Operating system · Linux
postmarketOS, now called Nura
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Checked against the makers' own pages · Last reviewed October 15, 2026
postmarketOS is a Linux distribution for phones and other devices, based on Alpine Linux. On Sept. 27, 2026 the project renamed itself Nura. It aims to keep older devices useful with mainline Linux, and offers several phone interfaces (GNOME Mobile, Plasma Mobile, Phosh, Sxmo). The latest stable release is v26.06 (June 2026). The project says this release is "geared mainly towards Linux enthusiasts," not people who expect Android-level polish. [1][2][3]
- Android app compatibility
- Android apps only through Waydroid, described as experimental [4]
- Apps
- Alpine Linux packages with GNOME Mobile, Plasma Mobile, Phosh or Sxmo; Android apps via Waydroid (experimental) [2][4]
- Phones it runs on
- Dozens of devices in the community category (PinePhone, PinePhone Pro, Librem 5, Fairphone 4, OnePlus 6...); 254 in testing [2]
- Latest version
- v26.06 (June 2026), based on Alpine Linux 3.24 [2]
On this page
What it is and who makes it
The project describes itself as "The Linux distribution for mobile devices and beyond." It is based directly on Alpine Linux and its mission is to "extend the life of consumer electronics." It says devices "should remain useful until they break," and works on running mainline (standard, upstream) Linux on phones so they don't depend on the maker's updates.
The rename. On Sept. 27, 2026 the project announced: "From now on this project is known as Nura!" The team said "postmarketOS" was hard to pronounce, spell and trademark. The logo stays, with small design fixes, and the new site is Nura.eco. The project says renaming everything will take a while, so you will still see "postmarketOS" in many places. A post on "The Nura Project ASBL" followed on Sept. 28. [1][3][5][6]
How it compares to stock Android
Readiness. The v26.06 release notes say: "if you expect Android or iOS levels of polish, then this is not for you yet." The project's September 2026 roadmap post says mainline Linux on phones works for "highly invested Linux enthusiasts" and asks how to make it "usable for everybody else who just wants a working phone." How much works on a given phone differs; the device categories below reflect that.
Apps. Apps are regular Linux packages from Alpine Linux, used through a phone interface such as GNOME Mobile, Plasma Mobile, Phosh or Sxmo. There is no Google Play Store and no Google services; the project says its system has "no surveillance, no upselling and no 'walled gardens'."
Android apps. The project wiki says Waydroid "is the modern approach to run Android apps on Linux" and is available in v21.12 and newer, but that "Running Android apps on mobile Linux is still kind of experimental, so be prepared to deal with problems." Waydroid has no GPS passthrough by default, and setup uses the command line. The project's own advice is to consider native Linux programs instead.
Google sign-in, banking, payments, Android Auto. The project does not describe support for these.
See phone operating systems compared for every system side by side. [2][3][4][6]
Supported phones
The project sorts devices into "main," "community," "testing," "downstream" and "archived" categories. The main category, for the best-supported devices, has been empty since v24.12. In September 2026 the team set new, stricter requirements for it and named three initial candidates: the Fairphone 5, the Motorola Edge 30 and the Radxa Dragon Q6A board.
The v26.06 community category includes these phones and more:
- PINE64 PinePhone and PinePhone Pro
- Purism Librem 5
- Fairphone 4, Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL, OnePlus 6 and 6T, SHIFT6mq, Samsung Galaxy S9, Xiaomi Poco F1
- Nokia N900 and several Xiaomi and Motorola phones on generic Qualcomm kernels
Another 254 devices are in the testing category. [2][6]
Installing it yourself vs. buying preinstalled
The project does not sell phones. It notes that PINE64 once sold PinePhones with postmarketOS preinstalled. Today you install it yourself following the install page for your device. [1][3]
Project status and news
Stable releases come out twice a year as snapshots of the development branch ("edge"); v25.12 came in December 2025 and v26.06 on June 21, 2026. v26.06 brought GNOME 50, Plasma Mobile 6.6.5, Phosh 0.55.0, systemd 261 and a new boot splash. In 2026 the project also introduced "Duranium," aimed at a more reliable system, and posts monthly progress reports. [2][5]
Phones in our database that run postmarketOS (Nura)
| Phone | Type | Price | Status | US | Carriers | Google apps | OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purism Librem 5Purism · United States5.7" · 3 GB RAM · 32 GB · 4,500 mAh · 262 g | Linux phones | $799 (Liberty Phone: $1,749, on sale from $1,999) | On sale | Yes | T-Mobile | n/a | PureOSAlso runs: postmarketOS (Nura) |
| PINE64 PinePhone ProPINE646" · 4 GB RAM · 128 GB · 3,000 mAh · 215 g | Linux phones | Last listed at $399 (now out of stock) | Discontinued | No | Verizon bandsAT&T bandsT-Mobile bands | n/a | Manjaro Linux (Plasma Mobile)Also runs: postmarketOS (Nura), Ubuntu Touch, Sailfish OS |
Questions people ask
Is postmarketOS the same as Nura?
Yes. The project announced on Sept. 27, 2026 that the operating system formerly known as postmarketOS is now called Nura, with the website at Nura.eco. [1]
Can postmarketOS run Android apps?
Through Waydroid, which the project wiki calls still experimental. The project suggests native Linux apps where possible. [4]
Is postmarketOS ready to use as a daily phone?
The project says its v26.06 release is geared mainly toward Linux enthusiasts and is not yet for people who expect Android or iOS polish. [2]
Sources (6)
- Project rebrand: Nura, Nura (formerly postmarketOS). Checked October 15, 2026.
- v26.06: Alpen Avocado, Nura (formerly postmarketOS). Checked October 15, 2026.
- Nura // real Linux distribution for phones, Nura (formerly postmarketOS). Checked October 15, 2026.
- Waydroid - Nura Wiki, Nura (formerly postmarketOS). Checked October 15, 2026.
- Nura // blog, Nura (formerly postmarketOS). Checked October 15, 2026.
- The road to daily-drivable mainline phones, Nura (formerly postmarketOS). Checked October 15, 2026.