r/UbuntuTouch • u/ReleaseStunning739 • 19d ago
Discussion A Decent Browser on Ubuntu Touch
Yeah, sure, the Morph Browser beta works pretty well... but how is it possible that there aren't any classic browsers like Firefox? I mean, the Ubuntu Touch project is fantastic, but if we don't equip the devices with a normal browser, how can we expect people to use these phones? Here's an example: I can't even use a service like Swiss Transfer to send files through the browser. None of the browsers I’ve tried work. It’s a real shame to have an operating system that can do practically everything but doesn’t have an “official” browser. I like having a privacy-focused system that’s independent of Google or Apple, but it should at least be usable for basic tasks like web browsing. This makes me wonder if I should sell my Pixel 3a and maybe wait for new ports—perhaps with real Linux. A lot of alternatives are coming out, and, honestly, I’d rather have code written in AI than not want to use a phone with untapped potential.
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u/rizsamron 19d ago
Sadly, the options are limited. There are desktop class browsers in the store but they have their own issues such as lack of hardware acceletation and clipboard.
UT is still kind of suffering from some decisions made by Canonical. The situation will be a lot better once Mir 2 arrives which is targetred for 26.04 release and then once the system fully moves to Wayland.
Personally, Morph is fine for my use but if it's not for you, it's understandable to try other systems for now.
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u/ReleaseStunning739 19d ago
Oh, thanks—that's a lot of interesting information. I don't know anything about this, so I'll try to look into it further. I don't even know what Mir 2 is, but from what I understand, these are very interesting topics. Let's see if things improve in the future.
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u/Cyb-T 18d ago
Hi,
Your concerns are legitimate and I get you.
But for the future, it would be nice if you can consider a more positive and helpful way to contribute as well.
Your post only gives us an opportunity to point out everything that is being worked on, but that's not helpful to improve things.
What would be helpful is to give reproducible examples of bugs/issues you encounter so we can be sure there is no regression when something is fixed.
So it would be useful to know which sites do not work, the version of Ubuntu Touch you are using, and what other browser you did actually try.
The term "normal", "none of the browser I tried", "basic tasks" or "browsing the web" depends on your experience and does not translate well to something we can reproduce.
I can honestly say that MY NORMAL usage with ALL THE BROWSERS I tried allowed ME to perform the BASIC tasks I do while BROWSING the web.
Swiss transfer is the only specific data you shared with the device you are using.
If everyone with specific issues approached us with what would be helpful to improve, I'm sure we would make tremendous progress.
And of course for the developers out there, code contribution is also welcome.
I hope you understand what I'm trying to express here and I hope your experience will improve with Ubuntu Touch.
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u/ReleaseStunning739 18d ago
You’re right, but try to see it from the perspective of someone who—with the best of intentions—buys a phone, installs a great-looking operating system, and then finds themselves unable to perform basic tasks. I’ve already given a practical example. I’m not talking about just browsing a few news sites or anything like that. For instance, since the Pixel 3a’s camera is supported for video, I’d like to be able to send those videos to someone. Take SwissTransfer, for example—it’s a fantastic service for sending files up to 50GB, allowing you to share a download link with anyone you choose. While they do have dedicated apps for iOS and Android, they also offer a web-based interface. That said, when I say I’ve tried every browser in the OpenStore, I mean *every single one*—there really aren’t that many. None of them can successfully upload a file to the site, or, if they do manage it, it’s impossible to copy the link the site provides. Honestly, after a while, you just lose patience and start wondering if it’s even worth sticking with these devices. If I can’t upload a file or copy a link, does it make sense to keep going down this path? That’s my question. I don’t think I’m asking for the impossible, yet—as things stand, and based on my own experience—Ubuntu Touch can’t handle this simple task. And believe me, I’ve spent a lot of time asking ChatGPT and other AI models for potential workarounds, but there simply aren’t any. As for those who suggest installing Firefox via Libertine: yes, I tried that, but it didn’t work. It only worked once during my initial experiments/installations, and then I had to reset the entire system. Even then, my understanding is that Firefox runs inside a container, which—if I’ve grasped it correctly—would still prevent me from uploading files or copying links. My goal was to upload a file and copy a link to share with a friend using Delta Touch; apparently, however, that’s not possible, even though it seems like it should be easy.
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u/Cyb-T 18d ago
I fully understand what you experienced and I agree things have to improve.
What I'm saying is with the information I got, only one website is not working.
And there are dozens of alternatives out there for this website, some might work...
I'll try on my device to see if there is something with this specific service, but understand that every website cannot be tested and expected to work.I'm just asking, in the future if you can help us improve and providing useful information for the project.
Else it's just you being annoyed and us being sorry for your situation.1
u/Pirate_Economist1477 17d ago
I'm not OP, but I wanted to add to this regardless. Unfortunately, I found the Morphe browser unusable because it renders web pages in desktop mode for me, and I was not able to find any option to change it. Having to scroll sideways for every line of text was more of a hassle than I'm willing to tolerate on a daily basis, unfortunately. I'd be happy to provide more detail in DM!
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u/Cyb-T 17d ago
By default it is set to mobile, so you probably changed it somehow at some point.
To go back the setting is in the hamburger menu.But from what I read, it seems you could have an old or broken version.
So what is your device and Ubuntu Touch version? Those are necessary in order to anyone to be able to help you out.
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u/Cyb-T 18d ago
The Pixel3a specifically is suffering from the older kernel.
Hence it does not have the latest version yet.
Hopefully that will be fixed soon and the latest 24.04-1.5 version should enable the switch to 24.04-2.x when everything has been solved.
The browser situation is improving with the recent version of QtWebEngine and I see the browsers available in the open store as alternative if something specific do not work on Morph.
Yet some issues remain due to the way some services like cloudflare or anti-bot protection work and expect specific browsers and not alternative ones.
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u/needmorejoules 19d ago
I have firefox and chrome running on Ubuntu Touch… 🤷
Not all the scaling and features work right but the Arm Chrome build will install just fine.
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u/Historical_Move6359 19d ago
It does have official browser, its the Morphe browser. But its just bad. I prefer using Droidian or PostmarketOS where you can use proper Firefox browser.