Waydroid is a container-based approach to boot a full Android system on Ubuntu Touch (and other Linux systems) running Wayland based desktop environments.
While I really like Ubuntu Touch, it only has a small range of apps although Libertine gives a much wider range of desktop apps. Many users will, at some point, still want to run Android apps on the phone. Waydroid is a good solution although it’s not perfect.
Installing Waydroid on the Volla Phone Quintus is really straightforward. Access the OpenStore on the phone and install the Waydroid Helper app. Open that app, and tap Install Waydroid option.
Besides installing Waydroid, Waydroid Helper also lets you add (and remove) icons for installed Android apps to the app drawer, so you can launch an Android app in the same way as an Ubuntu Touch app. Waydroid will automatically start too. It’s also worth installing the Waydroid Stop app (which is the third menu option).
One issue that crops up in forums about running Waydroid is the battery drain. I wanted to see how this impacts the Volla phone.
First, I closed all open apps on the phone. I charged the battery to 100%, left Wi-Fi on, but turned off Bluetooth. I started Thunderbird with Waydroid, disconnected the USB-C power cable, and left the phone untouched for 12 hours.
As the screenshot shows, the battery only fell 7% over the 12 hour period. Given there would be battery drain if no apps are running, it seems that leaving Waydroid open for long periods is perfectly viable.
The biggest drawback with Waydroid is that notifications don’t get out of the container. I hope this gets addressed in a subsequent update.
All articles in the series:
| Volla Phone Quintus | |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Introduction to the series and interrogation of the phone |
| Ubuntu Touch | A Brief Overview of the Apps Pre-installed |
| Libertine | Run Linux Desktop Applications on the phone |
| Waydroid battery life | Run Android applications on the phone |
| Lots more articles are currently being prepared | |