We already have the developer option to allow apps not verified by Google. You can do the 24hr wait now to preemptively enable unverified apps, and then nothing will change whenever they choose to actually start enforcing signatures. I've already done it and although a bit annoying it's far from enough a roadblock for me to get rid of my phone. We need better Linux phones, or banking apps that can actually work on graphene without the constant cat and mouse game of passing play integrity in the Google space. Even if we had a great Linux phone many mobile websites just try to redirect you to their app rather than build a real mobile website, so it would be tedious to use for many functions. Graphene is great, but the number of Android apps that refuse to run without play integrity passing is far too high for me to risk buying a compatible phone and going all in on it. Perhaps the new Motorola partnership will be able to help this in some way, but I won't believe it until I see it.
Linux Phones
The Discussion on Linux-based Phones.
Benefits:
- Hardware freedom.
- Perfect operating-system competition.
- Full utilization of specs.
- Phone lifespan raises to 10+ years.
- Less e-waste.
Linux Mobile Distros:
- Sailfish🇫🇮
- Ubuntu Touch🇩🇪
- Postmarket OS🇨🇭
- Mobian
- Pure OS🇺🇸
- FuriOS🇺🇸
- Plasma Mobile🇩🇪
- LuneOS
- openSUSE Mobile🇩🇪
- Nemomobile
- Droidian
- Mobile NixOS
- ExpidusOS
- Maemo Leste
- Manjaro Arm
- Tizen
- WebOS
Linux Mobile Hardware:
- Fairphone 6🇳🇱
- Jolla Phone🇫🇮
- Volla Phone🇩🇪
- Shift Phone🇩🇪
- FLX1🇺🇸
- Librem 5🇺🇸
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Dumbphone/grapheme combo
Waiting for Motorola linux phone.
Supposedly 2027 onward their top line phones will be Graphene compatible.
I recently learned Samsung makes a durable phone with a removable battery, and it has no lineage os support. So IDK, I'll troll around eBay for a good deal on a used phone I guess. Sooner than later this phone is dying.
I'm gonna split my phone from my smart device entirely. Buying a Maker 2 phone when it drops tomorrow. Maybe this won't work out as well as I'd hoped... but it will actually cost me about the same for 2 lines cuz I'm already overpaying on my regular plan.
I'll continue using my phone until it stops working. Then I'll go with a feature phone, maybe something rubbing Kaios because WhatsApp is a must where i live. Can't say i use my phone for anything productive to warrant having one, but since i already do...
Switches to Graphene OS earlier this year when my old phone kicked the bucket. Super happy with the change!
Nothing, because I barely use my phone as it is. Hopefully, when it is time to upgrade there will be some decent Linux phones in my price range.
I own, and love, my samsung Fold7, so afraid im kinda screwed.
I'm still on my Fold6. I got a Pixel Pro Fold to use Graphene and it was great for a while, but the device itself kinda fell apart, so I'm back on the Fold6.
A folding Linux phone would be really cool, and also $3000.
Cross that road when it happens. Likely, next phone purchase will be a lot more annoying.
I moved to GrapheneOS a few years back and dumped their services for an Immich server and proton mail
I too have been Graphene'd up for years. I'm slowly working on ditching the last few bits of Google, just about the only thing left is an old gmail that's tied to a bunch of accounts, which I might keep around as a forwarding thing for a little while yet.
What's the hardware? Pixel?
Yep started with a 7, now I'm on the 9. It has been great
I've been on Ubuntu Touch for a couple of months now! I'm enjoying it so far
Which device and cell provider are you using?
I have a furilabs phone i got in anticipation of this... turns out no service provider supports it in my neck of the woods. Kinda fucked
Ouch. I once crowdfunded a phone that was compatible with Ubuntu Touch and it came out two years late, downgraded, and mine didn't even work. It sounds like yours might at least have resale value.
Continue to not own a mobile phone as I have done since the 80s
I'm assuming, then, though, that you do have a computer, in order to receive emails and such. Too much in society is attached to having other stuff: mailing address, email, phone number, two factor authentication, running privacy violating software on Windows, etc...
If you've been doing it since the 80s, have there been eras that have really challenged your desire or whatever to not have a mobile phone?
Do you think life would be much easier if you did have a mobile phone?
Why do you not have a mobile phone?
Do you think other or younger people should follow your lead?
I'm so curious about your story. I've thought about it many times, and as much as I think the technology is super cool and amazing, I also really wish it wasn't all but legally required to participate in so many aspects of society. It makes me wonder where you're from and where you live and if you're American or not.
I'm assuming, then, though, that you do have a computer, in order to receive emails and such.
You assume correctly. My computer (which is not a laptop btw) is indispensable. I have a strong desire to keep my digital life all in one spot and a PC is my best option, since I also like to make software and play video games.
If you've been doing it since the 80s, have there been eras that have really challenged your desire or whatever to not have a mobile phone?
I have never once looked at a smartphone and thought "man, I wish I could do that." I'll admit, once in a while I do daydream about how easy they make it to send and receive money, but that's about it. I don't make or spend enough of it for it to be a huge concern.
Do you think life would be much easier if you did have a mobile phone?
Believe it or not, it has gotten slightly easier to live without a smartphone in recent years. Medical providers started providing online portals where you can do everything. In years past, they were pretty dogmatic about doing everything over the phone.
It helps a lot that I live in a very rural area full of boomers (in America, yes). People here still go to the bank in person, restaurants have paper menus, people still use paper atlases to get around, etc. So I haven't run into any barriers to conducting life business without a phone.
Why do you not have a mobile phone?
They simply never interested me when they started becoming popular while I was in college. I grew up in a time when you left the house in the morning, and no one knew where you were or what you were doing until you told them when you got home in the evening. I like that, so I keep doing it.
Do you think other or younger people should follow your lead?
I think they should do it if they want to, and fight to keep it possible. And always remember: if someone tries to tell you you can't do something without a phone, they're just bluffing. Everything is negotiable.
Wow, thank you for taking the time to give such thoughtful answers.
I have one more slightly more complex question, though, since I run into it occasionally and absolutely abhor it: do you ever have to use a scan-only pay-to-park or anything like that? You said you live in a rural area that has paper/physical things, still - does that imply that you never encounter these digital-only things? Or that maybe you do and just choose not to engage with them? If you don't, what would you do if you did?
For example, you go into town and the available parking at a restaurant is pay to park, and there is no physical meter, only a scannable code on the signs everywhere, telling you you scan it and pay with an account at a website or through their app.
A wall parking garage I often really visit has a system that scans your license plate on entry. Then on exit, there is no booth anymore, but another camera that scans your plate at the exit. If you don't have an account or haven't paid, the bar blocking your way doesn't lift. The system is designed to be interactionless, but only as long as you've made an account with a valid payment option on it.
Kinda looking forward to the response on that
RIGHT?!
Like, I am perpetually curious and interested in knowing more about other people, especially those older than me.
Stuck with Samsung phone so it looks like I'm fucked
I own a Fairphone, so switching to graphene would be trivial. However, I think I will stick with the convoluted workaround they will implement. At least until I get tired of it.
Probably find something else to pursue that doesn't require dystopian technology. I can't imagine that I would just sit there and despair over it.
Tell us what you come up with? If apple and android are out, it's gonna be sailfish or graphene on a thinning hw profile, right?
Man I wish we could all agree to use the most superior date format:
YYYY MM DD
[Angry ISO-8601 noises]
I'm fairly happy with my Linux phone. Not too worried :P
I think this will be the first and last time I got a flagship model. I'm going back to upper-middle range Samsungs, that still have the headphone jack. My 10+ years old ThinkPad is much better to use than my S23 Ultra, the only thing that is locked down is the WLAN card slot (really need to do that hack, I already bought the necessary tools for it).
I would rather have a netbook with a cellular modem than a phone at this point. They are all 6" diagonal slabs of brain cancer.
Never bought an Android and never will because I saw this exact shit coming
So with apple locking hard way before android, now what are you proudly signall-uh, running, with neither of them as options?