship with Google Mobile Services, the layer of Google apps and accounts that many apps rely on.

Why people look for an Android alternative

• Google services on the phone. Google account sign-in, Play Services and the Play Store belong to the standard Android setup. The systems listed here remove them or make them optional.
• Control over data and defaults. The app store, search engine and cloud can be chosen freely, and some systems add tracker controls.

Two kinds of Android alternatives

Android without Google. /e/OS, Murena and Volla OS are built on open-source Android code without Google apps and services. /e/OS comes from the French e Foundation, and Murena sells phones with it. Volla OS uses the open-source microG for apps that expect Google Play Services, according to Volla. Because the Android base stays, most Android apps keep working.

Linux-based systems. Sailfish OS from Jolla is a Linux-based mobile system that runs many Android apps through Jolla AppSupport. Ubuntu Touch is developed by the UBports community and its German foundation and has its own app store. On some devices Android apps run through Waydroid, but according to the UBports documentation, apps that need Google's Play Integrity, such as banking apps, are unlikely to work.

What to check before switching

Question	Why it matters
Is the phone model supported?	Each system runs on a list of devices. Murena, Volla and Jolla sell phones with their own system.
Do the key apps run?	Banking, payment and some streaming apps can refuse to start without Google services. Test them first.
Where do contacts, photos and messages live?	Back them up and check how they sync without a Google account.
Can the phone be unlocked?	Installing another system usually needs an unlockable bootloader, which can affect the manufacturer's warranty.

Not listed: GrapheneOS

GrapheneOS is a security-focused system with Android app compatibility for supported Google Pixel phones. It is not a European project, so it is not listed here. The categories operating systems and smartphone brands show more options, and European alternatives to Google covers the wider Google ecosystem.