The UBports developers (which took over the development of the Ubuntu Touch mobile platform after Canonical retired) they have made known recently the new firmware update OTA-15.
The launch is formed on the basis of Ubuntu 16.04 (The OTA-3 build was based on Ubuntu 15.04, and from OTA-4, the transition to Ubuntu 16.04 was made), although it is mentioned that the expected transition from Qt 5.9 to 5.12 in this version has been postponed to OTA-16, after which work will begin to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 components.
As of the release of OTA-16, support for the obsolete Oxide web engine will also be discontinued (based on QtQuick WebView, which has not been updated since 2017), which has long been replaced by an engine based on QtWebEngine, to which all the basic Ubuntu Touch applications have been carried over.
The project is also developing an experimental port of the Unity 8 desktop, which has been renamed Lomiri.
Main news of Ubuntu Touch OTA-15
Of the main novelties that we can find in this new version, is the continuous work to improve device compatibility (driver transfer and bug fixes) shipped with Android 9.
Well, the kernel configuration has been changed to improve the sound quality, Besides that se fixed issues with oFono's phone stack settings related to the automatic configuration of APNs for data transmission through a cellular operator.
It is also mentioned that the sending of USSD codes has been established, They are used to check the status of the rate and contact the telecommunications operator services.
Morph browser has redesigned completely the tab switching interface, which makes it more convenient to delete tabs, added the ability to switch tabs by sliding motion from bottom to top on the screen.
And of the solved problems those related to the preview of the tab are mentioned, in addition to that the interface was modified with domain-specific settings, in which the recently used domains are moved up and support was added to access the Ubuntu Touch clipboard from JavaScript.
Of the other changes that stand out from this new version:
- A handler for MMS related errors has been implemented and notification of failure when receiving MMS has been added.
- Through a Bluetooth headset the ability to make calls and the function of a second call to the last number dialed are established.
- The compilation of devices based on the arm64 architecture, solves the problem of displaying digital numbers in the list of missed calls instead of names in the address book.
- Improved dark theme.
Finally, if you want to know more about it on releasing this new firmware update, you can visit the following link.
Get Ubuntu Touch OTA-15
Ubuntu Touch OTA-15 update is formed for smartphone OnePlus One, Fairphone 2, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus July 2013, Meizu MX4 / PRO 5, VollaPhone, Bq Aquaris E5 / E4.5 / M10, Sony Xperia X / XZ, OnePlus 3 / 3T, Xiaomi Redmi 4X, Huawei Nexus 6P and Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet, as well as compared to the previous version, has started the formation of stable builds for Google Pixel 3a, OnePlus Two, F devices ( x) tec Pro1 / Pro1 X, Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
Separately, without the "OTA-15" tag, updates will be prepared for Pine64 PinePhone and PineTab devices.
For existing Ubuntu Touch users on the stable channel they will receive the OTA update through the System Configuration Updates screen.
While, in order to receive the update immediately, just enable ADB access and run the following command on 'adb shell':
sudo system-image-cli -v -p 0 --progress dots
With this the device will download the update and install it. This process may take a while, depending on your download speed.