Follow

LineageOS (lineageos.org/) on a phone, baby!

Sure, maybe not as sexy as a Librem 5 (puri.sm/products/librem-5/), but who can afford that?

I found the installation process pretty straightforward when I followed the instructions and had an officially supported phone. I omitted the Google apps. Maybe slightly more difficulty than installing Linux on a computer. There's no need to root your phone; it's mainly connecting your phone to a computer over USB and following some step-by-step instructions carefully. The biggest hurdle for me was that the OEM unlocking option was greyed out at first, with a message to connect to the internet or contact my carrier, and was still greyed out when I connected to the internet. At first I was scared my phone was locked, but when I removed the SIM card and rebooted, the OEM unlock option was enabled and I could proceed and unlock the phone.

There were also a few messages that seemed like error messages during the process, but turned out to be harmless. Everything worked in the end.

It's so nice to set up a phone without it asking you to register or login etc. Just a clean, basic phone. So far I've only needed apps from F-Droid for the basic things I use a phone for: calling, email, web browser, alarm, camera, music, podcasts, calendar, contacts, maps, messaging, books, and accessing my files portably.

However, I don't recommend buying a new phone for this purpose. For people who are stuck with a phone that isn't officially supported, or who are less technically inclined and don't want to take the risk / time in flashing a different OS, I made a guide which you can see at adam4235.github.io/encyclopedi. That may be almost as good as using LineageOS; if you look at the ways Google tracks you (productivityhub.org/2019/05/30), all the things listed there use your Google account. That's if you're concerned about tracking by companies; it probably wouldn't protect you from tracking by governments (the best way to do that is to not have a cell phone).

Sign in to participate in the conversation
Qoto Mastodon

QOTO: Question Others to Teach Ourselves
An inclusive, Academic Freedom, instance
All cultures welcome.
Hate speech and harassment strictly forbidden.