Ubuntu Touch has a weird history. Previously an attempt at a mainstream mobile operating system, some phones launched with Ubuntu before Canonical eventually gave up, with the project continuing as a community project by UBports. Now, it finally got support for a mainstream smartphone feature—VoLTE.

UBports has released Ubuntu Touch OTA-8, a relatively small update as the team concentrates on a major OS base upgrade from Ubuntu. While the update itself is light on new features, this release still brings a series of noteworthy improvements, and the few things it does add are pretty major. Perhaps the biggest one is the proper introduction of VoLTE (Voice over LTE) support, initially available for Volla Phone X23 and Volla Phone 22 and eventually coming to other phones down the road.

We’re also getting the ability to remove pictures from contact entries, which will come extremely handy. Network connectivity also gets an upgrade, with support for connecting to WPA3-protected Wi-Fi networks, the latest standard for wireless security. All of these additions are by individual contributors: the addition of VoLTE is thanks to Nikita from Volla, Lionel Duboeuf added the ability to remove pictures from contacts, and Adam Havelka figured out how to add WPA-3 support to the OS. This is, otherwise, a regular release with bug fixes and general improvements.

VoLTE has remained an “experimental” feature for Ubuntu Touch users for a long time, but it was never actually rolled out in a widespread manner. With most modern phones not only supporting VoLTE but using it as its preferred method for calls whenever possible, it was something that required adding by UBports, and it’s good to see that work is now underway to bring it to all supported devices. At first, only two phones will get support for VoLTE, but UBports is promising that it will eventually be present on all phones.

I’m sure a lot of you know what VoLTE is and why it’s important, but in case you need a reminder, it offers several advantages. Primarily, it provides significantly improved call quality, with HD Voice delivering clearer, more natural-sounding audio. Call setup times are also much faster, connecting almost instantly. VoLTE is, in general, more efficient as well, freeing up network bandwidth for other data services as it transmits voice as data packets over the 4G LTE network. It is, in essence, just holding calls over the same data network you use to connect to the Internet. It also allows for simultaneous voice and data usage, enabling users to browse the internet or use apps while on a call.

With VoLTE coming to Ubuntu Touch, those who have installed the OS on their phones in an unofficial manner have one less broken feature to worry about.

The update is now rolling out to the following phones, according to UBports:

• ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1
• F(x)tec Pro1 X
• Fairphone 3 and 3+
• Fairphone 4
• Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL
• JingPad A1
• OnePlus 5 and 5T
• OnePlus 6 and 6T
• OnePlus Nord N10 5G
• OnePlus Nord N100
• Sony Xperia X
• Volla Phone
• Volla Phone X
• Volla Phone 22
• Volla Phone X23
• Volla Phone Quintus
• Volla Tablet
• Xiaomi Poco M2 Pro
• Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC / X3
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro/Pro Max/9S

It might not land for everyone at the same time, so if you don’t see an OTA update pop up yet, you might need to wait an extra few days or weeks.

Source: UBports via 9to5Linux