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PiPhone - A Raspberry Pi based Cellphone (learn.adafruit.com)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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Any thoughts on building your own phone?

Recently I had the idea of building my own phone with a Raspberry Pi. I started searching and I found this article where someone had already done this. Unfortunately this article is from 2014 and I can't find a newer article with a functional phone with SIM card. At some point this guy says he's running Raspbian. Are there mobile desktops for Debian? Mobian doesn't look very real.I don't want Android although Lineage/etc might be acceptable... (Although now I'm thinking of putting Droidian on an old phone...)

Anyway does anybody have any info, thoughts, or advice on this? Am I a total idiot for wanting to attempt this?

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[–] 18 points 5 months ago (10 children)

In the days of 3G, this was possible. However, LTE and 5G networks will not allow uncertified modems to connect. If you've ever been through getting a Mikrotik LTE router on a North American network, you'll recognize that pain.

Using Mobian (very real, BTW), or PostmarketOS are your best bets at the moment. Easier to reverse-engineer drivers than to go through the hoops of certification.

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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago (5 children)

    The best cell phones use WiFi.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago* (4 children)

    aren't those called tablets? lol

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (3 children)

    Where do I get one thats the size if a phone?

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (2 children)

    any place where you can get electronics; this tablet almost the same size as an iphone 17 pro max

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Is mobian still maintained? I had a quick look a couple days ago and their last blog post was 3+ years ago.

    I have a pine phone that I haven't touched in years. I'd love to daily drive it.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Is mobian still maintained? I had a quick look a couple days ago and their last blog post was 3+ years ago.

    October 2025 by my reckoning.

    https://blog.mobian.org/posts/2025/10/new-stable-rotating-keys/

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