postmarketOS 26.06 broadens Linux phone support

postmarketOS has released version 26.06, a six-monthly update that strengthens one of the most active Linux-based alternatives for mobile devices and extends its testing reach to 254 devices, including phones, tablets, Chromebooks and single-board computers.

The release, named Alpen Avocado, shipped on 21 June and is built on Alpine Linux 3.24. It brings GNOME 50, KDE Plasma Mobile 6.6.5, Phosh 0.55.0, systemd 261, Plymouth boot animation support, upgraded modem handling and a shift to sudo-rs for new installations. The update underlines the project’s role in a small but persistent movement seeking to keep devices usable after official software support ends.

The project remains clear that postmarketOS is aimed mainly at Linux enthusiasts rather than mainstream phone users expecting Android or iOS levels of polish. That caution is significant because the release expands hardware coverage while still acknowledging unresolved device-specific problems, ranging from storage and display glitches to audio and telephony issues on some models.

GNOME 50 replaces GNOME 49 in the standard desktop stack, while the mobile variant stays on 48. mobile.0 with fixes for stability problems, including a crash and busy-looping behaviour. KDE Plasma Mobile moves from 6.5.6 to 6.6.5, and Phosh advances from 0.51.0 to 0.55.0. Phosh also completes a long-running switch away from the project’s custom tinydm display manager to greetd and phrog, following upstream recommendations.

The release adds a more polished boot sequence through Plymouth, replacing pbsplash. Users now see the postmarketOS logo animation during startup, while a functional change allows the boot log to be displayed by pressing escape, or the power button on phones. Splash-screen rotation has also been added for devices where the boot display previously appeared incorrectly.

Accessibility receives attention through boot vibration on devices with working vibration hardware. The feature is designed to help users confirm that a device has started even before the display becomes usable, although the project notes that it does nothing on devices lacking the required modules or vibration support.

A ModemManager upgrade adds support for cell broadcast capability, a feature linked to emergency public warning systems in many markets. The change does not mean every device will immediately support emergency alerts, since modem firmware, network compatibility and device-specific integration remain limiting factors, but it marks an important step for Linux phones seeking parity with basic mobile safety functions.

New installations now use sudo-rs instead of doas by default. Sudo-rs is a Rust-based implementation of sudo, part of a broader trend in open-source infrastructure where memory-safety arguments are gaining influence in security-sensitive components.

The device list shows both progress and limits. The community category includes Fairphone 4, Google Pixel 3A and Pixel 3A XL, OnePlus 6 and 6T, PinePhone, PinePhone Pro, Purism Librem 5, Nokia N900, Samsung Galaxy S9, Xiaomi Poco F1 and a range of Chromebook and embedded platforms. The testing category now covers 254 devices, but that label signals varying levels of reliability rather than full consumer readiness.

Five devices have moved from the community category to testing because their kernels were too old or became unmaintained: ASUS MeMO Pad 7, Microsoft Surface RT, NVIDIA Tegra ARMv7, Samsung Chromebook and Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro. The shift reflects a core challenge for alternative mobile operating systems: hardware support depends not only on software ambition but also on sustained maintainer attention.

Generic kernel packages for mainline, stable and long-term support kernels are now part of version 26.06 and will be kept updated for the duration of the release’s support cycle. That move is important for reducing device-specific maintenance work, a persistent bottleneck for Linux mobile systems that attempt to support varied phone hardware built around closed or partially documented components.

Plasma Bigscreen also returns in this release after being disabled since version 24.06 because of incompatibility with Plasma 6. Plasma desktop on systemd now uses plasma-login-manager instead of sddm, while OpenRC with Plasma is no longer recommended and may be disabled unless maintainers step in.