This talk delves into the evolution of Ubuntu Touch on PINE64 devices since its release in 2020. Over the past several years there have been significant changes, both to the development team and the codebase.

The shifts in the UBPorts/PINE64 community stem from the original PinePhone port’s maintainer moving on from the project, which coincided with the release of the PinePhone Pro. This left the community at a crossroads: necessitating the search for a new maintainer and the development of a new port.

A key milestone in this journey was the showcasing of an early-stage community port for the PinePhone Pro running on Ubuntu Touch 20.04 at FOSDEM last year. Since then, a new maintainer has achieved remarkable improvements, including porting 20.04 to the original PinePhone and PineTab, as well as the newly released PineTab2.

This presentation will explore the challenges encountered in integrating new devices, updating existing ones, and the process of harmonizing mainline Linux with Ubuntu Touch. This is particularly crucial as Ubuntu Touch has historically leaned towards devices designed for Android/Halium-based devices, somewhat sidelining mainline Linux in the transition to 20.04. Furthermore, the discussion will extend to the future prospects of this port and its implications for Lomiri on mainline Linux across different distributions.