Since https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1gdhy7u/experimental_flathub_release_of_newpipe_on_linux/ got a bit of traction yesterday, this is WhatsApp straight from Meta running on Linux desktop using android-translation-layer.
android-translation-layer (ATL) is a Wine-like approach to run Android applications on Linux. Rather than running an Android container like for example Waydroid does this instead implements the Android API. Note that right now it’s very much work in progress and almost no app will work yet, but the fact that they have apps like Newpipe and WhatsApp running already is very promising!
Join the Matrix chat at #android-translation-layer:matrix.org and follow along!
Looks fantastic but how much are apps sandboxed? I don’t want WhatsApp to see all my files for example.
and i cant even get Whatsapp to run because my phones bootloader is unlocked… life is unfair
yeah you see, the issue is, i need Whatsapp for my family, friends and work. i’d rather not use WhatsApp but i aint got a choice (yet, afaik Whatsapp will be forced to work with other apps)
It sure is a popular app regionally. Lots of people in different countries I know use it interchangeably at this point: when they say text, they mean whatsap. I get it.
But I will not support Meta, there is a line. I don’t need family or friends that cannot use open source alternative. Worse case, I just drop back to sms.
But work requires it? Or you happen to have work that needs to support many customers? I suppose I could see that, but work would then be a completely separate phone only for that purpose.
WhatsApp just says i dont have the official version, even tho i got the apk litterally from their own damn website
Amazing stuff, having Whatsapp on desktop linux would be nice.
This Android Translation Layer looks amazing for Linux phones. Waydroid is already pretty awesome, but it’s just running full fat Android on top of your Linux system and has all the limitations that brings (poor to no notification integration with the host system, poor integration of filesystem, extra resource usage for all of the Android services, issues with power management and suspend, inability to change resolution on the fly, poor integration with host onscreen keyboard, etc). I’ve used Waydroid on postmarketOS and it’s nice to be able to have Android apps available, but it almost feels like still carrying around a second phone, just that second phone is virtual. Something like ATL sounds like it properly integrates Android apps into the host OS. I need to give this a try soon.
