An update
About a day after getting the Kompakt, I posted my first impressions. I loved the idea of the phone, but 24 hours in I wasn’t sure it cleared the bar as a communication device to replace my Pixel 8. I was weighing returning it and coming back in six months, and I asked to be talked out of it if I was missing something obvious. The community and Mudita staff stepped up. Their comments and suggestions made a real difference, and the phone is working much better for me now. I want to acknowledge that up front.
This is the longer follow-up: what works, what still doesn’t, and what I’m waiting on.
I still love the idea
The Kompakt is built on a principle I fully agree with: a phone shouldn’t be designed to create screen time. It shouldn’t be the thing you pick up to check one message and put down forty minutes later, after scrolling past content you won’t remember. Mudita chose not to enable any of that, and I applaud them for it.
I didn’t come to the Kompakt to kick a habit. My Pixel already had no Instagram, no Facebook, no Twitter, nothing. I bought the Kompakt to support a company trying to do something different, and to find out whether a purpose-built minimal phone could be my everyday phone.
This is my opinion, based on my own use. It isn’t a spec-sheet review.
Yes, I’m compromising
Yes, a minimal phone is about compromise. I’m back to carrying physical cards and paying with them. I can’t store tickets on the phone, so I get paper copies. Those are real trade-offs and I’ve accepted them. That’s what a minimal phone asks of you.
But there’s a line. A lot of what we rely on our phones for has nothing to do with scrolling:
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Getting a message from family
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Waking up on time
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Logging in to your bank
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Paying for parking where the app is the only way to pay
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Getting driving directions in the car, or on the bus
None of that creates screen time. It’s the phone doing its job and getting out of the way, which is exactly what a minimal phone is supposed to be good at. The question isn’t “Can it replace my Pixel?” It’s “Can it reliably handle the things a minimal phone has to handle for someone living a normal, everyday life?”
How each use case is evaluated
Each use case starts with a list of what I think it needs to cover. Then:
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Reality: my experience with what the Kompakt actually does, stock and with sideloaded apps: what works well, what doesn’t, and the workarounds
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Promised: what Mudita has said is coming in 1.6, 2.0 or 2.x (see Sources at the end)
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Verdict:
Ready · 
Usable with compromises · 
Not ready
1. Communication (first and foremost)
The non-negotiable. If a minimal phone can’t do this well, nothing else matters.
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Calls (quality, reliability, VoLTE/Wi-Fi calling, voicemail)
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SMS/MMS (group texts, pictures)
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Messaging apps people use (Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc)
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Email: still a primary channel for a lot of communication (accounts, sync, attachments, etc)
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Notifications: do messages, emails and calls reliably reach you, promptly and without being missed or delayed? Can you control which apps are allowed to interrupt you?
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Do Not Disturb with exceptions: silence everything (overnight, in a meeting) except a handful of favorite contacts who can always get through
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Contacts: sync with the service you already use (no manual import), and stay clean and reliable
Reality:
Overall, I find it very usable. The basics are there, but the everyday workflow needs more work.
What works
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Phone calls work. I rely on VoLTE, and it works well.
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SMS and MMS work.
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I sideloaded the FUTO keyboard and get voice-to-text that runs locally on the phone. It works well enough.
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I sideloaded WhatsApp and it runs.
What doesn’t
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Notifications. Out of the box, a new text is just a sound with nothing on screen. I had to sideload the Katapult launcher to get badges for texts and missed calls, and even then they don’t reliably clear once I’ve seen them. (D4)
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No voicemail indicator. I have no idea whether someone left me a message. (D9)
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No RCS. I understand RCS is hard to implement, but people who send me RCS messages have to be told to switch to SMS/MMS. It’s a pain, but doable. (D12)
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Tapping a text notification doesn’t open that text. It takes me to whatever conversation I was last looking at. (D13)
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Contacts. They get duplicated if I interact with that person, merging them breaks things, and the only fix is to delete everything and re-import. (D5)
Do Not Disturb, except the people who matter
On Android, I can silence everything, like a night-time mode, and still let my favorites through. I love that feature, because I always want my kids to be able to reach me. Always. The Kompakt can’t do this today. (D3) That’s why the hardware Offline+ switch doesn’t really work for me: it cuts everyone off, including my kids. So I can’t filter out the noise without also making myself unreachable to the very small handful of people who need to reach me. This is a critical feature for me. I understand if others don’t want it. But I was thinking about recommending this phone to my parents, who are seniors, and without this feature I don’t think I can.
Contacts should sync, not import
My contacts live in one place, and I use them everywhere in my desktop life. I don’t want to import them onto the phone. I just want them to sync.
Today the only way in is importing, and contact management is broken: contacts get duplicated, merging them breaks things, and the fix is to wipe everything and start over. (D5, D10) A communication device has to manage contacts reliably. That’s the foundation calls, texts and WhatsApp all sit on.
Google Contacts sync is on the 2.x roadmap, and it can’t come soon enough. 
Sideloaded apps deserve better support
WhatsApp is a good example. Many of our social groups live on WhatsApp. That isn’t about scrolling. It’s about not making everyone else change how they talk to you. People will sideload it, so the Kompakt should support that better. Right now the notification and contact problems (D4, D5) hit these apps too.
Email: not yet tested.
Promised:
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1.6: A voicemail indicator on the Phone app icon and in call history, plus voicemail access from the Phone app (compatible networks, mainly North America). This should fix D9.
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1.6: A single switch to turn off notification vibrations, and unspecified “reliability fixes” for Messages and Contacts.
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2.x: Google Contacts sync (D10), custom notification sounds, Do Not Disturb. The roadmap doesn’t say whether Do Not Disturb will let favorites through. (D3)
Verdict: Usable with compromises
2. Transportation
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Turn-by-turn navigation (driving, walking, cycling)
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Public transit (routes, schedules, real-time arrivals, transit passes)
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Ride sharing (Uber, Lyft, etc)
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Parking apps: in a lot of places, the app is the only way to pay for parking. There’s no meter and no pay station. This makes parking a necessity, not a nice-to-have.
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Do they install (sideloaded), run, and take payment?
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Do they send reminders when your session is about to expire, and let you extend it? (This depends on notifications working; see D4.)
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Can they use location to find the right parking zone?
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Can you scan the QR code on the parking sign to pay? (see QR codes in cross-cutting concerns)
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Reality:
Not yet tested. I haven’t used maps yet. I’m waiting for the 1.6 update, which has release notes specific to maps. Its rollout is currently paused until a 1.6.1 hotfix is out, with no date given. If I don’t have to sideload a navigation app, that’ll be great, but it’s to be determined. I have not tried any ride sharing or parking apps yet. I do anticipate that ride sharing will be a problem as they likely rely on Google services, but the forums to suggests there is an answer here. I do expect my parking apps will work.
Promised:
- 1.6: A guided Maps setup the first time you open it (location permissions and A-GPS), approximate location while a precise fix is found, better address search for regional address formats, and driving as the default mode.
Verdict: TBD (waiting on 1.6) and I still need to try parking and ride sharing.
3. Music & Audio
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Local music playback
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Streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)
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Podcasts
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Audiobooks
Bluetooth audio (critical)
This is how most of us actually listen to music and podcasts, especially in the car. If Bluetooth is flaky, the whole music use case falls apart.
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Car stereo pairing, and reliable auto-reconnect when you start the car
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Track controls from the car and steering wheel (play/pause/skip)
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Track info shown on the car display (song, artist, podcast title)
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Hands-free calling through the car (this ties back to Communication)
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Headphones and earbuds: pairing, stability, audio quality
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Switching between devices, and the connection not dropping mid-drive
Reality:
I use Spotify only. Given how popular it is, I expect compatibility to be one of the Kompakt’s stronger points, and it does work.
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The Spotify interface is hard to use on E Ink. That’s not Mudita’s fault: Spotify only offers a dark theme, and E Ink needs a light background. Spotify needs a light-background option.
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Once Spotify is started, it keeps running in the background until you reboot. There’s no way to close it. (D7)
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Sometimes a notification stops the music, and it doesn’t come back on. It’s an annoyance: you just hit play again. (D15)
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The phone can’t rotate to landscape, which would make apps like Spotify easier to use. (D14)
Where I’d put the effort
Personally, I’d invest less in the “load up your MP3s” workflow and more in better integration with streaming services. From what I see around me, almost everyone streams their music and podcasts now, and the people loading their own MP3s are a very small minority. The roadmap’s planned music player improvements (“enhanced playback, controls, and library management”) look aimed at local files, when arguable the much bigger win would be making the streaming apps people use work well.
Promised:
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2.0: Android app management: “Close apps running in the background or uninstall those you no longer need.” This should fix D7 (and D8).
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2.x: Music player improvements: “Enhanced playback, controls, and library management.”
Verdict: Usable with compromises
4. Calendar & Scheduling
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Calendar sync (Google, iCloud, Outlook/Exchange)
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Event reminders and notifications
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Accept/reject invite
Reality:
I would not have bought this phone without the announcement of Google Calendar support. For me (and I have to assume most everyone), a local calendar isn’t useful. My schedule lives in my actual calendars, and a calendar that isn’t connected to them is not a feature.
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There’s no native sync with Google Calendar (or any other calendar service) today. (D1)
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There’s a DAVx⁵ workaround, but I’m going to wait for native integration. Calendar sync is table stakes.
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After installing the Katapult launcher, I appear to have two calendars, and neither of them is useful. (D16)
Until it syncs with my real calendars, I won’t even open the calendar app.
Promised:
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1.6: Separate vibration settings for each alarm, and unspecified Calendar reliability fixes.
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2.0: Two-way Google Calendar sync: “Check your schedule and add events directly on the phone.”
Verdict: Not ready
5. Authentication & 2FA
A lot of people keep a smartphone only because their logins depend on it. If the Kompakt can’t handle this, it can’t be anyone’s only phone.
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Authenticator apps (TOTP: Google Authenticator, 2FAS, etc.). Setup almost always means scanning a QR code.
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Scanning a QR code to log in or link a device (e.g., linking Signal or WhatsApp to a computer)
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Vendor-specific apps (Microsoft Authenticator, Duo, Okta, bank security apps)
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SMS verification codes
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Passkeys
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Password manager autofill (filling passwords into apps without copy and paste)
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“Sign in with Google” and other single sign-on (OIDC) in apps
Reality:
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Password manager: I sideloaded Bitwarden (my choice for a paasword manager), and it runs. But when I signed in to Spotify, I had to copy and paste my password manually. I didn’t find the autofill integration you get with stock Android, though I may just not have found the setting. If anyone in the community knows how to get autofill working, let me know.
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2FA: Not yet tested. I haven’t installed an authenticator app on the phone; I use a browser extension on my desktop.
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Passkeys: Not yet tested. I have a use case for them and will report back.
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Sign in with Google: I’d love OIDC support, like Sign in with Google. Most of my apps would use it. In stock Android, I’m pretty sure this relies on Google Play Services, which the Kompakt doesn’t have. I read that the community workaround requires unlocking the bootloader and rooting the phone. I’m not doing that. For anyone whose work or personal accounts depend on single sign-on, this is likely a deal breaker. (D2)
Verdict: TBD
6. Alarms
The phone is the alarm clock now. I don’t want to be relying on a hotel alarm clock, or wondering whether my phone will actually wake me up.
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Alarms go off every time, with no exceptions: in silent mode, in do-not-disturb, overnight, and after a restart or update
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Loud enough to wake you
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Recurring schedules (weekdays, specific days) and multiple alarms
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Snooze that behaves predictably
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Handles travel correctly (time zone changes, daylight saving)
Verdict: TBD: Not yet tested
Defect/Gap log
A running list of what I’ve actually run into. Severity is a first pass and can be adjusted.
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Blocker: makes the use case fail
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Major: needs a workaround, or puts data at risk
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Minor: an annoyance
Note: I can’t seem to get the table to render properly. Here’s the table in edit mode.
| ID | Defect | Workaround | Promised fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | No native calendar sync (Google, iCloud or Outlook). The built-in calendar is local only. | DAVx⁵ (sideloaded) | 2.0 (Google Calendar two-way sync) |
| D2 | No “Sign in with Google” or other single sign-on (OIDC) in apps, because the phone has no Google Play Services. | I read something about microG, which requires unlocking the bootloader and rooting the phone | None |
| D3 | No Do Not Disturb that lets favorite contacts through. Offline+ cuts everyone off, including family who must always be able to reach you. | None | 2.x (Do Not Disturb; exceptions for favorites not specified) |
| D4 | Stock notifications are sound only. Even with Katapult (v1.5) sideloaded, notification badges (texts, missed calls) don’t reliably clear after you’ve seen them. Also affects sideloaded apps like WhatsApp. | Sideload katapult-v1.5-release.apk. This only partly fixes it. |
None. |
| D5 | Contacts get duplicated when you interact with that person. Merging the duplicates breaks things. | Delete all contacts and re-import. Don’t merge. | Contacts reliability fixes (1.6) |
| D6 | Voice recordings can’t be exported. No audio files show up in Mudita Center. | None known | Voice Recorder reliability fixes (1.6); export not mentioned |
| D7 | You can’t see or close running apps. Spotify keeps running in the background until you reboot. | Reboot the phone. | 2.0 (close background apps) |
| D8 | Apps can’t be uninstalled. | None known | 2.0 (uninstall apps) |
| D9 | No voicemail indicator. You can’t tell whether you have a message. | Check voicemail manually. | 1.6 (voicemail indicator) |
| D10 | No contact sync. Contacts can only be imported, not synced with Google or another service you use everywhere else. | Import manually (and re-import after D5). | 2.x (Google Contacts sync) |
| D11 | Weather shows “No Weather Data” until you tap the weather icon. | Tap the icon to refresh it. | Weather reliability fixes (1.6) |
| D12 | No RCS support. | Ask RCS senders to switch to SMS/MMS. | None |
| D13 | Tapping a text notification opens the last conversation you viewed, not the new message. | Navigate to the message manually. | None specific |
| D14 | The screen can’t rotate to landscape. Phones should just be able to do this, and some apps are easier to use sideways. | None | None |
| D15 | A notification sometimes stops music playback, and it doesn’t resume. | Hit play again. | None |
| D16 | After installing the Katapult launcher, two calendar apps appear, and neither is useful. | None | None |
Conclusion
Where things stand today:
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Communication:
Usable with compromises -
Music & Audio:
Usable with compromises -
Calendar:
Not ready -
Transportation: TBD, waiting on 1.6
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Authentication: TBD, still testing
I want to thank Mudita for extending my trial period. I’m excited for 1.6 and 2.x, and I’m hoping they tackle much of what I’ve described here. I also want to thank them for their transparency. They communicate well, with a public roadmap, clear release notes, and staff who answer on the forum. That’s worth a tonne. I’ll most likely keep this phone. The trial period may not be long enough for it to become my daily driver, but all indications are that the Kompakt will get there. I just need to be patient.
Lastly, as an experienced software engineer, I’d love to see a process for the community to contribute and help accelerate some of this. I can probably help, and I doubt I’m the only one.
Sources
What Mudita has promised for 1.6, 2.0 and 2.x comes from:
It’s encouraging to hear that the suggestions from the community and our team have made a real difference in your first ten days with Mudita Kompakt.