How to select a mobile OS

如何选择移动操作系统

Perhaps Android was a great idea back in the old days, but since Google transformed it into a spyware platform, Google Android devices are effectively working against their owners. That’s why I started to look for alternatives, and perhaps you have the same reason for reading this article now. I started drafting this post on 20 November 2025. It took a while to get it into its final shape. I’ll summarize all the things I’ve learned and experienced about alternative smartphone OSes. Most of the credit isn’t mine as I’ve read tons of helpful posts and discussions on this topic on Mastodon and on various sites. I hope I can spare you some time with this, so you don’t have to spend as much time as I did collecting this info. If you find mistakes, misinterpretations, or anything outdated, feel free to reach out through the comment section. I’ll be happy to fix, improve, and update this article. I tried these OSes on Fairphone 5. It’s no longer available to buy, but most things written here are true for other devices running the same OSes. I will mark those parts that are Fairphone 5-specific.

也许 Android 在过去确实是一个伟大的构想，但自从谷歌将其转变为一个间谍软件平台后，谷歌 Android 设备实际上是在与它们的主人作对。这就是我开始寻找替代方案的原因，或许你现在阅读这篇文章也是出于同样的原因。我于 2025 年 11 月 20 日开始起草这篇文章，经过一段时间的打磨才最终成型。我将总结我在替代智能手机操作系统方面所学到和经历的一切。大部分功劳并不属于我，因为我阅读了 Mastodon 和各个网站上关于此主题的大量有益文章和讨论。我希望这篇文章能为你节省时间，让你不必像我一样花费大量精力去收集这些信息。如果你发现错误、误解或任何过时的内容，请随时通过评论区与我联系。我很乐意修正、改进和更新这篇文章。我在 Fairphone 5 上测试了这些操作系统。虽然该机型目前已不再销售，但文中提到的大多数内容同样适用于运行这些操作系统的其他设备。我会特别标注出那些仅针对 Fairphone 5 的部分。

Grouping OSes

操作系统分类

First, there are the customized, degoogled Android versions that are built on top of the AOSP (Android Open Source Project), a free and open-source base for all Androids. Commercial stock Android versions are built on top of the same foundation. Most degoogled variants are forked from LineageOS, as it is popular, has a large supporting community, and has a long history. Back in 2014, I, too, flashed its predecessor on my very first Android device, and I loved it. Examples: AOSP based: CalyxOS, GrapheneOS, LineageOS LineageOS based: /e/OS, iodéOS

首先是定制化的、去谷歌化的 Android 版本，它们构建于 AOSP（Android 开源项目）之上，这是所有 Android 系统的免费开源基础。商业化的原生 Android 版本也是基于同样的基石构建的。大多数去谷歌化的变体都衍生自 LineageOS，因为它很受欢迎，拥有庞大的支持社区，且历史悠久。早在 2014 年，我也曾在我的第一台 Android 设备上刷入过它的前身，并且非常喜欢它。 示例： 基于 AOSP：CalyxOS, GrapheneOS, LineageOS 基于 LineageOS：/e/OS, iodéOS

Second, there are the mobile Linux distributions. These are closer to traditional Linux OSes than Android and emphasize openness. They are mostly community-driven and open-source, even if they have some closed-source components. (Note: Some components of SailfishOS are proprietary and closed-source, but otherwise it belongs here.) Examples: Mobian, postmarketOS, SailfishOS, Ubuntu Touch. This article will discuss the ones written in bold. As a last comment here: yes, Android is built on top of the Linux kernel, but the whole stack is different otherwise. Commercial Androids are closed, vendor-locked ecosystems where proprietary software dominates the system. The mentality behind the system is very different from that of Linux.

其次是移动 Linux 发行版。它们比 Android 更接近传统的 Linux 操作系统，并强调开放性。它们大多由社区驱动且开源，尽管其中包含一些闭源组件。（注：SailfishOS 的某些组件是专有的且闭源的，但除此之外它也属于此类。） 示例：Mobian, postmarketOS, SailfishOS, Ubuntu Touch。本文将讨论加粗的这些系统。最后补充一点：没错，Android 是基于 Linux 内核构建的，但除此之外，整个技术栈完全不同。商业化的 Android 是封闭的、厂商锁定的生态系统，专有软件在系统中占据主导地位。其背后的系统理念与 Linux 大相径庭。

Trade-offs

权衡与取舍

It’s important to clarify beforehand that replacing Android with a different OS comes with compromises. This list helps to avoid any disappointment that would come later in the process. These aren’t Fairphone 5-specific but are true for all Android devices that can run alternative OSes. Things usually lost are:

在开始之前，必须明确一点：将 Android 替换为其他操作系统必然伴随着妥协。这份清单有助于避免后续过程中可能出现的失望。这些问题并非 Fairphone 5 特有，而是适用于所有可以运行替代操作系统的 Android 设备。通常会失去的功能包括：

You can’t pay with your phone. This works almost exclusively with Google’s software. Neither can degoogled Androids make it available, nor can mobile Linux distributions. Explanation: Google pretends to be a gatekeeper of security. Funny, isn’t it, after they turned out to be one of the largest spyware companies in the world. The real reason is to lock users and developers into their ecosystem. There are some rare banking applications that work without Google’s API and are perfectly secure, but that’s less than 1%. Some degoogled Android variants provide a collection of services called microG to make most applications work. Unfortunately, microG also doesn’t support any API for NFC payments.

你无法使用手机支付。 这项功能几乎完全依赖于谷歌的软件。无论是去谷歌化的 Android 系统还是移动 Linux 发行版，都无法实现此功能。解释：谷歌假装自己是安全守门人。这很有趣，不是吗？毕竟他们已被证实是全球最大的间谍软件公司之一。真正的原因是将用户和开发者锁定在他们的生态系统中。虽然有极少数银行应用可以在没有谷歌 API 的情况下运行且非常安全，但这占比不到 1%。一些去谷歌化的 Android 变体提供了名为 microG 的服务集合，以使大多数应用能够运行。遗憾的是，microG 也不支持任何 NFC 支付 API。

The main camera will not work. Although secondary cameras (like ultra-wide) and selfie cameras might work to a certain degree, for many devices, there is no solution so far to make the main camera work properly. On these devices, the images taken are noisier, blurrier, and more discolored than the camera would be capable of under stock Android. The reason is the chipset manufacturer’s decision to force you to use Google’s product. Monopoly men scratch each other’s backs. There is also the lack of proprietary post-processing software that is included in stock Androids by the manufacturers.

主摄像头无法正常工作。 虽然辅助摄像头（如超广角）和自拍镜头在一定程度上可能可以使用，但对于许多设备而言，目前还没有解决方案能让主摄像头正常工作。在这些设备上，拍摄的照片比在原生 Android 系统下更噪点多、更模糊且色彩失真。原因是芯片组制造商决定强制你使用谷歌的产品。垄断者们总是互相勾结。此外，还缺乏厂商在原生 Android 中内置的专有后期处理软件。

The fingerprint sensor is not supported everywhere. Degoogled Androids and mobile Linux distros relying on the Halium compatibility layer (Ubuntu Touch, Sailfish OS) usually support them. But it is not always solved on other mobile Linux distributions. The usual explanation is that the manufacturer doesn’t share the driver to maintain security, but that sounds fishy.

指纹传感器并非随处可用。 去谷歌化的 Android 系统以及依赖 Halium 兼容层的移动 Linux 发行版（如 Ubuntu Touch, Sailfish OS）通常支持指纹识别。但在其他移动 Linux 发行版上，这个问题并不总是能得到解决。通常的解释是厂商为了维护安全而不共享驱动程序，但这听起来很可疑。

Different app selection. Leaving Google behind is saying goodbye to the Play Store. It means you might not be able to run all applications. Degoogled Androids: Some offer a store like Aurora, which allows you to install and run most apps from the Play Store. Others are shipped with F-Droid. Although these two are usually enough in most cases, it can still happen that your favorite app does not work without Google. Mobile Linux OSes: They can’t run Android apps natively, but they can run an app called Waydroid. This can run a full Android environment (usually a version of the degoogled LineageOS) and you can install applications inside.

不同的应用选择。 离开谷歌意味着告别 Play Store。这意味着你可能无法运行所有应用程序。去谷歌化的 Android：有些提供了像 Aurora 这样的商店，允许你安装和运行 Play Store 中的大多数应用。另一些则预装了 F-Droid。虽然这两者在大多数情况下足够使用，但仍可能出现你最喜欢的应用在没有谷歌的情况下无法运行的情况。移动 Linux 操作系统：它们无法原生运行 Android 应用，但可以运行一个名为 Waydroid 的应用。它可以运行一个完整的 Android 环境（通常是去谷歌化的 LineageOS 版本），你可以在其中安装应用程序。