I would love to have an FLX1s, and I'm inclined to buy one. I'm a Linux user and I've had many Linux phones in the past (a Firefox Phone, the Librem 5 and the Pinephone), so I know what I'm getting myself into. I just hope that this one is actually usable as a daily driver. For that to work, I can miss most of the apps on my Android phone, but I can't have a phone without communication.
So do Whatsapp and Signal work on the FLX1(s)? And does it work well? Do you also get notifications of new messages? Any parts of it that don't work as they are supposed to?
All tips and insights are welcome!
newts 25/01/2026 11:06 am
you are running the android apps? has anyone run Signal on linux? I run the desktop app on ubuntu and mint, it works well. I couldn't get the apt to work and haven't tried a snap yet. Are snaps recommended for Furios?
newts 26/01/2026 3:34 am
I found the Linux Flare app on the software store installed and authenticated easily with a QR code read by my existing android phone and Signal app.
CaptFuri 27/01/2026 12:17 pm
Signal mostly works for me. It won't let me set the screen lock, but everything else seems to work.
WhatsApp and Signal work for me. I haven't activated "Cloud-Messaging" in microG settings so I just get the messages when I open WhatsApp manually.
Signal uses something different and I saw a notification of new messages regardless not having activated "Cloud-Messaging".
I had to sync my nextcloud contacts with davx in the android container to get the contact details displayed. Otherwise you would just see the phone numbers.
I had some issues restoring my WhatsApp conversations but eventually figured out how to get it to work. See my question on WhatsApp from a week ago.
The issues are primarily to do with running Android and Linux together - again read some of my questions. This is not a highly-polished Android or iPhone device but rather a working Linux phone. There are no deal-breakers that I've found, just some rough edges. It's like being a Linux user in the early 2000s except I think that things will advance rapidly.
The Gnome desktop generally integrates well with Android but there is room for improvement where apps overlap (e.g. phoning, texting, contacts, settings).
Depending on much you want to avoid Google, most Android apps work well. I've got almost everything that I had on my old Android phone (at least of the Apps I installed) and got some Linux apps that I missed). Nothing is missing that I couldn't find an alternative for.
Signal Desktop Flatpak works except it cant handle.files or photos due to a permissions error. Im going to dive deep on this over the next few weeks.
Signal on Android works no problem.
