I’d like to use a Linux phone, but it has to run Android apps though. They Gotta find a way, else it’s never gonna happen.
It’d theoretically be possible to run a straight GNU/Linux tablet or laptop with a 5G cell modem for data, use SIP service and a GNU/Linux dialer, and then run Waydroid for any specific Android apps that one has to run.
Idle power usage is gonna be a lot higher than on a phone, though.
And a lot of Android apps are made with a touch interface and small screen in mind and are aware of things in a cell environment, like “only update X when on WiFi”. Not really common for GNU/Linux software to do that.
like “only update X when on WiFi”.
Most Linux software only updates when the user tells the package manager to update it.>
I think you’re misunderstanding it. Most mobile apps have sensible defaults regarding data and battery usage, for instance, not updating (their feeds/server status/whatever networked service the app uses) if not in WiFi.
I’m talking about stuff like pulling down new podcast episodes and such.
Idle power usage is not a lot higher…
I dunno, man.
Android and all its apps have had a lot of work done on keeping stuff low-power.
The GNU/Linux laptop I’m currently typing this on is drawing about 10W (granted, with the screen on, which is larger). The Android phone in my pocket is drawing (checks) a little under half a watt.
Granted, I didn’t choose the laptop hardware to try to minimize power usage; you can certainly get laptops that will draw less. But there have been a lot of engineers banging on Android power usage for a long time.
And stuff like auto-suspension of background apps using CPU time and stuff doesn’t have a GNU/Linux analog that I’m aware of.
There’s a GNU/Linux phones community here on the Threadiverse at !linuxphones@lemmy.ca. Even the phones they talk about there — where the hardware is much less powerful than typical current Android hardware — don’t have amazing battery life as phones go.
My tablet draws 4.5w at peak, at low loads it draws almost nothing (x86_64 tablet), maybe it’s the design of the laptop/tablet, but mine just consumes the same even with waydroid on, maybe setting efficiency in the BIOS help, but idk. On windows it just consumes a power plant every minute, linux is just efficient.
Waydroid with a ROM with GAPPS? I use lineageos on my linux tablet, a lot of android games run just fine.
Wait… can you please explain?
Waydroid is a android translator(?) for linux on wayland, it runs android applications in a translation layer (android has linux under it), so you can install a ROM (there’s a default one without google applications like google play services, but you can search a ROM with it) and run android applications like any phone with a custom ROM.
Edit: The tablet with waydroid running:
!suddenlycaralho@lemmy.eco.br moment.
Pqp, fui descoberto.
waydroid?
It’s never going to be the year of the Linux phone until there’s one that actually has specs to do the things the majority of people want
Thus far, all the Linux phones I’ve seen had laughable specs. There’s the Liberux NEXX, but it’s still at the concept stage
It’s also $1500.
Step one is making it exist, step 2 is making it marketable and scalable. Expecting this for competitive pricing in the early stages is unrealistic. Until there’s a real market for truly open phones pushed with millions in marketing to go along with competitive hardware that takes ages to develop, the well-priced phone will remain laden with unauthorized changes, tracking and advertising. This is all before you get software developers on board before it actually sells to people.
Unless all you need are phone calls or text messaging. That could probably be done at a reasonable price. There’s probably already several decent projects out there to homebrew that.
PinePhone is available at half the price, and they’re striving for the same thing.
Great example. But if you’ve seen videos on them, most people wouldn’t be willing to use it. It’s not about getting nerds like us to buy one, it’s about getting someone used to the latest iPhone to use it.
Where are this video? I’d like to see it, honestly.
I’ve tried searching for it, and I couldn’t even find any real person (outside of ads) actually getting their hands on it.
Many come up when searching Pinephone Pro on YouTube. I don’t want to link any in particular because I can’t vouch for them, but they’re definitely out there. And they’re all about 3 years old.
I watched a few when it was new and it was clear it was for geeks. The killer for me is banking. Until banks are onboard with mobile check deposit, I probably can’t see them fully taking off.
deleted by creator
Way back when, I had a Palm Pixie, which ran WebOS. While it wasn’t FOSS, if you turned on developer mode, you would have full terminal access to the Linux system it was running.
I think HP eventually made it open source and now LG uses it for their TVs. But that phone’s OS was one of the best ones I had seen at the time.
WebOS, PalmOS, and Sailfish OS are the only mobile OSes I’ve ever not disliked. I wish Jolla seemed a little more trustworthy so I could switch to Sailfish as my main phone os
The Palm Pre 2 was, by far, the best phone I have ever used in my life. Then HP abandoned it, like they did everything else worthwhile.
iOS developer here and I would switch in a heartbeat but unfortunately it’s not about the OS, it’s about the software that runs on the OS.
Most devs wont build for an OS that doesn’t have an audience. And users will put up with a lot of OS junk for their apps.
So it’s gonna be up to someone to make a linux phone and use their wallet to kickstart a software ecosystem. One won’t happen without the other, at least not at the scale of Google or Apple.
You’d need it to be able to run android apps
Is that actually what it looks like?
i think that’s the new apple os
Yeah, but are they serious with this shit? This is the liquid glass?
*liquid▶️ass
Yeah, I don’t care to dunk on them, but you don’t exactly need a UI design degree to see that the contrast between background and foreground is far too low…
It’s also the very first developer beta. There’s about 3 months left until release and Apple does occasionally listen to feedback. iOS has noticeably changed from dev beta to release on occasion in the past as well. I hope it does this time as well. I really like the principle of the liquid glass design but yea… this isn’t great…
Wtf normally apple puts effort into their designs. That looks really cheap and crappy.
I’ve tried Plasma Mobile on a Surface tablet. It does not look like that.
Fucking awful if it is.
Unfortunately American, meaning Linux phones need to have VOLTE for them to you know, be phones. Until then I’m stuck on grapheneOS
My OnePlus 6 in mobian supports VoLTE calls.
Oh shit, nice! I haven’t tried Mobian on the 6T, but I’ll give it a shot
I think you need to make sure it’s enabled in android first.
I don’t use voice anyway - everything I do is through an app.
Check out jmp.chat - they route everything, your voice calls and SMS, through XMPP. So voice calls are VOIP. I don’t even have conventional voice service with them.
