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download android os for phone Mobile OS Alternatives To Android. It’s no exaggeration to say that open source operating systems rule the world of mobile devices. Android is still an open-source project, after all. But, due to the bundle of proprietary that comes along with Android on consumer devices, many people don’t consider it an open source . So, what are the alternatives to Android? iOS? Maybe, but I am primarily interested in open-source alternatives to Android. I am going to list not one, not two, but several alternatives, -based mobile OSes . Top Open Source alternatives to Android (and iOS) Let’s see what open source mobile operating systems are available. Just to mention, the list is not in any hierarchical or chronological order . 1. Plasma Mobile. A few years back, KDE announced its open source mobile OS, Plasma Mobile. Plasma Mobile is the mobile version of the desktop Plasma , and aims to provide convergence for KDE users. It is being actively developed, and you can even find PinePhone running on ARM while using KDE Plasma Mobile UI if you want to get your hands on a . 2. postmarketOS. PostmarketOS (pmOS for short) is a touch-optimized, pre-configured Linux with its own packages, which can be installed on . The idea is to enable a 10-year life cycle for smartphones. You probably already know that, after a few years, Android and iOS stop providing updates for older smartphones. At the same time, you can run Linux on older easily. PostmarketOS wants to achieve the same on the mobile platform, by tweaking Linux into a touch-optimized platform. Don’t get too excited. PostmarketOS is in very early phases of development, and it is most likely that you won’t be able to use it like a regular smartphone yet. However, you may keep an eye on the postmarketOS community edition of the PinePhone if you want to purchase a smartphone that runs it. 3. PureOS/. ’s convergence efforts did not materialize, but this has not deterred others from their convergence dreams. Convergence, in simple terms, is having the same operating system running on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Ubuntu tried it and abandoned the project. Windows also failed at it. The security and privacy-focused company has its own PureOS . They are also working on a Linux-based, secure smartphone called . Purism claims that PureOS is convergent, and Librem smartphones will run it. Apart from PureOS, it can run GNOME and KDE, with , Ubuntu, SUSE, Fedora, and even . The motto of the Librem is to be a “phone that focuses on security by design and privacy protection by default. Running Free/Libre and Open Source software and a GNU+Linux Operating System designed to create an open development utopia, rather than the walled gardens from all other phone providers”. It’s more of a Linux-based smartphone rather than a Linux-based smartphone OS, but I believe that the convergent PureOS should be able to run on other devices with some tweaks. 4. by UBports. The king of desktop Linux world, Ubuntu decided to expand its territory with its open source , Ubuntu Touch. Keeping convergence in mind, (the parent company of Ubuntu) ambitiously launched a $32 million crowdfunding campaign to build the first Ubuntu Phone, Edge. Though it failed to get the desired amount, it still set a new record, with over $12 million pledged to the campaign. After the failed crowdfunding campaign, Canonical teamed up with some device manufacturers to launch Ubuntu Phone. Spanish manufacturer BQ became the makers of the first device running Ubuntu Touch in February 2015 . It was soon followed by Chinese manufacturer . Those first few devices were aimed at developers, which is the reason I advised people not to buy the BQ Ubuntu Phone at the time. Two years and a few Ubuntu-based phones later, Canonical finally decided to call it quits on their mobile OS. However, UBports is still trying to keep Ubuntu Touch alive. With UBports’ efforts, Ubuntu Touch gets some updates. There are a handful of devices that are supported by Ubuntu Touch. You can see the list here. 5. LuneOS (No Longer Maintained) LuneOS is an open-source mobile OS based on . It may not be a feature-rich alternative to Android (of course!). However, it is the successor to Palm/WebOS. The last release was at the end of 2018. Since then, there have been no updates to the project so far. The good thing about LuneOS is – if your device is compatible with CyanogenMod, it will most probably work on LuneOS. It is being maintained by WebOS Ports with no recent updates to it since October 2019. 6. . Tizen is an open source, Linux-based mobile operating system. It is often dubbed an official Linux mobile OS, as the project is supported by the . Apart from the Linux Foundation, the Tizen project is supported by tech giants and . Initially slotted for late 2013 release, it was only in January 2015 that the first Tizen phone, the Samsung Z, was released in the South Asian market. Unfortunately, the Samsung Z failed to get much attention in a competitive Indian market. Despite being based on Linux, Tizen OS has been marred by security issues. Quite frankly, I don’t see a bright future for Tizen OS. It is just a matter of time before the plug is pulled from this project but for the time being, it is active and also offers studio suite for developers. 7. Mobian OS (Debian for mobile devices) Mobian is an open-source project with the aim to bring Debian GNU/Linux to mobile devices. The project is in initial phase right now, and it only supports PinePhone at the moment. Mobian has a list of applications available on its platform and it recommends using package management system for these applications. Obviously, this is experimental and intended for DIY tinkerers. Very pleased with the latest image #Mobian (https://t.co/5lvDquET4C) on #pinephone. It feels like an almost-complete mobile OS. Great job! pic..com/mqVXz22HDu — Georgi Koemdzhiev (@GKoemdzhiev) July 11, 2020. Open source projects based on Android but free from . Most of the above open source mobile operating systems you saw so far are under development and not available for a wide range of mobile hardware. Don’t despair. There are a few projects that are based on Android but customized to remove Google services from it. These Android distributions are open source and you can customize them to your liking. If you are looking for an open source alternative to mainstream Android, these projects could be a good choice. 8. LineageOS and Replicant (open source Android distributions) Both LineageOS and Replicant are open-source Android distributions. In other words, you can call them custom ROMs. LineageOS was created after the much more successful Android distribution CyanogenMod was discontinued. LineageOS is a fork of CyanogenMod. Though Replicant was founded back in 2010 by a couple of groups, it now uses the of LineageOS as the base. You can see the list of devices supported by Replicant here. 9. /e/ (previously known as eelo) Previously known as eelo, /e/ is a non-profit project started by the developer of Mandrake Linux. It is an Android distribution, and the idea is to have an open source mobile operating system free from Google. /e/ replaces Google services with its own services, with the promise to not track you or sell your data to advertisers like Google. /e/ will also utilize open source alternatives as much as possible. /e/ is in active development and you can try to install it on a range of devices already. You can even buy refurbished devices preinstalled with /e/. That is one of the several ways of supporting the /e/ project. 10. GrapheneOS. GrapheneOS in an open source privacy-focused mobile operating system. It is focused on the research and development of privacy and security technology. GrapheneOS offers Android app compatibility. It also develops various apps and services with a focus on privacy and security. Basically, you can think of GrapheneOS as a hardened version of Android without Google services. GrapheneOS has official production support for the 2 (legacy), XL (legacy), , Pixel 3 XL, , Pixel 3a XL, and Pixel 4 XL at the time of writing this article. Installation instructions can be found here. 11. CalyxOS. CalyxOS is yet another Android-based OS that focuses heavily on privacy and security. Even though it supports a few devices at the time of updating this article, it is one of the best options as a Google-free operating system while having regular system updates. There’s nothing striking about it except its Android without Google to start with. However, it is interesting that even Lineage utilizes some of CalyxOS apps for certain functions like backup. So, it’s definitely worth taking a look. Partial open source mobile OS. I think it’s worth mentioning a few projects that are not fully open source but they are challenging the of Android and iOS. 12. Kai OS (partially open source) Kai OS is probably the world’s third most popular mobile operating system. Chances are, you haven’t heard of it. Not your fault really. KaiOS was only released in 2017, and yet it is powering a huge number of mobile phones in just under two years. So, what’s the secret here? Unlike other mobile operating system, Kai OS doesn’t target the high-end, touch phones. Instead, it provides smartphone-like functionality to feature phones. Feature phones, or basic phones, are inexpensive, and having smartphone-like functionality makes them an attractive and affordable device. Kai OS is based on Linux, as it is a fork of a fork of now defunct OS (mentioned later). Kai OS is not completely open source. Only the Linux Kernel modifications are open sourced, rest is closed source. You can gauge the potential of Kai OS from the fact that it runs on over 100 million devices and Google has invested $22 million in it. 13. Sailfish OS (partially open source) When decided to ditch the MeeGo mobile OS project, few unsatisfied Nokia employees decided to keep MeeGo alive in the form of Sailfish OS. Their flagship product has met with moderate success, and has a dedicated fan following. MeeGo was supposed to be continued by Linux Foundation in the form of Tizen, but over the time Tizen evolved on its own and cannot be termed a MeeGo derivative anymore. The same is true for Sailfish OS, the core OS of which is based on the Mer project, which itself is based on the work from MeeGo. While Sailfish OS created some buzz among early adopters thanks to the Jolla devices, the company seems to be struggling. Sailfish OS is not entirely open source but focuses on privacy. However, you could consider it as an option when you are looking for a mobile OS other than Android and iOS. Honorable Mention: Firefox OS [Discontinued] Firefox OS was an open source project from Firefox, the parent company of the famous open source . It created quite some ripples with the announcement of Firefox O- based smartphones that cost only $25. The aim was to target emerging markets such as Brasil and . Unfortunately, the low price tag alone could not make Firefox OS the of mobile devices, and, like Tizen, Firefox OS did not have any success with its ZTE devices. Firefox now plans to shift its focus from low cost devices to user experience with Firefox OS. What do you think? When I first wrote this article a few years ago, I was hopeful for some of these alternative mobile OSes. However, the present situation is gloomy, and I don’t think any OS listed here is going to make a mark. It’s not like I don’t want them to be a success, I am just being honest here. What do you think of these Android alternatives? Do you think these Linux based mobile OS will leave their mark or will they struggle for a decent market share like desktop Linux? Do share your views. Like what you read? Please share it with others. About Abhishek Prakash. Creator of It's FOSS. An ardent Linux user & open source promoter. Huge fan of classic detective mysteries ranging from Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes to Detective Columbo & Ellery Queen. Also a movie buff with a soft corner for film noir. Unfortunately, I agree with you that most (if not all) of these valiant efforts will not succeed and most will fold. I wish it wasn’t the case, but the diminishing share of Linux on desktop is a clear . I really hate that iOS and Google have been so successful in convincing the majority of people that giving up their privacy and control of their own device is worth the convenience of having a device that (mostly) works. I think the reason is simple: laziness. Most surveys say that people don’t like being tracked and think it’s “wrong”- but they take no action other than to complain. Complaints will not fix the issue, and neither will the government; silly and ignorant people will continue to be suckered (and buy things like the recent “freedom phone” that is anything but…). I was at the door when opened sales on their original Brave Heart phone, it came with a basic hardware test operating system. Ubuntu Touch was an early leader in having a working OS on the Pine phone. My skill level in Linux is still rather low, even though I have been using Linux since leaving Windows XP. Originally Touch just worked, but after a while it also needed some command ‘adjustments’ and I bounced around trying most of the OSes that Pine64 has in their wiki. As time went on I found that an OS called Debian would work fairly dependable, – this evolved into today’s ‘Mobian’. From what I understand the Mobian developers do work a bit with the Pure OS developers. I happen to have 2 favorite OSes at this time, Mobian is my first pick, but I have several Pine phones now, and I do also have ‘Arch’ OS installed on one of them. The Pine phone boots first from an OS on the if there is a bootable system on it. I am still running my phones from the ‘live’ sd cards. These OSes are still considered beta, but I do use these phones everyday for talk, text, and data. I am very grateful to the Open Source community that I have been given the choice to be able to use these phones. Since I cannot contribute directly on the software, I do PayPal some funds to some of my favorite developers. GO PINE PHONE ! What are the different mobile operating systems? Not sure what a smartphone operating system is? Maybe you just need a refresher? Or perhaps you want to see a mobile operating systems comparison to see which one's most suitable for you? Read our guide and we'll fill you in. What is a mobile phone operating system? Gone are the days when mobile phones were just a device to make phone calls and send occasional texts. Modern smartphones are closer to handheld computers that enable us to send , play games, watch the news and make video calls to loved ones. And much more besides. Operating systems, also known as mobile OS, are the software that run our desktop computers and and manage their resources and memory when they're being used for multi-tasking. But for some time now, smartphones have used operating systems too and it's this development that has brought advanced functions to mobiles that were previously only available on our computers. It is also a platform so developers can create applications or 'apps' (software programs developed for smartphones that can carry out specific functions). There are hundreds of thousands of apps available and they are constantly being developed - each with their own purpose. For instance, you may download a weather app that tells you the current temperature or chances of rain in your city, a news app or widget that sends the latest headlines straight to your device's homescreen, or a game to simply pass the time. There are a few examples of operating systems that include Apple iOS, Google Android, and 's OS. How do I know what operating system my mobile phone has? Because smartphone operating systems are so integrated with the look, feel and function of a mobile phone, many people base their choice of device around which operating system it uses. If you have already bought your smartphone, the name and version of its software should be detailed in the settings menu. However, if you are buying a new phone, the operating system can be found the handset's specifications information. What different kinds of smartphone operating systems are there? Some mobile operating systems are open source software, which means there are no restrictions on what you can download on it, or who can develop its software (there are often a 'community' of developers). Open-source operating systems are entirely customisable, whilst others are restricted in the types of software permitted to run on the device. Here's a mobile operating systems list: The Apple iOS multi-touch, multi-tasking operating system is what runs the Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod. A special version of the software is what powers the too. iOS responds to the user's touch - allowing you to tap on the screen to open a program, pinch your fingers together to minimise or enlarge an image, or swipe your finger across the screen to change pages. The Apple iOS is not allowed to be used in third party systems, so you will only be able to use it on products made by Apple. It comes with the web browser for use, an iPod application for playing music and Apple's Mail for managing your emails. You can download millions of applications currently available on the directly to any device running iOS, be it an iPhone or an iPad. These encompass everything from recipe books to guitar tutorials to games. Compare iPhone deals and find out more about iOS here: iPhone deals. Android. Android OS is owned by Google and powered by the Linux kernel, which can be found on a wide range of devices. Android is an open source operating system which allows developers to unlocked hardware and develop new programs as they wish. This means unlimited access to any anyone who wants to develop apps for the phone and places very little restriction on its licensing, so users benefit from masses of free content. Android is currently the dominant smartphone platform due to its tremendous traction with a wide spectrum of users. Some of the best features of Android include the ability to customise multiple homescreens with useful widgets and apps that give you quicker, easier access to the content and functions you most care about. It also has an excellent capacity for multitasking - with the ability to close programs by simply swiping them away. Last but not least, the Android Market, which is the Android equivalent of the Apple App Store is home to millions of apps, many of which are completely free. Find out more about Android and compare Android phone deals here: Android phone deals. Windows Phone. Microsoft released a hugely revamped version of its Windows platform for mobiles in late 2010, after its software fell behind iOS and Android. Redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up with a greater emphasis on the user experience, the result was an operating system called Windows Phone. Window Phone is recognisable from its tile-based interface - dubbed - which features removable and interchangeable squares sections on the , each with its own purpose and function. It also has aggregators called 'hubs', that group together all photos from all applications, or all music into one , meaning your photos can be found with your camera photos and your documents from different sources grouped together in one, easy to access location. Windows Phone comes with a mobile-optimised version of the Internet Explorer for accessing the web, and Exchange, which supports secure corporate e-mail accounts with push support. Download android os for phone. Высокое качество видео и звука для коллективной работы. Обеспечьте простую и надежную связь между своими командами. Комнаты и рабочие пространства. Повысьте эффективность конференций с помощью видео. Система телефонии. Облачная система телефонии предприятия. Видеовебинары. Полный набор функций, простота использования, увлекательные вебинары. Магазин приложений. Интеграция и боты для Zoom. Платформа для разработчиков. API, SDK и многое другое для расширения и усовершенствования сервиса Zoom. ОБЛАСТИ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ. Образование. Расширьте возможности обычных аудиторий за счет использования облачных технологий. Финансовая отрасль. Удобство работы и общения для ваших клиентов. Органы власти. Повышение эффективности и вовлеченности всех агентств. Здравоохранение. Реализуем технологии и процессы телемедицины, соответствующие требованиям HIPAA. . Android Oreo is version 8.0 of Google’s mobile operating system. Launched on 21st August for the Pixel and Nexus ranges of smartphones and tablets (third party brands, like Samsung, will get the update later) the new OS includes some really interesting features , which sets it apart from other more conservative updates. The download button redirects you to the Android official website, where you'll be able to get more information about this new and free operating system. A Fluid Android. The main update that comes to Android 8.0 is its fluidity . Many users have noted how, after updating, their device has slowed down. This isn’t the case with Oreo, which thanks to a number of optimizations is a much slicker operating system than its predecessor, Nougat. The main update that enables a more fluid experience is the new notification system that organizes notifications based on and priority . From now on notifications will be split into two categories: Notification Channels and Notification Dots. Notification channels allow you to group together notifications and categorize them , while Notification dots will highlight individual app notifications . From now on, next to the of an app, we’ll see a point that indicates that we have notifications for that specific application. This means users won’t be overrun by endless notifications, like in the past. The other big update for Android 8.0 is the floating windows . These were only ever available via third party “launcher” apps but now they get the official treatment. Floating windows is an incredibly useful function that’ll allow you to, for example, continue watching videos on YouTube whilst you respond to your emails or check out social media. Security First. The best of Oreo is not only related to updated functionality. Google knows that its operating system is a prime target of hackers and this is why Android 8.0 comes with some important security upgrades . The most remarkable is Play Protect, which is a security suite that will constantly review your installed apps and check for . If it detects anything it will advise you to uninstall the app in question. It will also block any suspicious apps . Furthermore, you won’t need an external app if you lose your mobile. Play Protect includes a Find my Phone function. The other great worry of mobile users, battery life, is also addressed by the Oreo update. To protect battery life Android 8.0 automatically closes all background apps that are consuming battery power once they’ve been left dormant for a certain amount of time. A Sweet Update. Android 8.0 Oreo promises to double the speed and performance of any device it is installed on. This will particularly benefit low and medium quality smartphones that are more prone to slowing down. Is the above claim true or are Google merely exaggerating? In either case it seems that Google are about to hit us with a pretty sweet update. How to Install Android on Your . Google’s Android OS is without a doubt, one of the best mobile operating systems on the planet today. It’s currently the go to software being installed in both high end and beginner phone manufacturers retail devices. Android not only looks gorgeous on mobile devices, it’s also a very solid, reliable, and versatile mobile operating system with a Play Store that is packed with thousands of apps. These are just a few benefits of using an Android smartphone or tablet. But is it possible for a user to enjoy these great benefits on their laptop? Read on to find out how to install Android on your laptop. Remix OS – a Worthy Android OS Available Now on PC. Early last year, technology firm Jide released a operating system called Remix OS. Based on Android- (which is an x86 PC ported version of Android), Remix OS will basically run Android mobile apps on all types of intel laptops and PCs which are compatible with the OS. This is great news if you wish to install Android on your laptop. Can you imagine having access to all of those Store apps on your laptop? One of the biggest benefits of running Remix OS on your laptop might be for all those apps, but another great reason to install the OS is because of its lightweight functionality. It is in no way as demanding and as processor heavy as . Remix OS is ideal for older PC’s that can’t handle Windows 10. So it is still possible to liven up your old laptop with a new sleek looking operating system. What You Will Need First. Installing Remix OS (which is free to download) is actually not as complicated as you would expect it to be. Installation is quick and simple as compared to other alternative operating systems. It is important to note that although Remix OS is a stunning operating system with many great features, it does have a few minor drawbacks. It is in no way flawless and it is possible to run into a few issues that might be unfixable. These issues from my experience were different on different types of hardware. However, Remix OS can still be a great piece of software to use if you don’t mind overlooking a few of these drawbacks. In order to install Android on your laptop, there are a few things that you will need first in order to get going: Remix OS installation package: You will need to download the actual installation package from Jide’s website. The package is a file that includes an installation tool, an image file, as well as some basic instructions and info from the developers. The Free Download links can be found here. Please do select the appropriate package for your computer (64-bit or 32-bit). NB. The 64-bit installer did not work on one of my old i3 desktops because it was not compatible. I did, however, try out the 32-bit installer and the OS is running like a dream on my old i3 PC. A Laptop or PC: Remix OS will run on most x86-based computers with Intel or AMD Processors. Some Chromebooks will not do the trick because they are ARM-based computers. An entry level laptop with a 2 GHz dual-core processor and 2 GB of RAM will work great. Using computers with Intel i3 processors and upwards will give you the best experience. How to Install Android on Your Laptop. Download and Run Installer Package. Once you have downloaded the desired zip file (64-bit is around 1.1GB with the 32-bit around 900MB), create a folder and then extract the contents of the zip file to the folder. Now there should be 4 files present in the folder, 2 text files, a disc image file, and a PC installation tool. Launch the Remix OS PC installation tool. An installation will pop up and it will prompt you to “choose the Remix OS for PC ISO file”. Click on browse and go to the folder you created and select the disc image file (ISO file) in that folder. It should be named Remix_OS_for_PC_Android_M_64bit. Before you click OK, there are two settings that you should consider. Type: You can choose to either install on your computers hard disk or on a USB drive. Drive: You can select which drive you wish to install the operating system on. This is great if you have multiple drives or partitions and you wish not to use the drive that has your Windows operating system on. Choose a System Size and Install. Next up, you will need to select the system size. This is the amount of hard drive space the Remix OS application will take up on your Windows system. It is also the amount of space you will have to install apps in Remix OS. Once the installation is complete, you will then need to reboot your computer. On initial startup, you will have the option of selecting the operating system you wish to use. You can go with the already installed Windows OS or your newly installed Remix OS. Select Remix OS and wait for the new operating system to boot up. The initial boot sequence will take longer than normal. This is to ensure all processes are installed and initialised correctly for the first time. You will then enter a sweet looking, minimal interface that is Remix OS. Is it any good? Remix OS has gained a considerable amount of popularity this past year since its release. Its makers, Jide, have taken a very professional approach when developing and porting this Android OS over to PC. It seems that they plan to give away Remix OS for free in the hope that it will serve as some sort of tripwire for the hardware that they sell on their website. You can also expect regular updates and support for HD and 4K monitors. This is good news if your plan is to install Android on your laptop. There are other similar alternatives such as Phoenix OS available. But Remix OS feels much more polished and intuitive because of its similarities to Windows 10. The initial release has had its fair share of bugs. But ever since the release of version 3 of the operating system, Remix OS feels more stable. It’s current design now features widgets and swipe actions to navigate (features taken straight out of Android Mobile OS). As mentioned earlier, I initially installed Remix OS on an old i3 desktop PC. It functions almost perfectly with impressive speed. I was able to make good use of apps such as , , and Twitter. You can launch all three apps and place them side by side for simultaneous use. Should You Install Android on Your Laptop? As mentioned earlier, I initially installed Remix OS on an old i3 desktop PC. It functions almost perfectly with impressive speed. I was able to make good use of apps such as Evernote, Pocket, and Twitter. You can launch all three apps and place them side by side for simultaneous use. I was able to play 8: Airborne and GTA: San Andreas with no issues. The best part was that these games worked perfectly with a gaming controller! I highly recommend that you install Android on your laptop.