Frequently Asked Questions

Is Linux Mobile ready for widespread use?

Linux Mobile is not yet ready for widespread use. Even though it is evolving quickly, it is still under active and heavy development.
For now, it is best not to recommend a Linux Mobile device to friends or family members who expect a fully polished everyday phone experience. See current blockers.

Is it possible to run Android apps on Linux Mobile?

Sort of! Waydroid and Android Translation Layer are initiatives that make that possible. Some apps will still fail loading and others will lack some features like GPS, Bluetooth,...

Does banking apps are working on Linux Mobile?

Unfortunately, that's one the area where we are not yet there (among others).
Running banking apps via Wayandroid for exemple often lead to not loading because of an intregrity check done with the help of Google API Play Integrity.
You can still try to access your bank account informations trough your browser if your bank offer a responsive interface.

How to contribute to the Linux Mobile ecosystem?

You can contribute by reporting bugs, fixing issues, adding features, testing software, and giving feedback.
Donations also help support development.
Check our contributing page to know more.

Why some systems like Ubuntu Touch, Sailfish OS or Droidian are not listed on this website?

These systems work with an Android layer called libhydris with Halium and run with downstream (often outdated) kernels (opposed to mainline kernels). So they are not "pure" Linux systems as we are trying to promote on this website. They still do a very great job, don't hesitate to take a look at them as they can offer a very-good "intermediate" proposition.

What is a mainline or close to mainline kernel?

A mainline kernel is the official Linux kernel maintained by the Linux kernel community led by Linus Torvalds.
It is the base for most Linux distributions.
A close-to-mainline kernel includes extra changes that are not yet part of mainline.