blog: publishing post on boox go 10.3 debloat

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content/posts/onyx-boox-go-10.3/index.en.md

@@ -1,18 +1,38 @@
 ---
-title: "You should get an eInk Android Tablet"
+title: "Debloating the Onyx Boox Go 10.3"
 date: 2024-08-02T12:00:00+01:00
-draft: true
+draft: false
 tags: [android, eink, Onyx Boox]
 categories: [reviews]
 featuredImage: boox_go_cover.jpg
 ---
-I decided to buy 
+
+I was looking for an eink tablet to read books and take notes while I'm away from home.
+
+After adventuring in the eInk rabbit hole I decided to go for the [Onyx Boox Go 10.3](https://amzn.to/3SC2W6Z): a Black and White eInk Android Tablet with 300ppi that's also good for taking notes, weighting only 365g!
+
+I was a bit concerned about [this report from Mozilla](https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/onyx-boox/) so I decided to take a look at the device.
+
+{{< admonition type=danger title="" open=true >}}
+Boox is using a custom version of the kernel [and it's not sharing the source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23735962) so act accordingly.
+{{< /admonition>}}
 
 ## Enabling ADB
+The Onyx default Launcher is hiding a lot of the Android inner features but reading a bit of documentation I figured out how to enable ADB.
+
+__TL;DR__: Press the `Apps` Icon on the left -> Top right icon -> `App Management` -> Enable "USB Debug Mode".
+
+Connecting the device via usb and running `adb shell` will open a shell on the device.
+
+
+{{< figure src="onyx_settings.jpg" title="Enable ADB via Onyx Launcher" >}}
 
 
 ## Removing unnecessary apps
-```bash
+Navigating the UI I figured out the tablet is full of useless (for me) apps, so I decided to remove them.
+After [installing adb](https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/#how-to-set-up-adb-on-your-computer) I removed the unwanted apps with the following commands:
+
+```adb
 pm uninstall com.android.bips
 pm uninstall com.android.bluetoothmidiservice
 pm uninstall com.android.cameraextensions
@@ -66,33 +86,81 @@ pm uninstall com.qualcomm.qtil.aptxui
 pm uninstall org.chromium.chrome # Chrome browser
 ```
 
-After installing Nova Launcher and selecting it as the default launcher I was able to also remove this two apps.
+After installing Nova Launcher and selecting it as the default launcher I was able to also remove this three apps.
 
 {{< admonition type=warning title="Warning" open=true >}}
 Removing this apps without changing launcher will result in Onyx Launcher crashing.
 {{< /admonition>}}
 
-```bash
-pm uninstall com.onyx.igetshop #iGetShop app
+```adb
+pm uninstall com.onyx.igetshop # iGetShop app
 pm uninstall com.onyx.android.ksync # Ksync app,this app is doing a lot of calls to Onyx servers
 pm uninstall com.onyx.kreader # Reader and Note taking app
 ```
 
+
+### For less tech-savvy people
+If you don't want to play around with the shell and manual adb commands, I added the Onyx apps to the [Android Universal Debloater](https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation) list.
+
+{{< admonition type=note title="Note" open=true >}}
+With UAD you can create a backup, it's highly recommended if you are unsure on what you are doing
+{{< /admonition>}}
+
+Just run it and select the packages I listed in the previous sections.
+
+{{< figure src="uad.png" title="53 packages uninstalled" style="border: solid 1px red" >}}
+
+
+## Installing an alternative store
+Since I removed the default Onyx Store, I decided to install Obtanium to get releases directly from the source.
+
+Go [here](https://obtainium.imranr.dev/), download the APK and install it via adb with:
+
+```adb
+adb install app-release.apk
+```
+
+Why not F-Droid you ask? Because F-Droid doesn't get updates directly from the source and sometimes are slow with releases alignment.
+
+
+### Minor changes to avoid phoning home
+Onyx has a lot of calls to their domains, I just replaced them with different endpoints.
+
 ## Changing NTP Server
-For some reasons Onyx has their NTP server, i replaced it with `ntp.org`
+Onyx uses its own NTP server, I replaced it with `ntp.org`
 
-```bash
+```adb
 abd shell settings put global ntp_server pool.ntp.org
 adb shell settings put global ntp_server_2 en.pool.ntp.org # replace "en" with your local time
 ```
 
 ## Change captive portal endpoints
+Onyx uses their endpoints for the captive portal pings so I changed android ones:
 
-```bash
+```adb
 adb shell settings put global captive_portal_http_url "http://connectivitycheck.android.com/generate_204"
 adb shell settings put global captive_portal_https_url "https://connectivitycheck.android.com/generate_204"
 adb shell settings put global captive_portal_fallback_url "http://connectivitycheck.gstatic.com/generate_204"
-adb shell settings put global network_avoid_bad_wifi 0
 ```
 
+## Bonus: Blocking onyx domains
+Just in case I added the following domains to my blocklist:
+
+```
+send2boox.com # used by KSync
+push.boox.com # used by KSync
+en-rom.boox.com
+onyx-international.cn #Used for NTP Server
+```
+
+## Conclusion
+In the end the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is a very nice device (hardware-wise) that suits my needs.
+If you want to buy it consider everything written in this post and make an informed puchease.
+
+P.S. also consider that the device is new at the time of writing and the default cover is terrible.
 
+## Useful Resources
+- [Manifacturer website](https://www.boox.com/)
+- [Mobile Read thread on Onyx Boox Debloat](https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=349930)
+- [Reddit Onyx Boox Community](https://www.reddit.com/r/Onyx_Boox/)
+- [Reddit eink Community](https://www.reddit.com/r/eink)