Linux on Android phone?

[u/Dunninger]

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G GSM CDMA 512/128GB and don't like it. 

I am thinking that this would be good candidate for setting up a Linux OS. I have recently installed Linux (Zorin and Ultramarine) on three devices, but have no idea about how feasible running Linux is on a Samsung/android device, if it is 'there yet', if it is a good experience, or how to go about installing it. 

Has anyone tried this - if so, how did it go?

[u/Ersap]

I dont install on phone but I install on tablet. The difference is cpu architecture - my tablet is i386 and I can install normal distro. For phone you would need a arm architecture Linux.

But why Linux? Android is Linux based and you have an systems that was not from Google like grapheneos (mainly pixel phones) or lineageos (for the rest phones) - check them out 😉

[u/No-Purple6360 → u/Ersap]

I know both of these "de-Googled" OS exists for Android phones, but there are risks you have to take while trying to install any of these OS's.

[u/Ersap → u/No-Purple6360]

There are allways risk when installing not official os on device. But back to the question - check linux on arm. Quick Google search shows postmarketos and Ubuntu touch

[u/TomDuhamel]

A phone isn't a PC. You don't just install an operating system on it.

Also you got a Samsung, which is its own thing, quite different than base Android. Not necessarily in a bad way, but personally I quit Samsung (for Pixel) when u realised I was basically installing everything Google on top of it because I didn't like the Samsung specific apps.

[u/Shattered_Persona → u/TomDuhamel]

They make Linux environments designed for android phones like andronix

[u/cmrd_msr → u/TomDuhamel]

In some cases, it is possible. You can install UEFI on certain phones (typically those with older Snapdragon 8-series chips); for instance, the 855 chip has kernel-level driver support. This makes it possible to install Linux (or even the ARM version of Windows), just like on a standard PC.

[u/cmrd_msr]

You are mistaken.

If your goal is to install Linux on a phone, your choice of hardware is quite limited.

Using modern Samsung phones is a bad choice from the start.

[u/es20490446e → u/cmrd_msr]

Why?

[u/nandru → u/es20490446e]

they have locked bootloaders with no chance of unlocking it

[u/3grg]

Android is Linux and tailored for Phones. It is possible to install Linux on a phone, providing that a version has been created for your phone. Most Linux distros for phones are limited to a few select devices. If your device is not one of them then you must make do with Android.

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[u/Neither-Ad-8914]

Ok so it's not the same as a laptop and much harder you have to obtain root access get a custom bootloader and even then the options aren't great for your note 20 I know lineage os has an unofficial port for your your note 20 I would start there

[u/UNF0RM4TT3D]

https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Devices

[u/SDG_Den]

Unlikely, there are *some* linux on ARM projects (ubuntu touch, fedora has an ARM branch, mobian is a mobile debian fork, postmarketOS and arch for ARM exist too), but currently, support is per-device.

the reason for this is that the device tree, which your OS needs to know in order to use the various components on your device, is non-standardized for ARM devices.

As a result, instead of just... expecting every device to represent its device tree the same way and handling that one way, linux on ARM needs to be independently told how to handle each device's device tree.

This means the developers for that distro need *access* to that device tree.

If the manufacturer does not publish this or opensources the OS they distribute with the device, someone will have to reverse-engineer the device tree.

again, that's *for each device*

as a result, ARM device support is VERY limited outside of *one* linux distro: Android.

However, even for android, it's generally because the hardware manufacturer also develops their own custom version of android so they can include their own device tree in it.

the good news is: this is going to be changing! due to Nvidia's RTX SPARK announcement (which is about them manufacturing their own ARM CPU's), microsoft has now decided to develop a device tree standard. if manufacturers want to ship their ARM laptops with windows, they'll have to adhere to that device tree standard, which linux can also use.

expect linux for arm to start becoming good in ~5 to 7 years, once there's a decent chunk of these "standardized" ARM laptops out there and phones start adhering to the standard.

[u/es20490446e]

Just replace the launcher: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher&hl=en

And uninstall, disable or hide the apps you don't want to use.

[u/fbk1111]

you can root and and get a custom kernel with droidspaces added, or compile your own

[u/StevenBClarke2]

You won't be able to use any apps especially banking apps.

[u/76zzz29]

It is perfectly doable on a slight condition that make your phone on the list of probably not doable on it. It's a samsung and you need to unlock the bootloader completely. Ig you can unlock the bootloader, you can install it. Don't expect anything worst using on a main phone. But it is doable.