I have been looking at Fairphone and Volla, and it feels like the Smartphone scene for Linux is going very strong right now.
Think of it like this: We got 3-4 end-user ready Ubports smartphones, made by IN Europe(Volla/Gigaset is), with recent hardware, swappable battery, very good service and repairability in various formats. You can even purchase Gigaset phones (commercial equivalents of Volla) in stores/Amazon for a very good price.
The immediate orbiters of Linux smartphones like Fxtec, Planet Computers and Jolla are also based here.
I think we reached the year of the Linux phones. Atleast it is not the niche it was in 2020. I wonder how usable ubports is. If you got any experience with these phpnes on ubports, feel free to share.
Are these true Linux phones? Or are we talking Android loader/drivers then launching a Linux session? So far the only two devices i know to be true Linux phones are the Pinephone and the Librem.
Jolla is the successor to Nokia’s Maemo/Meego OS which was proper Linux. Jolla does have seamless Android emulation. They don’t do their own phones anymore, though.
This, if there’s a successor (an actual working one), it’s probably SailfishOS. Runs pretty well on my Xperia 10 III and the UI is super nice :)
Is Maemo Leste not working?
Whoosh, forgot about that :)
I honestly don’t know how well it works though, because sadly my N900 has a broken screen I can’t remove because of screws with broken heads. Any tips on how to remove those tiny tiny screws are most welcome! :)
If it’s stripped screws then maybe try different screw bits? One might get some traction. or maybe try unscrewing it with an elastic band in between that might help.
If that doesn’t work you could try some screw-extracting pliers.
If that really doesn’t work you could also try putting a small dot of superglue on the screw, let the screwdriver head dry in it then try turning it.
If that really, really doesn’t work you could try using a rotary tool/dremel/knife to cut a small line that you could use a flathead to unscrew it with.
Or do you mean like the actual head has come off? :o
No no, the head is just stripped. I’ll try with something to give traction (even though I think I already did), but your idea with some superglue is something I hadn’t considered. Cutting the screw head seems risky, but if everything else fails I guess it’s better to REALLY break the phone than it is to have it boxed away unused. Thanks for giving me hope. Next problem is where to find a replacement screw, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it ;)
Replying from my Xperia 10 IV.
It’s purchase was a mistake.
I’m stuck on Android :(
Can you not sell it and grab a III? They are pretty cheap used/refurb now - I got 2 in good condition for £200 each.
Agreed, halium and Ubuntu Touch aren’t true Linux phones in my book. To be a true Linux phone you need to run mainline, or at least very close to it (pmOS forks, Megi kernel, etc) and do things the Linux way not the Android way (KMS/DRM/Mesa stack, ALSA/Pulse/Pipewire stack). There are some phones that are getting there thanks to postmarketOS like the OnePlus 6/6T but the ones you listed are the main true Linux phones.
Typing this from my PinePhone Pro running postmarketOS.
How’s that working these days? From time to time I dust off mine, try it a bit, and see that while there’s progress, it’s way too unstable for a daily driver. PPP even more so than old PP. I’m using a Pixel 7 running Graphene these days…
Volla has two official images, one is ubuntu mobile
Yeah but is it a low level android or is it a full Linux boot? As mentioned, the only two phones I know of that boot full Linux from scratch with Linux drivers are the Pinephone (and the Pinephone Pro) and the Librem 5. Both with their own set of issues.
It is 100% Linux with 0% Android. I had a Volla Phone X for a few weeks.
Edit: It uses vendor blobs to communicate with the hardware. Besides that, it used some lineageOS code in Halium, which is a layer between ubuntu touch and the vendor blobs.
Indeed they need Halium for it. On the other hand compare them to the nexuses and oneplus ones you had to put up with a few years ago.
I don’t think Fairphone uses Linux. Pretty sure it uses Android.
By default, Fairphone uses Android yeah. But Ubports has support for some of their models.
I’ve had a Fairphone for a couple years now, didn’t realize its Ubuntu ready? How if the Ubuntu smartphone OS?
How do you like it? I want one but I realize it’s going to be a hit on the camera.
I would love to move to a Linux based phone, my old N900 was fantastic. However, I struggle to see how this is possible, for me at least, due to application developers giving no thought to them.
My banking apps and WhatsApp are the only ones I can’t live without. With the banking app specifically and the security around them it’s not possible to run them on a modified non-standard device so short of carrying a separate device it looks like I’m locked into stock Android.
WhatsApp
Though I’d rather recommend you just get out of WhatsApp entirely (it’s still owned by Meta after all), one way to go would be by using a matrix client (like element) with the WhatsApp bridge.
I wish I could. I use Signal where possible but most of my contacts don’t care and use WhatsApp. How would the bridge help in terms of privacy as the messages still need to pass through WhatsApp right?
The messages would still go through WhatsApp, but they are e2ee anyway. The part where it would protect you is that you wouldn’t have the app installed on your device, so Facebook won’t be able to get your location, access your contact list, etc.
@spiritedaway @Bondrewd It depends on what you mean by ‘modified non standard’ and ‘stock Android’, but banking apps will generally work on a number of custom Android distributions providing they aren’t rooted.
All of my (UK-based) banking apps work on Calyx, for example.
I’m reading Calyx has certain Google services removed, does it stills support push notifications from banking apps and prompts to authorise payments when making a transaction?
@spiritedaway Yep — if you want it to. On initial install you choose the level of integration you want microG to support, as detailed here: https://calyxos.org/docs/guide/microg/
I’d imagine most apps you need should run under waydroid
I’ve looked into this already, contactless payment will not work on waydroid or anything that isn’t stock
Yeah…if more apps were web based or have web counter parts for mobile it would help.
In my case my main bank works exactly the same through the app than the browser mobile version, all can be done from either. That said I do not expect to be the same for all banks.
But yeah I would still have the issue with WhatsApp, if they had a web client like the telegram one it could work aswell. Although as other pointed out you might get away with some kind of bridge.
In my case my main bank works exactly the same through the app than the browser mobile version
Main issue is that the two-factor authenticator app is usually only available for Android/iOS (some are still supporting SMS, but they are trying to phase that out)
WhatsApp
Their web app now actually works almost stand-alone. And as projects like yowsup have shown, it’s also possible to create your own stand-alone WhatsApp client (it’s only a matter of doing the work).
Oh yeah… My main bank still uses SMS. But yeah on of my secondary banks has an app notification two factor thingy… But the SMS is still there as fall back. But true that if they end up removing that it could be a problem yes.
And good to know about the WhatsApp thing thanks for sharing.
Yeah, I’m waiting for the day that it just works.
At the moment, MFA, hotspot and connect for lemmy are some of my requirements. I have also started with things like immich and open street map apps.
No wait, no I think about it, there are a lot of apps!
TIL Volla exists. Was confusing it with Jolla, who also had a Linux phone and OS but isn’t developing either of them anymore (I think?)
They are still developing and selling Sailfish OS. They just stopped making their own hardware.
I use the Murena /e/ OS (developed in France). It’s android-based, but totally degoogled (more so than LineageOS). Happy with it so far. I also installed Ubuntu Touch in an older phone, but it’s definitely not ready.
Me too! /e/OS rock stable, even on my second-hand Samsung A5 (2017).
Until google takes over the whole android project degoogled android such as lineage os or graphene os can be good too
Conveniently, these are also the phones that would probably be worth buying for degoogled android/Lineage OS.
Second hand still very capable handset > postmarketOS > Done.
Does anyone know if Volla works with North American carriers? I’m already running graphene on a pixel, but ditching google completely would be great.
I am actually running Tizen on a Samsung A5 - bit of a shame that no one else seems to be interested in Tizen…
Why are people saying that Android isn’t Linux ITT?
Because words are used on basis of usefulness. Non-useful meanings die out. This community is primarily a platform and only vaguely centered around Linux.
Neither is the BSD community closer to playstation users.
made by IN Europe
Huh? That’d be news to me.
Newer Gigaset phones are made in Germany. Volla phones are rebranded Gigaset devices.
I messed up in case of Fairphones, I will fix that. Although that phone is about fair worker conditions to begin with.
Tried sending text messages to my Ubports Pinephone the other day and it didn’t work. On the Librem 5 it receives them fine.
I’m selling my pine phone if anyone wants it in UK
Edit - I’ll throw in a couple sd cards it has screen protector and is like new
Whats your price?
Offer its like new
How much? Thinking of switching to a Linux phone
Offer its like new
There are multiple pine phones out there I have no idea which you’re selling
I will take a look at weekend, in another country atm and left you know
