Motorola have announced a partnership with Graphene OS, a Canadian company. If the models Moto ships are semi affordable I would jump at that.
this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2026
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Are their phones even any good? Serious question, I haven’t heard of Motorola in the last 10 or so years, I didn’t even know they still existed.
It would be deliciously ironic if they launched GrapheneOS on their Thinkphone models though. They would totally match my thinkpad laptop which I already use.
Motorola have always done great low and mid range phones. They were a hold out on removable batteries longer than any other company for example. Don't know if they still do such phones though but I do know there still good in that race comparatively. Good value for money.
Graphene is not a GNU/Linux distro, it's an Android fork.
Perhaps not, but there is no GNU/Linux distro that is "ready for primetime" as a mobile OS right now. I WISH there was, but UBPorts, PostmarketOS, etc all either have significant features disparity or are straight up still marketed as "developer experimental".
GrapheneOS is a solid choice for now to provide an alternative, whether a permanent replacement or a stepping stone.
Jolla has sailfish OS as the official ROM and it has for quite a few years now (for all their past phones). It's not marketed as a dev experimental.
A lot of people who are eager to install Linux on their phones this early are out off by the proprietary parts of SailfishOS. I personally want a Linux phone in large part due to distrust of proprietary software for a device with such capacity to invade my privacy.
Proprietary blobs are also present throughout regular linux distributions. And I hear and participate with the moans they generate but users understand that sometimes modems, wireless chips or GPUs (main culprits) have us stuck at the onset of using Linux at all. Debian had to reverse it's procedure from a default free only to default mix and user has to specify if he doesn't want proprietary firmware installed. Even graphene OS has to make do with proprietary firmware.
It's a whole lot more than just firmware, though. The UI is proprietary. A bunch of the basic system apps are proprietary. The Android compatibility layer is proprietary. You're not really buying into an open OS that happens to have proprietary components; you're getting a proprietary OS built in open components.
FuriOS's FLX1s works pretty well; it's been my primary device for 3 months, now.
Never even heard of that device before. Can you get Signal messenger on it?
So there's Flare which works (GTK implementation) but it's far from feature parity; but it definitely works pretty nicely, for what it is.
The device also has really good Android emulation; certain Google Play services still don't quite work, even though it comes with MicroG preinstalled (e.g. the Integrity API so, unfortunately, all my banking app.s crash themselves), but I can't imagine Signal uses any that'd cause it not to run.
I have it (the Android version) installed and it opens just fine but I haven't had the chance to try transferring the account (and all messages) over, yet. So I'd expect it'd fully work but that's all I can tell you, yet.
I can come back and let you know how it goes and how well it works – once I get there –, if you'd like.
I'd appreciate that! Signal messenger support is honestly the biggest thing I can't live without if I'm going to convert away. I've been considering a move to GrapheneOS soon without any Google Play Services and just using Aurora/F-Droid, but I'd REALLY love to move to a full Linux phone that isn't Android-based, as I view GrapheneOS as just a stepping stone still beholden to Google's whims.
What has the link got to do with your question?
it made me add a link, i didnt have a link to add, found one that was like, vaguely related. idk.
Lemmy does not make you add links. You just have to choose the type of post you want to make. If your client does, get a better one.
🙃
Get a better client or learn how to use the one you have.
PostmarketOS, while certainly not production ready, does have mobile data working for some devices: https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Devices
There's also the upcoming Mecha Comet which has been able to make calls and use mobile data in testing but is yet to be released so we'll have to wait and see how usable it is.
VoLTE supposedly works on the One Plus 6/6T in postmarket and Mobian with some fucking around.
Have you had any experience with Mobian? Would you recommend it?
I played with it but not as a daily driver. Being as I'm Debian based in the first place it was a nice experience for me and easy to tinker with. But Postmarket might be a little more efficient with resources overall. One way or another I really like Posh, and also use GNOME on other tablet devices an I like the touch experience overall.
Thanks! Gonna give it a try. What tablets do you have and what distros are using on them?
Intel based ones, foldable laptops like the Yoga, x220i, Framework 12, etc...
Debian, but it doesn't really matter.
Allegedly, VoLTE works on Ubuntu Touch for OnePlus Nord N100, N10, Volla Phone 22, and Fairphone 4.
Jolla?
Article basically says Google bad yet in the very bottom is a button to add in preferred Google sources.
If Google bad, steer away from it then.
Depends where you live, if you're in EU look into sailfish.
What's that six vertical line character?
This simbols match where a return character is placed.
im not sure i know what youre talking about
My bad, it seems to be a Discover app quirk.
This is what they're referring to:
Oh I see your confusion, that's the 6 horizontal line character. Much different. I hope that clears it up!
On voyager, it shows up as newline. That's an odd one.
Why is VoLTE important for you?
If you are worried about privacy, you should not use normal phone services.
Some countries (Australia) now entirely block phones which don't support VoLTE from the network.
Uncertainty about whether I'd be able to connect is one of the main reasons I haven't bought a Linux phone yet as well.
Can confirm this shit sucks, I bought a OnePlus 6 a few months before the 3G shutdown and my phone's on the banlist for most providers now despite technically being supported, so no calls.
If you know the IMEI of any phone you want, there are sites that let you check if it's blacklisted on their network, I can at least tell you the OP 6 is gonna be touch and go if you do commit.
what the fuck
because my old-ass grandparents like to call me. what do you want me to do, get them to use telegram? my grandfather doesnt even know how to type. at all.
I know many grandparents that made the effort to stay in touch with Children and Grandchildren.
They are not incapable of learning, they just need sufficient motivation and support.
Something like signal is simpler and less likely to push slop their way.
Also look at some of the simplified launchers available for android. It allows you to setup a locked down UI for them that hides everything they don't need.
EDIT: I used BIG launcher in the past with my 84 year old grandfather to great success.