Linux distro for smartphones postmarketOS runs on 112 devices

PostmarketOS, a Linux distro for old smartphones and tablets that has lost support, can now boot on 112 different devices. The developers let that know, now that the initiative has existed for six hundred days.

Just because postmarketOS boots up doesn’t mean it’s ready for everyday use. That is far from the case, the developers acknowledge. For example, from the Nexus 5 you can only start a phone call via a Terminal command and audio does not yet work. None of the 112 devices is ready for everyday use.

The intent of postmarketOS is to give phones a ten-year lifespan by continuing to provide updates. This only happens with open source software. This makes development difficult and time-consuming, because all closed code from smartphones and tablets must be open-sourced. This is not only necessary for things such as input via the touchscreen, but also for audio, camera and sensors.

For apps, users depend on Linux applications. It is unknown if and when postmarketOS on a device will be usable as an everyday smartphone. There will also be a variant of the Necuno NC_1 with postmarketOS, although it is unknown whether it will be called postmarketOS on that phone or another name that shows that it will be on the device from release.

Nexus 5 with postmarketOS