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Linux phones are more important now than ever

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Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#121

Post by weikju »

j-bos wrote: post #59
akagusu wrote: post #5

Linux phones are useless for common people until they can run government and bank apps.

Why not just use the browser?

In the case of my bank:

I had to enable secure auth to access some features. This works only with the mobile app, even when logging on the web I need the mobile app.

Some functions are available only in the app as well. Now I’m stuck with the app because I need those and needed secure auth to access those functions.

It’s evil but I has no choice (no choice of other banks either for reasons I won’t go into here, just accept it and don’t tell me to change banks. Other banks are no better anyway. )

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#122

Post by jay_kyburz »

akagusu wrote: post #53
olivia-banks wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. The kernel more or less doesn't matter, it's "the stuff on top."

Unfortunately tech people don't understand this. Common people don't care about the OS, they care about apps.

Some tech people don't care what common people want, they just want a cool phone for themselves.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#123

Post by rjsw »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #95

Apologies if the idea is absurd, but wouldn't a Linux handheld without a cell modem be easier to build and distribute? Think something of an analogue to iPod Touches, which were iPhones sans the the phone part. This would skip a lot of the regulatory red tape, bring down costs, and make the devices more accessible so they’re in more developers’ hands. They’d have to tether from your primary phone which isn’t ideal, b…

I use a Nokia/HMD KaiOS phone as a 4G/Wifi router for the communications part of your idea.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#124

Post by _heimdall »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #114
_heimdall wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banks aren't required. Its ridiculously inconvenient today to not have a bank account, but you aren't required to have one.

You should still be upset about it.

What does being upset about it solve?

Companies can choose what product to offer and what customers to serve. I can choose what products I'm willing to spend my money and time on.

My problem is when I am compelled to use something despite my opposition to it, such as the immigration app I mentioned being force to use under threat of being kicked out of the country.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#125

Post by nerdponx »

hypeatei wrote: post #62
jeffparsons wrote: post #17

My Android phone prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to. My Android phone prevents me from recording phone calls at the request of my carrier, even though it's totally legal for me to do so in my jurisdiction. I'm not loving where this is all going.

> prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to The most frustrating part about this "feature" is that you don't know it's enabled until the screenshot is taken and you're left with a picture of nothing. That and some app authors thinking they're protecting you with this (referring to banking apps in particular)

Pretty sure Twitch on iOS does this now. Screen recording still works though.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#126

Post by maheart »

VariousPrograms wrote: post #116

As someone willing to put up with all manner of nonsense (overpriced/underpowered hardware, clunky UI, endless troubleshooting), battery life on mobile Linux devices alone prevents me from using them in the real world. Is there a single Linux phone/tablet that can last an 8 hour day of actual use? Librem/Pinephone/Juno can't. My uConsole can't. Different category, but my MNT mini laptop lasts like 4 hours and can't b…

>Is there a single Linux phone/tablet that can last an 8 hour day of actual use?

What's "actual use"? Furi FLX1 has the best battery life I've seen on a Linux phone. Idling, it last 3+ days. I'm sure it could survive 1 whole day of "actual use". I also think almost any (official) SailfishOS device would last a day of actual use.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#127

Post by derbOac »

Nursie wrote: post #35
hecanjog wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had the same (US) bank for 20 years, it's a small one, they have a nice web interface (and I can deposit checks through it on my laptop) but I've never run into a situation where I needed to have some smartphone app to do my banking. (I also don't have a smartphone.) Is this common with major banks? Do they not have web interfaces anymore?

A lot of major banks worldwide have apps, and they usually require un-rooted phones. People here seem to think this is some sort of Orwellian attempt to control them, but the reasons are more mundane and technical - many of them (mine included, from two countries) use security facilities on the phone to secure your accounts. For example, my HSBC UK app has replaced the little calculator thing they used to ship, and u…

> going back to having to have a dedicated security device.

... and ...?

There are ways to implement security without tying it to one of two app stores. Companies might even get creative and figure out hardware standards for secure verification that are portable, open, and give the user control. They figured out sim cards, and are worried about GAI they created taking over the entire world, they could figure this out.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#128

Post by _heimdall »

anticorporate wrote: post #49
akagusu wrote: post #5

Linux phones are useless for common people until they can run government and bank apps.

I've heard this argument before and yet I've never understood it. What government apps do people run? Why do you need to access your bank account on your phone? Is this some payments model that's just not common in my country where we still use physical credit cards for everything?

I had to use government apps as part of their immigration process, the apps were only available in the official app stores. If I remember right they had am all for immigration services, though I know for sure they had a digital ID app that was absolutely required.

The major banks in that country also required apps from official app stores, though I don't think I was technically required to have a bank account. I was in the country under a program based on owning my own consulting business. I did have to prove financials to the government as part of that, but maybe there was a way I could have technically done that without a bank account which required a mobile app.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#129

Post by avodonosov »

Android doesn't even let you access your files. It has famously blocked acess to the subfolders of /Android/data/ - every app has a subfolder there where it stores files. And you can not visit these subfolders since Android 11.

A buggy app accumulates gigabytes (literaly, i am not exagregating) of temp files there, but i cant visit the folder to delete them.

Google explains that "it's for you safety".

I have to call it with the strong word "idiotic".

There are apps now where storing files in a shared, accessible folder is a payed option.

Not only that is outrageous, I belive that violates the existing "right of access" laws like GDPR. I am condidering even submitting Subject Access Request to Google about my /Android/data/ subdirectories.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#130

Post by nextos »

maheart wrote: post #126
VariousPrograms wrote: post #116

As someone willing to put up with all manner of nonsense (overpriced/underpowered hardware, clunky UI, endless troubleshooting), battery life on mobile Linux devices alone prevents me from using them in the real world. Is there a single Linux phone/tablet that can last an 8 hour day of actual use? Librem/Pinephone/Juno can't. My uConsole can't. Different category, but my MNT mini laptop lasts like 4 hours and can't b…

>Is there a single Linux phone/tablet that can last an 8 hour day of actual use? What's "actual use"? Furi FLX1 has the best battery life I've seen on a Linux phone. Idling, it last 3+ days. I'm sure it could survive 1 whole day of "actual use". I also think almost any (official) SailfishOS device would last a day of actual use.

SailfishOS is quite efficient. On Sony devices, I experienced maybe 15% extra battery life compared to stock Android, which is quite good given that Sony ROMs are excellent. Sony is known for their Sony Open Devices Program.
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