The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#1

Post by emacsen » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 12:31 AM UTC

The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System
blog.emacsen.net

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#2

Post by commoner » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 1:47 AM UTC

WayDroid has been making progress on Android emulation for Linux, building upon the code of Anbox.

Demos of WayDroid on a OnePlus 6 running postmarketOS, and a Moto Z2 Force running Ubuntu Touch: https://www.xda-developers.com/waydroid-android-apps-on-linu...

Source code: https://github.com/waydroid

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#3

Post by neilv » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 1:50 AM UTC

Like the author, I've tried a ton of open source handheld platforms, and I've recently moved to CalyxOS for my daily driver. (And about to sell a box o' devices to help cost-justify buying a second Pixel for a backup CalyxOS device.)

As Android devices go, CalyxOS seems a good choice, if you're willing to not have all the Google service conveniences. I actually found some of the UX smoother than on iPhone, and e-mail worked better. Though note that CalyxOS is not as polished for privacy out of the box as users might assume.

One big problem is that Android is massive, and also doesn't seem to have been designed or deployed in practice to be privacy-friendly, nor especially open source-friendly. Even back in the FirefoxOS days, if you built that from source, it was clear there was no way you could audit or maintain all its Android dependencies (my hope was that they'd throw out the Android layer as soon as they could).

I have some hopes for Purism's Librem 5 Phosh running atop a mainlined Linux with open drivers (and ideally firmwares) on many devices at many price points. Though available hardware tends to be fundamentally insecure.

There also seems to be an additional barrier of US carriers imminently requiring VoLTE, and in some cases only allowlisting a small number of models.

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#4

Post by temp8964 » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 1:58 AM UTC

Because many important apps (banking and other financial services, major shopping sites, most Authenticators ) don’t provide open source versions, I don’t see how this thing can end up be practical for daily usage. Maybe it can be useful for criminals, underground hackers, but not a normal person.

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#5

Post by commoner » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 2:01 AM UTC

temp8964 wrote: post #4

Because many important apps (banking and other financial services, major shopping sites, most Authenticators ) don’t provide open source versions, I don’t see how this thing can end up be practical for daily usage. Maybe it can be useful for criminals, underground hackers, but not a normal person.

Using a FOSS OS does not require the user to exclusively use FOSS apps on the OS. Compatibility layers, emulation, and virtualization improve the selection of apps on FOSS platforms before native alternatives become available.

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#6

Post by saladuh » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 2:07 AM UTC

commoner wrote: post #2

WayDroid has been making progress on Android emulation for Linux, building upon the code of Anbox. Demos of WayDroid on a OnePlus 6 running postmarketOS, and a Moto Z2 Force running Ubuntu Touch: https://www.xda-developers.com/waydroid-android-apps-on-linu... Source code: https://github.com/waydroid

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing this. I didn't know we were this close to viable linux phones. There's those tiny handful of android apps you may need and this pretty much solves it. I wonder if microg is working in waydroid? I'd assume it's possible.

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#7

Post by commoner » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 2:10 AM UTC

saladuh wrote: post #6

commoner wrote: post #2

WayDroid has been making progress on Android emulation for Linux, building upon the code of Anbox. Demos of WayDroid on a OnePlus 6 running postmarketOS, and a Moto Z2 Force running Ubuntu Touch: https://www.xda-developers.com/waydroid-android-apps-on-linu... Source code: https://github.com/waydroid

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing this. I didn't know we were this close to viable linux phones. There's those tiny handful of android apps you may need and this pretty much solves it. I wonder if microg is working in waydroid? I'd assume it's possible.

Not sure about WayDroid, but microG is confirmed to be working on Anbox after patching the default device image to enable signature spoofing: https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=9815&pid=65378#p...

Anbox can also be used with Google Play Services. The Arch Linux AUR offers a recipe for building an Anbox image with Google apps (see PKGBUILD for code): https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/anbox-image-gapps/

The AUR also has recipes for Anbox images that include Magisk root and Xposed: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/?K=anbox

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#8

Post by temp8964 » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 2:14 AM UTC

commoner wrote: post #5

temp8964 wrote: post #4

Because many important apps (banking and other financial services, major shopping sites, most Authenticators ) don’t provide open source versions, I don’t see how this thing can end up be practical for daily usage. Maybe it can be useful for criminals, underground hackers, but not a normal person.

Using a FOSS OS does not require the user to exclusively use FOSS apps on the OS. Compatibility layers, emulation, and virtualization improve the selection of apps on FOSS platforms before native alternatives become available.

Would you still go through Google store for the apps I mentioned, or used apk files from 3rd party stores?

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#9

Post by CyberRabbi » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 2:23 AM UTC

neilv wrote: post #3

Like the author, I've tried a ton of open source handheld platforms, and I've recently moved to CalyxOS for my daily driver. (And about to sell a box o' devices to help cost-justify buying a second Pixel for a backup CalyxOS device.) As Android devices go, CalyxOS seems a good choice, if you're willing to not have all the Google service conveniences. I actually found some of the UX smoother than on iPhone, and e-mail…

How are cross-distro Linux app packages looking these days? Not so much the packaging aspect but the sandbox environment they set up to run third-party apps in peace. Is this something librem is working on?

Re: The Search for a Free/Open Source Mobile Operating System

#10

Post by commoner » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 2:24 AM UTC

temp8964 wrote: post #8

commoner wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using a FOSS OS does not require the user to exclusively use FOSS apps on the OS. Compatibility layers, emulation, and virtualization improve the selection of apps on FOSS platforms before native alternatives become available.

Would you still go through Google store for the apps I mentioned, or used apk files from 3rd party stores?

Yes, the most convenient way to install most proprietary apps on Android using a FOSS client is through Aurora Store, a frontend for the Google Play Store: https://auroraoss.com/download/AuroraStore/

Other sources I trust include:

- APKMirror (operated by Android Police): https://www.apkmirror.com

- Aptoide (only trust signature-verified "Trusted Apps", including all apps in the main "apps" store/repository): https://aptoide.com

- Direct downloads, when offered by the developer