add s7 edge smartphone blog post

input/blog/2023/2023_01_04_new_old_smartphone.md

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+title: Blog
+post: Samsung S7 Edge with /e/ OS
+description: Completing my switch out of the Apple Walled Garden
+date: 2023-01-04
+comments: true
+---
+
+As a final step in leaving Apple behind I had to get rid of my iPhone SE.
+While using it since September 2016 it finally died from multiple organ failure in 2022, after six years.
+I already backed the [Astro Slide](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transformer) in November 2021, but while it is shipping to the first customers already, I'm pretty far back in line and haven't received mine.
+
+For a while I used a Samsung S22 from my workplace as a replacement, but this was only a temporary solution.
+This was my first Android device in a long time, so it helped getting used to the OS again.
+
+Now I've had the fortune of getting a Samsung S7 Edge gifted to me, which is now my daily driver, hopefully until the Astro Slide arrives.
+I wouldn't have bought an S7 Edge for myself if I had the choice, the display really feels strange to hold properly.
+So the first thing I had to do was [print a case](https://www.printables.com/model/257202-samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-cover).
+This really helps.
+
+<!--%
+lightgallery([
+    [ "img/s7_edge_front.jpg", "Front of S7 Edge with 3D printed case" ],
+    [ "img/s7_edge_back.jpg", "Back of S7 Edge with 3D printed case" ],
+])
+%-->
+
+Of course I also didn't want to run stock Android on a device I own, so I went searching for a good alternative.
+I've looked at [LineageOS](https://lineageos.org/) and the [MicroG fork of LineageOS](https://lineage.microg.org/), but my device is unfortunately not (or no longer) supported.
+
+Looking at the [Wikipedia list of Custom-ROMs](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_von_Android-Custom-ROMs) then led me to [/e/ OS](https://e.foundation/e-os/).
+This also is a fork of LineageOS, with MicroG replacing all the Google services.
+There's not even a Play Store, they have their own App installer that nicely integrates free-software sources from F-Droid as well as Play Store apps.
+
+I'm really happy with the experience.
+All Apps I use are available from F-Droid anyway, so this was not at all a problem.
+And I really like the included ad / tracker blocking functionality.
+
+But there also was a small issue.
+On WiFi everything worked absolutely fine.
+But after leaving the house I had some strange connectivity problems.
+Many websites loaded fine, but some domains (that surely exist) did not resolve.
+I played around with the Private DNS settings, but this didn't change much.
+
+After much searching I finally found a [comprehensive issue report on the /e/ project GitLab](https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/backlog/-/issues/5668).
+But I can't register for some reason (they don't like my E-Mail domains), so I'm posting here.
+
+The problem lies with my mobile network provider, Congstar, the cheap brand of Deutsche Telekom / T-Mobile, or to be more specific the APN for this network on the /e/ ROM.
+It has some wrong settings.
+Apparently the correct settings could be found on the Congstar website, according to the issue report linked above, but the link no longer works.
+So here is what I had to change.
+
+    Settings
+    Network & Internet
+    Mobile Network
+    Advanced
+    Access Point Names
+    congstar Internet
+    Change "APN" to "internet.v6.telekom"
+    Set both "APN protocol" and "APN roaming protocol" to "IPv4/IPv6"
+
+This fixed the connection issues.
+
+I suspect it is related to the whole IPv4 / IPv6 debacle.
+Only recently someone mentioned on Hackernews that [not even GitHub is reachable via IPv6](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33894933).
+This is a really sad state of affairs.
+I'm not sure there's another example of a technology migration that went as bad as this one, globally speaking.