I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

02 Aug, 2026

For the past months aliases moreover years, I've go much and much dissatisfied pinch the way Google has taken pinch the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Be it the dependency and insane tracking of Google Play Services, locking down of instrumentality trees to inhibit civilization ROM development, each the AI worldly being put into the system, aliases astir precocious (and possibly worst), removing the expertise of installing apps per your ain wishing - it's go benignant of for illustration a "death by a 1000 papercuts" situation. While the AOSP isn't precisely dormant (yet), it benignant of feels for illustration it's conscionable a mobility of time. Therefore, I've decided to jump ship. I'm installing linux connected my phone.

The mobile linux abstraction isn't precisely looking bully correct now, but it holds immoderate promise. Ubuntu Touch managed to past being abandoned by Canonical, and postmarket is still seeing bully improvement moreover if not having awesome hardware adapation astatine the moment. SailfishOS (even if it has proprietary parts) has besides made awesome advancement pinch beardown support for android apps connected charismatic devices and what seems to beryllium a existent bully motorboat of their Jolla 2.

Personally I'm fortunate capable to ain a Fairphone 4 that conscionable truthful happens to support each of these. After a spot backmost and distant I've yet ended up pinch SailfishOS. Overall it's a bully strategy - I for illustration the motion based navigation and its exertion model is beautiful. It's besides cool really it's very linux. If I person an rumor aliases thing I want to tinker pinch I tin conscionable ssh complete from my PC either wirelessly aliases via USB. It's not without it's issues though. For immoderate logic it ships horribly outdated versions of python and glibc making immoderate things much difficult than needed, and waydroid and GPS is surgery connected the fairphone larboard - worthy noting an unofficial port. Many of the community-built apps are besides either in-part aliases wholly slop-coded, specified arsenic a whatsapp customer that I (sadly) americium dependant on.

Ubuntu Touch is besides an option, but isn't without it's ain container of issues. Waydroid runs location which is simply a immense plus, but notifications and clipboard doesn't sync crossed making it really difficult to usage ie. Bitwarden (Sailfish has an unofficial larboard which is almost flawless). The default and autochthonal apps are beautiful lackluster compared to some Android and Sailfish. Among different things I was incapable to fig retired really to artifact telephone numbers, a highly needed characteristic for anyone that has VIVO arsenic their cellular provider. I'm besides not a large instrumentality of really the UI useful pinch app navigation and pinch the "top bar"/"drop down menu". If you want to cognize much astir it, The Linux Experiments has immoderate bully videos connected some youtube and peertube.

Sadly, I won't beryllium capable to wantonness android wholly yet. The nary waydroid intends that I can't entree immoderate apps that I request beryllium it for online verification for logging onto slope and authorities services successful Norway aliases apps I request for my ain information present successful Brazil specified arsenic Uber. Luckily I've had a Galaxy A17 lying astir arsenic a backup telephone for half a twelvemonth now which I tin transportation astir for these nonstop services. I conscionable unfastened up a wifi hotspot from my FP4, do the nonstop tasks, and adjacent it disconnected again. Other than that, I will effort to debar utilizing it arsenic overmuch arsenic physically possible.

As this progresses I will return statement of what useful and what doesn't earlier making either a due writeup aliases video successful a while. It's not gonna beryllium easy, but hopefully it will beryllium worthy it.

Oh, and flimsy spoilers for what my acquisition pinch Sailfish is aft immoderate usage, but I mightiness spell up and bargain a Jolla Phone 2 erstwhile I return to Norway.

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