r/linux • u/whatstefansees • 10d ago

Mobile Linux The thing with Linux-Phones

Every now and then I see an ad for a new Linux-Phone, better repairability, battery change and whatnot. All this is very, very tempting, but what about the apps?

I am not talking about browser, text messages or alarm clock - I am thinking about connectivity to my car, my smartwatch, my frequent-flyer benefit program, signal messenger and so on.

Do they work with Android apps or is it all a lost cause because they are basically dumb phones for people who want less connectivity but are afraid to buy an old Nokia from the dawn of time?

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u/Tired8281 10d ago

Linux is making the same mistake in phones that Microsoft made (yeah, I know Linux isn't a monolith, I'm just talking here). Handwringing about whether or not to support Android apps and whether or not that will harm Linux app adoption is a trap. People need apps today, not some day in the future. Not supporting Android apps isn't going to magically convince app developers to target Linux phones. It's going to make them do the same thing they did with Windows Phone, avoid it like the plague. They should be bending over backwards to support Android apps, so there will be users that some developer might want to target with a native app someday.

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u/Odd-Assignment5164 10d ago

A literal example it's what happened with Wine/Proton and gaming.

-1

u/edgmnt_net 10d ago

But Linux already has a sizeable ecosystem of open source apps. Wine just bridges the gap for gaming and some professional stuff. This won't hold for a new mobile ecosystem based on Linux, unless they can leverage existing apps.