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 OnePlus 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]
