Fairphone 2 Ubuntu Touch

I successfully synchronised my calendar and my contacts with my ownCloud server (via CalDAV and CardDAV protocols) on UbuntuTouch. :slight_smile: Thanks to @bastos77 and @tcarrondo! This is done via a script as there is no GUI for that yet…
I made a wiki page to help others also interested.

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I wanted to try Ubuntu Touch on my FP2, but I can’t figure how to install it.
From the ubport site, I only find the MDT as installer, yet this requires Ubuntu.
The dl link in the first post isn’t working unfortunately.

Could someone point me to an install guide or to the location where to retrieve the necessary files from?

Hello Freibadschwimmer,
i did not try it, but i found a tool called cpt_o.5.0 somewhere on the UBPort site.
I have installed the tool (but i didn´t flash the Phone )and you can chooce 3 devices inclouding our FP2

Maby u try this: https://ubports.com/page/fs-flash-phone

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Good answer @Mani :slight_smile: ! Just for information, CPT stands for “Cross-Platform Tool” :wink:
And this is a good alternative to MDT “Magic Device Tool” for users not running Ubuntu, although it is also possible to launch a one-time Ubuntu session on your computer with a live-USB or live-CD…

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oh, thx for the flowers…

But now i got a question about the ubport for the FP2. I am on FPOOS for a few month, and i like to switch to UT only for fun and mayby for ever :slight_smile: I only need a client for Whats app, because every one contact me with this app. Is it posible with a Webapp or something else?

I haven’t tested yet !
But with a search on the Telegram group, it seems that for Whatsapp and XMPP protocols you can use Loqui IM, an app recently ported from FirefoxOS to UbuntuTouch, available on the OpenStore (github source).

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Ok, thank you very much.
And what about the contacts? Are they there on the ubuntu touch without big problems? Or is there a lot of Homework by tiping all numbers by my selfe in the Phone?

For contacts, you can either import them from Google (sic!) or from a .vcf file you exported before… Personally I set-up a two-way synchronisation with my ownCloud server, using the CardDAV protocol (see post 152 on this topic…)

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Is it still the case that CPT installs an oild version and MDT is required for the latest updates?

When I tried a few months ago, I in the end needed to install Ubuntu on an old laptop because CPT couldn’t get the latest version and MDT could (and the difference was pretty big, lot of fixes in between, according to the devs).

Hey guys, sorry i haven’t visited this thread for a while…

Ubuntu Touch is still very much alive and we at UBports are delighted to see the community interest in the project! We’re currently ironing out the final issues planned for our next stable release OTA-2.

You can follow the instructions on this page for installation from Linux, Windows and macOS. If you’re feeling like trying something on the edge, you can also check out the UBports installer, but that’s still in beta.

Whatsapp is a problem. Yes, in principle loquiIM works, but it has a lot of problems.

The CPT should work.

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Great to hear, that Ubuntu Touch is still alive for the FP2.

All the work people like you are putting into developing alternative OSs for the Fairphone can not be valued high enough!
In my opinion it helps to reach the task of making FP a really smart-phone.
Having visited the ubports website, I am really tempted to try it on my phone.
But as I have no experience whatsoever with any Linux distribution, would you consider it a wise and senisble decision to start using Linux on a smartphone, or should I try it on my laptop before?
Btw. I do not intend to start programming and really hope to be able to avoid command-line work to the max. :wink:

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Just for the record: Your FP2 is shipped with Linux installed :wink:
In fact, thanks to the smartphone market, Linux became the most used OS when counting all different kind of devices.

Generally: there’s no need to be afraid of Linux. Also on a desktop, many distros come with a more intuitive GUI than Windows has, are more user-friendly, and easier to set up and work with.

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Thanks :slight_smile:

I’m a huge free software fan, so… YES you should try linux on your computer, completely unrelated to what your phone is running! No, i’m just kidding of course. You don’t have to run Linux on your pc to install and use Ubuntu Touch (and vice-versa), but i could imagine that it doesn’t hurt. You can try most distributions without installing by running them from a live USB stick, so maybe you will find something that clicks with you. For beginners starting with Ubuntu or Ubuntu MATE is always a good idea, but everybody has a different opinion on that, as you can see here.

This is also true! And did someone already mention that the OS and most applications are free?

Long story short: That’s a different choice for you to make. Not a requirement for Ubuntu Touch, but a different (and fun!) adventure. But keep in mind that Ubuntu Touch itself is designed for phones, and handles some key tasks different from how a common desktop GNU/Linux distribution would.

This is where it gets tricky. While we do now have means of installing without using the command line, we can’t guarantee it will never be necessary. We try to avoid it, but since we’re only a small project, mistakes happen, which can easily be fixed by a simple terminal command most of the time. Of course the command-line can be intimidating to new users, but remember that you have a community around the project who’s always happy to help you, if you have questions. And, who knows? Maybe you’ll even like it! I sure did.

Let me put another disclaimer here and say, that Ubuntu Touch is not as stable as Android or iOS. I myself use it on a daily basis, and i get along just fine, because the values it entails and the community around it outweigh the limitations for me. If you’re fine with that, you will probably love Ubuntu Touch just as much as 660+ other people in the UBports Telegram Supergroup.

If i didn’t drive you away just yet, here’s how to install! :slight_smile:

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No, you did not drive me away! :grin:
In fact, you happened to make me even more curious and I have decided to give it a try. I have just to make a backup before.
Right now, I am using MyPhoneExplorer for that task. Will that be ok, or in other words, can I use this software with Ubuntu Touch as well? Not that I’ve got a nice backup but no means to restore the data to my Ubuntu FP2 :wink:
If you would recommend another backup method, I will gladly go that way.

Thx in advance.

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Hi everyone
I would like to test Ubuntu Touch on my FP2, but I don’t know how to install it and make a backup before that. The UBPort website seems not to provide any guidelines, just the download links. I’m using KBUNTU on my laptop, but I’m not very familiar neither with comandlines nor with Linux as such (luckily it becomes more an more Windows :smiling_imp: )
Anyone knows of a short howto ?
Markus

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“Simply explore your SonyEricsson or Android phone”

Supported phones

I guess Ubuntu Touch would have to somehow pose as Android or an old SonyEricsson device then …

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To do full backup, I use TWRP (already installed in OpenOS), then I copy the TWRP folder on my laptop. Don’t forget to save also the Data partition (Pictures, …) because it is not included in the backup.

For the tutorial a step-by-step guide has once existed for Magic Device Tool, but I don’t see it online anymore… However now the website seems to advice the Cross Platform Tool, I think it is self-explainatory, just download it, launch it and follow the steps :slight_smile:

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An android backup tool is ok, if you want to keep a backup of your android system in case you want to go back, but it’s not compatible with Ubuntu Touch. In any case, make sure you don’t store the backup file on your device, since that will be overwritten on installation. Since all the apps are different, you will probably have to set it up from scratch.

Most of it is fairly straightforward, though. For example, you can just copy all your music files into the music folder on the ~/Music folder on the device after installation and it will automatically show up in the music app.

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Here’s our latest Community Q&A: https://youtu.be/OLcLPinXRoo

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I’d like to continue to use this thread, but since it’s marked as solved, it’s difficult to spot in the Thread list. Also, the first post contains some very outdated information that might keep people from trying Ubuntu Touch…

@paulakreuzer could we maybe turn the first post into a wiki, so i can update it accordingly? Is it possible to mark the thread as not solved again, so it’s shown in black like the other topics? Or should i just start a new thread? Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

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