Leaving Ubuntu Touch

kalle.kruse

Bye everybody and thanks a lot to all those who are making UBports possible! I have been using Ubuntu Touch as daily driver since 2015 and have been following the UBports Q&A as well as this forum quite regularly. Sadly my only contributions have been some bug reports and spreading the word on social media.
I have finally given up this week and have switched to GrapheneOS on a new Pixel phone (it admittedly feels very strange to buy a Google phone for avoiding Google to spy on you...). Still hoping to getting back to 'real' Linux on my phone one day, but some of the pain points have grown too big - e.g. I am too dependent on mobile messaging via Signal/Axolotl, which has not been working for me for many months now - and seems as far from enabling video calls as ever. Also the Volla Phone still has some rather annoying shortcomings - crashes etc.
I am posting this not to spoil the mood but just to avoid leaving this great community silently without wishing the foundation, the team and all contributors the best of luck - please keep up the good fight!

cliffcoggin

@kalle-kruse That's unfortunate, but understandable in the circumstances.

Moem

@kalle-kruse said in Leaving Ubuntu Touch:

Signal/Axolotl, which has not been working for me for many months now

Yeah, it's very hard for the developers to play catch-up with the changes in Signal. Recently, I've been able to send and receive messages again, add people as contacts, and even send and receive images. Group support is still incomplete, and yes, video chat is missing too.

It's nice of you to come by to say goodbye. Maybe in the future UT will be able to offer you all that you are looking for; if/when that happens, you will always be welcomed back.
Safe travels!

Lakotaubp

@kalle-kruse Shame to see you go but you are more than welcome to return whenever you want. In fact why not leave everything here as is and think of it as on pause. You are more than welcome to pop in and out as you wish.

Lt. Dillinger

I understand as I recently bought a de-Googled Linage OS One+ 6. I'll still keep my Nexus 5 and I too am hopeful that one day I can have a full fledged Linux phone such as a Pine Phone for a daily driver. I'll keep using Ubuntu on both my laptops.

domubpkm

@kalle-kruse said in Leaving Ubuntu Touch:

Also the Volla Phone still has some rather annoying shortcomings - crashes etc.

So you have a Volla ? If you speak of Volla with UT, yes there are some issues on it but quite good and stable for me, and If you didn't already, did you think to flash Volla OS which would probably have fulfilled your expectations ?

nero355

@kalle-kruse said in Leaving Ubuntu Touch:

I have finally given up this week and have switched to GrapheneOS on a new Pixel phone (it admittedly feels very strange to buy a Google phone for avoiding Google to spy on you...).

IKR!!!

Still hoping to getting back to 'real' Linux on my phone one day, but some of the pain points have grown too big - e.g. I am too dependent on mobile messaging via Signal/Axolotl, which has not been working for me for many months now - and seems as far from enabling video calls as ever. Also the Volla Phone still has some rather annoying shortcomings - crashes etc.

I see such things as a issue on the side of Signal/Telegram/etc. for not providing us Native Clients for Ubuntu Touch

But then again...

Why can't we run the Desktop Client for Linux version on our phones ?!

After all : QT can adapt applications to each screen or device...

kalle.kruse

Moem

@nero355 said in Leaving Ubuntu Touch:

I see such things as a issue on the side of Signal/Telegram/etc. for not providing us Native Clients for Ubuntu Touch
But then again...
Why can't we run the Desktop Client for Linux version on our phones ?!

Because, for one thing, Signal requires at least one device that is a phone and has a phone number. It can't function with only desktop versions linked together.
I'm sure there are also more technical reasons, but one reason is enough.

metalmyles

I use a LineageOS phone as my daily-driver but I still keep my UT phone when I found out another major update occurs. I believe UT will get much better in the future.

One last thing, aside from issues with Signal on UT, were you able to install any non-openstore apps?

I just read a post on UBports with instructions of how to install Android apps from Waydroid and desktop apps from the stock app Libertine. In order for apk apps to work, I've read F-Droid works and so should Aurora (front end for google play store apps) if you need to install more apps. You could download Signal from Aurora and see if it works.

Moem

@metalmyles said in Leaving Ubuntu Touch:

You could download Signal from Aurora and see if it works.

In fact you can even download the .apk directly from the Signal website.

stanwood

@metalmyles Almost all Android apps should work in WayDroid on UT.

First, check that your device porting is built under Halium 9 or higher and has the appropriate kernel patches. The best choice for running WayDroid now is certainly the Vollaphone.

You can install WayDroid as follow:

#Open terminal

sudo -s
sudo mount -o remount,rw /
apt update
apt install waydroid -y
waydroid init
ubports-qa install xenial_-_fixwindowreopen

#For Vollaphone, add:

waydroid prop set persist.waydroid.height_padding 70

Then restart device, then:

Go in the openstore and install "WayDroid helper"

https://open-store.io/app/waydroidhelper.aaronhafer

Then, from the WayDroid browser, install F-Droid.
In F-Droid settings, enable all repositories.
Add Micro-G repo: https://microg.org/fdroid/repo

and, still in F-Droid, install:

microG Service Core
FakeStore
Microg Services Framework Proxy
MozillaNlpBackend

Open Micro-G app, go in Micro-G settings, check that the device is well registered, (self check-on), and enable and check everything you can. (all boxes should be activated).
Allow Google cloud services and notifications.
In the location module services, activate MozillaNlpBackend

Still in F-droid, search and install "Aurora Store".

Now you will have 3 stores:

OpenStore: Ubuntu Touch default store
F-Droid: Android store giving access to thousands opensource apps (only opensource apps are available)
Aurora Store: All Android Apps (similar to Google play store, but without Google frame services that are now replaced with Micro-G)

Then, open "WayDroid helper" app, and hide all duplicate apps you don't need (calculator, contacts, calendar, camera, gallery, etc...). Swipe right the app you want to hide and click on the "trash". To show it again, do the same but swipe left and click on "+".

Now you should be able to use both Ubuntu Touch and Android apps on your device.

To uninstall an application, use the store that has installed the app, but note that an issue avoid the icon to be erase from the app launcher.
So you might use the following workaround:

open terminal

cd /home/phablet/.local/share/applications
rm 'APPLICATION NAME'

Note that WayDroid and it's integration in Ubuntu Touch is still in an early alpha development stage and may be unstable.

Currently Direct WiFi and Bluetooth do not work in WayDroid, so you can't use applications to control IoT devices (ex: Irobot Home, Garmin JR connect, etc...)

WayDroid does not yet support fingerprints reader, so you can not login to a bank account (or any secured app) using your fingerprints, but still able to connect using a standard password.

Sometimes, apps that have just been installed do not displayed on the app launcher, just wait a few minutes (sometimes few hours), or open it through Aurora Store.
(Reboot doesn't seem to fix the issue)

Apps are automatically updated, please check regularly your stores to update then manually.

If WayDroid icon appears twice, just refresh the launcher by pulling it down et release it.

When you close a Android app, you will see a point at the buttom of the dock, don't mind, it disappears as soon as you open a standard UT app.

Finally, only run WayDroid it at your own risk!

domubpkm

@stanwood said in Leaving Ubuntu Touch:

Then go in the search section and install Micro-G.
In Micro-G settings, enable and check everything you can.

Could you clarify if you are familiar with it? Personnally i only know the name, what it do, but i have no need to use it (currently). Thanks.

stanwood

@domubpkm Micro-G is a free-as-in-freedom re-implementation of Google’s proprietary Android user space apps and libraries.
For instance, it is used by default on /e/ and LineageOS for Micro-G.
https://microg.org/
It enables to run Android apps that depends of Google frame services without using the official Google PlayStore.
That said, if you don't need such apps, it's not needed. Micro-G is not required to use F-Droid apps....

domubpkm

@stanwood

Add Micro-G repo and install:
. microG Service Core
. FakeStore
. Microg Services Framework Proxy
In Micro-G settings, enable and check everything you can.

I misspoke in writing : you edited a comment three hours ago and it's what's above that I wanted to know, the practical side to install and use MicroG. There is only the line 'enable and check everything you can' that i don't fully understand, but i will see if i use it in some times..

@domubpkm Let say it this way 80% of apps need the Google Service Framework to run, microG emulate that into some way so the apps thinks Google Services would be installed....Into the self check from microG everything need to be checked.

nero355

@moem said in Leaving Ubuntu Touch:

Because, for one thing, Signal requires at least one device that is a phone and has a phone number. It can't function with only desktop versions linked together.

DAMN...

That is some bad software design right there!

Moem

@nero355 said in Leaving Ubuntu Touch:

That is some bad software design right there!

Personally I'd say it's a design choice that you don't agree with... WhatsApp does the same. These protocols and apps are basically meant to be used on a phone and the other version(s) are an extra.

nero355

@moem
You mentioned the W-word... that says enough : Bad software design!

Oh, when I read this from some people, it's not Ubuntu Touch's fault with the missing applications. Well, I'm glad I found Webber. It's definitely an advantage for non-developers. If you could at least set the German language on platforms like Github it would be better But in the meantime I can handle it. In any case, Linux is better than Windows in many things. To the users who have left UT, good luck with the other system. Incidentally, Dr. Morph often runs hard at Merlin. Well, software is only human xD