<h1 id="finding-an-android-phone-to-run-lineageos">Finding an Android phone to run LineageOS</h1>
<p>Affordable phone that support school apps, and allow firewall.</p>
<h2 id="tldr">TL;DR</h2>
<p>Don't, unless you are willing to loose the money you are paying.</p>
<h2 id="requirements">Requirements</h2>
<ul>
<li>Supported for 3-5 years.</li>
<li>Apps = Android = LineageOS</li>
<li>Firewall = AFWall+ = Unlocked + Root</li>
<li>Affordable</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="support">Support</h3>
<p>Getting a brand new phone means that Developers have not had time to release code.</p>
<p>Older phones are no longer available for purchase, and actually become more expensive.</p>
<p>Too old a version and apps are no longer supported.</p>
<h2 id="finding-a-phone-that-can-be-unlocked">Finding a phone that can be unlocked</h2>
<p>I use a site called <a href="https://tweakers.net/smartphones/vergelijken/">Tweakers.net</a> which allows you to do parameter search.</p>
<p>Set the maximum price you are willing to pay.</p>
<p>The current version of Android is 10 so select only those. You want your phone to be supported for as long as possible.</p>
<p>Make any other selections that you think are critical, like memory, processor etc but be prepared to adjust this later.</p>
<p>In my case I selected a minimum of 4G Ram and 64G Storage the first time.</p>
<p>Sort by price low to high, and loop through, finding what support there is for <a href="https://twrp.me/Devices/">TWRP</a>. That will tell you how open the phone is. If the Manufacturer support (the spirit of) unlocking, then remove them from the list.</p>
<ul>
<li>HTC support unlocking but not don't give code to the developers so it's useless.</li>
<li>Motorola support was good but since the take over by Lenovo they have stopped supporting unlocking.</li>
<li>Google phones are unlocked and are ideal for developers but are too expensive.</li>
<li>Xiaomi requires you to wait until the EU 14 day no questions asked warranty has expired.</li>
<li>Fairphone too expensive.</li>
<li>PinePhone may be an option but people report the current version being too slow.</li>
</ul>
<p>After finding a phone that can be unlocked and rooted, then check to see if there is an <em>official</em> version for <a href="https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/">LineageOS</a></p>
<p>If no phone meets all the requirements then try the next one.</p>
<p>It's very likely you will not find a phone. You are then faced with the choice of adjusting your parameters, for example picking a more expensive model, but at the end of the day be prepared that you may not find a phone.</p>
<p>If you do find a phone, it's very likely that it may be a different version than the one supported. I have had to return several phones that I had unlocked and just hoped that the supplier would take them back and refund me.</p>
<p>Even on supported phones, especially newer ones, it's quite often that a major piece of functionality will not work. I have had issues with no GPS on one phone, and bluetooth/wifi not working on another until files were manually edited on each reboot.</p>
<p>Do not do this if you want a stress free life, and also if you are not willing to accept the waste of all the money, and time involved.</p>
<h3 id="links">Links</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://tweakers.net/smartphones/vergelijken/">Tweakers.net</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twrp.me/Devices/">TWRP</a></li>
<li><a href="https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/">LineageOS</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy">scrcpy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://tektab.com/2015/10/31/android-bootloaderfastboot-mode-and-recovery-mode-explained/">Android bootloader/fastboot mode and recovery mode explained/Android boot process</a> October 31, 2015 Saad Faruque</li>
<li><a href="https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/">pinephone</a></li>
</ul>
