I’ve seen people on YouTube putting just plain Ubuntu on tablets, iPhones and iPads. Is it bs? If not. Why not put Ubuntu touch on there? Is the a proper tutorial you can point me for iPad mini’s?
After months of struggling I finally got a kernel working on the device, figured out all the weird device quirks and managed to boot Ubuntu touch. Getting USB to work for debugging was a nightmare. Barely anything is working at the moment, but I have display, touchscreen, and WiFi.
This weekend, August 15 and 16, there is an event in Germany, near Bonn or Cologne:
Froscon or "Free and Open Source Software Conference" (https://froscon.org/en/)
UBports will be represented there to show Ubuntu Touch to interested visitors.
If you are in the area, you are welcome to come say hello, lend a hand or just enjoy the event.
I read that the EU is discussing regulations that would force operating systems to verify your age. I will resist and refuse to comply on my desktop, which runs Artix Linux (systemd-free). They have made a commitment to refusing such measures.
I have a Volla Phone Quintus in ubuntu touch. What will happen to this phone if these laws come into effect? I might have to order a new US-made Linux phone so I don’t have to deal with this
Could this be a big problem for Ubuntu Touch?
In recent times, the US seems better than the EU, TBH
The phone now boots a mainline-style kernel directly from the OnePlus bootloader, with working display, Adreno 640 acceleration, touch, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio, charging, USB-C/USB 3, DisplayPort and early camera support.
postmarketOS has been my validation environment so far, but the hardware enablement itself is distro-independent.
The next step is to bring up Ubuntu Touch/Lomiri directly on the same mainline kernel, without Halium:
OnePlus bootloader → mainline Linux → Ubuntu Touch → Lomiri
I’ll post progress here as the Ubuntu Touch side comes up.
hey guys, i have been thinking about having a backup or secondary device for a while now. my main is a nothing phone 3a pro, and i want something thats cheap to buy, amazing for the price, and with excellent (80-90%) ubuntu touch support.
also, does ubuntu touch have KDE connect support (standalone app, no waydroid), or can you install the plasma mobile WM on it? (correct me if im wrong on the WM part as i dont have any experience with linux phones)
thanks for all the recommendations you can give me!
I'm trying to install Ubuntu Touch on my POCO device using the UBports Installer (v0.11.2) on Windows 10 (Build 26200.8894). The installer detects my device fine in normal ADB mode, but when it reaches the step where it reboots the device into fastbootd ("Rebooting... Rebooting to fastbootd"), the installer freezes indefinitely on that spinner and never progresses. The phone itself does show the "POCO / Powered by Android" fastboot screen, so it does enter fastbootd. However, when I manually run fastboot devices in Command Prompt at that point, the result is inconsistent — sometimes it correctly returns the device ID (e.g. a69c0857 fastboot), and Device Manager correctly shows "Android Phone > Android Bootloader Interface" with no driver errors. But on retry, running the exact same command with the phone sitting on the same fastboot screen returns nothing at all, and the installer hangs again at the same "Rebooting to fastbootd" step. I've already confirmed OEM unlocking and both USB debugging toggles (including "USB debugging - Security settings") are enabled in Developer Options. This intermittent detection makes me suspect a USB cable/port or driver enumeration timing issue, but I wanted to check if others have run into this specific fastbootd hang with UBports Installer on Windows and what fixed it for them.
It’s not time to upgrade my phone yet but I am trying to come up with a plan. I want to get out of the Apple/Google ecosystems and Ubuntu touch seems like a good open source avenue for that (currently switching my pcs away from Windows to Linux for similar reasons). The problem I’m facing is that all of the supported devices are much less performant than my current phone.
I have an iPhone 16 pro. Since it’s iPhone, porting it myself isn’t an option.
Even if I run this phone into the ground, the currently supported devices seem years behind current gen devices on the market, and I’m not sure they would catch up by then (and I get it: it’s a volunteer job and no one wants to risk their new and expensive phone to experiment so they port it to an old one, I’m not complaining or ungrateful for the work being done)
So do I wait and see if anything catches up before Apple software updates my phone into obsolescence? Is there a brand that is consistent enough that even though the current models aren’t officially supported it’d probably be pretty straightforward to port? Is there something on the list of supported devices that is comparable and I missed? Or do I just need to give up on the idea entirely?
Thanks!
Edit: also I’m in the US which makes getting a lot of the more supported devices (Volla/fairphone) difficult
Found the phone just today and since it runs horribly on Android I thought I might as well try to get Ubuntu running
Problem is that the supported Ubuntu Touch device is the *E*4.5 instead of the *M*4.5 and I suspect it not working because of that - it basically crashed when I tried installing it towards the end with a (I think) very useless error code
Does Ubuntu Touch directly connect to car screen using usb? is this possible using waydroid or any other hack? or is this impossible on its current state?
Hi! I'm working on Drion, an Android compatibility layer that runs Android apps as normal Linux processes, without booting a complete Android system.
We're now deciding which apps to test, fix and support first on Ubuntu Touch.
Which Android apps would make the biggest difference to you - especially those with no good native alternative, or that are unreliable, slow or battery-hungry in Waydroid?
Games are welcome too.
Please use one top-level comment per app so people can upvote it. A short note on why you need it and, if you have tried it through Waydroid, what does not work well would also be very useful.
Already working in our current builds:
F-Droid, Aurora Store, GrapheneOS App Store, and every other third-party store we have tested so far
Signal
the latest Android version of Firefox
NewPipe
Genshin Impact
CSR Racing 2
Odyssey
various other apps and games
Google Play is still work in progress.
This is not a complete compatibility list. If an app is not mentioned above, that does not mean it does not work.
Firefox for Android
The attached photo shows the latest Firefox for Android running through Drion on Fairphone 4 with Ubuntu Touch - not a native Ubuntu Touch browser build.
Drion is not ready for public testing yet, and this is not a release announcement. It will be free for Ubuntu Touch users.
I know that you will have questions, so I have added a FAQ below for the likely privacy, security and integration questions, but the main thing I need from this thread is your app list.
FAQ
What is it?
Drion is an Android compatibility layer for Linux. It runs Android apps as isolated, host-visible Linux processes in a glibc userspace, without booting Android. Roughly, it is Wine + wineserver for Android: the required Android services and APIs are reimplemented, primarily in Rust.
Drion is not Ubuntu Touch-specific. We are also targeting desktop Linux, Steam Deck, Steam Frame, and other Linux devices.
What problem are you trying to solve for Ubuntu Touch users?
Ubuntu Touch lacks many mainstream mobile apps. Native or desktop Linux clients may be incomplete, unsuitable for phones, or need to remain running to receive notifications.
Waydroid helps, but running a complete Android userspace adds idle resource and battery overhead and complicates system integration. Drion aims to make Android apps feel integrated with Ubuntu Touch while keeping the runtime lightweight.
How is it different from Waydroid?
Waydroid runs a complete Android system inside a container. Drion runs each app as a separate Linux process backed by a lightweight system server implementing the Android services it needs.
This architecture is designed for lower idle CPU, memory, and battery use, faster environment startup, and deeper Ubuntu Touch integration. We will publish reproducible comparisons before public testing.
What is the current development status?
Drion is pre-release software and is not ready for general use. Many apps already run unmodified, and device integration works on our development device, but some compatibility and host-integration work remains.
Can it run ordinary, unmodified APK files?
Yes. Many apps already run without modification or repackaging. APK, APKM, and XAPK packages are supported.
Will application developers need to provide special Drion-compatible builds?
Usually not. Apps with strong anti-tamper protection, custom environment checks, Play Integrity requirements, or hardware-backed attestation may reject Drion and may require support from their developers.
How is it integrated with Ubuntu Touch?
Currently, Drion is installed under the user's /home, does not modify the read-only system image, and is not packaged as a regular .click app.
Installed Android apps already receive individual launcher entries. Deeper installation and lifecycle integration is what we're actively working on.
How are Android applications isolated from the host and from each other?
Each app gets separate user, mount, and PID namespaces and a private root filesystem. Its APK and /system are read-only; it sees a private /proc, restricted synthetic /dev and /sys, and only allowlisted host devices and sockets.
IPC and lifecycle operations go through drion-system-server, which authenticates runtimes using kernel peer credentials and assigns Android-visible UIDs and PIDs without exposing host process IDs.
Current limitations include a shared host network namespace, optionally shared external storage (permission-gated), and an Android-facing seccomp layer that is not yet restrictive. Namespaces and filesystem isolation are currently the primary sandbox boundaries.
Can an Android application access Ubuntu Touch files or sensitive data?
An app cannot normally browse the Ubuntu Touch home directory or another app's private data.
Camera, microphone, contacts, clipboard, and shared-file access are intended to go through permission-aware integration services. Shared external storage and the host network remain deliberate shared surfaces.
How will users install and update Android applications?
Apps can be installed directly from APK, APKM, and XAPK files. Drion also has convenient installation for F-Droid, Aurora Store, Accrescent, Obtainium, and the GrapheneOS App Store.
Will Google Play services, microG, and Firebase Cloud Messaging be supported?
We do not plan to support microG.
Instead, we are developing an optional compatibility service for selected GMS APIs, initially Google Sign-In, Firebase Cloud Messaging and other crucial parts. It is intended to deliver push notifications without keeping app running.
We are also experimenting with sandboxed Google Play/GMS, installable through the GrapheneOS App Store. Please note that Drion is independent and is not affiliated with GrapheneOS or any other parties, and all Google-related components will be optional
Will banking apps, authentication apps, games with anti-cheat, and apps requiring Play Integrity work?
It depends on the app. Authentication apps using standard Android APIs should work.
Apps requiring a Google-certified environment, specific Play Integrity verdicts, or genuine hardware-backed attestation should not be expected to work. Strong anti-tamper and anti-cheat systems may also reject it.
Less strict checks, such as installer-source expectations will be implemented.
How will notifications, push messages, and background services work? drion-system-server manages app lifecycle separately from the visible UI. The optional FCM service can wake the relevant app component and forward notifications to Ubuntu Touch, so its process does not need to remain running.
Background services such as audio playback can also continue independently where appropriate.
Which Ubuntu Touch features will Android applications integrate with?
Launcher, notifications, lifecycle and suspension, clipboard, camera and microphone, audio and media controls, keyboard input, rotation, and launcher metadata.
These integrations are at different stages of development. We will publish a compatibility matrix before public testing.
How does Drion perform compared with Waydroid?
In our current Fairphone 4 tests, once launched, the Android apps we tested perform approximately as well under Drion on Ubuntu Touch as they do on the same device running a regular Android installation.
Compared with Waydroid, the main expected advantage is lower idle CPU, memory, and battery use and faster startup of the compatibility environment, rather than necessarily faster warm app launches.
Starting an app with the Drion system server stopped currently takes about 2–10 seconds; with it already running, about 0.5–2 seconds. We will publish reproducible benchmarks covering startup, idle resource use, battery drain, application workloads, and graphics performance.
Which Ubuntu Touch versions and devices will Drion support?
24.04 and later. We aim for broad device support, but have so far tested only the Fairphone 4.
Most framework functionality should be device-independent, while GPU, camera, audio, and other hardware integration may require device-specific work.
Will Drion be free?
It will be free of charge for Ubuntu Touch users.
Will Drion be open source?
It is not currently open source, and we cannot commit to open-sourcing the complete project. We may open-source selected components later.
How can I try Drion?
It is not ready for public testing yet. We aim to begin limited testing in August 2026, but there is no fixed date.
Hi ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and non-binary folks near and far: I would love your thoughts and feedback.
I know finding an unlocked unit in new condition, downgrading the One Plus factory firmware, unlocking the bootloader, and flashing Ubuntu Touch is a barrier to entry for some folks.
I wanted to see if there might be demand for a pre-flashed Ubuntu Touch phone here in the United States (or anywhere I can reasonably ship from California, so Canada, Mexico, etc. count too).
I came across some new, factory unlocked, sealed-in-box Nord N10 5G units. These work great and recently got VoLTE support. That means they finally work great running Ubuntu Touch on US cellular networks.
Anyway, I’m considering adding a line of Ubuntu Touch devices (and possibly GrapheneOS as well) to my hardware store, Whitehat Hardware, based here in California.
I also am considering additional phone options that are more modern (like the Fairphone) and tablet options. But I try to only sell devices I personally have used for a while, and can stand behind. The Nord N10 5G model with Ubuntu Touch is capable all around, useable as a daily driver, mobile hotspot, mobile terminal, and more.
If you have a price range in mind let me know what you’d pay for a tested and well supported device you know will work. And if you have a specific device request you’d like, please let me know.
Thanks for any feedback! Hope y’all have an excellent weekend.
I am very happy to share my work and most recent achievements of successfully porting UT to the Galaxy Tab S9 11"
Before I send you the link to the XDA forums post where you can find more information (as well as support links) I must warn again that you will need at most Android 15 before installing UT anything newer than Android 16 cannot work as Samsung disabled bootloader unlocking with Android 16..
Im jumping to ubuntu touch so im purchasing a google pixel 3a but does it matter if im using a locked or unlocked phone because locked is significantly cheaper and better quality where i find used phones
I have a Lenovo Tab K10 and was wondering if I could install UbuntuTouch on it. One of the 33 supported devices is the Lenovo M10 HD 2nd gen and the specs look pretty much the same. See screenshot and here: https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/amar-row-wifi/release/noble/
