We’re delighted to announce a new partnership between iodé and Volla, bringing two new smartphones to the iodé Shop: the Volla Plinius and the Volla Plinius Plus.
Both devices will ship with iodéOS preinstalled, combining Volla’s durable and repairable hardware with the privacy-focused Android experience developed by iodé.
Pre-orders are open, with the first deliveries currently planned for mid-September.
Is iodé still not shipping to the U.S.?
The Brax3 is shipped to the US and ships with Iode as it’s default OS.
And @rik sells iodé-preinstalled devices in the U.S. as well.
But I was referring to iodé’s official shop and their shipping availability.
Very nice but what about the older volla phones, x and 22? That would be interesting as well.
I’d get a Volla phone mainly for the multi-boot capability with Volla OS, Ubuntu Touch, Sailfish OS, and iodeOS. It’s one of the very few, if not the only phones you can purchase with official Android and Linux multi-boot support out of the box, making it easy to switch between operating systems without having to hack or modify the device yourself. This is a great partnership.
Can you explain a bit more about this? Would ordering the phone via the iodéOS store mean multiboot was ready to go, or would you have to purchase the device from Volla, set up the multiboot and install iodéOS (and any other OS) manually afterwards?
It could reach a point where certain daily tasks including banking or government-imposed ID documents won’t function without stuff like Google Play Integrity checks. I’d been thinking that the only options to get around this would be to either a) try and use an old tablet for these tasks, but I’m not sure if a telephone would explicitly be required in some cases; b) have a second phone with stock Android and a second number purely for these things; or c) go the GrapheneOS route. Would even the existence of the multiboot be detected by Play Integrity checks and potentially prevent even the stock Android install on the phone from passing the check and performing certain functions?
Sound great and the phone looks nice. But the only thing i do not like is the big screen. For the maximum is 6.3 inches. The nealry 6.7 is too huge for my pckets, my hands and outdoor activities. A bit sad :-/
Correct, part of the reason for creating https://openmobile.us is that iodé don’t have capacity to take that on. We discussed if I would do that or instead just start my own business, and we thought it would be less complication for me to be independent in that regard: device availability is different (I offer devices not officially supported by iodé because they aren’t available in Europe, for example), legal stuff, etc. just wasn’t worth it at the current time.
FYI, OpenMobile is endorsed as an “independent reseller” and I contribute back 15% of device sales profit to iodé.
Back to Volla devices, older models didn’t cover the full frequency bands needed here, I didn’t look closely yet at the PIinius to see if it has full North American band coverage?
Does iodéOS Volla Plinius + Volla Plinius Plus come with an re-locked bootloader?
6.67” ??? too big! Why can’t phone makers do 6” phones anymore? I maintain - without being crude - that 6.1” is plenty 
I had to go back to the Pixel 8a to get that size.
Since iodéOS hasn’t released a v7.x download for ‘ansuz’ yet, my question is probably premature.
And yes, those who use VollaOS don’t necessarily have to replace it with iodéOS. Those who are satisfied with the more affordable Gigaset GX6 | GX6 PRO (GS5_Venus) can make them Googlag-free with /e/OS.
@bogviking, a matter of perspective. A matter of taste. Yes, the 6.1" Pixel 8a has a compact form factor. But the Volla Plinius Plus’s 6.67" display, while it looks huge on paper, remains easy to handle in practice - specially if you don’t use a protective case that compromises the design.
152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9 mm
163.0 x 76.0 x 10.5 mm
Plinius is larger by (in millimeters): 10.9 x 3.3 x 1.6 mm
I’m not bringing any new Googlag Pixel devices into my home anymore.
I hear you. I really didn’t want to get a pixel, as I loathe Google. I was coming from a Galaxy S23 and found that to be the perfect size in terms of reaching stuff with your thumb, and fitting in your jeans pocket.
So I suppose those things aren’t really important to everyone else - especially the pocket thing. Do people have man-bags or something? lol Seriously though, where do people carry these big phones?
An on the case point: I would never not use a case - I’ve dropped phones in the past and the case has protected it. Seems risky to not use a case. Am I just clumsier, or more risk averse than others? (The pixel has another problem - the phone itself is very slippery so a rubberised case is really needed.)
I hear you also. My lightest smartphone, which fits in any kind of bag, is a 6.3 millimeter “thick” 6.01-inch AMOLED Carbon 1 MK II [125 g (4.41 oz)] running iodéOS 4.26 GSI A14 (Note: The GSI 4.27 image is slightly too large and no longer fits on the /system partition).