Since there were multiple people tooting about using a saner operating system on their smartphones, I also started to ponder about doing the same.

Gergely Nagy 🐁

I am currently using stock Android, for one reason and one reason only: the bank app I need to use requires stock Android, and while I've seen reports that it works on jailbroken phones, I also read that it's not very reliable. I need it to be reliable. So I was thinking: I'd keep a backup smartphone with Android, just for the bank app. Or perhaps try if it works in an emulator. Then I could use something saner on the real phone.

But... what phone then, and which OS?

Luckily, this isn't something I need to think much about right now. I don't plan to change my phone in the next couple of years at least, and this is something for when I'd be switching phones anyway.

Linux in a Bit

@algernon
It’s generally recommend to go with something like https://www.lineageos.org/ when/if it gets support for your phone (generally it can take a year or so after the end of official support for smaller brands).

It’s the most well known alternative Android project and many others are based on it. Think of it as the Fedora of Android.

I haven’t yet installed it on a phone, but I’ve put it on a Raspberry Pi 4, and it works great with good standard apps and experience overall.

Gergely Nagy 🐁

@Linux_in_a_Bit tbh, I'm more interested in operating systems not based on Android, something along the lines of PostmarketOS.

There's literally no android app I would like to use. Every single thing I use my phone for, there's a better native Linux application, apart from my stupid bank app (and perhaps the Blizzard Authenticator, but I'm pretty sure I can work that around one way or the other).

solaslux

@algernon maybe you've already done this, but is it possible to use your bank's website on mobile browser in place of an app?

TheDragon

@algernon kinda tangential to your phone OS question... Did you ever find a suitable new messaging solution for your family?

Gergely Nagy 🐁

@solaslux Yes and no. It is possible to use a browser for banking, but that requires a phone app for mandatory 2FA. The mandatory 2FA in turn requires the bank app, because standalone authenticator apps aren't allowed for some reason. Not Invented There, I guess.

Gergely Nagy 🐁

@TheDragon Not really, no, I ended up just sticking with XMPP, because it's Good Enough. I looked at some other options, but none of them gave me the "this is so much better" feeling, so I kinda stopped looking for now.

I'll revisit it when I have more time, or something pisses me off hard enough to devote more time to finding an alternative.

solaslux

@algernon oh, that last bit is so unfortunate and frustrating.

Is emulation even an option then?

What I mean is, is there a functional difference between a nonstandard AOSP-derived install being restricted and emulator stock AOSP?

Is the google bit really that important?

I wonder if it is possible for grapheneOS to work. It has an optional way to install google play services in a restricted environment.

I have not had success running my own banking app on grapheneOS, but maybe yours might.

It has a very strict device requirement, though, unlike lineage or other AOSP "roms"

Gergely Nagy 🐁

@solaslux As far as I remember, the bank app - at least in the past - would try to verify that the phone is not jailbroken. I've seen reports that it works on grapheneOS, but I've also seen reports that it doesn't - that's not something I want to risk. Nevertheless, as far as I can tell, grapheneOS is still based on Android, and I would like to move off of Android. I'd much prefer a non-android distro.

And if I'm switching to a non-android OS on the phone, I'd prefer not to litter it with emulation and android apps. Doing that sounds like a whole lot of pain. I'd rather emulate android on my PC, or use a dedicated android phone for the bank app, and the latter is likely easier.

I... don't want to fight with the bank app to make it work. I'd rather work it around with a dedicated device, so my daily driver can remain free of android bs.

Pretty much the only thing I use the bank app for is the mandatory 2FA. I do my banking on the PC using their webapp. I can live with a dedicated phone on my desk for this single purpose.

Ooor! I could mount a tablet onto the wall, and use it as a clock / calendar / bank 2fa thing! Hmm. I think I'm warming up to that idea.

Gergely Nagy 🐁

A bit of followup clarification: I don't need an alternative Android-based operating system. There is literally no Android app I want to use, because every single thing I use my phone for, has a Linux app that is orders of magnitudes better than their Android counterpart (non debatable, fyi).

If I switch operating systems, I want to switch to something that is not Android. I do not need it to emulate Android in any shape or form. I do not want Android apps on it at all. If I am emulating Android, I'll do it on my PC. But it's easier to have a dedicated Android device (phone or tablet, doesn't matter much) for the bank app, really.

Regarding the bank app: I do not use it for banking. I use it for mandatory 2FA, and my bank requires this particular app for 2FA, I can't use general purpose authenticators. No, I'm not switching banks either.

What I do need from a phone, is:

Being able to start and receive calls, using my provider of choice
Being able to send and receive SMS.
WiFi & 4G
A working camera
Being able to install stock Linux apps (mostly GNOME stuff like Calendar, Tuba, Dino, that kind of stuff)

On top of this, if it can do GPS, that would be nice to have, but not mandatory.

Looking at devices supported by postmarketOS... there's no device that can do this. Camera support is pretty much missing from all of them, and the few that have partial camera support, are missing other things. The Librem 5 is possibly the closest to what I'd want, but... I don't want a Purism device. Back when the Librem 5 crowdfunding started, I pre-ordered, but ended up asking for (and receiving) a refund. It still doesn't sound like a device I could daily drive.

Luckily, this whole thing is something I don't need to care about right now. Perhaps 2-3 years from now.

I was just... wondering. Then I immediately stopped doing so, because it's a task for future me.

mc

@algernon Oh, wow. Sorry that I didn't catch that you want to do away with Android. Really interested in what you can come up with as an alternative.

I've been thinking about using an MNT Pocket Reform for lots of stuff, but the camera part is missing, so I've been thinking about carrying a separate digital camera. Already have one, in fact, "just" need to carry it more.

Gergely Nagy 🐁

@mc Heh, no worries. The original toot wasn't exactly clear about that.

What I come up with... will take a while. My current phone (Samsung Galaxy A04s) is fairly recent and in a good shape, and I'm not looking to buy a new one until this one breaks. This whole phone OS finding thing will become a goal then, when the current one starts to show its age.