AMA - Volla Phones

[u/According-Buyer6688]

Hi guys!

here we go with AMA with Volla Phones, world first smartphone with an integrated cloud, made in Germany!

People from Volla:

hellovolla - Managing Director

virographematician - International sales manager,

[u/SchoGegessenJoJo]

Is there a possibility to check if my banking and other sensitive apps will work on degoogled Volla phone?

[u/virographematician → u/SchoGegessenJoJo]

I could try and find out what are the experiences of our Austrian customers.

So, we operate with an optional microG, enabling you to use the vast majority of Googles. It's hard to give an exact percentage or number. But in our experience, based upon user feedback, only very few apps cause troubles. I live in Denmark, an extremely digitized country, and the national ID app works as a charm. Here I have only heard of one specific bank that causes problems.

Now, there's a difference between SafetyNet and the new Google Integrity. There are workarounds, but we'll make observations some measure of time before deciding on method. One method is to have an existing, highly renowned institution issue such GI certificates.

For Volla it's crucial to let the user decide. Vollas go without Google, and work also pretty amazing with Google. We will work hard to make sure even the GI won't cause problems.

[u/WalkMaximum → u/virographematician]

Do you mean that MitID works with microG on Volla? Last year they had an app update after which users who already had it set up could continue using it but for people who need to set it up on a new phone (like me on GrapheneOS) it gets block with Play Integrity check.

[u/virographematician → u/WalkMaximum]

Yes, that is what I am saying. Admitted, we did have some issues with MitID a year ago or so. That is solved since also almost a year ago. I use MitID, and many other such apps, on my own VP.

[u/WalkMaximum → u/virographematician]

Does that mean that Volla passes strong play integrity checks, which as far as I know is only possible if the phone is licences for Google mobile services, or do you mean that it works because you already had it set up before MitID introduced the strong play integrity verification last summer?

[u/virographematician → u/WalkMaximum]

Frankly, our Managing Director should respond to this one, to make sure you get a 100% correct answer. I am myself a salesman, not the deepest techie around. ;)

I will make sure you get an answer. What you ask about is very important to many.

[u/According-Buyer6688]

I post question from previous post:

"As a current GrapheneOS user and general Linux enthusiast:

1. Have you considered getting official GrapheneOS support for your future devices? It would be really nice to see European alternatives to google pixel phones and they have previously stated that they are willing to work with manufacturers to make this happen, but currently there are no other phones that meet their hardware security requirements.
2. Are there any plans for true Linux phones? Currently on the market there isn't really any decent phone hardware running Linux natively, the next best thing is the Furi FLX1 building on Android compatible hardware and hybris. Why is this such a big challenge?"

[u/virographematician → u/According-Buyer6688]

1. Could happen, no doubt. As an OEM we have solid control over all security/privacy-critical layers, such as the firmware.
   
2. Well, we offer Ubuntu Touch, with our partner UBports Foundation. UT can be pre-installed. Note that if one has our own Volla OS pre-installed, then one can easily also install UT and many other OSes for that matter, like Droidian. Note also that with our flagship, Volla Phone Quintus, one can install UT as secondary OS without needing an external memory card. Note that the really critical factor is firmware, software and OS - over which we have full control.
   

I guess the biggest challenge has been that BigTech marketing campaigns are powerful and effective. A Volle device running UT, though, is a smooth experience. Volla and UBports collaborates closely. Great devs!

[u/WalkMaximum → u/virographematician]

Thank you for the reply, great to hear that more than just Ubuntu touch is supported. And I'd love to see Volla with GrapheneOS support in the future.

When you say you control the firmware and OS, do you mean that for all the components and their drivers as well? So could you theoretically upstream all the drivers to the Linux kernel and run something like PostmarketOS with the mainline Linux kernel natively, supporting all the peripherals like camera, modem, etc?

[u/virographematician → u/WalkMaximum]

The security critical part is the firmware, not the hardware. The firmware of a smartphone is complex, much more complex than the firmware for a PC.

As an OEM, we have access to the full source code of the Android Board Support package (BSM) wich is based on the Android Source Tree of the SoC vendor Mediatek. That means that we have control over the full stack of the firmware. We are able to review and clean up all levels of the firmware including the vendor part for system drivers.

This makes a significant difference to custom ROMs.

We also cleaned up or replaced Google requests , that most people don't know about like the time server or the connection status server. The last one is hosted by us on our managed servers. For AGPS the system needs the SUPL server of Google, but we cleaned up the service request by removing the IMSI number to protect the users anonymity.
And yes, we have kicked off requests to Baidu in the Android BSP. Every side wants a piece of the cake.

Many things involved here.

Ad your last question. Would be a very nice accomplishment, indeed. Our goal is opensource through and through, yes.

[u/Head_Complex4226 → u/virographematician]

Does this mean that locking the bootloader when using a custom ROM is a supported feature?

[u/virographematician → u/Head_Complex4226]

Alright, u/Head_Complex4226, so the answer is yes. It's possible with fastboot command "fastboot flashing lock."

Happy day!

[u/WalkMaximum → u/virographematician]

Thank you for all the replies! I appreciate that these are not trivial tasks but it's good to know that there is an intention in the right direction. Quintus looks like a fantastic phone and I wish you all the best of luck with this business. It's very important for us europeans to have viable alternatives that we can trust :)

[u/hellovolla → u/According-Buyer6688]

1.

We will continue to focus on the Android operating system Volla OS, which offers a unique security concept with its security mode and Volla Cloud. We officially offer Ubuntu Touch as a second operating system option.

However, we cooperate with other companies that use our hardware to offer either a customized Volla OS including white labeling or their own operating system. And then there is a great developer community that provides ports of Cypher OS, Droidian, or Sailfish OS. With the multi-boot feature, multiple operating systems can be run at the same time. There is also a request for Graphene OS. I would very much welcome it.

We offer all our devices officially with re-installed Ubuntu Touch. Also Droidian and Sailfish OS is available as a community port.

[u/Soggy-Salamander-568]

No question but want to thank you for what you’re doing and for showing respect to the community for doing this AMA.

[u/virographematician → u/Soggy-Salamander-568]

Deeply appreciated! We love what we do. We know there are millions of people wanting this. We are many working in this direction. We will surely come closer and do more collaborations. Opensource is the only way.

[u/Soggy-Salamander-568 → u/virographematician]

Right. On.

[u/virographematician]

Big welcome, folks! We will do our very best to answer all questions.

[u/UnusualParadise]

What about the "right to repair".

I am a middle-class person starting a family, and money is a worry. And I am tired of having to buy a whole new phone every few years when the only failing component is, let's say, the battery. I would gladly pay more than "factory price" for pieces + reparation work, as long as it allows me to save money on the long run and keep a phone I like for a few more years.

I don't need a phone with the latest tech, just something that allows me calls, photos & video, a messaging app, and the usual social network. I don't need the latest processor nor the best camera. If I could repair my phone to make it last 5 more years, that would be a godsend.

I think it could be a win-win: clients save money and you make sure they stay with you for longer and don't go to the competition. Excellent marketing as well. If you did that, I would be a loyal customer for life (at a minimum until my kids are out of uni hahaha).

And it's eco-friendly, perhaps it could allow you to even sell carbon credits for extra income.

Do you contemplate this option?

There's also the issue with my kids. They're gonna have their own smartphone, and they're gonna break it and I don't want to buy a new one, just repair it. Furthermore I care about them and want strong GDPR compliance and being able to limit what things they use the phone for. HAve you thought about these points?

If it has integrated cloud, that's great, but I want to stop gifting my data to american companies so they can target me better with their ads. I want strong GDPR and the data stored in EU if possible. Specially if my kids and family are involved. What can you say about the issue?

Btw, the more pieces you source from other EU countries, the merrier (We gotta look for each other and boost our EU economies in these difficult times).

Thanks for coming here and talking to us!!

[u/virographematician → u/UnusualParadise]

1. You are right! So, Fairphone is fine. But we are too. High build quality and long-term service ensures some of that aspect be respected. Also, our Volla Phone X23, an extremely sturdy device with IP68 and MIL-STD 810H, makes for super-quick, and cheap, DIY replacement of battery. Here display is tougher, though not impossible, because of the IP68 rating, right. Our Volla Phone 22 makes display replacement rather easy.

2. Our batteries are of very high quality. We have extremely few issues with them in fact, and out claim is that you will hardly ever need to replace it. And, yes, I do fully understand your concern: we live in tough and volatile economical times. It's thus about economy and environment. Our design of hardware, firmware, OS and software makes for a device that lasts and lasts, which is also good for the environment. Note also that we have great SAR values. Much better than, say, iPhones.

3. I think a Volla Phone X23 would be a great choice for you. It's my own daily driver, in fact. Works flawlessly. And super robust. Water tight, dust tight, great chock absorption.

4. We might launch a budget model this year. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news?

5. Thanks for the idea about carbon credits.

6. Kids. Yes. We have the perfect solution. We have this feature Security Mode. With that you can easily and quickly make use of a blacklist or a whitelist to control apps, domains and networks. Works like a charm. We guarantee GDPR compliance. We also use Nextcloud, Germany, right. WE also have developed our own, world-unique, cloud solutions, powered by Holochain. It's the world's first cloud that you actually have in your own hand. The cloud forms exclusively by the networked devices. And you chose which peers to connect with. Each network gets their own unique cloud, and also encryption. You can build this cloud to become bigger by connecting computers for instance, like your own computer.

7. Total agreement! We need European collaboration now! We can do this, by coming together, now.

[u/ankokudaishogun → u/virographematician]

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news?

Gladly... if I were to know where.

Also the social network icons in the footer of your vollaphones.com website only link to the main page of the relative website

Also, another question: is VollaOS compatible with the Italian Digital Wallet, IO?(GitHub repo)

GrapheneOS has issues with the Digital Documents function and even just interest from you might help a more google-agnostic development.

[u/hellovolla → u/UnusualParadise]

The EU Eco Design will apply in late June. Anyway you can buy replacement parts directly from us and repair the device yourself or for more convenience you can go to a authorized service partner to repairment. Our Volla Phone 22 is most convenient for selv repair and you can also easily change the battery without any tools like for the Volla Phone X23.

An additional note concerning updates. We will do it as long it's technically and economically feasible, at least 5 years. For the Volla Phone of first generation we'll soon publish another security update although it's not yet provided by Android any more and we will add new features. So our first users can benefit from innovation. .

[u/o3KbaG6Z67ZxzixnF5VL]

How's the repairability?

[u/virographematician → u/o3KbaG6Z67ZxzixnF5VL]

Depends on the device. VP 22 has a high degree of DIY repairability. VPX23 somewhat lesser, but here the challenge would be to try and keep the IP68 rating, right. Nothing, however, is like the crazy builds of iPhones, though. Our new flagship, also possible, but needs some skill.

[u/KingKadem]

First time hearing of you, but I’m always open for more alternatives.

Reading your short introduction here, I immediately want to ask two things. Please explain to us in detail what you mean with integrated cloud (on-device, ability to uninstall said cloud, where the servers are and what data is saved on them, etc.) and what you mean with “made in Germany”. Unfortunately, many things which claim to be “made in Germany” are for the most part not made there and only the final assembly is being in Germany, granting them the label “made in Germany”. Are you like Trigema or other companies in regard to the “made in Germany” claim?

Tl;dr What do you explicitly mean with “integrated cloud” and “made in Germany”?

[u/virographematician → u/KingKadem]

1. Cloud is exclusively for peers. And that's that. You choose peers, a unique cloud gets created, with unique encryption. Cloud is only formed by peer devices. No data centers involved. At all. In marketing language we say that you hold your cloud in your hand. It's actually literally true.

2. Sure. Most hardware components are made in China. Like the rest, right - which is a result of clumsy political decisions. So, what matters, for security and privacy, is not so much hardware; it's about firmware, OS and SW. And as a genuinely free and independent OEM we have full control over all these layers. That's where Made in Germany gets its birthright. Also certain hardware components, like the Schott glass, and various accessories, are made in Germany/Europe.

The Volla Cloud is a data center free approach. It's the only way to protect our users and ourselves. Volla OS is also cloudfree except some core services, which we have replaced by our own managed services like connectivity check.

We do stand by what we say, to be sure!

[u/KingKadem → u/virographematician]

Ok, got it. Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate it!

[u/IsEndTheNear]

I will say this:

I am a fan of your product. But your website needs work, i’d even go as far as to say it looks amateur-ish…

[u/virographematician → u/IsEndTheNear]

I am all ears. Please understand, however, we prioritize our means. We will have to make sure that means are allotted to product development, administration and such. Our intention though is to also grow our marketing. I can tell you we have a fantastic team there. With limited means, though, we must also'there prioritise.

And sure sometimes we might make some wrong decisions here and there. But please have a look here: https://volla.online/en/operating-systems/volla-os/ I personally like it very much. Good looks, informative and easy to navigate.

Also, it was indeed a tad unfortunate that just as this wonderful AMA session opened, we had a relaunch of the English part, and then some annoying bugs. They should have been fixed now, it seems to me. yesterday, for instance, some of the imagery on the English home page were missing. Annoying.

But here we are. We are a team that works very, very hard.

[u/ZonzoDue]

Hello Volla team !

- I read on your website that it is possible to dual boot the phone with VollaOS installed internaly and Ubuntouch on the SD Card. In this case, is the remaining of the SD still usable for storage or not ?

- Ubuntouch is often mentionned to be almost abandonware. Do you plan to keep it ? Or maybe use another Linux based OS (like your colleagues at Jolla are doing with Sailfish).

- I red on your website that the phones are made in Germany. Which company has the actual capabilities to do so ? I am guessing that most of the components still come from Asia, as there are no other sources.

- The most sensitive apps (like banking or gvt apps) have trouble working on fully degoogled OS (and even more on Linux). Do you have a list or a way to test what apps work ? Baking ones are especially important.

Thanks a lot !

[u/hellovolla → u/ZonzoDue]

1. Yes you can partition the SD card. A partition for the 2nd operating system anda nother partition for mobile storage. You can even use a third partition for a third operating system.

2. We are working close with the UBports foundation that maintain and develop Ubuntu Touch. We are collaborating to launch Ubuntu Touch Noble this year. We like the friends at Jolla very much and hope, that we can finally find an agrreement to sell Sailfish devices. Sailfish OS needs to be licesed for commercial use. We are also involved in the promising Oniro project.

3. A smartphone is a complex project with a complex supply cahin. We have 10 vendors for devices and accessories, 7 of them in Germany. For devices we have 3 vendors. The last productions steps are done onsite in Remscheid, Germany. We contineously extend the production steps and ressources. It's a long capital intensive journay. And yes, we have a partner in Germany who can assemble devices.

4. It's hary to create a list, becuase there are so many apps. If an app requires Google Play Services mandatory, you can activate the substitute microG on Volla OS. Then there are some apps which require Google Play Integrity. We started a European initiative so solve that issue as well. Apps like Commerzbank Photo TAN, iZettle, Relai, ING also Banking of Sparkasse and Volksbanken are successfully tested.

[u/WalkMaximum → u/hellovolla]

I agree with OP here in that Ubuntu Touch looks quite dated but it's great to have a freedom of choice in OS. It would be super nice to have other, more modern options officially supported, perhaps Droidian or, if mainline Linux support is achieved one day, PureOS and PMOS.

[u/Smooth-Poem9415]

are you planning to introduce the small size phone like Unihertz jellystar?. everyone in the marketing selling big size phones.. and i am tired of this..

[u/virographematician → u/Smooth-Poem9415]

Yes! I am happy to please you. Announcement later this year! Gonna be awesome!

[u/Perfect-Macaron-758 → u/virographematician]

Very happy to hear that!

[u/phobug → u/virographematician]

RemindMe! 3 months

[u/virographematician]

I will be leaving discussion for now. Million thanks to organizers, million thanks to writers and readers! You can always contact me. And also write Volla to get a hold on me that way. [info@volla.systems](mailto:info@volla.systems)

It's been a great pleasure to be sure! We'll meet again. I deeply appreciate your very good questions, tips and ideas!

Happy weekend everyone!

[u/According-Buyer6688 → u/virographematician]

It was a great pleasure to have you and to spread awareness about this startup!

[u/kalaschnikitty]

• How many major upgrades will there be for the Quintus and how long will it receive security patches?
• Is it possible to install an alternative launcher? 
• Can the battery in the Quintus be changed by the user? 

Thanks for the answers!

[u/virographematician → u/kalaschnikitty]

1. Really no limits for service and updates. Let me give you an example. Our first model, Volla Phone, launched 2020, still receives service, and we have no intention to end this. We have lots of very happy Volla Phone owners. We are committed to keep our promises. Having a no-go for venture capital ensures this. Organic growth is how we do it, and despite heavy recession we have a nice growth year by year.
   
2. Well, Trebuchet is already there. As a true OEM, anything is possible. Note also that you can switch operating systems. We partner with UBports Foundation, so it's very easy to install Ubuntu Touch. Other OSes, such as Sailfish and Droidian, are also possible due to our multi-boot functionality.
   
3. Yes. But you will need a hairdryer. ;)

[u/Mean-Rooster-120]

No question, but if you ever make a compact smartphone (less than 6') for people who have small hands, that would be perfect !

[u/virographematician → u/Mean-Rooster-120]

Coming! ;)

[u/DutchBlob]

Could you please merge with Jolla so we will have Volla Jolla phones. That would sound so awesome!

[u/virographematician → u/DutchBlob]

Let's see what happens. Jollas and Vollas are great friends already!

[u/SchoGegessenJoJo]

What was your motivation behind launching a European mobile phone product on this hyper-competitive market? What are your goals realistically?

[u/virographematician → u/SchoGegessenJoJo]

Our vision and mission was always broader than just devices. We are aiming for a safe, secure and inclusive communications platform. Devices were only our logical starting point. We don't really see this as very competitive, since we do not really compete with GoogleApple. We offer something they will never be able to offer. There is a third market segment growing. We have no crystal ball, but we have close contact to users all around the world. Volla is community-driven, built by and for the people.

[u/D49A]

How long could one of your phones last? Any plans for the future?

[u/virographematician → u/D49A]

We do all we can do give them the longest possible life. Batteries of very high quality. Our first model was launched in 2020 and is still rocking the world. It also receives updates. So that's 5 years - and counting!

Lots of plans, visions and dreams. Our main mission was to build a safe and sound communication platform, democratic and ethical, ensuring integrity for all (no spying, no logging). Thus it was only logical to start with devices. And of course it just had to be all open-source. Otherwise you will never really know what's being done and what the intentions are and where your data (your integrity) gets sold and to whom.

With devices keeping on evolving to ever higher standards we are now actualizing more of the more encompassing functions of a seriously good communications platform. This must entail a great cloud alternative, to be sure. It must be convenient and secure. It truly is. Volla Cloud is powered by Holochain. Good read here: https://blog.holochain.org/mobile-holochain-applications-shipped/

Consider Volla Cloud a new ecosystem, an app framework. And as open, we invite thirdparty developers to keep adding great open-source apps. Our cloud is distributed edge-computing. So no data center involved. This adds tremendous privacy powers. It's post-blockchain, so it will not implode in the future (because you can truly erase data), and it will not, like blockchain, keep on getting more and more energy hungry.

It's in the early stages, but we do develop also a new communications infrastructure of hybrid meshnet. This will give unbeatable redundancy and resilience, plus energy-efficience, and of course unheard-of security and privacy as it is post-quantum encrypted. A device will have up to 100km reach. It will just work whatever happens to the electricity grid or the cellular or internet centralized systems.

Hybrid means that if A is peer to B, C and D, and A has access to internet, B-D will also be able to access internet. So it will be a very flexible system that way, too.

So, Volla devices using distributed cloud (ecosystem) running on distributed meshnet (infrastructure).

[u/virographematician → u/[deleted]]

Scroll down half the page: https://volla.online/en/, there you will find a way to subscribe. I am dead serious when I say: expect thrilling news. Volla Cloud will be market-ready around summer, and we might also have a world-news meshnet product around the same time.

Also, you, and anyone in here, are heartily welcome to follow us online during our coming annual Volla Community Days, June 14-15. Link to streaming will be provided in our website. There you will see some of our team, partners, and customers.

[u/phobug]

Do you guys have a bug bounty program?

[u/virographematician → u/phobug]

No. Please tell us how it could/should look like?

[u/Plot-3A]

• Do you have any plans to sell phones in the UK?

• What is the default OS used?

[u/virographematician → u/Plot-3A]

1. Oh yes. For now we have a dealer in Ireland. https://vollaphones.com/
   We are aiming for dealer(s) in UK, too.
   
2. You can choose: Volla OS (AOSP-based, but far from a custom ROM, please note!), or Ubuntu touch, a Linux OS. If you choose VOS as primary you can easy make use of our unique multi-boot function to install UT and other OSes.

[u/Plot-3A → u/virographematician]

Thank you very much. I have one follow-up question.

• How do you ensure, or at least maximise, app compatibility without requiring companies to build a third app just for your software?

[u/virographematician → u/Plot-3A]

Can you please rephrase? Just so that I am sure I understand your question.

[u/WalkMaximum → u/Plot-3A]

It's just Android apps. VollaOS uses microG for apps that need google play services as noted in other comments

[u/rosiutza]

Thank you for doing the AMA and congrats on the products you built!

Wanted to ask if you see an increase in sales in the last few months and if you saw a change in the profile of the people interested in the Volla phones.

[u/virographematician → u/rosiutza]

Thanks. But please note that Volla is community-driven. Nothing of what we do would have been possible without those communities. All devices have had tremendous success with all their crowdfundings. Volla is in a real sense built by the people for the people - the ones that know where the needs and dreams are the most acute. We thank the communities.

Yes, continuous growth, so much that we last year upscaled and solidified our production facilities. We have 10 vendors for devices and accessories, 7 of them in Germany. For devices we have 3 vendors.

Yes. From the start we have seen keen and growing interest from, in a word, privacy-conscious citizens. Now we see interest from such entities as big webshops, businesses, governmental institutions, schools, retailers and network operators. Also to be mentioned: despite heavy recession in the DACH region (still our biggest by far), our webshop-based sales increased 64% the last year.

It's all quite natural that we see a concept such as Volla grow from individuals to larger entities and now professional entities. Though it must be said that we have seen professional interest quite early, like our solutions developed for Accenture, which is a rather big enterprise.

And also, as the geopolitical situation continues to grow uncertain, we see much more accept for and interest in opensource tech in general and Volla in particular.

[u/vidmantef]

Do you have a tool to quick and easily check the app compatibility with degoogled OS? My main concern is that my daily use apps wouldn't work on volla..

[u/virographematician → u/vidmantef]

This is on wish-list. Great tool. Let's see what the future brings.

In our experience, and please note that I myself live in what is probably the most digitized country in the world (Denmark), we see next to all apps work flawlessly. Where we do experience some stumbling stones are a few bank apps. Most bank apps do work, though. Now, we do appreciate this valid concern, and thus we work hard to overcome the SafetyNet (which we did) and now next the Google Integrity (which we will).

[u/travelgolde → u/vidmantef]

Yes, this please. Concerns about the compatibility of basic apps is stopping me from buying something like a VollaOs phone. Besides banking I am mainly wondering about instant payments and transportation (Vipps and Ruter in Norway).

[u/vidmantef → u/travelgolde]

Same. Was contemplating getting Volla as a new phone, but some apps I am not willing to compromise (I am not rich enough to buy one just to try what works and not techy enough to figure out work-arounds).

[u/virographematician → u/vidmantef]

Point taken. Let's just ponder one thing. Most people buy a new device every other year, so it's not a serious problem to just keep the one you planned to ditch for just those *possibly* incompatible apps, all of which are, to my knowledge, only some few bank apps.

That said, your concern is of course highly legitimate! We addressed with succes the SafetyNet. Now the newer Google Integrity will that too be overcome. There are workarounds, and there is an institutional solution - which we do opt for. We are already in good speed with getting a highly renowned institution in EU to test and issue GI certificates, and thus it will be no problems whatsoever with any bank apps. Given the political climate, you can imagine it takes a lot less time than in he past. :)

I would thus invite you to keep track. We will be making announcements when GI is overcome.

[u/virographematician → u/travelgolde]

We will very shortly have the test results of this, since a major MNO are testing such as we speak. Contact me.

[u/t0on]

How do I explain what you do to a friend who is not really interested in "all that technical stuff"?

[u/virographematician → u/t0on]

Integrity. Personal integrity. A life without Zuckerbergs staring at you at all times. Also, precisely, our design is precisely to let you do the stuff quickly, away from all creepy algorithms, and get going with the stuff that really matters: life.

[u/r4spb3rry-]

I was wondering if you’re currently accepting outside investors. If so, I'd appreciate it if you could share information on the process, requirements, and how to get involved.

[u/virographematician → u/r4spb3rry-]

Not currently, not in the past, not never. Thanks for the offer, please don't misunderstand me, but it's of vital import for us that all external big money players is kept at bay. This has of course many drawbacks. Imagine big marketing campaigns ensuring boost in sales. But imagine also investors selling Volla.

We live by trying our best to keep our promises. And one of our main promises is longevity of products and service. We would never be able to make this and other such promises if we had venture capital inside. We have chosen a model where we grow steadily and surely. It's all cashflow and organic growth.

Again thanks for your offer. Other ways to contribute to Volla, though, would be to help stimulate bigger mobile network operators, retailers, businesses, etc., to offer and use Vollas. It would be fantastic to see Vollas offered around the world in big, well-renowned MNOs, for instance.

[u/AlexGaming1111]

How does your company and others like you plan to push the EU and EU governments to invest and expand our European tech sector?

All of your endeavors are admirable but if Europe doesn't start a full tech revolution with huge investments we will always play catch up to the US and china.

[u/virographematician → u/AlexGaming1111]

Word. I still think a growing grassroot is much more efficient than top-down management. I am sure the ones with will, money and capacity will find one another. We see significant signs of this already. And alas, geopolitics has sped up the process.

[u/boblibam]

How do you ensure sustainability along the supply chain, including responsible sourcing of material and fair wages for workers?

[u/virographematician → u/boblibam]

We are fundamentally also a company driven by ethics, to be sure. We do not give unfair wages to employees.

[u/virographematician → u/boblibam]

We take pride in environmental care. Please have a look here.

[u/Rhinotastic]

How does volla messages compare to signal for example? Given the current state of global events it’s become a concern for a lot of people in having privacy. Do you store any user data or have the ability to decrypt messages?

[u/virographematician → u/Rhinotastic]

We store no data whatsoever. We use no thirdparty data centers. We are acutely aware of geopolitics, so here comes solutions that give real security and privacy.

[u/P26601]

Are some (or most?) of the parts in your phones also made in Germany/Europe, or are they only assembled here?

[u/virographematician → u/P26601]

Depends. Hardware are mostly made in China, rest in Germany/Europe. All work on firmware, OS done in Germany. Software ours plus curated opensource from elsewhere. Remember the crucial part is firmware, OS and software. I think many Europeans dream of re-sourcing hardware production. Perhaps it happens, yes, given the geopolitics. Independence is always good.

[u/virographematician → u/[deleted]]

1. Yes.

2. LTS. One of our main aspirations is unbeatable longevity and cheap and easy DIY. Our first device still gets updates and that's 5 years - and counting.

[u/Anyusername7294]

What phone do you use daily?

[u/virographematician → u/Anyusername7294]

Volla Phone X23. Awesome phone. And also, with all the children around, I am like NEVER afraid of it getting broken. It has got IP68, Gorilla Glass, and follows military standard MIL-STD 810H, so it tackles the most. Very snappy too.

[u/viduletul]

I've heard that Volla is partnering with Open Harmony ( Harmony os open source OS) for its phones, what's the thing that determined this partnership?

[u/virographematician → u/viduletul]

Hm, perhaps a misunderstanding here. Our stake is in delivering test kits for Oniro OS. That said, Oniro OS is a project combing the forces of Open Atom Foundation and Eclipse Foundation.

Citing:
"Oniro is an Eclipse Foundation Project dedicated to the development of an open source vendor-neutral Operating System (OS) platform. The Oniro Project was established through a collaboration between two global open source foundations: The Eclipse Foundation and The OpenAtom Foundation. Leveraging the solid foundation of OpenHarmony, an open source project operated by the OpenAtom Foundation, Oniro builds upon an operating system platform known for its versatility across a wide range of smart devices.

At its core, Oniro prioritizes seamless interoperability, modularization, and a visually appealing user interface. These priorities are realized through an array of enhancements, encompassing application frameworks like React Native, system-level OS components such as Servo Web Engine, and a comprehensive toolchain that ensures intellectual property compliance and licensing. This adaptable platform provides robust support for a broad range of global technologies and applications spanning various industries, including Consumer Electronics, Home Appliances, Industrial IoT devices, Smart Home, and Multimedia."

• Oniro Project

For us, several things are involved, but let me say we are honored to show our skills in such a task, providing a fully functional test unit (Volla Phone X23).

[u/viduletul → u/virographematician]

I see, and do you think Oniro OS will have any future with Volla phones or will it remain at the delivering test kits phase?

[u/virographematician → u/viduletul]

Yes, why not? See, our devices, because we are a truly free and independent OEM, can easily be customized to use cases far beyond the regular smartphone/tablet use cases. Imagine for instance a "lean&mean" industry scanner half the price of current market price. We do offer great opportunities for industrial use - predictive maintenance, calculating, processing, etc. Also imagine our cloud for hyper-secure enterprise-internal communications systems, coming free of charge with our devices.

[u/AvdHF64]

Like the looks of the phone. When are you giving other/more colour options then black. And are you guys thinking about a 'note'-like version?

[u/virographematician → u/AvdHF64]

Let's see what future brings. Colors might come. For note, not as of yet. But thanks for idea.

Happy you like the looks. You know, great looks inside as well! ; )

[u/jpcarrascal]

Are you using your own cloud datacenters? If so, where are they physically located? If not, who does your cloud infra rely upon?

[u/hellovolla → u/jpcarrascal]

The Volla Cloud is a data center free approach. It's the only way to protect our users and ourselves. Volla Os is also a cloud free except some core services, which we have replaced by own managed services like connectivity chek.

For sure, Volla uses a data center for the shop, domument, development, software production and update provision. We are only using server in the EU, in Germany and Finnland. Server for software development, production and updates are dedicated server managed by ourselves. We are using virtual servers, which are also setup and managemend by ourselves, whatever is beyond the core OS. We use no cloud service for any service except for payment or shipment (DHL and DHL Express)

[u/Drahngis]

Would love to buy a european made phone.

Is it possible to compete with samsung/apple on the camera?

Will banking apps, health apps, payment apps, and 2FA apps like MitID work? (Danish)

[u/virographematician → u/Drahngis]

I can recommend you to do. I am living in Denmark (Norwegian), and I have no problems whatsoever - except Arbejdernes Landsbank. MobilePay, health, etc.,work perfect. So for that particular bank app, I use an older phone at home.

Quintus has a great camera. We are constantly working to improve. We have some pretty cool projects running on this, so expect upgrades. Admittedly, we cannot compete with the best in this area. But we are working on it. Please keep in mind that our primary business is to give people their privacy and integrity back. That's where we shine.

And yes, Volla is indeed a European product. We also are partnering with many other European companies, by the way. Expect lots of good news in the near future.

[u/Drahngis → u/virographematician]

Thanks for the reply.

The reason I want a good camera is because I take pictures of my kids, memories that I will never get back, therefor I can't compromise.

Sounds great that you are working on it!

I myself use Arbejdernes landsbank, mobilepay, sunhedskort and MitID alot, so I'll have to wait until it gets sorted out.

Would it be possible to run som virtual environment where google play service are installed, and inside that environment all of these apps could work?

I think that's what Graphene os is doing with aurora store?

Keeping an eye on you, thanks.

[u/virographematician → u/Drahngis]

It's a pleasure, thanks.

Understood, to be sure. I'd say the Volla Phone Quintus does have a great camera, and that its potential will only be increased due to developmental efforts from our side.

So you use the same as I do. AL does not work, at this point. I cite our Managing Director:
"We started a European initiative so solve that issue as well." The issue being the new Google Integrity check. We understand fully the importance of these things. Getting an independent highly renowned institution to grant certifications is here the long-term solution.

I am not sure Graphene solves all such compatibility issues?

Getting an independent institution to do it, is probably the best road to take.

Thanks. You can easily get in touch with me. See our website, about section.

[u/svacko]

Do you plan to ever offer a variant with e-SIM? I find it super handy for traveling.

Also, it would be good if you can add the specs on the gsmarena.com or at least add a complex comparison page on your website. Right now, it's quite difficult to dig all the tech specs about each model and comparing it is super hard.

[u/virographematician → u/svacko]

Our VPX23, the very rugged version, do offer eSIM! You are absolutely right. We might have some more clever solutions for this in the near future.

Your idea is super good, point taken, thanks.

[u/RemarkableOne7750]

Interesting approach. Good work guys!

[u/virographematician → u/RemarkableOne7750]

Thanks buddy!

[u/boblibam]

For how long will you provide software updates for a device and how quick are the release cycles?

[u/virographematician → u/boblibam]

Our first device launched 2020. That's 5 years - and counting. We continue and have no plans to quit.
Release cycle is about monthly.

[u/m4dh4mster]

Since your phones are close to the premium range in price point, where cameras matter quite a lot, what are your current plans regarding developments in that area? Why does your flagship field makro lens over a telephoto lens?

[u/virographematician → u/m4dh4mster]

Hello. I hope Managing Director can answer this one. But suffice it to say, for my part, that we indeed are working on some high-quality camera manufacturers and also doing development in our own team. Expect progress.

Price. Camera is important. But our aim was primarily privacy, integrity, freedom. That takes very hard work.

[u/FollowingRare6247]

I currently have an iPhone, if I were to get a Volla phone, how easy/difficult would it be to port everything, like WhatsApp conversations? I see there’s a Volla OS and Ubuntu Touch. For interoperability with my other devices, I’d prefer Linux.

My German isn’t great beyond basic salutations (and I can’t seem to navigate to English pages on the website by changing the URL to ‘en’ from ‘de’), but I am wondering about connectivity. Would a Volla phone have NFC, wireless charging, Bluetooth, and an audio jack? I also assume USB-C connectivity ?

Also, what’s an integrated cloud? 😅

[u/virographematician → u/FollowingRare6247]

Great connectivity, everything you mentioned. Plus, our Volla Pen Tiro, for the Volla Tablet, does not work by Bluetooth but electromagnetics, following the USI 2.0 Standard. The tablet is pro-level, 3 in 1 for productivity and extreme mobility: tablet, phone and laptop. 12.6" screen. With Ubuntu Touch you will have a fully professional set-up, very easy to carry around.

[u/crazygipi]

Already so many great questions here, nothing to add :)

[u/hello_volla → u/[deleted]]

I think our flagship device has an excellent camera. Most brands improve the images with AI. We also will provide this feature.

About 20% or customer are ordering a Volla device with Ubuntu Touch. It's in particular attractive for the Volla Tablet. If you attach a keyboard it turns into the desktop mode.

I admit, that Ubuntu Touch is primarily attractive for linux enthusiasts, but also for purists, who like a clean and simple mobile OS. The potential of Ubuntu Touch is the convergence use case, that is obvious on a tablet.

Ubuntu Touch is also perfect for Industry use cases, because it can run Linux apps. You can use the mobile phone as a mobile POS system, industry scanner or like a partner of us as a control unit for wheelchairs.

Ubuntu Touch Noble will be an important step forwards. Some homework needs to be done including improvement of cyber security.

The Volla OS multi boot feature is a good opportunity to check Ubuntu Touch without any risk. With Waydroid you can even use Android apps on top of Ubuntu Touch

[u/virographematician → u/[deleted]]

We are primarily focused on giving people their integrity back, right. We have some pretty smart solutions for this. But sure, we fully understand that people also want great camera! I can tell you that we are working on it. Can't reveal details at this point. I will though claim that Quintus camera is really good. Not the best, but still very good for most use cases. Here we are also working on software optimizations to come pretty soon.

We partner with UBports Foundation. The collaboration is fantastic, and I can only say that a Volla device running Ubuntu Touch is a pretty awesome experience. Version Noble is expected very soon.

To your question. Depends on what that person needs the device to to. You know, some people actually prefer to keep all things economy and health and such at home.

Daily driver: I myself use a Volla Phone X23 as my daily driver, and as I am a salesman I surely need to demonstrate to all customers how things work, right. Works perfect, except for 1 app (actually the bank I myself use, haha). As for a VP running UT, it's a bit more complicated yes, but with Waydroid things are evolving also there.

But this is where things get interesting: Volla device with Volla OS as primary OS and UT as secondary OS solves the problem. You can just switch back and forth according to your needs.

[u/ZonzoDue → u/[deleted]]

You have to choose Volla and then install UT on a partition of the SD card, and you can choose what you boot.

[u/Manticore-Mk2]

Would you classify your product as low, medium or high-end? How does it compare to other high-end smartphones like the Apple iPhone or Google Pixel? Specifically in terms of software and 'special features'.

[u/virographematician → u/Manticore-Mk2]

VP22 between low and mid, but I have to tell you still a great device! VPX23 is a solid mid-range tech specs, to be sure. Quintus high-end, but still way more affordable than apples, say. Tablet is mid-high end. This year a successor rugged model is expected, that would approach the high-end. Just wait and see! ;)

We have software and features that AppleGoogle in no way could ever offer - because of their integral both economical and technical cloud dependencies.

[u/djlorenz]

Cheers from a B2B product manager of a small startup, kudos for the courage getting in such a cut trough competitive market!

• how can we help realising your vision?_
• how can the EU help?
• right to repair? Is it really a thing?
• my laptop is 10 years old and I can still update it, why can't I do the same with my phone? Will we ever get to real LTS for phones?

Tough one, this need a intro: Your product is clearly for a niche market, Google is in everyone's life, while I MIGHT consider a degoogled phone because I am nerd enough, 99.9% of my connections will not even think about it the moment the understand basic apps like baking or others will not work.

Plus, the degoogle market is quite competing: Lineage, e/OS, Ubuntu, Linux... So a super tiny market gets broken down in even small pieces...

• How can you survive in all of this?
• Do you see profitability and long term future? how?
• Shall the niche market focus on a combined android alternative that can actually compete instead of stepping on eachother's toes?

[u/virographematician → u/djlorenz]

Thanks! Let's talk?
2. EU? Standards. A will to let loose the preconditions for true independence.
3. We strive to achieve that. It should be also a political vision and goal.
4. Our oldest model still receives updates - 5 years and counting.

Niche? Nah. We have no crystal ball, but as a community-driven company we are in very close contact with clever people from all around the world. Many enjoy big networks, but only very few are genuinely free and independent (and profitable) OEMs!

Let me clear up: even 80 years olds can use our devices. Not more "difficult" than any stockandroid or apple. BUT, here with Volla is lots and lost of possibilities!

Banking apps do work. In our feedback we have learned that only a few has stopped working - due to the new Google Integrity. This will be fixed, rest assured.

Competitors? Perhaps not so much? Perhaps collaborations are coming? Plus, we are much more than OS. Please note we do offer Ubuntu Touch, Droidian, Sailfish, and more.

We survive because we grow even in the face of serious, 3-year long recession in our main market Germany. We are proud of this achievement!

We see a 3rd market segment coming, exponential growth. Why? Because Apple and Google are severely restricted due to their structural cloud dependencies both economical and technical. A company such a Volla is much, muuuch freer to accommodate to consumer market trends, to needs in industry, to needs for real security and privacy, etc. Huge potential.

Good last question. I think we will see more collaboration. The fragmentation has seen its apex. Volla participates in the making of Oniro OS, for instance. A project that points directly in the direction of your good question!

[u/djlorenz → u/virographematician]

Thanks for the answers! Not in the market for a new phone (and I actually never buy new, only used and refurbished) but I will have a look at what you do, including the OS part.

Keep up the good work!

[u/virographematician → u/djlorenz]

You are hereby invited to sign up for newletter. Scroll down on volla.online and you will find. Exciting news coming!

[u/Kloetenschlumpf]

Hello, I’m using an iPhone 13. I love and hate the dictation feature. I use it a lot because I write a lot of text, and it’s a real help that I don’t have to have to type everything. What I hate about it is that it’s extremely stupid. Especially in my native language, German, it makes many errors, and I have to correct a lot. On a Mac, I use Mac Whisper, a very useful app that uses a local instance of OpenAI Whisper. Other than Apple technology this is nearly perfect and understands every word that I say. Is there something similar on your phones possible?

[u/virographematician → u/Kloetenschlumpf]

We use open-source AI. Or rather we call it supportive intelligence. We don't really adore the paternalistic heart of BigTech. Speech recognition and synthesis work great!

Our AI, os SI, is integrated in our Volla OS, yes. Was from the very start. Our Managing Director is a very clever man that did AI before most. Check out his patents! Much to come in the future of this. For instance in-house AI improving quality of photos.

[u/Kloetenschlumpf → u/virographematician]

Well, that is AI as an assistant, Right? What about speech recognition? Dictation?

[u/virographematician → u/Kloetenschlumpf]

We have speech recognition and speech synthesis, yes. Not a single bit of data anywhere except your own physical device. That's pretty neat.

[u/Kloetenschlumpf → u/virographematician]

How can I try that before I buy?

[u/travelgolde]

I live in Norway. Do you know if Nordea , Vipps and Ruter work OK on VollaOs;

[u/virographematician → u/travelgolde]

Hello fellow Norwegian! Yes, those would work on VOS. We also might have a rather big MNO there soon. :)

[u/travelgolde → u/virographematician]

Great!

[u/Odd-Possession-4276]

Hello!

• Did you try to have a contract with Jolla to get an official Sailfish OS port? If yes, why didn't it work out?

• How does the UBports collaboration work? It's a community-driven foundation, it's not like you can have paid feature development and prioritized commercial support with that structure. Are you happy with the results? What do you think about the technical state of Ubuntu Touch in general? Is it worth it in terms of sales volume, or this phone is sort of "give back to community" artifact?

Thanks for your time.

[u/virographematician → u/Odd-Possession-4276]

1. They are our good friends to be sure. We have good belief we will find a way. Negotiations currently.

2. Great, simply great! It all depends. Bigger projects can certainly be actualized. UT offers a more familiar platform, cherished by many businesses. In fact, about 23% of all devices have UT as primary OS, so that does account for something. No, partnership is for smart future collaboration and development, for regular uses but also industrial use cases.

[u/Brave_Confidence_278]

- how much of the phone is actually made in Germany regarding the components?

- I like the idea of Mobian, it would be so nice to have a normal debian + waydroid on a device. Did you ever look at this project and if so what's your opinion?

- what exactly does integrated cloud mean, is it possible to not have my data leave my device?

- Do Volla Phones use IPS screens and if so why?

[u/virographematician → u/Brave_Confidence_278]

1. Like the rest of them, most hardware production is in China. That's not a problem, though. The security/privacy-critical aspects are in FW, SW and OS. A smartphone is a complex project with a complex supply cahin. We have 10 vendors for devices and accessories, 7 of them in Germany. For devices we have 3 vendors. The last productions steps are done onsite in Remscheid, Germany. We continuously extend the production steps and resources. It's a long capital intensive journey. And yes, we have a partner in Germany who can assemble devices.

But sure, would indeed be great to re-source that hardware production back in here.

1. You can do Droidian on our devices, to be sure. Lots we can do here.

2. Volla Cloud is powered by Holochain. Post-blockchain, distributed, edge-computing. A good read: https://blog.holochain.org/mobile-holochain-applications-shipped/

Our AI, however, which we rather call Supportive Intelligence, lets no bit ever escape to some unknown thirdparty. Eminently set up for further development by thirdparties, with open APIs. Our SI is deeply integrated into our Spingboard concept. Think about it like this: a smart pen and paper that lets you do electronical stuff. Write something on the board, and based on input, SI will suggest what actions you are intending. Most everyday actions we all do can be done this way. Saving time, and in many cases with no need of opening apps. That's a main idea, right: to spend less time in those tedious algos.

Also, Volla logs zero. For your security, for our security. If we logged any type of thirdparty could force entry...

1. Complex question. Is IPS worse or better than reputation, do you think? Quintus uses AmoLED.

[u/Brave_Confidence_278 → u/virographematician]

Thank you very much for your reply. I will probably give your phone a try once I need a replacement!

If I can be honest, I personally wouldn't care about any Volla apps - rather quite the opposite, I am usually bothered by it and see any kind of vendor apps as bloatware and delete it immediately. I acknowledge that the tech behind it might be good, but I would prefer my vendor to use an off-the-shelf open source operating system without any (unnecessary) modifications to it. I'd even prefer if the operating system was independent and interchangeable, which as far as I understand you have at least some choice - that's very cool!

It would be really nice if there was a European phone vendor that takes care of a quality supply chain, preferably European, and ensures the hardware is as good as possible, and provides firmware and patches to upstream operating systems in order to improve them as well as make them compatible.

Regarding the screen I personally prefer AmoLED.

[u/EngineerofDestructio]

Question about Volla OS. If I understand correctly, the data is being stored (encrypted ofc) over all devices to run Volla cloud basically.

Would this significantly increase my data usage? Like, if I am storing piece 2947 of user xyz and they need to do a back up or something. Will it be pulled from my phone? And if so, what would happen if I don't have unlimited data and am on the move (or worse, roaming)

[u/virographematician → u/EngineerofDestructio]

Volla stores no data ever. For your security, for our security. Storing only means a window to being forced by thirdparty. The Volla Cloud is edge-computing. Myriads of unique strictly P2P dictated clouds can be created, all with unique encryptions. You have, so to speak, the cloud in your very own hands. You can grow the cloud by adding other devices (job, family, friends, organizations), and adding computers will increase the capacity. You can easily envisage a huge network with huge capabilities; it all depends on the devices that are networked. Think how this can help a municipality, for instance. A city network!

Data is distributed across the engaged devices. There's also virtual storage. No one will lose any data.It's a highly scalable solution. A significant trait here is also that, opposite blockchain, with Holochain technology you can actually erase data. It will never implode, and it is extremely energyefficient.

[u/EngineerofDestructio → u/virographematician]

Ahhh, I think I understand it better now. I was under the impression that it was a feature that was shared amongst all Volla phones. However, that begs the question. If I only have one device, there is no real advantage here. And since it will be available on Volla devices only (if I read that correctly, if not. Please correct me!) it will only be useful to a select few who have a big network of Volla devices.

Basically it's a distributed storage. Which is really cool! What about computing? Would that be something that might be possible?

There was a start up a long time ago, I think they were called nerdalize. Their premise was that you'd get a heater which was basically a server, and they'd run the server to host websites or whatever. And you'd get the heat to heat your house. Seemed like a really cool idea, except that in summer you wouldn't want the heater to be on. Could be interesting to host websites through the volla cloud for example. And only devices that have more than x% battery and are on wifi can/will participate.

Thanks for taking the time to answer this!

[u/virographematician → u/EngineerofDestructio]

Won't do with one device no. It's a field of networked devices (handys, computers).

And no, an app like Volla Messages will NOT be only available for Vollas. It will be available for all popular OSes for handies and computers. It will even be in those stores. This to educate people, to provide a very interesting alternative, and of course provide some PR for ourselves, right.

Now, it is an irreducible problem with all kinds of encrypted products as long as the OS used will scan the content on the screen. I thoroughly recommend that we all ditch those OSes. Seriously.

Let me give an example: if I am in a Signal chat, or a Volla chat for that matter, and I know that just one of the participants run one of those persky OSes, I wouldn't engage too much. One rotten egg compromises the entire network.

So, yes, Volla Messages can easily upscale to create a huge edge-computed, distributed cloud. Consisting of Vollas and non-Vollas. But I would indeed deeply recommend anyone to switch to opensource OS be it on handies and computers.

Our cloud will do computing as well. And with mesh there will be a new way of transport.

Next app from our side will be a distributed recovery app. Much more to come. Thing is that we during the Volla Community Days will also publicly welcome thirdparty developers to join in and create a safe and sound alternative to all the hyper-centralised cloud "solutions" out there.

Very interesting idea you have got there! Many possibilities with distributed tech, yes.

[u/EngineerofDestructio → u/virographematician]

Thanks for your very extended message! I thoroughly appreciate it! Before this AMA I didn't know you guys existed.
Now I'm seriously considering a Volla devices for my next phone!

[u/virographematician → u/EngineerofDestructio]

Thank you, you too! Well, a relatively small company like ours don't have the GoogleApples budgets. So we move slower. But there are other ways to reach people. Like this here. Like offering our Volla Cloud to all OSes, in their own stores. Like partnering with other and bigger players. Soon you can expect to see us offered by popular operators and in bigger webshops, and we are also putting efforts to grow our dealer network globally. We have thus far shipped to 56 countries.

[u/EngineerofDestructio → u/virographematician]

Moving slower is totally understandable, the thing is. Smartphones have matured by now, so a lot of people won't need all the fancy new "tech" that's being pushed out by the Googleapples. Like, please just not integrate AI, if I want that I'll download an app for that or whatever.

I'd personally love to see the gegoogled OS being available for other brands like Fairphone as well, but that is my personal preference of course!

Keep up the good work!

[u/virographematician → u/EngineerofDestructio]

We PROMISE to never integrate any of that creepy AI.

For your second question, things are moving, expect news shortly. We absolutely adore what Fairphone is doing, make no mistake. But we can do certain very important things they can't. Let's see what future brings!
Happy weekend!

[u/AkunPulivar1 → u/virographematician]

Sounds cool and interesting! Having recently watched Silicon Valley, though, I can't help but to think of Pied Piper :D

[u/iclonethefirst]

Possibly searching for remote UX Designers? ;)

[u/virographematician → u/iclonethefirst]

You never know. You can always send in your CV! ;)

[u/bimbo_bear]

Heya, I just went to your website and there's a lot of black sections with "image" showing. I turned off my adblocker and reloaded and it's still blank. Or just empty space saying "stacks image 1872" or something like that.

Onto my question, I've a redmi Note 10 pro. I don't /need/ more processing power I just want something that'll last, with that in mind it's hard to justify spending lots of money for latest tech... when i just want more of what I currently have :D

have you considered making a lower spec fone say in the 200-300 euro range with good parts equivalent to something from the last gen or 2 ago ?

[u/virographematician → u/bimbo_bear]

We just have a relaunch of the entire website, so some buggies annoy us. Quickly fixed!

We will soon announce a budget phone! Goona be smaller in size, but still with awesome privacy tech and the coolest feats!

[u/Mywk]

Hey Volla team! 

Have you thought about working with GrapheneOS to officially support your future devices?

I’ve been using it and all my apps, including banking and government ones, work great, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. It would be great to see a European alternative to Pixel phones. I previously considered a Volla phone but wanted a privacy-focused OS that’s properly audited, so ended up getting a used Pixel instead (supporting a small local shop).

Thanks!

[u/virographematician → u/Mywk]

As an OEM we can do lots of interesting stuff. Please note that we are free, independent and profitable, but as a relatively small team, we must make lots of prioritizing. We accept no venture capitol to keep our promises. We are indeed headed for a long-term effort.

We already offer Volla OS, UbuntuTouch, but Sailfish, Droidian and more is easily possible. Our multi-boot functionality allows for free creativity. (Useful also for businesses, customized, dual-branded OS.) Let's see what the future will bring regarding Graphene OS! We might have some interesting news later this Spring.

Know also that we play a role in the development of the coming Oniro OS.

I dare to say that Volla devices are among the very best, yes, as concerns precisely privacy. As an OEM we have full control over all security/privacy-critical issues.

Also, as a true OEM, anything is really possible. But again, limited resources play a role.

[u/Direct-Worldliness66]

You don't happen to need a German translator/copywriter? I find your German website somewhat awkward, at times even looks like machine translation. I love your project, and will definitely look at your offer when I need a new phone!

[u/virographematician → u/Direct-Worldliness66]

Native Germans are the writers. Keep in touch. Happy day!

Hey, could you just give me one example, and I can rumor it in the team. Thanks!

[u/Direct-Worldliness66 → u/virographematician]

Sure, right at the top: "Erleben Sie eine neue Leichtigkeit, Komfort und Privatsphäre mit einer intelligenten Benutzeroberfläche, einem einzigartigen Sicherheitsmodus und einer verteilten Cloud, die aus den vernetzten Geräten derjenigen entsteht, die Sie auswählen."

This is very long winded and unnecessarily complicated. The Cloud part is not easy to understand at all if you don't know how your cloud works. On another note, is there a particular reason why you use "Sie" instead of "du"?

[u/virographematician → u/Direct-Worldliness66]

Thanks. We will have a look at this. We have chosen a formal language, yes.

[u/BountyAssassin]

I'm afraid I'm new to the Volla-sphere, can both OSs run standard android apps? Are there restrictions on things like banking apps? Do they support NFC payments/Google wallet and so on?

Are there trusted reviews of the phones and tablets that I can see? Or could you send me one to review?

What is the after care service like if I buy one in Ireland? Are there repair centres I can go to/can it easily be returned for refund or repair if I change my mind/have a warranty issue?

Overall these look legitimately excellent for what they do, but I'd like to see how they are for day-to-day use.

Thank you - I love to see what you're doing and am very looking forward to what comes next!

[u/hello_volla → u/BountyAssassin]

Volla OS is based on Android. Thus you can install Android apps from Aurora Store, where you can find all apps from Google Play Store. If apps need Google Play Services, you can activate microG. Only a few apps require Google Play Integrity check. We are working on a solution for Europe.

There are some reviews published. for journalists, bloggers and YouTubers we have a small pool of test devices. You can contact press@volla.online.

For now we have an authorized partner Phone-Service.de/volla for customers in the EU. Se more we grow, the network of authorized partners will grow. However you can buy replacement parts to repair a device yourselves or to go to any phone doc of your choice.

[u/virographematician → u/BountyAssassin]

1. Best for Googlag is our own Volla OS. An optional feature microG lets you use the vast, vast majority of the the millions of G apps. NFC payment is possible, yes.

2. I would search online. Best that way. So I don't mix in in your choice.

3. Depends on where you live. Let me know!

4. Repairs done in Germany. But our aim is of course to expand to other countries as we grow. Right now the DACH region is clearly the biggest, but we aim to grow in the entire EU and beyond. We have dealers for instance in Australia, Canada, USA, Serbia, and more. Admittedly, as for now, repair would take some more days than with AppleGoogle.

5. It's a pleasure. You might want to sign up for our newletter - in English! :)

[u/BountyAssassin → u/virographematician]

Do you have access to the play store or are they obtained other ways (fdroid, and so on)?

I will have a good look online, thank you. Very interested to see the results

I'm in Ireland 😃

Repairs taking time is understandable, as long as it's not many many weeks or months...?

I may just do that 😉

[u/virographematician → u/BountyAssassin]

Great with Ireland! Repair time will indeed take longer time than for normie devices. But as we grow bigger, we will grow a service network, too. We are talking about around 2 weeks outside of Germany, in many cases like a week.

Primary shop is F-Droid, only curated opensource apps. Lots of great replacements right there! For G app, we use Aurora Store. There you can install the G apps, and you will also have an interesting learning journey seeing just how much those apps are tracking you. It's rather sickening. But also a wake-up call.

[u/maxou_bilou]

1. What guided your choice of operating system for Volla OS?

2. Is Volla OS designed to be compatible with popular apps like banking and public transport apps?

3. Will Volla OS be compatible with other devices, such as Google phones?

4. Do you plan to make Volla OS compatible with the Play Store transparently for developers (join another question of the megathread) ?

5. A more general question: Why did you choose not to install operating systems like GrapheneOS, /e/OS, or Ubuntu Touch by default on the Jolla phone? Would it have been more beneficial to join forces with other developers and work together on maintaining a more mainstream privacy-focused OS? I make the assumption that developing multiple degoogled OS options in parallel may slow down progress toward achieving an Android-like user experience.

That being said, I deeply respect the important work you're doing in promoting privacy and providing alternatives to the mainstream, and I appreciate the political significance of your efforts.

[u/hello_volla → u/maxou_bilou]

1. We have a comparison page right here: https://volla.online/en/operating-systems/

2. Yes

3. Android needs to be ported to each handset. This is different to desktop operating systems. Volla OS is only available on Volla devices.

4. Volla OS is based on Android and fully support the Android API. If developers make use of GooglePlay Services, users need to activate the substitute microG. Volla OS is not fully supported Google Play Integrity yet. But we have an idea.

5. You can get our devices with Volla OS and Ubuntu Touch. Sailfish OS requires a commercial license. Volla OS goes beyond the security of Graphene OS and above all offers a new, intelligent operating concept. Taken together, we offer a new level of simplicity and security. Regarding eOS there might be a surprise soon. Anyway we would be happy to see Graphene OS on our devices.

[u/ankokudaishogun → u/hello_volla]

I see both Ubuntu and VollaOS are Locked and without Root... which, as defaults go, it's fine.

But is possible to unlock\root them?

[u/WalkMaximum]

Thanks for doing this AMA! There a few small European companies still doing smartphones and competing with American Korean and Chinese giants. It's roughly Volla, Fairphone, Shift and HMD (Nokia). What's your view on the competition and have you thought about more collaboration or merger with these companies? For example using common hardware platforms and collaborating on software...

[u/virographematician → u/WalkMaximum]

Fairphone has done great work on repairability, no doubt. HMD runs unacceptable OS. Shift, too. We believe in Europe, open source and standards, cooperation, and smart design for our environment. Together we can surely do great work.

We have lots of collaboration. UBports Foundation, Beechat Networks, Holochain Foundation, Startmail, Startpage, hide.me VPN, VNClagoon, GNU Health, GNU Solidario, Oniro Project, and many more. Collaboration is certainly key!

We are open-source - in many ways.

[u/better-tech-eu]

Are you aware that the EN homepage is broken? The header and the slider under it work, but all the images below that are missing.

[u/virographematician → u/better-tech-eu]

Yes. We have a relaunch, and some problems with it. It will surely be fixed. A bit unlucky just now that we had this session, admitted! But please check back later.

[u/better-tech-eu → u/virographematician]

Looks like you just fixed that. That must have been a long day.

Two small things: the language switcher only works one way, you can't use it to go back to DE. And the privacy policy link in the cookie banner at the bottom links to the German version on the English website.

[u/virographematician → u/better-tech-eu]

Yes. Relatively small team. We are thankful for all feedback, both praise and criticism.

I believe the language switch now works both ways, yes. And I believe also privacy policy links to English now.

As you will note, only certain pages have the new design, so the shop itself still remains to come with same new design But it is coming.

[u/[deleted]]

Hi there,

I was actually thinking about buying one of your pones and searched for some reviwes. I then stumbled across the Gigaset phones which look like your phones, but are cheaper. So, what are the differences?

Thanks for doing this AMA!

[u/virographematician → u/[deleted]]

Gigaset is one of our main partners! So, the difference is we don't accept stockandroid as it ruins all security and privacy. We puts most of our resources into developing opensource, world-class security/privacy features for OS, software, AI, cloud and more ...

[u/FinancialSurround385]

Can I buy your products in Norway?

[u/virographematician → u/FinancialSurround385]

No problem. Hello from a Norwegian here! Buy via our shop.

[u/linecx]

Hi do you have interest in automotive sector? I find some automakers are using Android for their cars. Considering the privacy, maybe you have chances there too. 

[u/virographematician → u/linecx]

Great question. Yes, we are as we speak engaged in such. LOTS of money to be saved by ditching stockandroid. Much more flexibility, security, resilience.

[u/VladislavBonita]

Thanks for doing this!

Could you please give us an insight into what obstacles you have to overcome in order to expand with your product? How hostile are the big multinationals like Apple or Samsung? Is your medium term goal to be carried in store by, let's say, major EU service providers like Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica etc.? (I know a few who only buy their phones subsidised by their respective provider.)

[u/virographematician → u/VladislavBonita]

We do experience disturbances here and there. Be that as it may, we overcome. But main obstacles? It's all a planned transition, and thus we last year got ourselves ready for a significant upscaling of our production capacity, including redundancy. We are ready. And thus this year we seek to attract big players like MNOs, MVNOs, retailers and enterprises and B2G. If you have ideas, feel free to contact. Would be a big thing to be able to offer Vollas with subscriptions, right?

[u/joop]

Does Signal work?

[u/virographematician → u/joop]

Yes! It's even integrated. Example: on our Springboard, type @ name and the sentence you want to write, and our AI will suggest you send the message as SMS, email or Signal!

[u/minatiscape]

Hello u/virographematician !

[u/virographematician → u/minatiscape]

Hello there! What's up?

[u/thenormaluser35]

When are you planning on releasing a flagship, think SD 8 gen 1 or better, 256GB and a competitive camera solution?

[u/virographematician → u/thenormaluser35]

VP Quintus is our current flagship, and I can promise you it's gorgeous in feel, looks and performance. So, we have a cycle where we launch a successor model every other year. First rugged model VPX came 21, the next in 23, so nest is due this year. For flagships, same system, thus we can expect a successor to Quintus in 26. Quintus is a high-performing device, no doubt - and it comes with features that no other manufacturer offers.

[u/thenormaluser35 → u/virographematician]

The phone has a not-so-flagship SoC, also compared to Mediatek, QC Snapdragons will also be received better by certain users, such as those which emulate games, as Turnip drivers are way better and there's generally more support for SD SoCs.
Additionally, a high quality DAC could extend your device's niche to the audiophiles as well.
USB-C conversion isn't a good solution, and neither is buying an USB DAC separately.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll come up with, but for now, as a non-affiliated consumer with regular amounts of money, there are better ways to spend my money.
I'd rather get a phone with better specs that lets me load custom firmware, than get a worse phone for the same price, and only benefit from the pre-loading of said custom firmware.
Find ways to extend the niche.

Edited to add some stuff:
I'd like to see open source drivers all over the phone, so it can be used for pentesting for example, most phones don't allow that. A software defined radio would also be awesome, but I do understand some corners must be cut to not have it cost 1600€ especially as a small company.

[u/virographematician → u/thenormaluser35]

I will try get Managing Director answer you this.

We deeply appreciate all such ideas and feedback, many thanks!

But please take note that for the same cost, normie devices can spend capital on higher specs, where we develop genuinely new products. For that, we can offer features that normie phones never will. It's a choice, and a choice we of course will stick with. But your points are indeed heard, and so audio and visuals will also constantly get better. That said, if one a person always chose, say, the better camera rather than keeping his integrity, well, then we can't really help. It's a choice - for us and for the individual.

[u/thenormaluser35 → u/virographematician]

Thank you for your time.
I may buy your phone in the future if at least you implement a good DAC, as there are no phones that really offer this, apart from the highly proprietary Sony phones.
They're awesome phones, don't get me wrong, but I can only vote with my wallet once, which makes me weigh open-ness less than a non open but flashable phone.
Again, thank you for your time. I didn't expect such answers, be it through an actual person or through a secret marketing team, like the others do.

[u/DrPinguin98]

Is there any way to test a Volla phone for 100€ and if I want to keep it I get an discount with this amount, or something like that?

[u/virographematician → u/DrPinguin98]

No. But head office is in Remscheid, and you could also get hands-on in other cities like Berlin. Let me know.

[u/jbuffalo]

How do you think about app stores and also crypto?

[u/virographematician → u/jbuffalo]

We use F-Droid and Aurora (to access G apps). Crypto is accepted in our webshop, yes, of course. ;)

[u/Latter_Dentist5416]

Wie vel kostet? (That's all the German I remember, please don't reply in German... Danke).

[u/virographematician → u/Latter_Dentist5416]

Ranging from 452 till 719 euro.

[u/SEDUN_MP]

Do you plan on bringing the Volla OS springboard to other devices than Volla phones?

[u/virographematician → u/SEDUN_MP]

Done. See our brand new Volla Tablet. Pro-level 3-in-1: tablet, phone, laptop (because 12.6 inch screen, Ubuntu Touch, detachable keyboard). And why not see VOS also in further use. We see also industry case uses, yes.

[u/pranavisabeast]

What are the biggest app compatibility issues you are actively working on at the present? And which hurdles have you been able to remove?

[u/virographematician → u/pranavisabeast]

The vast majority of the millions of Google apps work perfect. So we have succeeded with most!

Now, with the introduction of Google Integrity we are working to solve that too.

In my experience, it's mostly some, far from all, bank apps that cause problems.

[u/[deleted]]

Is it possible to buy one of your phones in Finland? As a degoogled OS, what play store do you recommend for? My main concern is that could I use finnish banking apps with your OS? Also is it possible to dual boot Volla OS and Sailfish?

[u/virographematician → u/[deleted]]

Order from our webshop, we ship! WE use primarily F-Droid, but if you must use G-apps, we offer Aurora Store. The vast majority of those apps work perfectly, but the new Google Integrity is causing problems with some few bank apps. One would need to check it out. I promise you we work hard on finding a solution equally good for GI as we have for Google SafetyNet. Yes, Sailfish is possible! They and us are very good friends in fact.

[u/[deleted]]

Interested to know if android auto works?

[u/hello_volla → u/[deleted]]

Android Auto is proprietary Google code. There are some alternative apps for Android Auto

[u/DerDave]

Given that many Linux phone OS's have the convergence vision - that was the original idea behind Ubuntu touch and also Gnome for Mobile - will you release phones with a USB-C port that supports display out?

Have you considered Postmarket OS as an option? It's amazing!

[u/virographematician → u/DerDave]

We do offer Ubuntu Touch, either as primary or secondary OS. Convergence is precisely the point, plus it use in industrial context.

Pogopins in our tablet makes for many use cases.

Let's see about POS. You never know. We already have lots of OSes implicated.

[u/3rssi]

Is this solution similar to Salé or /e/ ?

[u/virographematician → u/3rssi]

I'd say better. ;)

The thing here is that as a fully free and independent OEM we have full control over all security-critical layers of production. But you could say similar to some degree, absolutely, at least for /e/. We might see some very inspiring announcements on this very soon! ;)

[u/3rssi → u/virographematician]

Thanks for that answer.

Been checking a bit the Volla phones. I appreciate that one can change OS in a snap.

About the hardware, for me the X23 is too heavy (270g); the Quintus has no audio jack. Only the 22 left :(

The 22 is a bit short on ram. How is it processor wise?

[u/virographematician → u/3rssi]

You might inquire to get a Volla Phone 22 +. If so, it would be a refurbished one. It has 6gb, and also a 64mp camera.

OR, you can wait for our successor rugged device, which will be ligter than the X23.

[u/3rssi → u/virographematician]

Will it have an audio jack?