True. Unfortunately, the next person will ask about if this phone will have the same apps and games as they do on their iOS/Android device. They'll just say, does it have WhatsApp?, Netflix?, Instagram?, Snapchat?, TikTok?, Chrome?, 1Password?, etc, etc.
The fact that it has been admitted that 'it's slow, buggy, and flat out unreliable if you need to be able to receive / answer calls and texts for anything important' tells me that it is even worse than that 'Freedom Phone' since not only the PinePhone can't run the same apps as that, but it runs more sluggish than that.
I'd also write all of them off as garbage 'for now', since none of them can be recommended to the average Joe or Jane.
It has already been admitted that both the PinePhone and the Librem 5 cannot run these apps well enough to justify switching or even recommending them.
What use is a smartphone that claims to run apps (Native apps, Android apps or Web Apps) but runs them much worse than the user's previous device (or can't run them at all)? To the users hoping to make the switch, it feels more like a downgrade; especially PWAs.
For example, in the FAQ, Librem mentions:
> Unlike most mobile apps on Android and iOS, these applications were not written to monetize users' personal data or extract fees from users, and their code is free/open source, so it can be verified that they aren't spyware or contain code that acts against the best interest of their users.
Well it seems that Signal is a known and a widely recommended messaging app which generally doesn't do all the things claimed by Librem, yet many users that use Signal cannot even run it on their Librem 5 or PinePhone. So they will see no point in considering buying any of these phones anyway.
Therefore, these devices are still not ready yet to be considered serious alternatives to Android users or in general. They're going in the right direction, but it will take years of waiting for improvements in the current state of open source smart phones.
Signal apps are an issue, for sure. Signal desktop can run, but it's not fun, because it's not responsive at all. Currently, the best alternative available imho is Axolotl, which is what I use.[0]
> yet many users that use Signal cannot even run it on their Librem 5 or PinePhone
This is really a fault of Signal, because they forbid forks and do not provide a good app for GNU/Linux phones. It's like a walled garden. I do not use Signal for this reason.
So that means I can only wait for Signal to at least work and run fast enough and reliably on Anbox before recommending it to Android users who use Signal to make the switch to either of these phones.
Until then, these users are going to have to be waiting for years of improvements first before jumping onboard a product that they will see as 'unfinished' or 'sluggish' than their previous phone.
The fact that it has been admitted that 'it's slow, buggy, and flat out unreliable if you need to be able to receive / answer calls and texts for anything important' tells me that it is even worse than that 'Freedom Phone' since not only the PinePhone can't run the same apps as that, but it runs more sluggish than that.
I'd also write all of them off as garbage 'for now', since none of them can be recommended to the average Joe or Jane.