Some questions for XA2, Android and more

asked 2019-05-20 15:11:02 +0200

UweLabs
311 ●21 ●27 ●28

Hi,

for quite a long time I used the original Jolla phone without using Android. Now I'm planning to buy a Sony Xperia XA2 and at the moment I'm trying to get some informations. Although there are quite a lot of informations at different sites, there remain some questions I hope I can clarify here. Forgive me in case I ask things, which probably have been discussed in the past.

I never used Android or IOS, so I'm a ignorant in those fields.

In the past -if I remember correctly- it was said that Android is kind of encapsulated from Sailfish OS, in the sense that Android cannot get things saved in the Sailfish part. (E.g. an address book) Is that also correct today?
To get Android apps do I have to create an account for some store or is it possible to get those apps "anonymously" without an account and install them? (Is this wise?)
I understand that the Sailfish X for the XA2 uses Android 8.1. If the original XA2 has Android 9 on it, must I downgrade it before installing the SFOS?

And a general question:

Can I manage two Sailfish devices (the old Jolla and the new XA2) with one Jolla account?

Thank you very much for your answers in advance. Best regards, Uwe.

Comments

Off-Topic : No offence man, but it is never 'informations'. For ever and always....Information

babo ( 2019-05-21 07:42:33 +0200 )edit

answered 2019-05-20 15:48:21 +0200

Nova
598 ●9 ●18 ●29

To try and answer your points (Anyone, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong): 1.) You can choose to share your contacts with Android apps or not, from the Settings app. e.g. Whatsapp can see your Gallery and can then see your contacts too. Not sure what else gets shared between SFOS and Aliendalvik. 2.) From the Jolla Store (Harbour), you can choose "Marketplaces" and choose a preferred Android store to install, no extra account necessary , e.g. "Store" (Aptoide). You can also manually download and install Android APKs, but this comes with risks... I wouldn't suggest it. 3.) Yes. As far as I know, trying to install SFOS on top of Android 9 will brick your XA2 4.) Not sure, but I think you can have more than one device per account, Contact Jolla Support.

P.S. Remember that the SFOS and Aliendalvik (Android) on XA2 is still in Beta and you will possibly still experience some issues. Also, any apps that need Google services will require further tinkering/headaches. Banking apps seem to be a constant issue as well, I cannot comment on that.

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Thanks for your answer. I just saw: when I buy a XA2 now, it has Android 8.0 on it. Is it best before installing SFOS X to update Android 8.0 to 8.1? How can that be done?

UweLabs ( 2019-05-20 18:21:44 +0200 )edit

No. Just works out of the box, you have to dowload the 8.1 firmware from Sony, so you upgrade the needed parts. Wouldn't risk to probably get Android 9.

bionade24 ( 2019-05-20 18:36:54 +0200 )edit

Thank you very much. Is the update to 8.1 dune just with the XA2 itself or do I need to do it with a PC?

UweLabs ( 2019-05-20 18:56:18 +0200 )edit

most banking apps, doesnt work because the phone is rooted. in Germany I use "finanzblick" no google services needed and they dont care about root.

...and to flash sfos. you need a .pc

samsy ( 2019-05-20 20:42:39 +0200 )edit

@UweLabs, the original Android installation that the phone shipped with will be obliterated completely when you flash the phone to Sailfish X. The Android support layer within the Sailfish OS afterwards will be a completely different new "installation" of version 8.1., and you won't be maintaining and updating a legit "Android OS" by yourself on the side of the Sailfish OS afterwards.

The Android support layer based on 8.1 is there only to allow you to run Android apps on your Sailfish phone. You shouldn't expect for an update/upgrade to newer versions whenever one rolls out.

teemu ( 2019-05-20 23:06:27 +0200 )edit

Some questions for XA2, Android and more

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Some questions for XA2, Android and more

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