{"id":19903,"date":"2022-04-08T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/?p=19903"},"modified":"2024-01-24T00:32:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T08:32:48","slug":"how-to-escape-the-smartphone-duopoly-of-apple-google-with-sailfish-os","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/how-to-escape-the-smartphone-duopoly-of-apple-google-with-sailfish-os\/","title":{"rendered":"How to \u200bEscape The \u2018Smartphone Duopoly\u2019 of Apple & Google with Sailfish OS"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a shocking lack of diversity in the smartphone market. Either you\u2019re boasting an iPhone in your pocket or you\u2019re carrying around an Android. But Google spies on your stuff, and Apple\u2019s record on defending the privacy<\/a> of their users is patchy at best.<\/p>\n

Both the Windows Phone<\/a> and Windows Mobile<\/a> OS are long dead after an extended period of mockery. The once-loved Blackberry shut down its servers earlier this year<\/a>, rendering handsets from what was formerly the most popular business choice finally obsolete.<\/p>\n

You may think you have no choice but to submit to the duopoly. You\u2019re wrong. It\u2019s totally possible to live a rich, productive life with neither Apple nor Google as the hub of your communications. All you need is a little know-how, a few hours, and ironclad discipline.<\/p>\n

Over the next few weeks, I\u2019ll be exploring alternative, privacy-conscious mobile operating systems to see how well they stack up against the competition. What are the trade-offs out there? Are they easy to use? Are they actually worth your investment in time and money?<\/p>\n

First up, Sailfish OS.<\/p>\n

What Is Sailfish OS?<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve heard of Sailfish<\/a> before, you\u2019re likely aware that it\u2019s free and open-source software (FOSS). This means that the source code<\/a> is open to the public. You can modify it, contribute to the project, and use it however you like. You can even fork<\/a> the project to create a variant and sell your own version.<\/p>\n

In the case of Sailfish OS, the FOSS label is only partially accurate. The operating system is <\/i>open source, but the user interface is proprietary (closed source and privately owned) \u2014 as is the predictive text functionality of the keyboard and the ability to install and run Android apps. While it\u2019s quite possible for users to avoid Android apps altogether, most would have a hard time creating their own interface so they can operate the device.<\/p>\n

Because of its proprietary elements, Sailfish OS comes with a price tag of $57 (\u20ac49.90). The trial version does have a user interface, but without the aforementioned predictive text or Android app support.<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t paid for an operating system since the heady days of Windows Mobile in the early 2000s, but what price is too high to put on privacy? The cost of a smartphone plus $57 for a privacy-respecting operating system seems quite reasonable if you want to secure your personal communications, and it helps keep you from the clutches of both Apple and Google.<\/p>\n

The History of \u200bSailfish OS<\/h2>\n

Remember Nokia? Once, this Finnish phone company was a hive of innovation, creating resilient mobile devices and lightweight mobile operating systems to go with them. Nokia\u2019s last-gasp effort was MeeGo OS<\/a>, which was abandoned following a team-up with Microsoft.<\/p>\n

Nokia\u2019s former software engineers and designers picked up the mangled MeeGo corpse and reformed it as \u201cJolla\u201d. In 2013, they released Sailfish OS \u2014 a privacy-conscious, full-featured mobile OS to run on the Jolla phone.<\/p>\n

The Jolla phone is no longer produced; instead, Sailfish OS is now optimized to run on the Gemini PDA and select models of Sony\u2019s Xperia \u2014 these are the XA2, XA2 Ultra, 10 series, and X series. None of these models are especially up-to-date, but they\u2019re all part of Sony\u2019s Open Devices<\/a> program. Sony fully expects users to tinker with them, install new operating systems, and experiment with functionality. So, I opted for the fabulously chunky XA2 Ultra.<\/p>\n

Getting Started with Sailfish<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Sony handset arrived with a stock Xperia ROM, and it came bundled with bloatware from Facebook, AVG antivirus, Netflix, and a bunch of shopping apps. These can be disabled, but not removed.<\/p>\n

Before downloading or purchasing Sailfish OS, you\u2019ll need to create an account<\/a> with Jolla. This involves giving your email address and date of birth, generating a username and password, and, of course, agreeing to the terms of service<\/a> and privacy policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing especially concerning in either of these documents. Your data is kept on servers in the EU, and it will only be disclosed to third parties under the following circumstances:<\/p>\n