What is the problem with liunx distros and smartphones?

Question

i wonder why nobody seems to use alternative distros like debian or archlinux on their smartphones. There is the gnome desktop designed as touch interface with enough apps for daily business on a smartphone.

I read that it has something to do with the drivers. But i also read that any android driver is available in the kernels upstream repos and that android is basically just like any other linux distro.

So why is it so difficult or not possible to run an alternative distro on an android smartphone with full access to all peripherals like camera and sensors and so on?

Answer 1

there are several linux distros build especially for phones. A quick google should help provide you with several options.

Answer 2

It's difficult to create a ROM on a phone, because phones are too much different (and often closed), so creating a distro for a phone is even worse and, let me say, useless.

If your problem is privacy you can install a google-free ROM, but if you are just wondering then there are some implementations of linux, just search them.

There's a cool video that you may like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSNGK9gmdpg