With the difference, that those people interested in LibremOS (or how it will be named) are already on the way to leave WhatsApp, but are still stucking inside. So these are people who would message those 2-3 friends, who are not on WhatsApp, to get them to the right party. We’re speaking about the person who is not even presented in that advertisement.
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For friends, perhaps so, but what about family?
And then you get the confusion caused on iPhone where sending a message can allow the software to choose what technology to use i.e. you only see one interface but under the hood it is choosing e.g. either iMessage (message routed via Apple - with corresponding security and privacy properties) or SMS (message routed via mobile service provider - with corresponding security and privacy properties) - and the only difference to the user being the colour of the text (blue or green) once it has been sent.
With an interface like that can you expect Jo/e Public to understand the differences between the various messaging platforms and technologies? Should they have to? Do they need to?
To be clear I have no problem with Apple offering the iMessage service (you can disable it if you don’t like it and I think it may even be off by default) and I have no problem with Apple offering a unified interface.
It is possible that some of the issues that you mention can be addressed with a unified interface.
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The Send button is the corresponding color so you know before you send the message.
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Please let me highlight the most important concept: it isn’t only “social” stuff! Of course it is too, I can’t force my family members, friends, job colleagues and clients everybody around the world to move to Matrix or similar!! C’mon! Most of humans isn’t tech skilled!! That’s the success of big techs: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Google founders,.. made technology stupid-proof! We can’t ignore it without be isolated from the world! And that’s something like dictatorship approach where I force everybody else to my preferences!! It isn’t nice at all!! But, moreover, for example I’ve a small home floor cleaner and washer robot at home! And, of course, it works using Android/iOS app! should I trash my little robot in the name of pureness? IoT (Internet of things) it’s reality and will be more and more everywhere in our lives and we can and must live together Linux and proprietary OS benefiting of privacy and security that Linux can give us! Recently I had to uninstall a lot of apps from my iPhone because I saw in Apple Store how much privacy violation I had using it! Even some app was profiling my health data without be health/fitness app!! Or my positions (GPS), why?? So I’m very happy to have a Linux device with anti profile-privacy and security SW but mainly HW layer protection!! Finally I could run any useful app in relax mode because protected by sandbox, physical switches, well limited app-space enjoying, at same time, chance to be connected with the world and using every app I could need! I could clean my house using my little robot without being profiled (eg: my health and my position…)!! All that still being able to isolating ourselves from the world if we would simply avoiding every bridge with companies like meta, google and apple just to mention the most famous..
I don’t want convince you! Every Human convince himself alone! That’s just my view that I like to share with you, beautiful Community! To allow Librem5 opens to dirty world means, to me, to have the best device possible! Please I kindly remind you Ying Yang Chinese symbol 
: in every bad there’s a little good and vice versa (L5 
)
Have a beautiful weekend, maybe with our beloved companion Librem 5!
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Me neither, haven’t used WhatsApp ever since it got acquired by Facebook/Meta in 2016. I payed for it by losing contact with friends and family. Some people made the switch to Signal, most didn’t. And that’s the point: YOU don’t have to use it. You can choose to be friends only with people that care about the same thing. Even though I do not see myself using WhatsApp, I still vote for pragmatism and letting people make their own choices if they bring money to Purism so they can accelerate development we all benefit from.
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The overlay could bridge an important gap for some people, that said judging from the Gitlab activity the PureOS team is spread relatively thin already so will there be a new team to handle the thin layer? Is the aim to work on community building to help maintaining that layer (the posts sound a bit like that)? Will it be deb based (thus being able to leverage laneakia but a bit tricky for onbording newcomers) or flatpak (needing separate infra) or something else based? Would be nice to avoid invested effort that then stalls (as e.g. with the flatpak store).
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So, I would actually be tempted to challenge this notion for another interesting reason.
On this forum we have had users such as @Privacy2 stick around and say that they are here to combat misinformation and tell everyone on Purism forums that Android on Google Pixel is the only secure computer system in the world, and all other systems are generally insecure, and that from their perspective Librem 5 is less secure.
The allegation here in part stems from the idea that a bad application on the GNOME based configuration is more likely to be runnable with the same privileges as the entire user, and less likely to report into any sort of Settings UI whether that application is polling user location information, snooping on the user’s files in their home directory, or anything else similar.
This is an example of their concern at work. Most likely, the Librem 5 will not show you which apps are violating your privacy this badly. There is a location setting in one of the GNOME menus, but I’m not fully convinced that any software application on the Librem 5 cannot access location without going through that setting. The construction of GNOME is different and more like a computer.
As someone who really likes Librem 5 and wants to use it, I ignore their concerns on the basis that I am not installing much software, and so the software is only comping from vetted Debian-based repos and is all vetted for beeing free source software and therefore vetted by that portion of society to be software that only does what’s intended.
But as soon as you introduce Waydroid-ish app launches into that environment, now you have an Android ish thing but potentially without the per-app isolation that Android Google Pixel users gloat about. Those systems are designed to run bad code and so as a result, they put each “app” much moreso in its own container.
This might be another reason that hurrying to close the app gap by building ways to run the proprietary stuff might worsen a Librem 5 for example.
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Sorry, Dlonk but I don’t understand your post: Waydroid or similar is an Android emulator so every app will be executed into sandbox (or Purism can develop it specifically) so every emulated app can’t spy into my L5 and moreover I could switch off GPS for example if I don’t need it so being sure 100% not be tracked for example! I think we’re talking about two different ambients: you Gnome me emulator!
Regarding your post: it’s true that Linux distros don’t have same privacy and security structure like Play Store and Apple Store but Linux offers some tool to take them under user control! For example AppArmor, SeLinux, Firejail and Flatpak/Snap! Moreover a lot of softwares are developed and/or controlled by communities (eg: OpenOffice, GIMP, SSH, Apache,…) so those SW are more trusted than closed apps thanks to thousand of people!
Last but not least: I could give source code to AI asking about risks!
I know that’s paranoid but I assume that Linux purists are enough paranoid to try it 
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Waydroid it is not for L5, same to Flatpak, Waydroid do not ship AppArmor, SeLinux, Firejail and Flatpak/Snap!.
Bank apps do not work on Waydroid, however it work on AlienDalvik.
Waydroid is Android OpenSource. Do you want Android on Librem 5?
If someone install waydroid/mobian/postmarket on Librem 5 you are a noobs. i.m.h.o.
However L5 Fir is ready to waydroid, if wanted(not me).
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Which pragmatism? WhatsApp support will be probably better than MMS support, guess what LibremOS users will choose… Personally, I don’t want GNU Linux and mobile GNU Linux to be associated with “MMS don’t work, just use WhatsApp, everyone uses WhatsApp“. I won’t benefit of that drift, MMS users (especially those whose operators use multiple Access Point Names) won’t benefit of that.
Running after users who will compare it with Android is a waste of time. Purism is a social purpose company, but its role isn’t to trigger changes in how the society works whereas that’s what is necessary to drive proprietary software less appealing. In my humble opinion, there’s no app gap to close, Purism should take care of its current end users first so that many Librem 5 don’t remain unused in a drawer, those who bought such a device wisely expected that the basic features should more or less work but it’s still untrue in September 2025, those who bought a Librem 5 by thinking it would work like Android should just buy an Android phone instead of having unrealistic expectations about the Librem 5.
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Nobody forces you to keep in touch with your family members as far as I know.
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- Librem 5 must stay pure so no connection with proprietary apps
- Librem 5 should be also used with proprietary apps
- I don’t know/undecided
- I don’t care, doesn’t matter
0
voters
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Will PureOS still ship on Librem devices?
The article does not give a terrible amount of details concerning the scope of this change. Thank you so much again, Jonathon Hall.
edit: removed text
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Purism is not shifting focus, and PureOS will always remain a first-class citizen. From the implementation details mentioned above, development will be performed on PureOS and extend to LibremOS automatically. Both OS options will be available within a dropdown menu in the shop for Librem devices, similar to how PureOS and QubesOS were offered. LibremOS will likely become the default option because average customers aren’t typically as discerning as FOSS-focused customers and either stick to the defaults or select all options available, often including anti-interdiction services which is not normally what they would want. Opening the dropdown menu and specifically selecting PureOS is an intentional action, and customers selecting this option are less likely to be surprised that e.g. WhatsApp is not available by default.
LibremOS is an effort to connect with a broader target market and reduce the burden of support for customers expecting an OEM experience more familiar to them. @Sharon has made many related topics on the subject of “these devices are marketed to be a replacement, not a supplement to iOS/Android” and how the devices would gain much more market share if it were easier to install popular non-FOSS applications. The “thinnest layer possible” ensures that the two options won’t diverge and that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will flesh out improved autoQA testing such that both PureOS and LibremOS can be thoroughly tested in tandem.
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@JCS: Just don’t forget a hint (tooltip, link or similar) next to the drop down menu. Nothing is more frustrating that having options without knowing the difference between both. A UX pro tip that many “designer” forget about.
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I don’t think there should be a default option. In my opinion, you should briefly explain the differences and let the user decide. Otherwise the power of defaults is working against the highest standards of privacy and purity.
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Purism has had numerous customers express concerns of analysis paralysis when ordering Librem devices. The goal would be to reduce the number of required fields while choosing appropriate defaults when possible. One example of this is Librem 5 modem selection; this field could be automated to choose the best modem based on the shipping address of the order (although the shop flow would have to be modified, since the shipping address is entered after items are already configured and immediately before entering payment details and placing the order).
Purism could experiment where:
- LibremOS is the default option and PureOS is included in the dropdown; field optional
- “Choose one” is the default option; field required
Either way, it should be trivial to have a small section to help a user decide between the options.
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My experience is different. I only had Whatsapp for a very short time, and I’ve been using Signal since the TextSecure times. I refuse to install Whatsapp, because I do not want to be forced by the networking effect and also I see it as my duty, as someone who has knowledge about technology, surveillance and privacy to not give in and to practice what I preach. I do use SMS to contact people. But nearly all contacts installed Signal. By the way, it is a pity that Signal has no primary Linux client. Convincing all my contacts now to move over to Matrix (what I would prefer) is an endeavor that I’m not up to for now.
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I think this is a great idea, and will certainly help people climb the freedom ladder. It will also help sell more devices (including desktops, especially if installing Windows apps via Wine/Proton is made Steam simple in addition to Android/PWAs (including being indexed in the “Librem Store”). For people used to Android/iOS, by having familiar indexed PWAs/ATL apps in the “Librem Store” or Aurora/GAPPS Android apps as an option alongside freedom respecting apps is already a huge win. Source could be similar to the dropdown for binary vs flatpak. It is a lot to expect people to find GNU app replacements for everything all at once. It is similar to slowly using a greater proportion of apps from F-Droid rather than Google Play.
I have family members, friends that in principle would use a Librem 5 v1/v2, but the app gap chasm is too big for them to cross in one go with all the other considerations too. It is like having an island in the middle so you are not stuck looking down at the deepest point if you’re not inclined to go to high places, or cross busy streets all in one go. They are not going to setup PWAs, let alone a Waydroid container, and my help doing so is not something that scales. It doesn’t take an Apple Genius to download an iOS app, yet the geniuses are still a highly utilized resource many people need to understand how to even use their phone. It should be simple enough for a grandparent to know how to use without assistance.
One critical technical issue that could use Purism’s help, is it is currently not possible to share the Bluetooth radio with the host LibremOS, and Waydroid’s Android OS ( bluetooth passtrough? · Issue #155 · waydroid/waydroid · GitHub ); I am sure Android Translation Layer (ATL) has a similar issue, and NFC/UWB, and other sensors likely have similar limitations.
My most important app on Android is Sleep as Android, and I am sorry, but if iOS doesn’t even have something comparable in featureset to what they had 15 years ago, I doubt Linux will anytime soon. If I had only a GNU phone, I’d probably still have a Pixel tablet with LineageOS to run this. It requires access to sensors/radios. Car companies will inevitably ship vehicles without key fobs to save costs, and car share/rental companies not giving you a physical key but an app that relies on your phone using UWB once more Android support it. Same for NFC with hotels via things like Apple’s Power Reserve. Same for digital passes that would require LibremOS to report the agent as iOS to get the pkpass files. For people who love mobile wallet payments, there is no good alternative on Android I’m aware of, even a way to bridge the gap (except for maybe PayPal NFC in Germany and Union QuickPay in China).
The question is, for this kind to audience with Android apps, is it best to get full Google Play certification to have Google Play store and sandbox Google like binary blobs in some way, or preinstall GAPPS helping people to sign in, or just providing Aurora store, especially in the face of Google’s new developer identification limitations? Is it to have the Amazon app store like Blackberry tried, but somehow put in app jail?
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and customers selecting this option are less likely to be surprised that e.g. WhatsApp is not available by default.
Is WhatsApp here intentional the prime example? How should that even work without having an Android/iOS device to set things up. Android container or emulation? My initial reading from @jonathon.hall ‘s post above is that there would be a thin layer (so I was thinking e.g. Signal Desktop) but it sounds it gets thicker by bringing in Waydroid by default (thus adding even more maintenance burden) ? I wonder how that would end up properly integrated without throwing large amounts of resources at it?
Even making two dozens of “simple” webapps work well requires effort, especially in FF (or would it be in epiphany)? Let alone making sure they continue to work after website changes that e.g. change the way they handle different UA strings. So it sounds that thin layer is about everything: additional packages, webapps, flatpaks, waydroid and maybe ATL too?
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