Installation
This page goes over the process of installing postmarketOS on your device.
What to expect
In its current stage, postmarketOS is for Linux enthusiasts. The experience will not be as polished as running Android or iOS. Expect serious bugs like calls not working, SMS not arriving, alarm clock not working, etc. For some devices, primarily in the "testing" category, features like calls may not work at all. Do not use this on your main phone if you rely on its functionality.
It is expected that you are comfortable with using the Linux terminal. On this wiki, you may find commands prefixed with $ or #. These characters shouldn't be copied - they indicate whether that command should be run as a regular user($), or as root(#).
For example, the following tells you to execute the command "ls" as a regular user:
$ ls
Finding your device
Before you begin installing postmarketOS, make sure to read your device's wiki page. It contains a lot of useful information, such as a list of supported features and installation methods. You can find it by checking the Devices list or by using the search feature on the wiki.
If you cannot find your device on the wiki, or if it's listed as non-booting, it is likely unsupported. If you're adventurous, you can follow the Porting guide to add support for your device.
Choosing a release channel
There are usually two release channels of postmarketOS available:
- stable - the stable release, based on the latest Alpine Linux version. Currently, the latest stable release is v24.06.
- edge - the rolling-release version, based on Alpine Linux's edge repositories. Gets the latest updates as soon as they hit the package repositories, and can thus be less stable. Expect breakages - see postmarketos.org/edge for more information.
If you're unsure, go with the stable release (if available); you can switch to the edge branch later.
Choosing an installation method
There are two primary methods of installing postmarketOS. You can:
- Quickest and simplest option - no configuration needed, flash it and you're good to go
- Provides more customization options: select your own UI, pre-installed packages, options for developers/advanced users
Other options include:
- Installing through the postmarketOS web flasher - only available for a few devices with pre-built images, requires a browser with WebUSB support
- Installing through the recovery using Android-recovery compatible .zip - see Installation from recovery mode
- Installing through the UBports Installer (only available for a few devices in the main/community repositories) - select postmarketOS in the OS selection dropdown