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Phosh FAQ

Installation / Device support Link to heading

Phosh is part of all major phone oriented Linux distributions, so pick your favorite one. Device and feature support varies between distributions so check this first. Below are some links to image downloads and installations instructions:

  • Mobian: Debian derivative focusing on mobile devices
  • postmarketOS: Focus on mobile devices, widest hardware support
  • PureOS: FSF endorsed, focuses on devices by Purism
    • Supported Devices: Librem 5, Librem 11
    • Images
    • Note: Phosh version in their stable releases are currently outdated.
  • Kali NetHunter Pro: Focus on security research
  • Droidian: Meant for phones running an Android kernel.
    • Supported devices
    • Note: Uses Android kernel and Halium (thus no mainline kernel) resulting in the software stack and user experience being a bit different from “plain” Phosh.

In order to test out Phosh easily we provide nightly build images that can be used in virtual machines at https://images.phosh.mobi/nightly/. Instructions on how to run them in QEMU can be found here.

Anything missing? Let us know.

Devices that come with Phosh preinstalled Link to heading

If you don’t want to repurpose an existing device but are looking for something new then there’s also devices that come with Phosh preinstalled:

  • FuriLabs’ phones use Phosh as default user interface. Note: Uses Android kernel and Halium (thus no mainline kernel) resulting in the software stack and user experience being a bit different from “plain” Phosh.
  • Juno computers offers tablets with Phosh (Mobian) preinstalled.
  • Purism’s Librem 5 phone and Librem 11 tablet come with Phosh (PureOS) preinstalled by default. The used Phosh version is usually not very recent.
  • Sendero Linux offers refurbished OnePlus 6T with Phosh (PostmarketOS) preinstalled since 2025. They’re marked as developer preview so check if their offer supports the features you’re after.

Anything missing? Let us know.

So what phones are supported? Link to heading

Phosh targets “Linux first” devices. That is hardware that is meant to run Linux from the start. Examples are Purism’s Librem 5 or PINE64’s Pinephone. These group of devices currently has the best hardware support like working sensors, camera, audio, modem, GPS positioning, etc.

It also works on some former Android devices that have mainline Linux support (like OnePlus 6/6T or Xiaomi Pocophone F1). Although hardware support there varies depending on the actual model it is maturing quickly. If you want to use such a device check the postmarkeOS Wiki if the functionality you require is already supported.

We summarize the feature set of some prominent devices from an end user perspective on our supported features page.

Can Phosh run on other devices than phones? Link to heading

Absolutely. While phones are the main development target people also use it on small tablets and convertibles. Debian for example ships a phosh-tablet metapackage to make this easy once you have a Debian based installation.

I think my device isn’t supported. What to do? Link to heading

If your device isn’t well enough supported by Linux yet consider contributing to improving the situation. Alternatively have a look at Droidian which uses the Android kernel and some userspace bits underneath to run Phosh on top.

Alternatively get a well supported Linux first device like the Librem 5 or the original PinePhone. These devices are used by many people as their only smartphones, often referred to as “daily driver”.

If in doubt get in touch via the matrix room (see below).

Usage Link to heading

How do I get started? Link to heading

After installation check Getting Started for some usage tips.

Are there any videos on how to use Phosh? Link to heading

Yes, see our videos section.

Project Link to heading

So are you just using GNOME and put another shell on top? Link to heading

Quite the opposite. The Phosh project aims to drive Mobile Linux forward by contributing to the relevant components, adding mobile specific bits where necessary. For that we have contributed / are contributing larger and smaller bits to e.g. iio-sensor-proxy, ModemManager, NetworkManager (and it’s mobile provider info database), glib, libhandy, feedbackd, cellbroadcastd, wlroots, wlr-protocols, Wayland, mesa, the Linux kernel, pipewire, wireplumber, varnam and presage, GNOME, libqmi and others. See about for on overview of the technology stack and used components.

What’s a good way to contribute? Link to heading

A good first step is to join the Matrix room. It then depends what you’re interested in. If you want to code tackling one of the things that you think need improvement usually works well (as the motivation to finish it is intrinsic). You can also have a look at the open issues. We also welcome testing of merge requests and nightly builds.

We’re also in constant need of artwork like icons, documentation updates (both developer and end user) as well as videos for the Getting started section.

We also appreciate help in supporting our users and turning discussions in the various online channels into actionable feedback in bug reports.

If you want to contribute financially check out our nonprofit organization.

So there’s lots of opportunities to join us on our mission to make Mobile Linux fun to use.

Who are the Phosh Developers? Link to heading

Phosh is developed by a diverse group of people from different continents. Several of us are also GNOME contributors and foundation members and/or Debian contributors, maintainers or developers.

Donations Link to heading

As Phosh is entirely Free Software we rely on donations to run the project.

How can I donate as an individual or company/institution? Link to heading

You can make one time or recurring donations via various means like bank transfer, credit card and PayPal here. If you want to show your continuous support consider becoming a supporting member.

You can also donate via GitHub sponsors using Phosh’s read only GitHub mirror.

Getting in touch Link to heading

Where can I ask questions? Link to heading

You can join the Phosh matrix room. There is also a room for development related discussions.

Is there an RSS feed to follow along? Link to heading

Yes. You get these by appending index.xml to the pages, e.g.

Where can I get notified about new merge requests? Link to heading

You can join the phosh changes matrix room.

Where can I get notified about new releases? Link to heading

They’re announced on social media (see below) but there’s also a phosh announce mailing list.

Where can I find you on social media? Link to heading

We’re on the fediverse at https://social.phosh.mobi/@phosh and on peertube at https://peertube.debian.social/c/phosh/.

Mirrors:

Where can I meet other Phosh users or developers Link to heading

Every now and then we have meetups. Join us there.

Can I get commercial support or a specific feature developed? Link to heading

The Phosh project itself doesn’t offer commercial services. If you don’t want to ask via the public channels you can mail consultancy at phosh.mobi and we can get you in touch. We won’t forward any details to 3rd parties without your prior consent.

Why do you maintain a GitHub mirror Link to heading

We want Phosh’s sources to be easy to find. That’s why we provide a read-only mirror at https://github.com/PhoshMobi. This also allows people to have their contributions visible on their GitHub profile. You can achieve this by starring or forking the repository and making sure your contribution email matches the one in your GitHub profile. We’re not requiring contributors to have a GitHub account to contribute to Phosh.

Merchandise Link to heading

I like Phosh and/or Phosh’s logo. Is there any Phosh merchandise like T-Shirts or Hoodies? Link to heading

Yes, head over here. We don’t make any money from this. The full amount goes to SpreadShirt. We also usually have (cheaper) T-shirts for sale at conferences and events.

Are there stickers too? Link to heading

Yes, you can usually grab them at conferences like FOSDEM and Debconf. If you want to distribute some yourself at your event, write to merch at phosh.mobi.

Phosh Stickers at Froscon 2023

Website Link to heading

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Where’s the impressum / site details? Link to heading

See the impressum