Hey there everyone !

I recently got a Huawei p20 to replace my old dumbphone.

I don’t need most of a smartphone capabilities : no need for emails, GPS, discussion apps and common social apps (Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok, …) What I really need are SMS and calls, and I also like having a camera, a local agenda, a sound recorder and a notepad.

This new phone is pretty cool, and do what I want perfectly, but there is a lot of things that I dont need (un-uninstallable google and huawei apps, and a bunch of other functions). I also lack some options (no true dark mode, and navigation is not intuitive for me).

I recently learned that it is possible to change a smartphone’s OS, and switch to opensources options, like LineageOS or GrapheneOS. If i understood, it could help with my experience, with the device’s performance, and with the privacy/data sending (this is not my priority but i’m always happy if i can avoid generating data for corporations).

I searched a bit, but it seems that some options like GrapheneOS are only available for Google Pixels phones, and LineageOS has only unmaintained options for P20 Pro and P20 Lite (mine is just P20). I also searched for ParanoidOS, ReplicantOS, DivestOS, but none of it featured P20.

I also heard about Android stock, but i could not figure what it was exactly (a basic version of Android delivered by Google ?) : it seems like it could help me improve my experience, though it surely wont do anything on the privacy/data part.

So my questions are :

  • Do you happen to know any OS that might apply to a Huawei P20 (it’s a bit old now, so i guess most of options are not maintained) ?
  • Though it seems to be strongly recommended to avoid using a P20 Pro/Lite build on a P20, would it be possible ?
  • Is it a possible to replace Huawei’s EMUI with “Android Stock” ? If yes, would it be good for me ?

Sorry if some of my questions are naive, i’m not well aware on this subject. Thank you for reading and have a great day !

  • Maharashtra@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    11 months ago

    I own HP20MateLite and frankly, I see no point in tinkering with it.

    Spend a day or three disabling services and applications you don’t need, consider using Simple Mode, and that’s it.

    I have a few alternate ROMs installed on my other phones and I perceive them as double edged sword. On the one hand, you gain plenty, on the other, you need to live with some limitations, or find workarounds. Effectively, you spend similar amount of time and energy to make it work, as you’d sacrifice for adjusting your stock Android.

    • Takapapatapaka@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      It’s just a bunch of little frustrations on my side, not a big deal for sure. Thank you very much for the Simple mode recommandation, I will try, though i think it wont avoid all the defaults i experience. For sure, alternate ROM seem to have a lot of downsides, but as i just need some simple things from a smartphone, i thought i would be less likely to encounter limitations. Anyway, thank you for your answer !

  • nottheengineer@feddit.de
    2·
    11 months ago

    Huawei is actively fighting against your ability to install a custom ROM. They shut down their bootloader unlock process a few years ago, so now you’d have to pay someone to hack it for you.

    Literally any other android phone is better for custom roms, I’d say buying something else is worth it over trying to flash a huawei device.

    • Takapapatapaka@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      11 months ago

      Ok, so that’s the reason why I cannot find much about Huawei custom ROM.

      Thank you for your answer ! I didn’t get to choose this phone, but if i do in the future, i will keep your advice in mind :D