I still dream about that dockable Ubuntu phone.
I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
201–210 of 539 posts
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#202If only a few techies will be able to use Linux phone, banks will freely lock payment services access down to two platforms: ios and android. No way out, it's happening right now (in the name of "security", of course, but surprisingly it does not stop scam from happening). Web will be locked down too, via secureboot stack browser integration (not -s, it's already actually monopolised to chrome only, as FF lives on fu…
There's still banks that have useful websites and physical locations.
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#203I really want to love mobile Linux, and have given it multiple shots before. But I just don't see how it will catch up with iOS/Android in the same way it caught up with Windows/Mac: - OEMs have poured an enormous amount of resources into the camera software, Linux cameras are years behind from what I understand. - Android/iOS have thoroughly optimized the UX in all sorts of subtle ways, the big one being their keybo…
Apple's mobile keyboard is the worst I've used. I basically have to correct about half the words I type.
I just got an iPhone as a secondary phone and hate the keyboard so much. How are people putting up with this BS?
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#204I would love to do this. It's shocking how little Android offers for the hardware it uses. Recently I was thinking if I could install Windows 98 on my phone, even that would be better. At least I could have more than one app open without it burning all my work just because I dared to check info on a web page while filling a form.
Oh yes, the endless joy of "We have sent a one time code to your email." Yes, but if I switch to my email then I will lose my browser session and thus the code is useless. So you have to get out a laptop to open your email just so that you have 2FA on your phone.
Yea, that is so annoying, ._.
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#205Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apple's mobile keyboard is the worst I've used. I basically have to correct about half the words I type.
I just got an iPhone as a secondary phone and hate the keyboard so much. How are people putting up with this BS?
Either they don't know better (the majority) or they use an alternative keyboard like GBoard
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#206My bank forces me to have an iOS/Android phone for online payments. So at best I'd have a cheap Android phone in a drawer in my house in case I need to make online payments.
I'm surprised WhatsApp works on his non-Android OS?!
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#207If only a few techies will be able to use Linux phone, banks will freely lock payment services access down to two platforms: ios and android. No way out, it's happening right now (in the name of "security", of course, but surprisingly it does not stop scam from happening). Web will be locked down too, via secureboot stack browser integration (not -s, it's already actually monopolised to chrome only, as FF lives on fu…
Even when I'm still using a "classic" bank with card and a website that don't even use JS, I can't afford to use Windows Phone as my daily because it doesn't have the ride hailing apps used in my country. My current and previous office use proprietary app for clocking in and out, that are also only available on iOS and Android. Even public servants in my countries in all levels have to carry either of those two for location tracking.
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#208i read on mister RMS's website that he refuses to use phones except for the most basic things, preferring a laptop for aught else, mostly because phones are computers and 'software on computers should be free'
ngl, that is the most charming darn thing to hear in 2026-- and it lowers the bar considerably here. like if all you need to have is a computer, sky's the limit on how you want to run this.
sooo with a little help from Claude I have a xmpp server running from home base+jmp for calling / sms, a portable router and a cute construction grade wp836 grandstream phone (annoyingly I can't seem to route SMS to it yet, but they route fine through xmpp on a terminal).
if you're voiping, you really don't need a voip phone though.
i have zero compunction so my computer of choice is a macbook neo... which acts as a dumb terminal for aforementioned xmpp server / wasteful videogame computer / claude butler (open the floodgates ladies and gentlemen); if i wanted cred sometimes i carry the old thinkpad around instead.
i can't say that it's any more secure than Android (using claude == i don't know what I'm doing), but it's fun? expensive fun though. JMP is a subscription, proton (for MFA and everything else) is a subscription, you need a domain for your xmpp server, ...this 'homelabbing' thing is expensive, using a map is awful (so wife is navigator...with her phone). There are many failure points, me included. but god, so fun!
i usually leave the actual cell phone at home. i do still have one. that's a hard thing to drop... but not impossible! the only holdover is learning how to use a proper camera and setting up the media server.
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#209This read like a lot of pain and suffering. I've tried this for kicks myself. There's a lot of sacrifices to be made. But I'm rooting for anything Linux on smartphones.
I've been daily driving a Linux phone for three years. The suffering was real. It's mostly gone now, I love it and will definitely never go back.
Do you take photos or use Bluetooth? What's the experience like for multimedia SMS (assuming no RCS), Whatsapp, banking or other apps normal people expect you to use, or file transfer? Are there any devices that can do NFC?
Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux
#210Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, rkisp1 driver that drives ISP on RK3399 on Pinephone Pro is available upstream in fully supported manner for like 4 years. It also has full docs in publicly available Rockchip datasheets and partial docs in calibration manuals. What have people done with it? Some mediocre support in libcamera? :) I don't think lack of handholding is an issue here.
Pinephone is a low volume product. What you need is to get the firmware for some common device that has shipped millions of units so that the number of people with the incentive to make it work is high enough to actually build a community.
I don't know what the deal is with Linux and cameras. I've got Fedora installed on this old Retina MBP and apparently Linux somehow stopped supporting the built in webcam. I've never heard of a device losing Linux support but here we are.