Developer releases first version Sailfish OS for Nexus 5

Developers released the first version of Sailfish OS for the Nexus 5 on Friday. After a test period, they consider it stable enough for hobbyists, although not all functionalities of the port work properly.

If you want to try out Sailfish for the Nexus 5, you’ll need to flash Jolla’s mobile operating system on top of CyanogenMod 11. So writes Siteshwar Vashisht, a Red Hat developer who recently worked on the port. He and other volunteers posted a wiki online. It describes in detail how the operating system, which is still in alpha version, can be run on the last joint device from LG and Google.

For the time being, it is an unofficial port of Sailfish for the Nexus 5. Therefore, not all functionality of the mobile operating system works properly, according to the first known bugs. For example, both the GPS and the camera still show problems. Also, the software cannot correctly remember the data for a wireless network.

Jolla, the Finnish company behind the phone of the same name, is also trying to get Sailfish on other devices. It released a first official version for the Nexus 4 in March this year. With the separate releases for Android phones, Jolla wants to offer users the opportunity to try out Sailfish without having to buy a Sailfish device. In addition, the Finns came up with an Android launcher, which emulates the Sailfish OS interface on the current firmware of Android devices. It is also in the testing phase.