Frequently Asked Questions

iodé is composed of an international team (french and german) of experts in cybersecurity and design. Our team is developing an Android-based privacy-focused operating system (iodéOS).
iodé sells refurbished and new iodé smartphones (phones with iodéOS built-in).

Studies and scandals have shown the constant data collection performed by tech actors on Android, and how far it goes.
The risks are too big, and the Google-Apple duo monopolizes smartphones sales which are the main source of data breaches. We need more solutions to protect our privacy.

iodé is a privacy-friendly alternative solution. iodé is based on open source components, iodé is eco-friendly, iodé is made in Europe.

• iodé smartphones are ethical: we sell refurbished (in France) phones as well as new modular phones from social companies.
• iodéOS permanently blocks unwanted data collection therefore reducing the phone’s energy consumption.
• iodéOS integrates a privacy-friendly selection of apps which are less energy-consuming that default ones on classical android smartphones.

iodé’s income exclusively comes from:

• smartphone sales
• premium subscriptions
• donations

We sell iodé smartphones in the European Union (EU), as well as the following countries in Europe: Switzerland, Norway, United Kingdom (UK).

Our European refurbisher partners run hardware tests on more than 40 control points, and the battery is of course one of them. The testing procedures are adapted to each brand & model with smartphone manufacturers certified tools.
The battery is replaced if its charging capacity is below 85%.

Our iodé refurbished phones come with 2 esthetic grades: A & B. Before explaining the differences between the 2, it is to be noted that the esthetic grade attribution of a phone is done after its reconditioning. This means the phone is 100% functional regardless of its grade.

• Grade A: device in good shape. It presents micro scratches on the case or the screen, which are invisible when it is ON.
• Grade B: device with more pronounced scratches. They have no incidence on the use of the phone.

iodé phones are available online through our e-shop. You can order through credit card, Paypal, instant
bank transfer, and even cryptocurrencies.

You can also buy a iodé phone @ “L’atelier du Smartphone”, a local shop in Toulouse, France.

It depends on the model. Our refurbished iodé phones all come with a 1-year warranty, while the warranty is extended for new iodé models:

• Fairphone 3+ comes with 2-year warranty ✓
• Teracube 2E with 4-year warranty ✓
• Fairphone 4 with 5-year warranty ✓

This warranty period differs from the software updates period (see ‘How long is the software updates warranty period?’ for more information).

Totally.

iodéOS has special features to protect your kids from getting spied on their phone, such as password protection, adult’s content and network blocking. We actually wrote an article about it here and we will soon update tutorials on how to set up a iodé phone for your kid.

You will receive a notification on your iodé smartphone for every system update. By clicking on it, you will be redirected to the manager where you can download the latest update. Once downloaded, you will need to click on ‘install’. The phone will install the update and automatically reboot. We strongly invite you to always keep the system up to date.

The microG services replace Google Play services on your iodé smartphone. They allow you, among other services, to choose Google’s alternative geolocation modules. 2 modules are coupled by default: ‘Déjà vu’ & ‘Mozilla Location Service’.
‘Google Cloud Messaging’ (GCM) is a push notifications provider; it allows you to receive notifications on your iodé smartphone and a lot of android apps rely on it. We have activated the GCM provider by default, but you can deactivate it from the microG settings panel.

With iodéOS, you can also uninstall any preinstalled apps such as microG directly from the setup wizard or any time later.

iodé’s recipients blocking relies on Open Source collaborative databases and are perpetually updated. You can select and/or combine different recipient blocking types and categories:

• Standard
  List: Basic Pack, Blocked recipients: 405106
• Reinforced:
  • Socials:
    List: Social Extension, Blocked recipients: 3936
  • Porn:
    List: Porn Pack, Blocked recipients: 315937
  • Extreme:
    Lists: Ultimate Pack + Regional Extension + Xtreme Extension,  Blocked recipients: 588862
• Or customize your own protection!

On top of blocking recipients, iodé also lets you block the following networks:

• Wifi
• Mobile data
• VPN

The diference between iodé’s network blocking and Android network blocking

is explained in a separate question (“How does iodé’s network blocking differ from Android’s network blocking?”)

On top of blocking recipients, iodé also lets you block the following networks:

• Wi-Fi
• Mobile data
• VPN

To explain further, with iodé you can either select to block any network above, or combine them.
The diference between iodé’s network blocking and Android network blocking occurs here: with iodé, selecting a network type to be blocked exclusively blocks it and independantly to the others whereas Android doesn’t follow the same principle and considers that if you block the Wi-Fi, then the VPN will also be blocked.

There are generally 2 reasons an app might not run properly on iodéOS:

• the lack of Google Play Services, which are partially replaced by microG services. Unfortunately all services are not implemented in microG, causing certain apps to dysfunction.
• the iodé firewall being too restrictive for this app and blocking too many recipients. To check if the firewall is responsible, unblock the app from the iodé interface (settings -> blocking selection), select the app, remove all blocking and then relaunch the app.

In certain cases and for various reasons (issues in the data & preference storage, system freezing,…) an app might start being dysfunctional after a while  & systematically stops running while opening it. Try in this case to uninstall and reinstall it or directly clear its storage (Settings -> Apps -> ‘app’ -> Storage and cache -> Clear storage), and relaunch it.

You will also find a non-exhaustive community list of the concerned apps here. It is to be noted that an app may start or stop running properly anytime on iodéOS for different reasons, causing this list to be outdated.

If you encounter issues to login to Aurora Store, there are chances the primary token dispenser is down. Please enable the secondary dispenser URL meanwhile.
1 – Go to Aurora Store Settings -> Networks -> Enable custom Tokenizer
2 – Enter this Tokenizer URL: http://www.auroraoss.in:8080
3 – Now retry Login as Anonymous

If Aurora Store you still can’t connect to Aurora Store, you may try to clear Aurora Store’s storage (Settings -> Apps -> Aurora Store -> Storage and cache -> Clear storage), and relaunch the application.

It has also happen before that you could only connect to Aurora Store using a Google account and not anonymously. But we do not invite you to consider this solution for your privacy.

1. On your keyboard, press and hold the newline key. An emoji icon will appear above
2. Slide your finger on the icon while maintaining its pressure.
3. They keys are now emojis!

Once connected to the device with USB, go to settings -> Connected Devices -> USB -> ‘Use USB for’ -> select ‘File transfer’

MicroG (preinstalled with iodéOS) spoofs Google Play Services & uses the same signature. Thus Aurora Store (which is a front-end to the Play Store) will show updates from MicroG services as ‘Google Play Services’, and F-Droid store as ‘MicroG Services’. As preintalled apps updates are done via F-Droid, the system will then reject the update in Aurora Store for security reasons.
If you don’t want Aurora Store to fetch updates from Google Play Services, you can blacklist the app in Aurora’s blacklist manager.

As you probably know, it is in our core values at iodé to provide a sustainable solution on top of protecting our users’ privacy. It is therefore among our priorities to expand the lifespan of smartphones by providing software updates as long as possible.

While it is hard to guarantee with certainty how long each of our supported models will get software updates (with different components such as the firmware, vendor blobs and hardware altering the period), our phones supports updates for at least 4 years for each iodéOS version. We are currently (2023) based on Android 13 (iodéOS 4) on all our phones except Teracube 2E & Samsung A5 which are based on iodéOS 2.

If you are looking for the longest software support, it may be best for you to opt for a recent hardware (Samsung S10 series, Fairphone 4) as we will be able to provide updates for a longer time.

MicroG services come built in iodéOS. They are an open-source & privacy-friendly re-implementation of the Google Play Services.
One of these services allows you to choose Google’s alternative location modules:

• “Apple Wi-Fi”: uses Apple’s service to resolve wifi locations. Location calculation is done onboard and wifi locations are cached to minimize data usage.
• “Déjà-vu”: uses locally acquired WLAN/WiFi AP and mobile/cellular tower data to resolve user location. Collectively, “WLAN/WiFi and mobile/cellular” signals will be called “RF emitters” below.
  Conceptually, this backend consists of two parts sharing a common database. One part passively monitors the GPS. If the GPS has acquired and has a good position accuracy, then the coverage maps for RF emitters detected by the phone are created and saved.
  The other part is the actual location provider which uses the database to estimate location when the GPS is not available.
  This backend uses no network data. All data acquired by the phone stays on the phone.
• “Local NLP Backend”: improved version of “Déjà-vu” which was previously activated by default with iodéOS. This module also has an active mode that can trigger GPS requests. To enable it: Settings -> System -> microG -> Location modules.
  “Local NLP Backend” is now replacing “Déjà-vu” and is activated by default with iodéOS.
• “Mozilla”: uses the Mozilla Location Service to resolve user location. Only the cell tower database is free. This module is activated by default with iodéOS.

To add your Gmail address to pEp, you would first need to add a Google account in Android settings. You can then add your address to pEp by selecting ‘Use Oauth 2.0 token’.

System updates are published in average every 2 months. You will receive a notification on each iodéOS update, redirecting you to the updater where you will be able to download and install the latest update. We strongly invite you to keep the system up-to-date.

We also publish beta updates more frequently. If you want to become a beta tester for iodé, we invite you to see ‘how to contribute to iodé’.

iodéOS has functionalities to help you extend the life of your smartphone such as:

• storage management
• battery management & partial charging
• the iodé blocker & its interface
• …iodé system updates!

More information on the subject here.

SI vous ne recevez pas les MMS et il vous est impossible de vous connecter à Internet, c’est que vous avez peut-être les points d’accès réseau (APN) mal configurés.

If you don’t receive MMS and can’t connect to the Internet, then you probably have a configuration issue with your Access Point Network (APN).

To verify if your APN are correctly configured, go to Android settings -> Network and internet -> Internet -> click on gearwheel next to your internet provider name -> Access pount names. A list of access points will appear. Visit your provider’s website and search for the right APN configurations. Compare them with the ones from your phone and modify them if necessary.

A message concerning the bootloader and the security of the device appears at each boot of certain iodé phone models. This message indicates that the bootloader is unlocked. Indeed, the bootloader is a program used to launch or install an alternative operating system, and must be unlocked by iodé beforehand

Your data on your iodé smartphone is encrypted following ‘File-Based Encryption’. Only you could decrypt using your lock password or schema and access your data, even if you lose your phone. An unlocked bootloader will only let a malicious person with few programming skills access ‘fastboot’ commands or the ‘recovery’ program and install a new operating system. Your data will not be accessible.

A few manufacturers like Fairphone allow bootloader relocking. If you order a iodé Fairphone 3+ or 4, the bootloader is therefore locked.

Verify first in Settings -> notifications -> App settings, that all toggles are checked.

iodéOS uses microG services: an open-source & privacy-friendly re-implementation of the Google Play Services. The ‘Google Cloud Messaging’ (GCM) push notification service, used by many apps & allowing them to send notifications to you, is activated by default. If you don’t receive these types of notifications it probably means that GCM was accidently unactivated. To reactivate it:

1. Go to Settings -> System -> microG -> Google device registration -> uncheck and check again ‘Register device’.
2. Go to Cloud Messaging -> uncheck and check again ‘Receive push notifications’.

You should now be receiving notifications from your apps.

To recap, a custom ROM is a modified version of Android that you install as your main firmware on your smartphone. iodéOS, as a fork of LineageOS is a privacy-focused custom ROM that you can download and install for free on over 40 phones and tablets models. But supporting and maintaining each device takes a lot of work. Especially when you release security updates on a monthly basis, and that one of your core values is sustainability which means you will try to maintain each device for as possible. That’s why, in the past, iode has supported a selective list of devices. That way, we could ensure that the devices we support run smoothly for our users, without us miscalculating the resources we have to maintain a device well.

A Generic System Image that can be installed on any Android device, the only prerequisite being that the bootloader can be unlocked. It’s easy to see the benefit of not being limited by certain device compatibilities, and instead being able to run your favorite software on any Android device you choose. You basically have more devices to choose from and you can even take your old smartphone out of your drawer and bring it back to life and use it as a small home server or music storage for your car or whatever you can think of.

Well, you can argue for both, really. The same argument, that a custom ROM has to be maintained specifically for a device and that’s a downside could be flipped upside down, stating that this ensures, that a custom ROM really runs smoothly on that device. With GSI, you don’t always get that one on one support for your specific device. Because, as we already mentioned, the whole purpose of GSIs is to make the image available on more phones. Now, that doesn’t need to be a bad thing, it can just mean that if a problem occurs, maybe it’s a bit more difficult to find help for your specific problem or your specific device. It could also be easy. You never really know.

We have a detailed instruction on how to install a GSI in this article.

We asked our community what they value most and the answer was: continue to develop and improve our main added value: the iodé blocker. Because your privacy and security are our main concern, we want to ensure that everyone can enjoy an open source operating system without Google trackers, benefiting from monthly updates and a permanent protection against malicious recipients of applications. This is why iodéOS will always remain free for everyone.
Maintaining the system and blocking lists, and perfecting the iodé blocker requires a full-time technical team on the project… We rely on your subscriptions! iodéOS Premium offers many more features for your whole family, such as monthly blocklist updates, enhanced anti-spyware blockings, and add-ons like child protection and customized blockings.

None! Well almost…
If you subscribe to a iodéOS Premium plan, your email address along with your hashed password will be saved in our WordPress database. These credentials will be used to connect your iodé phone with premium features and updates. In case you fill other optional informations, they will also be saved to our database and used for your monthly billings.
And that’s it! No logs, or other connection information is saved or used by our servers. The only information checked when you connect your iodé phone to your account is if your subscription is active or not. Nothing more.

If you opt for an annual subscription, you have the comfort of just one payment per year, which some users prefer and on top of that, we offer a 10% discount on annual subscriptions. So if you’re into less invoicing, you’ll also automatically save money. Sweet, isn’t it?
On the other hand If you just want to test the great features of iodéOS Premium, or if you are planning on using iodéOS Premium discontinuously then you should probably opt for the monthly subscription.

1. Connect to your account.
2. Go to the “subscriptions” tab, then click on “upgrade or downgrade”.
3. Select the subscription you want.

Let us know if you have any other questions regarding iodéOS Premium by writing to our customer support.

Due to plugin limitations, orders via wire transfer are currently limited to iodé phones only . If you want to subscribe to Premium via wire transfer, please contact us and we will manually create an annual subscription for you. For subscriptions, you can currently subscribe via credit card, or Paypal.

The iodé blocker is one of the main features of iodéOS. It is a built-in adblocker that automatically blocks trackers and malicious recipients in order to preserve your privacy and secure your data.

A tracker is a piece of software, often as part of an app, that is implemented to collect data about a user and their behavior and send that data back to the app developer and third parties, if third party integrations are built in (which is often the case). The tracker can extract personal data (your credentials or payment details), behavioral data (how often and when you use the app, which parts you interact with the most) and meta data (your location, your device type, your language, your screen size etc). Many apps include software by Google or Facebook, because that makes part of the development process faster and easier for the developer, but to the disadvantage of the end user, whose data is then being collected by these Big Tech companies. These are advertising companies who use and sell your data for profit.

The iodé adblocker runs permanently on your device by default. One way to detect a tracker is to monitor Internet activity, by intercepting connections coming in and out of the phone. This is a method actually used by hackers and is known as a MITM (Man In The Middle) attack. The iodé blocker uses this principle to trace the network activity such as network packet exchanges and DNS requests. It analyzes internet connections on the DNS level, in order to decide which addresses to block and which to serve you. Imagine having a machine blocking unwanted calls from that person you don‘t want to talk to anymore. That‘s kind of how it works.

DNS stands for “Domain Name System“. You can think of it as the phonebook of the Internet. When a computer (for example your laptop) connects to another computer (for example a server that hosts a website) over the internet in order to gather information, they do so by connecting via the Internet Protocol. Each computer has an IP address, just like phone numbers, so they know which device to connect to. Since remembering a bunch of numbers for each use case is not the most user friendly way to surf the web, humans invented DNS so they can type in actual words that are easier to remember than long lines of numbers. That way, you can visit our website by typing in www.iode.tech, instead of typing numbers into your browser.

As the blocker captures the DNS requests before they are transmitted to the system function that emits the DNS request, it is is independent of the kind of DNS server used by the system or set by an independent app: classical DNS on UDP port 53 or any other one, DNS over TLS (DoT), DNS over HTTPS (DoH) etc. What we do not support is DoH when it is natively built into applications, i.e. when an app communicates directly with a DoH server, without asking name resolution to the system. It would require to decrypt HTTPS packets between such an app and the DoH server, which may create a big security hole.

Once a DNS requests comes through, a communication channel (called network socket) is opened and data collection gets through. Without getting too specific into the ISO model, a packet is a small segment of a larger message. The iodé blocker calculates the amount of data sent and received through each socket and displays it. You can therefore see what data gets sent to each domain, from each of your app.

From a DNS request, the DNS server returns an IP address. The iodé blocker locally stores and uses that IP address for extra blocking based on the IP address and also for geolocation through a database used locally that returns the country of the IP address. The blocker then uses that data to calculate the amount of data sent to each country from different time ranges and displays them on a world map.

Here is the tricky part: there are millions of them! Tracker domains and IPs change all the time, and it’s almost impossible to block them all at a given time. Fortunately, iodé uses different techniques to block as many as possible and lets you personalize it in a way that suits you best!

The first technique is to use IP blocking on top of DNS blocking. As briefly mentioned in the previous point, the blocker locally stores IP addresses for geolocation but also to make the IP blocking.

Secondly, with our adblocker, you have the possibility to fine-tune the blockings for each of your apps. By default, a standard blocking is activated. The standard list aggregates several hundred thousand trackers from open source lists such as Energized Protection, StevenBlack, oisd, blocklistproject. That is enough to keep pretty much all your Android apps to function but unfortunately doesn’t block all trackers. If you want to be more strict in your blocking, you can reinforce the blocking and use our aggregated list that counts more than 2 million domains. But that’s not all: from the blocker you can also block sensitive content, unethical social medias, or customize your own list. Talking about customization, you can define regular expressions too.

Finally, you can set the network you want to block (mobile data, WIFI, VPN) and perform network blocking for any app.

You can check the tracking blocker right from the launcher. That way, if one of your apps has less than optimal protection, you won’t miss out on it. You can also find the app, which is just called „iodé“ in your app menu.

We have also developed a widget for quick access to blocker information and functions. To add the widget to the home page: long press on the screen -> Widgets -> iodé -> drag the widget.

The lists are collaborative Open Source databases that are perpetually updated by a dedicated privacy community. That way, not one entity controls the list and many eyes contribute to the lists staying up to date and uncompromised.

iodéOS gets updated on a monthly basis, and lists are always updated at least once a month. Lists get updated more often for beta testers.

Yes, you can also entirely customize your own protection and block any recipient!

If you want to protect your child from accessing content on the internet that is not for them, like adult or gambling content, as well as certain apps you don‘t want them to use, you can do that with iodéOS. On the one hand, you can set which categories should be blocked, like porn or social media links. On the other hand, you can just cut off internet access for apps, so even if your child installs a social media app you don‘t want them to use, the app itself can‘t connect to the internet and is thus useless.

We covered child protection in two articles, namely How to protect your kids from getting spied on their phone? and How to setup an iodé phone to protect your child?

No, since the monitoring happens locally on your device. We don‘t even have access to what data passes through your device and the DNS filter.

Totally! The iodé blocker doesn’t use the VPN slot like non-root adblockers usually do, therefore freeing up space for the use of a VPN, or even a VPN-based adblocker. The iodé blocker can also be used alongside root-based adblockers.