Totally! I’m curious too. Which “other devices” are you thinking of @kcr? In all my research for a compact e-ink phone that still has full gApps, I haven’t found these other devices you keeps implying exist. If you’ve got specific models, I’d genuinely love to see them.
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Well, tinkerers are usually type of people that went through all the possible option that are less effort to get what they need - sometimes combined with high expectations, sometimes with a precise sole requirement. Even if MK doesn’t have it all, it’s a pretty decent starting point.
At some point though, “out the box” doesn’t matter any more. For example, if you wanted a super secure smartphone, you could pay over a thousand bucks for one out of the box, but can as well get one for $250 and spend some time on tinkering. Time is money, eventually.
Back to the point, I think Minimal Phone supports what it has to, but it’s bigger and must have come with other drawbacks big enough that some individuals went in the direction of fiddling with Kompakt.
If you took an example of “a phone with Signal”, Punkt MP02 indeed sounds like it fits, but ask those who already gave it a try.
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Well, I can tell you that I got this phone with the expectation that notifications would work with 3rd party apps. I needed a phone just for calls/sms/messaging (Whatsapp, Viber). Unfortunately notifications are TERRIBLE: sometimes they work, sometimes they do not work, no visual indicator at all, even with inkOS (Whatsapp constantly reloads the notifications showing that I have a gazillion unread messages, where in fact I don’t - yes, I know it’s not inkOS fault, it’s Mudita OS…).
Generally speaking Mudita OS is very buggy and you can either fight/accept the bugs somehow or go for a full blown android version. It’s still a minimalist phone then, but it just works.
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@arcana What apps do you have sideloaded? I’m curious as to what is happening in your case because I have BOTH Signal & WhatsApp sideloaded & I do get an audible notification whenever I get a message.
Well, I hate audio notifications (except for calls/sms). I prefer simply a way to look (not hear) them when i look at the phone (it should be distraction free experience after all). But currently what I must do is open whatsapp, then open viber, then open outlook, etc. Tried the notifications drawer of inkos but for some reason the notifications get reset all the time, showing i have a million unread messages (where it’s not the case).
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I’m sorry, to be nosey, but what do you use WhatsApp for if not for calls & messages (sms)? Am I missing something?
By phone/sms i refer to the native phone capability. I use whatsapp for messaging (nothing to do with sms which is a text protocol native in phones since the 90ies). People confuse SMS with whatsapp, viber, and other messaging like services but it’s completely different. Anyway the point is that only audio notifications work for 3rd party apps. And it’s not convenient at all. You missed the sound, you lost the whatsapp message. And if your whatsapp notifications are set to silent then… nothing. No visual indicator at the OS level, like a normal Android phone.
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Even thought it’s marketed as “minimalist,” not everyone purchases it for that specific reason. In my case, I bought it because I like the small form factor and love e-ink. I hate squinting at a shiny screen in the sunlight.
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Hi did you get any further with this regarding using newer images and “further development”
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@jayloofah where can I follow for the latest on this?
I’d like to know what fallback options I have in case Mudita stop supporting the device (also concerned by the lack of security patches).
Thanks
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I would also like to investigate further, having done more research it seems, the lack of security patches, is more of a risk than I thought it was.
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It’s a huge risk, and one that Mudita is not addressing other than saying “Trust us, bro” regarding their security patches, which maybe come twice a year. For a company that boasts about the Kompakt’s side loading capabilities, the security on this device is a mere bandaid, if that, and not many people are aware of this.
The phone runs Android 12, which is no longer supported by Google, meaning the device does not receive security updates from Google. It’s crazy to see people on this forum downloading email apps and other communication apps, such as WhatsApps. I wouldn’t take the chance at all.
I recently returned the Kompakt, and the biggest motivation was the device being on Android 12 and Mudita refusing to update the Kompakt to Android 13 or higher. Worst is the bi-yearly updates from Mudita. This phone should be receiving security patches monthly. But even if that were the case, who knows what actual security measures Mudita implements (which, by the way, do not extend to third-party apps).
The Kompakt could be such a great device if the team genuinely cared about security and privacy.
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It’s a unique device. I think there’s a few ways to look at software development, security, support, and hardware capabilities considerations. It is easier to fail than it is to succeed.
I would like to see developing it to work well for people who are using it out of the box and then the supporting the community that is tailoring it to their needs but both are going on.
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What do you mean by risk?
Is it a risk out of the box or risk for side loading?
Something else?
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There is a definite risk to side loading anything, where unpatched vulnerabilities can be more easily exploited. Exploits are very much still possible out of the box without additional apps, and Mudita are actively pushing for the development of third-party apps now ( Calling Developers: Design Apps for Intentional Technology Use ).
In supporting side-loading, Mudita need to ensure they keep on top of security patches, or otherwise consider providing their own official downstream Lineage OS build if they don’t have the resources to maintain an OS themselves.
I’m still within 14-day return period, awaiting some kind of update regarding v1.5 and future security patches. Most likely will be returning if there’s no communication, which is a shame as I enjoy the hardware..
@urszula can we have an official update please? If the hardware will not be supported properly, I assume Mudita will be providing the community with full access to closed source OS components or exploring a community-driven OS, so that this device doesn’t just become e-waste. I shouldn’t be having this concern only a few days after buying into a product/ecosystem.
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Just to note, Mudita has open-sourced their build overlay for ASOP GitHub - mudita/MuditaOS-K-Kernel-opensource · GitHub for 1.4 at least.
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I would set it aside and wait rather than return. It may be hard to get a Kompakt with these capabilities in the future. I am considering getting a second one, maybe different color, just to have.
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As I understand it asop 12 has many vulnerabilities due to its age, and needs regular patches to maintain security, as several others have pointed out.
I believe there’s an argument to be made for mitigating the risk by running the Kompakt completely stock and not side loading anything at all, as there would be no data present to be compromised, and this is the why Mudita are only updating things that are relevant to the original / base os, this is pretty much what they said in the response to pressure in this forum from users complaining about upgrade to web view and the Mudita os
However most owners required a minimum of one or two apps to make the Kompakt a viable device.
Personally I got the Kompakt for its privacy features and lack of Google telemetry, which it still does well., but sms needs to be replaced with an encrypted messaging app as a bare minimum, an old Nokia or a flip phone would offer the same functionality as the Kompakt with nothing sideloaded, at a fraction of the of the cost
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how do you find the Kompakt runs on lineage, is it still stable? How does it compare in terms of updates to the aosp we are currently running?
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I agree with much of what you are saying, I still have my flip phone and a new one is 1/10 the cost of the Mudita, it does everything I needed a phone but texting was really difficult on it. The Mudita out of the box works well, it has more than I need…
Mudita’s not my company, and it’s their prerogative on how they manage the product, just as it is ours to return it and complain. The user community is listened to. I think there is growing pains we are experiencing together.
I remember when the iPhone and Androids were in their earlier forms they were lacking functions and settings that now people have come to expect.
I don’t know what percentage of Kompakt buyers get it with plans to sideload apps or plan to develop their own apps, but a good number of people in this forum express the desire.
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