UBports Releases Ubuntu Touch 24.04‑2.0 (OTA 2.0) – A Major Update After 9 Years

Release Overview

On 24 July 2026 the UBports Foundation announced Ubuntu Touch 24.04‑2.0 (OTA 2.0), the most polished release since Canonical abandoned the project in 2017. The update upgrades the Morph browser from Chromium 87 to Chromium 134, adds notch and rounded‑corner avoidance, a screenshot editor, printing support, Widevine DRM, and enables fscrypt v2 encryption.

Historical Timeline

A timeline shows key milestones from the 2011 “convergence” vision, the 2013 launch of Ubuntu Touch, the failed Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding in 2013, Canonical’s 2017 decision to drop phone development, the formation of UBports, and subsequent releases leading to the 2026 OTA 2.0.

Six Major Updates

1. Morph Browser upgrade

Engine jumps 47 major versions to Chromium 134, allowing modern websites to load and improving Web‑App compatibility. Because of the large engine change the system ships both old and new engines, increasing storage usage and temporarily dropping support for some devices.

2. Notch and rounded‑corner handling

UI now respects display cut‑outs and rounded corners on devices such as Fairphone 4/5 and Volla phones; however, landscape notch avoidance still fails and notification icons may be clipped.

3. Lomiri Shell screenshot editor

After taking a screenshot the system automatically opens an editor for cropping, rotating and colour adjustment, with an option to disable it in settings.

4. Printing support

Printing is optional; users install the component via Settings → Printing and can send documents to Wi‑Fi printers after enabling mDNS discovery.

5. fscrypt v2 user‑data encryption

Encryption moves from experimental to stable on devices that support fscrypt v2, providing a baseline privacy feature.

6. Additional improvements

Georgian keyboard support

~2000 new emojis with skin‑tone variants

Improved mobile data reliability

Dock status‑bar indicator for Convergence mode

Enhanced X11 app compatibility via Libertine

MMS sending after cellular data is disabled

Device Support

OTA 2.0 initially supports 20 devices from brands such as Asus, Fairphone, Lenovo, OnePlus, Sony, Volla, Xiaomi and others. The Volla Tablet is omitted due to an unresolved touch‑pad alignment bug, and some older devices cannot upgrade because of the storage increase.

Upgrade Procedure

Existing Ubuntu Touch users must perform a two‑step upgrade: first update to 24.04‑1.4 via Settings → Updates, then upgrade to 24.04‑2.0. The process downloads the new image, installs it, and reboots twice. Download time varies from 10 to 30 minutes depending on network speed.

Known Issues and Outlook

Software‑decoded video consumes more power

Bookmarks not fully displayed in new tabs

Notch avoidance fails in landscape mode

X11 apps cannot use the on‑screen keyboard

Volla Tablet remains unsupported in this cycle

The UBports team acknowledges these problems, emphasizing the community‑driven nature of the project and promising further engine updates in the 24.04‑2.x series.