This is a new series looking at the Volla Phone Quintus running Volla OS. This phone sports a Mediatek Dimensity 7050 with 8 cores, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In this series I’m going to explore the operating system. This is an opinionated blog.
There are two operating systems available for the phone: Volla OS and Ubuntu Touch. Volla OS is an Android-based operating system, whereas Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of Ubuntu. I’m already writing a series on Ubuntu Touch which you can read here. This series will focus on Volla OS.
What’s in the Box?
- Smartphone running Volla OS. Users have a multi-boot option where you can install Volla OS and Ubuntu Touch on the same device (this is only available if the phone has Volla OS pre-installed).
- USB-C cable
- USB-C headphone with microphone
- USB-C to 3.5.mm audio jack adapter
- Transparent protective cover which fits on the back of the phone (the phone has a protective film already applied to the front)
- SIM needle
- Operating instructions in English and German, and a separate guide in French, Spanish, and Italian.
Operating Systems
When it comes to mobile operating systems, you’ve probably already chosen a side. The market is dominated by Android (with about 72% of market share) and the remainder taken up by iOS. Both operating systems are produced by huge American companies (Google and Apple respectively).
From a non-political perspective, there are concerns about both Google and Apple’s privacy policies, business practices, and an almost insatiable desire to control all of our data, all of the time. Factor in political concerns where Google and Apple closely align themselves to President Trump. And coupled with current US trade policies this should serve as a wake-up call for European leaders and consumers.
Many Europeans (and Americans) want alternatives. What are your choices from an Android perspective? There are many Chinese companies that produce inexpensive Android smartphones that aren’t tied to Google. But Western democracies continue to have concerns over national security threats posed by China. For example, the UK’s Prime Minister and his team took burner phones to Beijing this week to combat spying which illustrates the absence of trust.
Volla OS
Volla OS is a possible solution. It’s an open-source Android operating system without Google. It’s developed by a German company. And the phones are manufactured in Germany too. Volla OS is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and is therefore compatible with millions of Android apps. You get VollaOS 15.0 which is Android 15.
I’ll briefly touch on a few key differences with Volla OS. The most immediately apparent is Springboard.
The Volla OS “Springboard” serves as the smart and efficient home screen and launcher for Volla phones, all while prioritizing your privacy. It features an intelligent text box that allows you to quickly make calls, send messages, jot down notes, or look up information online—all without having to dive into various apps. Plus, it offers gestures for quick access to your frequently used functions. It’s very different to the traditional Android launcher.
Just start typing and the phone guesses your intention and suggests completion, functions and suitable content.
Springboard may not suit everyone. If you prefer a more traditional launcher, Volla OS comes pre-installed with Trebuchet. Switch from Springboard to Trebuchet by accessing Settings / Apps / Default Apps / Home app. Or you can install a different launcher.
How does the phone fare without Google?
Here’s a few observations:
- All the apps and their functionality work in the same way as a Google phone. I did need to create a custom mode (allowing all notifications) to reliably receive notifications from certain apps such as WhatsApp.
- As the operating system is de-googled you don’t get Google Play services or Google Cloud. But if you use apps that require those services, there’s microG available, a free-as-in-freedom re-implementation of Google’s proprietary Android user space apps and libraries. microG works well from my testing.
- There are two app stores available, Aurora Store and F-Droid Store. And you can still install Android apps from Google Play if you want. The best of both worlds.
- Fennec and K-9 Mail are pre-installed. Fennec is the standard Volla OS web browser. It’s a privacy-focused fork of Mozilla Firefox for Android removing proprietary components and telemetry trackers. It’s an excellent web browser. K-9 Mail is an email client, but I also installed Thunderbird (as you can see from the above image). K-9 Mail and Thunderbird are becoming the same application on Android, as K-9 is transitioning into “Thunderbird for Android.”
- The operating system uses artificial intelligence in Springboard and for speech recognition. But no data is transferred to a data centre.
- You don’t have a Volla account. All your data is yours with no dependency on cloud services.
- Lots of security improvements such as a dedicated security mode with firewall, protected internet connections, integrated cyber security with a signed and sealed OS, encrypted device storage, and verifiable open source software,
I’m going to explore Volla OS in more detail in subsequent articles in this series, as well as explore Android apps on the phone.