I heard that the native browser is still some ancient Firefox fork. There is surprisingly little information about native apps anywhere, it strongly feels like they are mostly focusing on Android app compatibility. SailfishOS also has more closed source than I’d like to. Most often it does not end well.
I preordered the new Jolla phone, but after looking around the app side of things for a while, I cancelled. I’m not switching from Android to “sort of Android” -phone. If (or rather when, as I think it will happen) Google kills F-Droid and other ways to get apps, I will take another look on what’s available. Ubuntu Touch maybe, but I understand their browser is also quite old, and that’s one thing that should be up to date, at least, in my opinion. Or maybe just a dumb phone, and a separate camera. For maps, maybe a “prices-begin-from” Wahoo for finding routes. Sure, this approach will cost more, take more space, but I’m not going to go into the walled garden of Google or Apple.
About Jolla and SailfishOS, I am no expert. I ended up cancelling knowing that if I change my mind I will have to pay a lot of extra. Anyway, for the moment I am happy with my decision.
None of those is Android (but not all are actual “apps”).
I heard that the native browser is still some ancient Firefox fork.
I wouldn’t say ancient; it’s based on FF ESR98 or so’s embedlite. But yeah, this is a topic of much discontent.
Natively, it’s relatively easy to install Angelfish (KDE) based on a much more timely webkit. Via Android appsupport many current browsers are available.
There is surprisingly little information about native apps anywhere, it strongly feels like they are mostly focusing on Android app compatibility.
It’s one of their main selling points, but native apps are definitely abundant. There’s the offical store, which does not have a browsable web frontend, and 2 unofficial stores: https://openrepos.net/ and https://sailfishos-chum.github.io/.
SailfishOS also has more closed source than I’d like to. Most often it does not end well.
I understand, but it has been going well since 2013. IMO the closed source thing is historical: they are the heirs of Nokia’s Linux-based OSs. But slowly they are opensourcing parts of the OS.
Ultimately, this is a European company I can trust.
The devs are active on the forum, too.
BTW, it is still and always will be possible to download & install SFOS on your own device, for €0.
I wouldn’t go quite that far. It says “Sep 26” on the first page - which already points to some sort of preorder - and when you click on it you are immediately told in the sidebar that the full payment is 649€.
Seconded. Been rocking GrapheneOS since the Pixel 4 XL (my goat minus the bloated battery issue), the Pixel 6 Pro (which sucked as a phone since it uses Google’s shit-tier Tensor modem), then Pixel 8 Pro (which seems to have a better Tensor chip, though still not great in some areas for cell reception).
All the banking apps I use work flawlessly on Graphene. Of course, payment/wallet apps won’t work, and I’ve only had two experiences where that bit me in the ass (attending concerts and needing to open a ticket in a wallet app I couldn’t even use).
The added security features are top notch. Being able to set a duress password definitely helps in case I’m ever in a situation where I’m forced by a pig to unlock my phone, and setting multiple profiles on my phone helps so much with compartmentalization.
Would I prefer if Graphene were on a different phone? Fuck yes, which is why as soon as the Motorola partnership produces a phone (with Qualcomm Snapdragon hopefully), I’m jumping the Pixel ship and never looking back. Hoping that’s just the beginning for Graphene being ported to other phones, though I feel it’s gonna be like pulling teeth with these other phone manufacturers (like FairPhone).
So what’s the user experience like on an alternative OS?
Daily-driving SFOS for 6 years. AMA.
Do you use mostly Android apps?
I heard that the native browser is still some ancient Firefox fork. There is surprisingly little information about native apps anywhere, it strongly feels like they are mostly focusing on Android app compatibility. SailfishOS also has more closed source than I’d like to. Most often it does not end well.
I preordered the new Jolla phone, but after looking around the app side of things for a while, I cancelled. I’m not switching from Android to “sort of Android” -phone. If (or rather when, as I think it will happen) Google kills F-Droid and other ways to get apps, I will take another look on what’s available. Ubuntu Touch maybe, but I understand their browser is also quite old, and that’s one thing that should be up to date, at least, in my opinion. Or maybe just a dumb phone, and a separate camera. For maps, maybe a “prices-begin-from” Wahoo for finding routes. Sure, this approach will cost more, take more space, but I’m not going to go into the walled garden of Google or Apple.
About Jolla and SailfishOS, I am no expert. I ended up cancelling knowing that if I change my mind I will have to pay a lot of extra. Anyway, for the moment I am happy with my decision.
No.
ls -1 /usr/share/applications/ Pacpac.desktop csd.desktop fingerterm.desktop google-maps-geo-handler.desktop harbour-2048.desktop harbour-allradio2.desktop harbour-android-offline.desktop harbour-barcode.desktop harbour-colortubes.desktop harbour-crest.desktop harbour-fbreader.desktop harbour-file-browser.desktop harbour-fivinarow.desktop harbour-heebo.desktop harbour-ieligimage.desktop harbour-ieligweb.desktop harbour-lonewolf.desktop harbour-meecast.desktop harbour-molecules.desktop harbour-org.gpodder.sailfish.desktop harbour-osmscout.desktop harbour-ownkeepass.desktop harbour-paketti.desktop harbour-patience-deck.desktop harbour-pipes.desktop harbour-pure-maps-uri-handler.desktop harbour-pure-maps.desktop harbour-qml2048.desktop harbour-sailpipe.desktop harbour-sailtrix.desktop harbour-sailtube-open-url.desktop harbour-sailtube.desktop harbour-sailtuner.desktop harbour-seabass.desktop harbour-sfos-forum-viewer.desktop harbour-simplemahjong.desktop harbour-sshazam.desktop harbour-storeman.desktop harbour-stppc.desktop harbour-talefish.desktop harbour-taot.desktop harbour-wireshark.desktop harbour-wordle.desktop hosts-block-add-to-blacklist.desktop hosts-block-add-to-whitelist.desktop jolla-calculator.desktop jolla-calendar.desktop jolla-camera-lockscreen.desktop jolla-camera-viewfinder.desktop jolla-camera.desktop jolla-clock.desktop jolla-contacts.desktop jolla-email.desktop jolla-gallery.desktop jolla-mediaplayer.desktop jolla-messages.desktop jolla-notes.desktop jolla-settings.desktop l2tp-import.desktop mimeinfo.cache new-mail.desktop openconnect-import.desktop openrepos-books.desktop openstreetmap-geo-handler.desktop org.kde.angelfish.desktop ovpn-import.desktop pptp-import.desktop qCommand.desktop qt-runner.desktop quaeditor.desktop retroarch.desktop sailfish-archive.desktop sailfish-audiorecorder.desktop sailfish-browser.desktop sailfish-captiveportal.desktop sailfish-installationhandler.desktop sailfish-office.desktop sailfish-share.desktop sailfish-tutorial.desktop sailfishos-chum-gui.desktop simkit.desktop store-client.desktop systemdatascope.desktop uk.co.piggz.harbour-supersonik.desktop voicecall-ui.desktop vpnc-import.desktop webcal-import.desktop wheelmap-geo-handler.desktop wireshark.desktopNone of those is Android (but not all are actual “apps”).
I wouldn’t say ancient; it’s based on FF ESR98 or so’s embedlite. But yeah, this is a topic of much discontent. Natively, it’s relatively easy to install Angelfish (KDE) based on a much more timely webkit. Via Android appsupport many current browsers are available.
It’s one of their main selling points, but native apps are definitely abundant. There’s the offical store, which does not have a browsable web frontend, and 2 unofficial stores: https://openrepos.net/ and https://sailfishos-chum.github.io/.
I understand, but it has been going well since 2013. IMO the closed source thing is historical: they are the heirs of Nokia’s Linux-based OSs. But slowly they are opensourcing parts of the OS.
Ultimately, this is a European company I can trust. The devs are active on the forum, too.
BTW, it is still and always will be possible to download & install SFOS on your own device, for €0.
Their website has this dishonnest “99€” for their flagship
It’s a trap, you need read the fine print to find out
I wouldn’t go quite that far. It says “Sep 26” on the first page - which already points to some sort of preorder - and when you click on it you are immediately told in the sidebar that the full payment is 649€.
But I agree, they could’ve done it better.
Don’t have a question, but I feel I might be joining you, no matter how janky it is.
Graphene has been great for me.
Yeah but what’s it like?
Its like using Android.
Oh, neat!
Can you use the play store? Can you install apks from github? Can you use launchers?
Yes.
Can you use banking apps, Google wallet, Google pay (or other NFC payments)?
I could use banking apps yes, there is a resource on the grapheneOS forums.
Wallet, pay are not working, iirc. Don’t use graphene anymore since i don’t have a pixel anymore
Cool, thanks
The only thing that was not working as well for me was GPS, but that was probably my own fault, i maybe misconfigured something.
You have to configure gps?
Seconded. Been rocking GrapheneOS since the Pixel 4 XL (my goat minus the bloated battery issue), the Pixel 6 Pro (which sucked as a phone since it uses Google’s shit-tier Tensor modem), then Pixel 8 Pro (which seems to have a better Tensor chip, though still not great in some areas for cell reception).
All the banking apps I use work flawlessly on Graphene. Of course, payment/wallet apps won’t work, and I’ve only had two experiences where that bit me in the ass (attending concerts and needing to open a ticket in a wallet app I couldn’t even use).
The added security features are top notch. Being able to set a duress password definitely helps in case I’m ever in a situation where I’m forced by a pig to unlock my phone, and setting multiple profiles on my phone helps so much with compartmentalization.
Would I prefer if Graphene were on a different phone? Fuck yes, which is why as soon as the Motorola partnership produces a phone (with Qualcomm Snapdragon hopefully), I’m jumping the Pixel ship and never looking back. Hoping that’s just the beginning for Graphene being ported to other phones, though I feel it’s gonna be like pulling teeth with these other phone manufacturers (like FairPhone).