Hi. I know the most privacy-oriented (and best-working) phone OS is GrapheneOS, but I was wondering about other, less well-known ones, such as VollaOS (modified Android), Sailfish OS or Ubuntu Touch. Are they private? Do they work? Can I run Android applications on them (VollaOS and SailfishOS) without too much effort? I like using Linux, but I rely on many Android apps, such as navigation, mobile banking, the Garmin app, and many others. Do you have any experience with these operating systems?
Linux phones are as private as Linux, but AFAIK it’s VERY rough, like no MMS implementation rough. Waydroid exists, but your mileage may vary per any individual app as per it actually running.
Yes, but I think Sailfish OS and Ubuntu Touch are Linux-based systems with an Android layer (I don’t really know how it works, but it’s something like Linux with Android firmware?) so they would work better than the PinePhone. I am interested in people’s experiences, and I saw in a video that Android apps run pretty well on Sailfish OS.
I’m currently trying to switch to using my Sailfish Phone full time. Unfortunately the way I’m having to do this is by keeping my old android about to run WhatsApp (because I can’t get friends and family onto something that also runs on Sailfish, which is basically Matrix or nothing as far as I can tell). It’s not great tbh, but I really like the idea of Sailfish (or Ubuntu touch).
The Dalvik layer (which runs the Android sandbox) is ok, it runs some stuff but not everything and anything “security dependent”, forget it, so Banking and messaging won’t be supported, that being said the moment I find a bank that supports Sailfish, I will switch to that bank in an instant.
(Ps. If anyone has anything to refute any of my statements here, like a good messaging app or banking, then please correct me, I want to be wrong)
Can’t you get WhatsApp to work in Waydroid?
Honestly I haven’t tried, so that’s possibly on me. But also I don’t want it on there, who knows what that app does, it’s at best suspicious, imho. I have a “dirty” phone with all the big tech stuff on, but at a pinch I can make it go online using my “clean” phone as a tether, but I’m trying to wean off the data harvesting apps like WA, Instagram etc
If you want to run Android apps on Linux try Waydroid. It is probably one of the best option right now.
which phone you got? is sailfish still xperia only?
List of linux phones OS: https://linmob.net/resources/#smartphones Sailfish os suported devices https://docs.sailfishos.org/Support/Supported_Devices/
No, I think they support others too. However I have the Jolla C2:
https://commerce.jolla.com/products/jolla-community-phone