Absolutely Impressed
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I bought Pixel 3a XL just to try out Ubuntu Touch, and I am absolutely impressed. Especially with Waydroid giving us the ability to run Android apps. I tested out Apple Music (Android), and it work -- no problem. To whom ever worked on this project, congratulations. Y'all are just fantastic.
I am hoping that this project grows.
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@austintatious Great to see someone enjoying UT and yes we plan on keeping growing. Welcome to the Community.
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That's great to hear. Please spread the word!
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@austintatious Hey if you don't mind me asking, where did you buy your 3a from? I really want to get out of the Apple/Google ecosystem and into UT!
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@ubuntumale I just bought the Pixel 3A XL off of eBay for like $80(?). I was lucky and truly got one that had an unlockable bootloader. I read that this could be problematic on some devices. My only concern is seeing the discussion on this forum about the doubt and unclarity about which devices will continue to be supported. I bought a Nexus 5 because it had a star next to it on the list; I think that star should be removed. At the minimum the list needs to be separated into which version of Ubuntu they are based on. The experience was not so great on the Nexus 5. Waydroid, I think, really needs to be working well for this transition to be effective.
I'm an Apple guy -- who hates Android. (I will always have my iPhone). But even I know that until there is a good development environment toolchain Android apps can fill that gap. The Pixel allows Waydroid to run (still buggy but I know that will eventually get solved).
I was interested in a Volla Phone, but I'm not feeling the price right now.
I want to get more people interested in this. So might do a Tiktok series on it.
I actually REALLY love the how the interface works. I would make a few tweak that would allow swiping right and left for back and forth (like in Safari) when swiping from the very top of the screen (allowing the gesture to still be allowed for opening the app drawer and the open app carousel).
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@austintatious thanks for your insight. I was just looking at a 3a on eBay with a photo confirming actual unlocked boot loader status, but then I noticed it was running Android 12, which cannot be downgraded to Android 9 (and therefore impossible to install UT onto). This is very frustrating lol.
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@ubuntumale So, mine was running Android 12 and I did downgrade it. I thought it was 13 that couldn't downgraded. There is a small chance I remember incorrectly.
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@austintatious said in Absolutely Impressed:
At the minimum the list needs to be separated into which version of Ubuntu they are based on
Yes, it needs to be, and it is: you can filter it to show either Xenial devices, Focal, or both.
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@austintatious You are right about splitting the list and it has kind of started with the filters. The Nexus 5 is a good device as it has a good screen, a battery that is easy to replace and is quite easy to repair other parts. Its main design flaw was failure of the eMMC causing a boot loop.
However to me, if you want Ubuntu Touch on your device, why look at running basically an Android Virtual Machine on it to run apps that scrape your data and may work and may not? Again it is my opinion that UT is to get away from Google, Apple, Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi and the like that all want your data for tracking and ads and Waydroid is a nice to have, but more importantly the device has to function as a communication device, camera and navigation tool, which a lot of devices are still buggy with.
Devices supporting UT will be limited by age, i.e base Android Kernel, getting spare parts, notably batteries and general wear and tear. On the other hand newer devices will be limited by the inability to unlock bootloaders, inability to revert to an older version of Android. The limits that covers both is peoples time and skills at porting and the bane of us all, proprietary hardware and drivers.
Like you I would like a Volla Phone or Fairphone, but they are to costly compared to a decent Android phone or cheaper iPhone (I have to have an iPhone for FaceTime only on WiFi, Android phone for daily use and UT device(s) for trying stuff out - I also have older devices running SailfishOS and PostmarketOS). UT is just not quite there for stuff I need and have to do, but is improving thanks to all enthusiasts that are involved.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7.... And more...
I have too many devices... -
@MrT10001
So basically you are saying that he shouldn’t use android apps for various reasons, but you are using an iPhone and Chinese android phones? -
@MrT10001 said in Absolutely Impressed:
if you want Ubuntu Touch on your device, why look at running basically an Android Virtual Machine on it to run apps that scrape your data and may work and may not?
@MrT10001 said in Absolutely Impressed:
Android phone for daily use
If you beg to escape Google so much, the fact your daily driver is an android phone, bewilders me.
Especially since you don't see the use in a container running android, and dismiss it.If you're using full android you have all the spyware you fear, all the time, if you're using waydroid, by default you get de-googled android, in which you can add google apps, these apps are in the waydroid container, so if you take lots of photos on your phone, the facebook or instagram, or whatever app you're using on waydroid, will not see them, and when you're traveling, and don't want to be tracked by those services, you can close waydroid, which will stop those apps from being able to run in the background, meaning you can have a phone, text, call, browse the web, etc, without the google, or Facebook.
I just don't see the perspective of "Hey if you use waydroid and install a android app like instagram, then you're getting spied on when you have waydroid open, and God forbid that, instead, just carry around another phone with spyware you can't turn off, on constantly"
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@Lankku said in Absolutely Impressed:
@MrT10001
So basically you are saying that he shouldn’t use android apps for various reasons, but you are using an iPhone and Chinese android phones?No, what I am saying is that UT works in most cases but is not the more polished article like iOS or Android that have a lot more funding and paid people input - in that case if you want to use Android or iOS apps use an Apple or Android product as a) they work, b) they are more the polished article and c) they have criteria to work to be on the app store. The apps are also checked (more so now) for malware. And we know the downside which is having to sign in to the device and the tracking, data scraping and control these devices have.
I have to use an iPhone for Facetime and Facetime only, an Android phone for banking, communication and things that UT won't do due to services I require only being available on iOS or Android such as bus tickets, train bookings which there is no way round from.
I am personally not bothered about data scraping and so on, I don't use a lot of apps, this forum and telegram is the only social media I use. I use my devices as I use them and will use them differently to what the next person uses them. I would not bother with a smartphone if I wanted to escape all of this. I grew up without them and was quick to pick up, learn and use them. There are still people I know who are not elderly who won't have a phone of any sort!
If I had the programming skills I would contribute a lot more, I stopped when I was kid, picked it up a bit later, then life took me in a different direction. Kudos to the people who do and can code. However, this is my view, if you have the skills to code, why not port a device, polish a port off so you get sound in calls or the camera works. Waydroid is a luxury in my view, a nice to have, but why when you can buy a cheap smartphone off eBay and have all your apps for banking etc that won't work with UT or Waydroid. These are my views and what works for me at this moment in time.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7.... And more...
I have too many devices... -
Given the technological constraints of today's world, it is almost impossible to do with only a UT smartphone. And that may not work out unless UT evolves and fills its gaps very quickly. Personally, I also cannot rely solely on UT. Between 2017 and 2021, I was able to settle for UT only, but now it's over.
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@MrT10001 said in Absolutely Impressed:
... if you have the skills to code, why not port a device, polish a port off so you get sound in calls or the camera works.
Porting a new device, while helping to make UT available on more devices, also brings with it the expectation from users of the device that the port will be maintained. Yes, this is an open source project and the porter has donated their own time to do so, and their time is their own, so no one can dictate what is done with it, sure. But how does it reflect on the project when users of a device are left high and dry when priorities for the porter change, and no one steps up to pick up and continue the work?
If the responsibility of maintenance is considered too great, Maybe those with the skill to code and the desire to contribute could consider helping with fixing issues that are open on the issue trackers. That would potentially benefit more users on more devices and also have a much more lasting positive impact without the maintenance burden of a port.
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@arubislander Totally right. There are so many archived ports on XDA-developers forum, filled with dead links and old posts.
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@MrT10001 said in Absolutely Impressed:
Waydroid is a luxury in my view, a nice to have, but why when you can buy a cheap smartphone off eBay and have all your apps for banking etc that won't work with UT or Waydroid
I want to use Ubuntu Touch, and Waydroid for me is a crutch, until we get more native apps.
I'd rather not need to use Waydroid, but if you give me the choice between using Waydroid, or buy another cheap phone, for my personal app usage, to be able to use signal, or whatever, obviously, the cheaper, more private, more convenient option is what I'm going to choose.Your comments seem to go back on themselves.
@MrT10001 said in Absolutely Impressed:
I am personally not bothered about data scraping and so on
If that's the case, why bother saying
@MrT10001 said in Absolutely Impressed:
UT is to get away from Google, Apple, Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi and the like that all want your data for tracking and ads
Why do you keep saying you need android because there isn't ubuntu touch versions of the apps, but ask people why they would even bother with waydroid?
You seem to imply that you should only use Ubuntu Touch as a daily driver if you want privacy, but if you want privacy, then there are much more secure android roms, with full disc encryption, ability's to stop data transfer if you lose VPN connections, a way to make all your apps use the TOR network.You say thanks and say that you appreciate the work, and you keep saying "in my personal opinion" and all that, which is fine, but then it appears that that if an idea or use-case doesn't fit into your perspective, then you question it, and push the solutions to the side, and I personally feel like that pushes away from people who want to make the project better for there cases, its especially dismissing if it's worded like fud, many banking, traveling agency's etc, have a website, which will work fine on Ubuntu Touch, you can easily use signal, whatsapp, instagram, facebook messenger, etc on Ubuntu Touch, using waydroid or there website, and they work fine, you can say "They don't work as well on Ubuntu Touch because waydroid xyz issues" but it's really dismissive to say "Oh you can't message people on instagram" when the browser app is right there, and you can install the APK easily, ok you wont have notifications, but saying "I struggle to use instagram on ubuntu touch because I dont get notifications properly" is a very different and none dismissive alternative to "I cant message people on instagram using ubuntu touch"
You seem to dismiss any arguments which state that you can do something, with "maybe you can't" and "but why would you?" but then you're telling us how you place your value, by coming up with an issue, it being solved for you, and when it's solved, just dismissing it with a "why would you even want to?", and then continuing to say that you can't do the thing that we just solved, because it's done in a none-ideal way.
If Waydroid isn't for you thats fine, and if your solution of keeping android as your daily is your solution, that's fine, I don't see people constantly asking you why you would that, when you could do something else, and thats because people weigh preferences differently and have different needs and wants, but just because its not your preference, doesn't mean other people think the same way as you, or have your preferences, yes ubuntu touch can have its inconveniences, but people use it despite that for a reason, and it's not just to get away from Apple and Google.
If you are generally asking why you would use waydroid on your preferred OS you want to use daily, over wasting money, time, convenience and a bit of your privacy to use a OS you don't like, by buying a cheap android phone, then I and others have given you a few reasons, so please stop asking the same question.
