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by muxator 2054 days ago
Just a few days ago I thought about using termux-api to do a quick poc for a monitoring application. Namely, I wanted to send an SMS when an event occurred.

Termux-api used to offer this [0], but apparently some time ago google decided to make it impossible:

> Usage of this API is no longer allowed by Google and we had to disable it to prevent delisting of Termux:API application from the Google Play.

It's my device, my SMS plan over a (supposedly) open source system. But it's the vendor's platform, and a huge part of it is proprietary (the play services).

This is the windows monopoly all over again, but in our pockets and with deep analytics backed in.

OK sorry, this ended being a rant. Is there an escape hatch? When will we have a credible free software mobile operating system?

[0] https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Termux-sms-send
2 comments
_underfl0w_ 2054 days ago
Termux:API is available on F-Droid. Maybe the functionality exists in that version?
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muxator 2054 days ago
I fear not. My termux is installed from f-droid.
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trynewideas 2054 days ago
It was removed from termux-api in 0.32: https://github.com/termux/termux-api/compare/v0.31...v0.32

Discussed in termux-api issue #257: https://github.com/termux/termux-api/issues/257

Unless you build it yourself with the functionality restored, you can't use it. Termux maintainers are just that dedicated to targeting Google Play first.

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lytedev 2054 days ago
You can buy Linux phones right now!
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arminiusreturns 2054 days ago
Any thoughts on the best options for those of us wanting one? It seems pretty much to be Pinephone or Librem 5, are there others? Both are preorder only. Anything generally available?
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opan 2054 days ago
PinePhones have periodic batches, not sure if that's considered a pre-order exactly.

Check out the devices[0] list on the postmarketOS wiki to see which Android phones and other things have support. In general none of them will work as well as the PinePhone, because Pine isn't fighting this sort of thing the way most manufacturers are, but it could be a fun thing to look into if you own anything already supported. You could also port it to a device not yet on the list if you're up for it.

[0] https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Devices

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