Hey everyone,
I've been experimenting with running Android games on my PinePhone, and I wanted to share some findings while also seeing what others have tried.
Since PinePhone runs Linux-based OSes like Manjaro, Mobian, and PostmarketOS, getting Android apps to work isn’t always straightforward. Here are a few methods I’ve tested:

1. Anbox – This allows you to run Android apps inside a Linux container. It works decently for basic apps, but performance can be hit-or-miss with heavier games.
   
2. Waydroid – A more optimized solution that runs a full Android system inside a container. It provides better performance and supports the Play Store and APK installations natively.
   
3. Emulation (QEMU or Box86/Box64) – Not the best for gaming, but some people have managed to run older Android versions through emulation.
   

• Simple 2D games (puzzle, card, retro) work fine on Waydroid.
  
• More demanding 3D games may struggle without GPU acceleration.
  
• Touchscreen responsiveness depends on the OS and Waydroid’s integration.
  

Hello all,
I have set up my PPP following @mikehenson's  guide. I have everything I need in order to daily drive the phone working. With the exception of mms. Unfortunately I have to have mms working in order to daily drive it. I initially thought the issue might be something I didn't configure correctly, or something in the software side of things. I have since come to the conclusion that it must be a problem on the Tracfone side of things. I am using T-Mobile through Tracfone as my provider. I have data and sms working, I just can't get mms figured out. I started off using T-Mobile's APN and MMSC settings, however though I had sms and data I could not send or receive mms. I then tried Tracfone's recommended settings, and the settings listed here, both with the same results. I've also tried many other combinations of APNs, MMSCs, and Proxies from all over the web. I think part of the problem at least might have to do with the Verizon Migration of Tracfone, and the resulting chaos of the transfer, but I don't know for sure. This brings me to my question: Does anyone here use Tracfone on their ppp, or have any experience with it? If so how/did you get it working, and with what settings? Any insight would be much appreciated. 
Thanks!

Hello Pine64 Team,

I am a big fan of your open-source projects, and I would love to use the Pinecil V2. However, due to customs restrictions in Turkey, I am unable to import it into my country.

To overcome this issue, I would like to manufacture a Pinecil V2 unit for my personal use only. I have found the schematic and PCB placement files, but I need the Gerber files to proceed with PCB fabrication.

Since Pinecil is an open-source project, I was wondering if you could provide the Gerber files for Pinecil V2 or guide me on how to generate them from the available resources.

Thank you for your time and for supporting open-source hardware!

Best regards

I would like to see a PineTime LTE version with eSIM support... if there is even an open-source/free software OS that can support this. From what I understand, Google has not open-sourced WearOS.

Somewhere (not on this forum) there was a pretty detailed article that described how to replace a touch panel of the Pinephone - or perhaps the whole LCD assembly - with a third-party one from AliExpress instead of from Pine64. AliExpress alternative was much cheaper, had more shipping options and didn't have any availability problems (i.e. at the moment a Pine64's Pinephone LCD replacement - is "out of stock" for a pretty long time).

I had this article saved somewhere in my bookmarks, but now I can't find it anywhere - and extensive googling does not help yet. Two things that I remember:

• it turned out that Pine64 changed the pinout of touch to make it more "proprietary" (maybe so that everyone is forced to buy this replacement part from Pine64), two pins were switched - but I don't remember which ones
  
• this article was a couple of years old
  

Quote:Buy a two dollar lighter that uses a piece of quartz as an ignition source... Electrical discharge... Not the type with a piece of flint inside. The main difference and clue you have the right one is, the flint one has the rollers on top you run your thumb across as you press down on the button/trigger to release its gas for ignition. The lighter you want has just one button/ trigger. First vent or empty butane gas... Release valve on bottom. Then remove the quartz igniter from the lighters housing and place on you phones dead screen click/ press it a couple of times..for me three times. Dead zone/dead bar fixed.. no more ghost touches either. Fixed... 2.00 dollars... but keep igniter around in case screen goes dead again but after a couple of clicks screen permanent fix for me. For a detailed youtube video of the process, search keywords screen fix quartz iginiter.... the error is a digitizer fault, often due to your phone overheating for long periods at a time. The quartz igniter generates around 350 to 400 volts to the lcd screen and attached digitizer ..harmless to your phone and you... this electrical discharge that awakens the dead zone like magic. No costly repairs of digitizer and LCD screen

In one of my Pinebooks Pro, the battery puffed up and caused the bottom cover to push away and break the plastic where the screws attach to the palm case.  Or at least that's what I think caused the plastic to break.

So a month or two ago, I replaced the palm case.  Today I found out this one is broken already.  The hinges don't seem tighter than any of the other PBPs I have.
But I guess I'll loosen the hinges and replace the palm case again.

I've seen other comments online that the pulse monitor capability only works while not moving. Has this been anyone else's experience? And is it reasonably accurate?

If not, does anyone know of other FOSS projects to make a smart watch?

I tried to test the new Rhino Linux version 2025.1 on my pinetab via SD-card. When launched, the pinetab shows the "Rhino"-splashscreen for some seconds, but then turns dark. Has anybody successfully installed it?

I am facing Wi-Fi connectivity issues on my Pinebook Pro. The built-in Wi-Fi module struggles to maintain a strong signal, especially when I’m farther from the router. This results in slow speeds, frequent disconnects, or even failure to detect networks. It’s frustrating when the connection drops unexpectedly.

For people carrying the phone with them, is this something that you noticed?

Context
- pinephone used as an sms server through ssh
- modem and wifi experiencing multiple crashes that are worsening
- incoming sms are sometimes (but rarely) delayed from 2 hours up to more than 24 hours (received time and dates are correct)

Crashes in the past 45 days
- 80 for the modem
- 12 for the wifi card/wifi connection
- more than doubled since the last 15 days compared to previously
- modem and wifi checked every 30 minutes

Phone information
- pinephone beta edition ordered in 2021
- on 24/7 + plugged in

I have had this setup for the past 3 months, but I started logging the crashes in mid December as I started to see the pinephone going down more frequently.

Software
- sxmo + postmarketos edge
- not directly exposed to the web, it is only accessible through another server that runs a secure bsd OS

It seems to be worsening and I have not changed anything on my setup since I started logging the modem and wifi crashes.

I do not expect 99% uptime as it is targeted for testing and I have the beta edition, but these crashes seem rather high.