this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2026
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It's a conversation we have had before, but Android derivatives are really not a long-term solution. There are mountains of technical issues that myself and others take issue with that only ditching the Android ecosystem in its entirety can fix. Also, are we really sure phones are a necessity of modern life?
I feel like every few years there's a new Linux smartphone but the tech doesn't seem to be there yet from a user standpoint. I think the most recent I saw was the Volla Phone Quintus running Ubuntu Touch, and Waydroid seemed like a nightmare.
Reject Convienence documented their time with dumb phone. I'm sure some people could pull it off, but I can't even get mail at my apartment without scanning a barcode. Plus barcode tickets, QR codes, 2FA...
Yeah, fair, I am very fortunately in a position to ditch having a phone altogether and never look back. Waydroid is a nightmare, but translation layers like Steams thing and the creatively named Android Translation layer do exist and kindof work.
Being required to use a phone to get snail mail is insane! The whole point of mail is that direct interaction with technology along with some pretty excellent security and privacy guarantees! I hate how much smartphones have become a piece of society.
Also worth noting, simply having a SIM tied to your name and taken with you is a privacy issue.
Modern phones are extremely convenient. Being able to plan your trip, go on it, take pictures, listen to music, stay informed, book hotels, and everything else with a single, small device is much better than having a separate device for everything. Smartphone are MP3 player, laptop, camera, and GPS device all in one.
I do wish the OS weren't controlled by one single entity and were fully opensource, always.
OTOH there is a ton of apps built for Android, a ton of developers with experience out there and really mature tools like Android studio + kotlin. It will be hard for any phone to replace that.