Librem 5 Daily Usage poll

Librem Phones (Librem 5)
#1

Now that I’ve received my Librem 5 and I have been spending time dialing it in, I thought it would be interesting to make a poll like this. I did something similar on the MNT Reform forums. It was beneficial for many reasons, and I am interested in the results we’ll get here.

If you vote, it would be great if you would post and expound on your position, time permitting of course.

  • I use the Librem 5 as my daily now
  • I use the Librem 5 sometimes as my main
  • I do not use the Librem 5 as my daily, but would like to. Waiting on continued development.
  • I cannot use the Librem 5 as my daily.
  • I use the Librem 5 as an additional mobile device.

0 voters

9 Likes
#2

I voted that I use it as an additional mobile device, because this is my current usage. I could see the L5 becoming my daily though, and I think all the progress that Purism has made on development is what is making that something I believe. I mean sure if you focus on the things not quiet there yet, there is a bit. But if you look at what is there, and how much has been accomplished in taking mainline Linux to mobile it actually is quiet astounding.

I will say that I think the L5 becomes truly unlocked when you have a dock for it. I have one on order, and then it really might become my daily.

#3

Once it arrives this week I intend to swap my daily driver pinephone for it :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#4

I have been using it as my daily driver, but recently it has issues receiving text messages. I am in contact with support, but I’ve had to switch back to my android phone because there are still some people where that is the main way of communicating.

#5

Would be nice of there was an option to see the results without casting a vote.

2 Likes
#6

I had been using it as my daily driver for a few months. Problems with not receiving calls and battery life (more specifically the unfinished suspend mode) made me stop, unfortunately. I really want to switch back to the L5 once the issues are resolved. Maybe it will take another hardware iteration.

#7

I use my Librem 5 as my daily phone since 2022-05-01 (see here my experiences), and here my main current issues. Usually, I still a carry my Android phone with me as well. I use the Android mainly for: collecting GPS towers, navigation, and taking photos (mainly within Signal).

2 Likes
#8

I thought so too, but when I updated it, all the previous votes reset. :man_facepalming:

2 Likes
#9

Ive owned mine for six weeks now after purchasing it used third party. I am just now using it daily. After about a month with tinkering with it, a fresh flash with luks/dm-crypt setup etc.

1 Like
#10

Yeah I am going on my 2nd week with mine. I really like it. I am having problems sending SMS and phone calls, BUT data is working, and for me that is the main thing I want.

I think the only thing really holding the Librem 5 back now is just the amount of adaptive programs. I mean this is running desktop Linux which is glorious. With a larger screen adaptive wouldn’t be needed at all.

The scale to fit is a solution BUT it would be great if that functionality could be just made default. If any window opens in phosh that is beyond the screen resolution, scaling would just automatically happen. That would the way to kind of make everything work. Touch boxes would be difficult, but a little bluetooth mouse or something would mitigate that.

Ultimately, I believe if Purism keeps trucking on with the incremental improvements everything I’m talking about is just a matter of time. Exciting stuff.

7 Likes
#11

I’m still waiting on the official release of VoLTE on the L5 before becoming a daily driver. The L5 USA downgrades to 2G during voice calls (I’m in the US) and the other parties bitterly complain about the call quality. I checked microphone performance using flatpak Sound Recorder and the L5 microphone appears to be working ok, so the poor call quality can’t be blamed on the mic.

1 Like
#12

Waiting on continued development

In my case it’s waiting on me to find the time to blow amber away and start again with byzantium - necessary because I want to enable root partition encryption, if not also for other reasons. I guess that’s one of the disadvantages of getting the phone a long time ago.

I got bogged down on IT things completely unrelated to the Librem 5, and haven’t come back to it. So right now it is getting limited use, doing some things, but not doing all things - because many things simply aren’t available with amber.

2 Likes
#13

Wow, do this. The software of L5 has improved so much, that it would be like getting a totally new phone. If you don’t have everything up to date it is like not having a Librem 5 at all.
The reflashing is really not that scary and time consuming. For me the instructions worked without any errors or warnings from the first try (using Pure OS on amd64).

6 Likes
#14

I would recommend it as well. It is what is shipping with Librem 5s right now. :+1:

4 Likes
#15

One day I’d like to daily it and sell my android. Watching progress is always exciting in the mean time. Off the top of my head.

Required:

  • Better Bluetooth (BLE and music without drops)
  • Better battery life (working standby with wake on calls)
  • GPS/navigation (I use this regularly - I’m unable to get a fix and worried this may never come)
  • Camera (I’m simple. I need auto all the things)

Other nice to haves:

  • Waydroid or equivalent for any gaps (stadium apps, bike shares, maybe more below?)
  • Facebook messenger
  • Casting (youtube/Plex/TV app)
  • Discord
  • uber

Next iteration:

  • Haptic feedback I think is very weak
  • Maybe smaller screen size / package in general. (but really I do like how this phone feels in your hand as is. comparing it to phones with a case on it’s more or less in line)
  • GPS fixes if it is in fact a hardware issue across all phones

I consider myself a pretty basic phone user. With maybe some core improvements and waydroid I’d be able to switch over.

6 Likes
#16

This is pretty much here in the form of Anbox. @dos has actually been working on this, and sometime in the future it will be in the repos with instructions.

I’m using this right now on the Librem 5. I use the web client. I have Whatsapp (I know. I hate it, but it’s Germany and everyone uses it), Rocket Chat, Threema, and Telegram all working thanks to the web clients for those services.

2 Likes
#17

This is pretty much here in the form of Anbox…

Yah I’ve been watching their work. Very impressive. :slight_smile:

I use the web client.

I’m not a huge fan of that. Discord didn’t work on Web for some reason, wanted to try to make it a web app. It does work in firefox. I don’t know much about web apps, but I’m assuming they don’t have a lightweight background task running for notifications? ed - I guess they can. That would be convenient. ed 2- nvm :frowning:

One more I guess:

  • Sharing photos through chatty. Pretty sure MMS is supported it’s just a matter of having a nice flow from taking and sharing a photo.
#18

This applies to waydroid. I don’t think anbox will be working any time soon.

They do not, they’re essentially web page bookmarks. You’d have to leave them running to get notifications.

#19

So uber has a progressive web app I guess m.uber.com. Used Web and installed it as an application. When loaded there is a Run in background checkbox that may make sense for msging apps. I’ll have to play with these more.

#20

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