What Ubuntu Touch is
Ubuntu Touch is a mobile operating system for phones and tablets based on Ubuntu, one of the best-known Linux distributions. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, announced it in 2013 with the goal of creating one system that could run across phones, tablets, and desktop computers. Today it is developed by UBports, a community foundation that took over the project after Canonical stepped away from it.
From Canonical to UBports
The first phones running Ubuntu Touch went on sale in 2015, made by companies including BQ and Meizu. Sales stayed small, and in 2017 Canonical announced it would stop developing the phone system to focus on areas such as the cloud and the internet of things. The UBports community, which had already been porting Ubuntu Touch to more devices, carried development forward from there.
The interface and convergence
Ubuntu Touch uses Lomiri, an interface formerly called Unity 8, built around swipes from the screen edges to switch apps, open the launcher, and reach settings. A key idea behind it is convergence: connect a supported phone to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and the same system adapts into a desktop-style layout with windows. Apps are installed from the OpenStore, the system's community app store.
Running on Android hardware
Most phones that run Ubuntu Touch were designed for Android, so the project relies on a compatibility layer called Halium, which lets a Linux system use the phone's existing Android hardware drivers. That approach makes it possible to support devices such as some Google Pixel, Fairphone, and Volla models. On many devices, Android apps can also run through Waydroid, which runs Android inside a container.
Updates and everyday use
Ubuntu Touch receives updates over the air, much like a mainstream phone, and offers a system free of advertising with an emphasis on privacy. Feature support varies by device, so some phones provide a more complete experience than others. Checking the UBports device list before installing shows which features, such as the camera, fingerprint reader, or mobile data, work on each individual model.
The bottom line
Ubuntu Touch began as Canonical's bold attempt to bring one Linux system to every screen and lives on as a project run by the UBports community. It offers a distinctive gesture-based interface, desktop convergence on supported devices, and a privacy-friendly alternative to Android. For Linux fans and owners of supported phones, it is a capable, community-maintained way to try something genuinely different.
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See also: What is postmarketOS? Explained, What is Linux and why it runs the world.
Sources
Published date reflects the original event date (2026-10-23). This article is original Skillo editorial written from the sources above; facts were verified in September 2026.
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