Note 3: On 15th Of September the release date of OTA-13 was moved to 21st Of September.
Note 2: On 7th of September the release date of OTA-13 was moved to September 16th.
Note: On September 2nd, the release date of OTA-13 was moved from September 4th to September 9th.
Hello, everyone! It's that time again!
Note 2: On 7th of September the release date of OTA-13 was moved to September 16th.
Note: On September 2nd, the release date of OTA-13 was moved from September 4th to September 9th.
Hello, everyone! It's that time again!
I'm happy to announce that it is time to ask for your help to test Ubuntu Touch OTA-13! OTA-13 is expected to be released on Wednesday, September 9th, 2020. Until then, we need to make sure that it is ready to go!
What's new?
In this update we have been focusing on merging work left unmerged during the OTA-12 cycle. Our goal has also been to reduce the delta between the ARM64, Halium (Android compatibility layer) 5/7, Halium 8+ (Android compatibility layer), and Mainline devices. While the initial goal of this release was to be small, I can safely say that we failed to keep it small; this release is packed full with goodies!
Some highlights of the release are:
- ARM64 support
- QtWebEngine 5.14
- Halium 7 support
- Many bug, performance and UX fixes!
This release also includes a host of patches and fixes to run Lomiri's stack on top of a newer base. A great example of this is Lomiri running on Manjaro, Debian and Fedora.
With ARM64 support we will now have stable releases for a host of new devices! (11 new devices to be exact!) This is also thanks to the new Halium 7 support. And, with many fixes for Halium 8+ and Mainline devices, many more devices will show up in the next release. Both ARM64 and Halium 7 support have lived on edge for a long time, but it is finally time for them to move into the stable channel!
This is only a small highlight of some of fixes, but there are so many more. See: https://github.com/orgs/ubports/projects/17.
How can I test?
We want to ensure that every release that we ship will be better than the previous, so we're looking to our entire community to help us with QA (Quality Assurance) of OTA-13.
We've prepared a GitHub Project for OTA-12 QAA, which lists the issues that we would like your feedback on. The QA column lists issues that do not have complete test results. The "Done" column lists issues that (thanks to our efforts here) are confirmed as fixed. The "In Progress" column lists issues that are not fixed, or where the fix introduces a severe negative side effect. The goal at the end of this is to have every issue in the "Done" column.
We're interested in hearing your feedback on everything in the QA column. We want to know:
- Which device are you using?
- Is the issue fixed in your testing?
- Did you notice any side effects to the change listed in the issue or Pull Request?
Testing an issue should be easy. On your device:
- Update all of your apps using "System Settings -> Updates" or "My Apps" in the OpenStore app
- Head to "System Settings -> Updates -> Update Settings -> Release Channel"
- Select "Release Candidate"
- Go back to the Updates screen to install the downloaded update
After your phone reboots, you'll be on the OTA-13 Release Candidate! Of course, only step 4 is required if you are already on the RC Channel, as this update will come through as normal.
You will receive an image named (2020-W35/2) or newer. You can find your image version in "System Settings -> About -> Operating System".
Now you can pick any issue in the QA column in the OTA-12 project and ensure that you are not able to reproduce it. If you can't reproduce the issue, then the fix worked! If you can still reproduce the issue (or you notice something else isn't right), then we want to know about that too. Leave a comment with your device and image version, then let us know the results of your test.
We also have an OTA-13 Call for Testing forum post where we can discuss any questions that you may have about anything that comes up during your testing.
A big "thank you" to everyone that made this possible! I'm super happy to see these releases being bigger and bigger with contribution from so many beautiful people! Thank you everyone!
- With much love from the UBports team <3