Phosh, the mobile-focused desktop environment built on GTK and GNOME technologies, has received a new update with a series of practical improvements. The lightweight interface, widely used in systems like postmarketOS, Mobian, Droidian, and several Pine64-based devices, continues to evolve as one of the most mature Linux environments for smartphones.
For those unfamiliar, Phosh runs on top of the Phoc compositor using the Wayland display server, and includes its own on-screen keyboard called Stevia. The entire project is open source and released under the GPLv3+ license.
Smarter brightness and smoother multitasking
One of the most noticeable improvements in this release is the updated automatic brightness system. It now remembers the user’s preferred brightness behavior and integrates more intelligently with night mode, creating a smoother and more consistent viewing experience throughout the day.
Multitasking has also been refined. The app switcher has been redesigned with a cleaner look and now shows thumbnails of running applications, making it easier to jump between tasks at a glance.
Better support for modern phone hardware
The underlying Phoc compositor now supports the xx-cutouts-v1 Wayland protocol, allowing the system to properly recognize and handle screen cutouts such as camera notches or punch-hole displays. This is an important step toward better compatibility with modern smartphone designs.
Meanwhile, the Stevia on-screen keyboard has gained improved scaling. In landscape mode—or on devices with larger displays—the keyboard can now expand to use the full width of the screen, making typing more comfortable and efficient.
Stability improvements and practical fixes
This update also focuses on reliability and everyday usability. Among the smaller but useful changes:
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Plugin properties can now be opened directly from the status page.
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The default buffer size has been increased to reduce disconnections on busy Wayland servers.
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Full-screen apps, including games, can remain in full screen after switching focus.
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A scaling issue that caused some X11 applications to render at 1×1 size has been fixed.
Updated core components
Several key dependencies have also been refreshed, including:
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GNOME 49
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ModemManager 1.25.95
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wlroots 0.19.2
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Calls 49.1.1
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feedbackd 0.8.9
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iio-sensor-proxy 3.7
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And several telephony and messaging components
This release doesn’t radically change how Phosh looks or behaves, but it brings a series of thoughtful refinements that improve everyday usability. Smarter brightness control, a cleaner app switcher, better support for notched displays, and improved stability all contribute to a more polished mobile Linux experience.
For users running postmarketOS, Mobian, or other Phosh-based systems, it’s another solid step toward making Linux on smartphones feel more practical and complete.
