Do it, cowards. Push me onto a dumb phone, at long last
this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2025
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I hope this does for Linux phones what Windows 11 is doing for the Linux desktop.
certified Android devices
so if I haven't had a "normal" ROM in 15 years, I can continue on as normal?
Bootloader unlocking is getting pretty thin these days, so I wouldn't be surprised when that ends too.
Yup, that's me checking out of smartphones then. Thanks for the push Google.
Diy pi based tablet with a hotspot or smartphone just for tethering is what I've been thinking for a while.
Embrace
Extend
Extinguish < we are here
Welp... that about does it... I'm out.
Fuck that shit. We need a non-Google or Apple mobile OS.
Desktop Linux can already be used on mobile devices via projects like postmarketOS. The problem is that phone designers make it hard to flash devices, and don't provide any documentation of the hardware present on the devices. Which means postmarketOS support will only be for some devices, and only a while after release (the best supported devices are many years old and no longer sold).
I'm guessing because they're either made by the software developers too (like Apple) or have a deal with the software providers (like Google)?
They just don't bother with supporting alternative operating systems and are really invested in Android. The non-Apple ecosystem is almost entirely Android focused and I assume integrated circuit makers help support the use of their devices with Android. And phone makers have a lot of people working on integrating those devices with their phone and Android. It's also extra work for phone makers to document their devices fully. And some integrated circuit makers don't publish the specs for their ICs (you have to enter into some deal with them) and so on. I also think a lot of Android device makers just view their devices as disposable. A few years of updates and then people are supposed to get a newer phone. So the device drivers and integration doesn't have to be maintained forever, just long enough for the support period.
And some of the integrated circuits in phones are just really complex, like the camera. So it's also a matter of developer labor to make it work with Linux.
I'm not really sure what the single biggest factor is in making it difficult.
It really sucks that these extremely sophisticated devices that take a long time to even manufacture, only lasting a few years. But I suppose it's the same with a lot of things.
I had to do the verification process for my last job and it was a huge fuckin hassle