Interesting project that I’ll follow! This could become something great one day.

Huh, maybe I’ve been looking at the wrong watch segment. In stead of the semi smart, I’ll try looking at regular digital watches but with some extra features. Thank you for giving me that idea!

I already have a couple of Pebbles, but they drift too badly without constant sync with a phone, unfortunately. Fun watches, though!

Nice to know the sensors are good, the Venu 4 could be a candidate if I find a way to sync it with any of my devices.

I hope there comes a privacy wave to wearables soon!

That watch sounds like something I could really like! Glad it works so well for you with Gadgetbridge. I’ll see if I can find a Linux alternative, maybe a Garmin could be the right fit. Thank you for your thoughtful post.

No, I use my computer to control my phone, except for the few times I ssh in to do a simple task.

Yeah, I miss my old Polar watch.

I’ll look into the ESP32s! That could be an interesting project.

It’s weird how techies seem to accept leaking wearables. Even the new Pebbles seem to have real privacy issues.

I’m very interested in hearing about your experience with your new Garmin. They do seem like great watches.

I’m open to other solutions! Do you know if the chest straps can sync with a Linux computer?

I use Matrix through a couple of different apps. It works very well for the few communities I’ve joined there.

The Waydroid container runs Lineage, a degoogled android based os. Many apps require Google play services to run, or they do other checks that fail in that environement. Most stuff from F-droid will run.

Signal does not have a native UT app at the moment, but some use Matrix bridges to send and receive messages. Others run it in Waydroid, or do experiments with the cli version. The first works very well, but you need to find/make a bridge host that you trust.

Oh, it feels very nice to use! Most of my troubles these days stem from me experimenting and running the devel version of the os. I can go days between serious issues, and the issues that do appear are never deal breakers as they don’t tend to affect basic phone functionality. It feels great and it is way too much fun.

Look into Ubuntu Touch on one of the newer supported phones. It uses Halium though, so I’m not sure it fits your definition of True Linux.

It checks all of your bullet points, but make sure the model you are considering actually has VoLTE enabled for the port.

Have a look at my other answer in this thread! If you are a tinkerer with a bit of patience, UT could be a good OS for you.

I would love to try Mobian and PostmarketOS too, I bet that there are some really good ports out there.

Why I love it:

• I love the UI. Quick, intuitive and good looking.
• Basic functions are good. The phone works well as a phone, with calls (including VoLTE for a number of newer models now), SMS, MMS, wifi hotspot ++ working
• The amount of native apps is pleasing to me. Of course, you won’t get the usual proprietary big tech developed apps, but other basics are there.
• The flexibility is awesome. You can install apps from the Open Store built especially for UT, Snaps (not all of which are meant for small screens with touch input, but you get to try it and decide for yourself if you can make it work), nix packages, installing stuff in libertine containers, AND Android apps in a Waydroid container.
• The community is extremely helpful and diverse.
• The two previous points, community + flexibility, helps whenever you miss one of the larger apps. Miss Telegram? Meet the native app Teleports! Miss Signal? The community can give you several options. WhatsApp? Of course some generous soul has made a UT adapted web app that you can use in stead.
• I finally feel free. I own my device, and the software I run on it doesn’t feel invading or dishonest.

What is sometimes difficult:

• I need to be honest about the browser situation. The default browser has a nice UI, but it is very outdated. There is a lot of improvements going on behind the scenes, but the new version is not ready for launch yet. The alternatives are UT adapted versions of Librewolf and Firefox, but they are both in an alpha state.
• VoLTE only works for some of the supported phones, and it is still considered experimental.
• Banking and ID verification apps have almost no UT native solutions, and running them in Waydroid is very hit and miss.
• General stability. There are more bugs and crashes here than in Android/iOS.

I daily drive Ubuntu touch and like it very much, but I can see how that would be hard in certain situations. Keep doing some research, and pick one that seems to fit your needs to try it out! Only you can decide if it is good enough for your particular circumstances.

It will affect most of the world in a few years. Lurk around in the forum, and you’ll find some posts about which phones and carriers work well in the US. (I assume that’s where Chicagoland is?) VoLTE is enabled on an experimental basis for several phones running UT now.

I wouldn’t do Ubuntu Touch on the P3a if you’re in an area where VoLTE is required. It seems this model is too old to get the treatment it needs.

Ubuntu Touch doesn’t officially support it yet, but it is working reliably for several phones now.