Would it be possible to dumb down a linux phone? (feddit.it)

submitted 1 day ago by dontblink@feddit.it to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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Regardless of the distribution, would it be possible to have a phone that can be simplified to include only the features you want? For example, I would only want a calendar, notes, a calculator, calls and messages. I wouldn’t want a browser, an app store or any other way to easily install them. Is this possible on a Linux mobile distro? Does it require a lot of work, like making a specific distro for it?

Linux feels like a great option for this because it can leave enough freedom to dumb down what you don't need while also keeping a big level of customization, not everyone needs are the same regarding to dumbphones

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[-] Kirk@startrek.website 5 points 1 day ago

It's definitely possible. It's possible with a custom Android ROM.

There are are also a few phones in existence now that do basically what you request: https://www.thelightphone.com/lightiii

this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2026

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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