Android and Google Play Store on a PinePhone?

[dequant]

Hello.

I've found today news abot the pinephone and I want to know the following:

Is it possible install Android on the pinephone?
Which verison of Android will run well on the Pinephone?

Thanks in advance!

[tophneal]

Currently there is no Android build for the phone, but keep your eye on /e/, as they've expressed interest in releasing a build.

[kaktux]

I hope that ubports/plasma etc. make a better decision then jolla - and open their app stores for paid apps to. Even if your open source fan - you have to admit that it can't be all done by someone in their spare time.

I like the way matrix (messenger) goes - with their patreon etc.

What makes you think that FOSS means that someone is doing it in their spare time?
You do realise that recently a company in the business of FOSS was sold for billions of dollars, right?
Most kernel development is done by people doing it as their job.

As for paid apps I have no problem with that, what would turn me away from a given distribution is proprietary software in their main app store and/or repo. If that is to be delivered via the distribution that needs to be separated to ensure accidental cointamination doesn't happen.

Dude... you put words into my mouth i didn't say... i talked about apps. not foss. I even talked more specific about apps in the jolla store. So before telling others what they think - think yourself. thx.
I m well aware that a lot of developers dont work for free - but you for sure can not compare that to pine and the current ecosystem surrounding it. Tell me the app from this area that was sold for billions and i agree.


As for apps i wouldn't care about the license. E.g a banking apps, transportation (buying tickets etc.) will never be anything else then proprietary. I would prefer open - sure. But i would want them in the official store - thats for sure. As long as they don't come preinstalled i dont see a problem there.

[bcnaz]

Google Android is not open source.....Period

While I appreciate some cannot or will not go without their Android.

That is their choice.

Linux seems to be about everyone getting to make their own choices...yes ?

ME,  Personally,  I do not use any Google banking apps or anything that involves any kind of "Trust"

If my Brave Heart can give me call ability, text, and 'Hot Spot' connections...

GREAT !

I just want to stay away from everything Google, IOS,  etc....

... "My Choice"

[abcde]

I have a friend who's very interested in open-friendly hardware and wants a PinePhone, but is stuck deeply in Google's service ecosystem. Ability to use Android and Google Play Store is a make or break feature for him. He said he'll preorder a PinePhone if (and only if) that is possible. What should I tell him?

Hello Solra,
what exactly would your friend like to see the PinePhone do that normal Android phones cannot? Use LineageOS? AOSP? A free implementation of the play store?

The first is maybe possible, the second does not really work anymore, and the play store needs to stay closed to let advertisers, surveillance, bank apps and media conglomerates trust it, so that kills the third. They need to know for sure the device is under their control, not yours, for several (sometimes good) reasons.

Even if Android would run on the PinePhone, these devices would not run the affected apps most likely, as the software has not been signed. I cannot even run my providers media app on my LineageOS phone, as it is not an approved build.

For using Android there are better, easier and cheaper ways to go, and while running Android it would not be very open-friendly.

I think it would be good to know more about your friends motivation before advising him to get a PinePhone or not, and especially not a Brave Heart edition.

If that friends needs open-friendly and Android, i would likely advise a PinePhone once it stabilizes, and a separate Android for the jailed apps.

[tophneal]

This whole thing might be somewhat plausible with the headway we've seen on Anbox with Manjaro, recently. If we can work out the kinks of handling the image, it should be transferable to whatever OS is on the phone. (Manjaro happens to already have an image in the works.) Someone more knowledgeable in snap could probably also package it all to make available to Ubuntu/Debian users.

[stellirin]

I'm downloading the Android 8.1 Oreo SDK from https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/Pine_A...ndroid_SDK. Hopefully this contains everything we need to do an initial build of AOSP 8.1 for the PinePhone, at least I hope it will boot with basic functionality. I'm also hoping it is compatible with the kernel and uboot found at https://gitlab.com/pine64-org.

Is anyone else looking at this approach to getting Android on the PinePhone?

[dewitpj]

I'm downloading the Android 8.1 Oreo SDK from https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/Pine_A...ndroid_SDK. Hopefully this contains everything we need to do an initial build of AOSP 8.1 for the PinePhone, at least I hope it will boot with basic functionality. I'm also hoping it is compatible with the kernel and uboot found at https://gitlab.com/pine64-org.

Is anyone else looking at this approach to getting Android on the PinePhone?

Count me in - Used to play with the Cynogmod (spelled wrong I am sure) images back in the day

[nas]

aosp 10 is already in the works.

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=9963

[garrettt033]

It would be cool if Eelo (/e/) were ported to the PinePhone. I could think of a few situations you might want it on a spare SD card to boot for some Android app that you don't need for daily usage.

Agree. Pretty good idea