Scott Williams 🐧Feb 27

And it runs #Fedora!

XDA: I replaced Android with a full Linux desktop on my old phone, and it's shockingly usable
https://www.xda-developers.com/replaced-android-full-linux-desktop-old-phone/

#Linux #kde

I replaced Android with a full Linux desktop on my old phone, and it's shockingly usable

Pocketblue, based on Fedora Atomic, is great on the OnePlus 6.

XDA
Show threadRaptor Feb 27
@vwbusguy I wonder if android app emulation has gotten any better, that and terrible support for calls/multimedia messages, and speakerphone were my biggest reasons to go back to de-googled android.
Show threadChairmander
@raptor85 @vwbusguy It's surprisingly solid, but unfortunately doesn't cover all apps, most notably many that require certain security APIs from Google services (ie: many banking apps) which is very unfortunate. But besides higher power draw when having Waydroid is running and not all sensors being accessible for the Android app it's pretty seamless. Definitely still early days though.
Feb 27 at 5:54pmWeb
Show threadRaptor Feb 27
@l_prod @vwbusguy unfortunate, so it sounds like it's pretty much still a no-go as a primary phone but has come a long way. Has multimedia text messaging at least been sorted out? It was in a pretty sad state last I tried it, you could get some basic SMS and that was about it.
Show threadChairmanderFeb 27
@raptor85 If you mean specifically MMS I don't know, it's not something I use personally and I don't see many people talk about it either so can't even give second hand accounts. I know "normal" SMS work fine, but that's about it. Other messengers with multimedia support obviously depends on the messenger and respective client but generally works.
Show threadRaptor Feb 27

@l_prod SMS is not very useful outside of just receiving a 6 digit pin from the bank/etc. Other apps are not an option as well, can't very easily just start asking everyone in the US to move to whatsapp or signal because my phone doesn't support what has been the messaging standard here for decades :/

Basically no MMS/RCS in the US means most of us effectively can't use the phone or we can't talk with our family and friends. It's a major blocker from being practical to use in the US.

Show threadChairmanderFeb 27
@raptor85 I didn't know SMS/MMS are still so widespread in the US. The only thing I use SMS for is login codes and even that rarely and I'm not alone in that. In the last year I sent AND received 25 SMS in total, 7 of which were messages to actual people which is unusually many. I can go years without any. Very interesting to hear about these kinds of cultural/regional differences.
Show threadRaptor Feb 27
@l_prod not so much SMS (it's ancient and basically only a fallback if everything else fails) but in the US it's pretty much all RCS, MMS is the fallback if the phone doesn't support it, which is rare (RCS is the more modern, you can see people typing, have group chats with embedded media, etc, MMS you get degraded low quality pictures, etc). Pretty much nobody here uses other messaging apps other than the built in messenger on the phone. (outside of social media stuff)
Show threadRaptor Feb 27
@l_prod the only real exception is iphones which use imessage internally but when they talk to an android phone it bridges to RCS automatically (or MMS if you have a much older phone)
Show threadChairmanderFeb 27
@raptor85 Ah okay, RCS does make some more sense. Unfortunately I also can't really say anything about the support for that on Linux Mobile because I do also not use that at all. It might exist and be great, it might not work at all, I literally don't know :D
Show threadScott Williams 🐧Feb 28
@raptor85 @l_prod That's very dependent on the needs of the user. I knew people who were using Firefox OS for their primary and only phone before it was abruptly killed. The paradox is always that there isn't a critical mass of users until there is.
Show threadRaptor Mar 1
@vwbusguy @l_prod true but firefox OS was also a decade ago and almost nobody used it for a reason. The critical mass really can't happen until the basics are covered, and in 2026 most banks require app auth for online purchases and some in-store ones, EV chargers are almost entirely NFC or app payment, you can't even change your flight at the airport for some airlines without the app. That support as well as modern text messaging are standard, required features for a vast majority of people.
Show threadScott Williams 🐧Mar 1
@raptor85 @l_prod It was certainly more useful and capable than the original iPhone was.
Show threadRaptor Mar 1

@vwbusguy @l_prod as a computer, as a PDA, but that's my point, linux phones are AWESOME pdas, I have a pinephone myself I use as a mini-terminal, they blow iphone and android out of the water. But then you try to make a call, or send/receive a text message, or authorize a purchase with your credit card, and it falls flat, even feature phones handle a lot of those better!

You try to put in a bug for any of these and everyone just tells you to pay with paypal and use matrix for chat instead...