DivestOS
Discontinued, open source, Android operating system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DivestOS was an open source, Android operating system. It was a soft fork of LineageOS that aimed to increase security and privacy with support for end-of-life devices.[4] It removed many proprietary blobs and pre-installed open source apps.[5]
| DivestOS | |
|---|---|
 DivestOS homescreen on a Fairphone 4 | |
| Developer | Tavi[1] |
| OS family | Android (Linux) |
| Working state | Discontinued[2] |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | 31 December 2014 |
| Final release | December 18th 2024 Update[3] / 18 December 2024 |
| Repository | gitlab |
| Marketing target | Privacy/Security-focused operating system replacement for Android devices |
| Update method | Over-the-air (OTA) or locally |
| Package manager | |
| Supported platforms | ARM |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
| License | GPL |
| Official website | "DivestOS". Archived from the original on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2025. |
DivestOS builds were signed with release-keys so bootloaders may be re-locked on supported devices.[a] An automated CVE patcher was used to patch the kernels against many known vulnerabilities.[6]
DivestOS included few default applications. F-Droid was included, as well as Hypatia, a "real-time malware scanner" and Carrion, a robocall blocker.[6]
History
The DivestOS project began in 2014, with the first properly signed builds being released in 2015.[7]
Public release of DivestOS was announced on F-Droid forums in June 2020.[5]
In December 2024, Tavi announced the discontinuation of DivestOS, its apps (notably the firefox-based browser Mull) and XMPP Chatrooms. Whilst the mobile operating system was discontinued, the announcement elaborated that non-mobile Divest projects would continue to receive maintenance.[2]
Supported devices
Reception
In February 2022, TechTracker.in said DivestOS is one of few custom ROMs focusing on security and privacy, with monthly and incremental updates.[9]
GNU/Linux.ch Linux and Freie Software News called DivestOS "relatively new and ambitious" and said it supports many devices, both newer and older.[10]
DevsJournal called DivestOS 18.1 one of the best custom ROMs for the One Plus One phone.[11]
DivestOS' Hypatia malware scanner for Android, and how to use their F-Droid repository, was reviewed by Gadget Hacks in March 2021.[12]
In March 2023, the 2022 Free Software Foundation Award for Outstanding New Free Software Contributor went to Tad (SkewedZeppelin), chief developer of the DivestOS project.[13][14]
Forks of DivestOS and apps from DivestOS
Advanced XPerience OS (AXP OS)
AXP OS from SteadyfasterX was forked from DivestOS. The core element was that you got a DivestOS-like OS that was rooted, but where the bootloader could still be locked[15]. Since the end of DivestOS, SteadyfasterX has continued AXP OS with two flavors. AXP OS Slim is primarily the continuation of DivestOS, while AXP OS Pro is the continuation of the former AXP OS[16]. Meanwhile, AXP OS is based on Android 15[17].
Hypatia
Hypatia is being continued by the MaintainTeam[18]. AXP OS also develops its own continuation, “LoveLaceAV”[19].
Mull
Mull is being continued as a fork called “IronFox” by IronFox OSS[20].
Mulch
Mulch is being continued in AXP OS called “AOSmium”[21].
