Smartphones shouldn’t feel like pocket surveillance gear.

[techglimmer@mastodon.social]

Smartphones shouldn’t feel like pocket surveillance gear.

Jolla’s 2026 phone ships with:
- A physical kill switch that cuts mic/camera/Bluetooth at the circuit level
- Sailfish OS 5 (Linux‑based, open, privacy‑respecting)
- User‑replaceable battery + repair‑friendly design

Full review: https://techglimmer.io/jolla-phone-2026-review-kill-switch-privacy-review/

#Jolla #JollaPhone #SailfishOS #FLOSS #Privacy #RightToRepair #Sustainability

[smellsofbikes@mastodon.social]

@techglimmer maybe of interest to @NilaJones

[martinvermeer@fediscience.org]

@techglimmer Beautifully written, appreciated. I will make some footnotes.

Yes, the privacy kill switch is a good thing, but it isn't a total privacy solution. It's still an Internet-connected smartphone with lots of apps that offer a large attack surface. Linux helps, but even Linux can be hacked. And once a hostile actor is inside, it can hear and read what you say, hear, read or write. Even in Signal, which encrypts your data only in transit. Keeping the Internet connection off (what I assume the kill switch does also, both mobile telephony and WiFi) helps, but then, nobody can call you on Signal...

BTW 'You can actually see what the code is doing instead of just taking a company’s word for it.' True in a way, but the dynamic is a bit different. The thing is that _anybody_ who wants to can see and analyse the code, and many will. That helps _you_ even if you're no nerd.

Yes, this phone will draw the curtains on the corporate tech panopticon - and that is good enough for most users - but a motivated state actor? If you're a journalist, activist, or working in defence or intelligence, this phone may be just a good starting point...

[mart_e@mamot.fr]

@techglimmer "Tired of being the product."
I agree, and, on that subject, could you not ask to accept to be tracked by hundreds of partners on your website ?

[lunareclipse@snug.moe]

@techglimmer does it have GPS/GNSS and if so can you cut that out as well?

[kdekooter@mastodon.social]

@techglimmer and yet if you visit their website you are treated with a gazillion tracking cookies

[nieuemma@mastodon.de]

@techglimmer I'll definitely stick to @GrapheneOS

Also fuck all your cookies, techglimmer.

[osma@sigmoid.social]

@martinvermeer Sadly, Sailfish isn't fully open source. Some bits are open, but other parts are closed source, especially in the UI layer and built-in apps.

I'm a Jolla daily user since the original Jolla 1. On my 4th device now (Xperia 10 iii). I like it a lot, but it's not without its problems. I hope that this 2026 phone will give the Jolla developers resources to make the OS even better to match mainstream expectations.

@techglimmer

[chfkch@ruhr.social]

@osma
I will gladly throw some money at them when they at least make the source available.
Open source would be better, but at least making it auditable would mean alot for a very large group of potential buyers.
@martinvermeer @techglimmer

[rochelimit@tilde.zone]

@lunareclipse
You can just safely turn that off if you like, I expect. There're no privacy risks of using GPS et al.
@techglimmer

[flaep@fosstodon.org]

@mart_e @techglimmer yes, came here to say the same. 1000+ "Partners"?