I did find that they ship an official APK: https://www.whatsapp.com/android/ – which is great, because now I know it’s not backdoored by anybody except Facebook
And, on Ubuntu I was able to install Whatsapp on Anbox pretty easily. So if Anbox runs on OK Librem them that seems like a reasonably clean path.
couldn’t agree more on your point Joadri
If the open source community wants to become successful, in the sense to a more privacy safe way of digital connection, the tools should be accessible, convenient and easy to use.
otherwise, as many open source initiatives, it will remain in the shades of the internet. Thus failing is main objective.
so the question regarding whatsapp is more then fair.
btw: I use Singlebox [https://singlebox.app/en/] on my Linux mint. Which is an Opensource option as well. It handles many apps such as telegram, whatsapp, google chat, teams etc etc. Impressive list of apps. [only not signal]
Singlebox sandbox each app makes it quit safer. So developing such an app, or single box for L5, would be a viable option.
In this case there is no such question. Purism has to make more important stuff for customers and gives us the possibility to solve such individual things by our own (community). WhatsApp is something not every customer needs or even wants, but other things like stable OS and other OS improvements like stable suspend are.
In fact, I would even tell to all people who want to force me into WhatsApp “this app does not work with (mobile) Linux, but you could use Matrix, that works on every system” etc.
To be more clear: Purism only supports open source and privacy-by-design software and WhatsApp is nothing they even mind to support in any way. I think you misunderstood something about their mission if you think they should provide such support. A lot of people are here because they want to escape from things like WhatsApp and other proprietary spyware and Purism thinks similar.
But Matrix supports bridging to WhatsApp if you can’t live without (also not easy to setup, but there should be tutorials to do so).
from Purism statements: " … with quality services and products that people will find convenient to use and beautiful to look upon."
So it is about customers oriented [convenient] being blind for what happens in the digital world, will make Purism obsolete.
And what i suggested is open source software with privacy by design. It combines 2 worlds.
and if things are not easy to setup, they are not compliant with Purism own statement. And that is the continuous problem with open source. Either live up to today’s world or be another failed story
It is what shopping4purism said. The focus is on privacy and security and that is something unique on the market (in this quality). So a lot of customers bought the L5 to avoid bloody software, too.
Purism was speaking about an OS that can be used by everyone without knowing command lines for terminal (for example updating apps) and is easy to use. They also planned to make it possible to install default desktop apps and give app-devs the tools to adjust them easily to little screens. This way they provide that nearly everything important can be done on L5.
You just over-interpreted what they tried to say. However, you don’t even need Purism to get access to WhatsApp. The community is working on Waydroid, Anbox and Matrix bridges as far as I know. Sooner or later you will find a solution for you without Purism working on that stuff.
In near future there will be bridges or api’s to use Whatsapp through other Messenger Apps. Cause since this month in Europe Meta and other big Gatekeepers have to be open. Just Signal do not like it.
Because personal i think that Meta use the decrypted Client Data to train an neural Network for a better personalization about indirect questions for avatar optimizations. Like a digital twin of yours, in a Computer reacting to 99% like you to asked questions, or predicted behavior like you do in real.
Well, in the meanwhile we’ll have WhatsApp on L5, I asked to ChatGPT the best way to have it! Here his answer:
“To use proprietary messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger on a device like the Librem 5, which runs PureOS (based on Linux), there are several practical solutions. Here are the main options and their implications:
1. Native Apps through Reverse Engineering
Pros:
A smoother and more integrated user experience.
Potential for greater control over privacy and security.
Cons:
Extremely complex and potentially illegal. Reverse engineering proprietary apps can violate their terms of service.
Requires significant resources for development and maintenance.
May not always be up to date with official apps, causing compatibility and functionality issues.
2. Using Web Apps via WebView or Containerization
Pros:
Less complex than reverse engineering.
Does not require intense maintenance.
Uses official versions of the apps, ensuring compatibility and regular updates.
Cons:
Less smooth user experience compared to native apps.
Possible limitations in functionality compared to native apps.
3. Using Third-Party Compatible Apps (e.g., alternative clients for Telegram)
Pros:
Might offer a more integrated experience compared to Web apps.
Possibility of greater control over privacy and security.
Cons:
Needs to maintain compatibility with official APIs.
Potential risk of violating the official apps’ terms of service.
4. Remote Server Solution
Pros:
Official apps run on a remote server, ensuring compatibility and regular updates.
Can be a practical solution if well implemented.
Cons:
Higher latency and dependency on internet connection.
Potential risk to privacy and security of data transmitted to the remote server.
Requires initial setup and continuous maintenance of the remote server.
Conclusion
The best compromise in terms of practicality and legality would be to use Web apps via WebView or containerization. This solution allows you to use the official versions of the apps with a more mobile-friendly interface. There are already projects like WebApps (for creating WebView wrappers for apps) that could facilitate this approach on the Librem 5.
Steps to implement this solution:
Install a compatible web browser on the Librem 5 (like Firefox or Chromium).
Create a WebApp for each service (WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger):
Use tools like WebApp Manager to create WebView wrappers.
Configure the WebApps to provide notifications and access to device-specific features, such as the camera for WhatsApp Web.
Optimize the interface for a better user experience:
Adjust the CSS to adapt the WebApp interfaces to the Librem 5’s screen.
This solution ensures the use of official apps without violating terms of service, maintaining a reasonably good and secure user experience.”