The guys from the UBports project released a few days ago the release of the new version of firmware update Free Touch OTA-13 for all officially supported smartphones and tablets that were equipped with Ubuntu-based firmware.
In this new version improvements to the QtWebEngine browser engine are introduced which has been updated to the 5.14 branch (version 5.11 was previously released), which made it possible to use the latest developments from the Chromium project in the Morph browser and web applications.
At the landmarks JetStream2 and WebAssembly, Morph performance increased by 25%. Restrictions on selecting a single line or word have been removed; you can now place entire paragraphs and arbitrary chunks of text on the clipboard.
The Navigator also add the function of opening downloaded images, documents PDF, MP3 music and text files using the "Open" button on the "Open with" page.
In the configurator, the icon view is returned in the main menul. A similar interface was offered initially, but Canonical replaced it with a two-column configuration view, shortly before the end of their involvement in development. For large screens, the two-column mode is left, but with a small window size, an icon set is now automatically displayed instead of a list.
Work has been done to adapt the components from Ubuntu Touch, like the Lomiri shell (Unity8) and indicators, to work on postmarketOS and Alpine distributions, in which the musl system library is supplied instead of GNU libc.
The changes that have been prepared too have improved overall portability from the base code and will facilitate the migration to the use of Ubuntu 20.04 as the basis for Ubuntu Touch in the future.
Changed splash screens for all basic apps, when started they now show a harmonious indicator instead of a blank white screen.
Address book capabilities have been expanded, where you can now save information about birthdays. Aggregated data is transferred automatically to the calendar and are displayed in the new section "Contacts Birthdays".
The layout of the interface for editing contacts has been redesigned and data entry in new fields has been simplified without moving the on-screen keyboard. The ability to delete a recording, initiate a call, or write a message using gestures is provided (when moving to the left, icons for recording operations appear).
Improved ability to import contact list to Ubuntu Touch by uploading VCF files. When you press the "Call" button in the address book, which opens within the interface for making calls, the call is now made immediately, without showing an intermediate confirmation dialog.
Fixed issues with overflowing SMS and MMS messages, as well as with the recording of sound and the sending of video messages.
Ubuntu Touch now works on IPv6-only networks.
On the phone OnePlus One, the correct determination of the initial state of the proximity sensor is implementedAs well as the screen turns on when the load is connected or disconnected, and the screen turns off when the call begins.
Of the other changes that stand out:
- Added support for putting Nexus 7 2013, Xperia X and OnePlus One devices to sleep by closing the magnetic case and waking them by opening the case.
- Several devices, such as the Nexus 6P, have been expanded to support the flashlight button on the power management indicator.
- The lomiri-ui-toolkit package has improved support for Qt interface skins and icon sets.
- Resumption of loaded applications has been sped up by starting the resume process in asynchronous mode, which does not block the Lomiri shell.
The update has been generated for OnePlus One, Fairphone 2, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 2013, Meizu MX4 / PRO 5, VollaPhone, Bq Aquaris E5 /E4.5/M10 smartphones.
Compared with the previous version, the formation of stable versions for Sony Xperia X / XZ and OnePlus 3 / 3T devices has started.