Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0 Beta Adds Support for Notches and Rounded Corners

The UBports community today released a beta version of the smartphone mobile OS “Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0”. This release, a preparatory stage ahead of the stable release planned for mid-July, is notable for the official implementation of “notches” and “rounded corners”—essential features for modern smartphone displays.

Beta Version Details

As the name suggests, this version continues to be based on the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package base. A major update is the Chromium engine underlying the default Morph web browser, which has been upgraded from Chromium 87 to Chromium 134. This version update is expected to significantly improve web standards compliance and performance.

Notch and Rounded Corner Support

Smartphone displays often feature a notch or punch-hole cutout at the top for the front-facing camera, as well as rounded corners. These design elements have become common on smartphones since 2017, but for Ubuntu Touch, a Linux-based mobile OS, this support had been a long-standing missing feature.

Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0 adopts a method that handles this issue via device-specific configuration files. The system recognizes the safe area on the display and appropriately renders UI elements and applications according to the aspect ratio. Specifically, it prevents the system UI and application windows from overlapping the notch, punch-hole, or rounded corners. From a user perspective, this eliminates problems like status bars or app icons hiding behind the display cutouts, or inadvertently interfering with touch detection areas.

This implementation is an important milestone in the history of Linux mobile operating systems. Previously, adapting to such display shapes was an area where major platforms like Android and iOS provided proprietary APIs and hardware controls, and it was a low-priority item for the community-based Ubuntu Touch. Inclusion in this beta version demonstrates steady progress in supporting modern smartphone hardware.

Screenshot Editor and Data Encryption

For user-facing practical features, a screenshot editor has been newly added to the Lomiri shell. Previously, Ubuntu Touch only had the ability to take screenshots; post-capture editing relied on separate applications. With this new editor, users can perform basic annotations and cropping immediately after capturing.

Mobile data communication reliability has also been improved. The network reconnection process and APN setting auto-detection logic have been revised, enhancing stability during carrier roaming and fluctuating signal conditions.

On the security front, user data encryption has graduated from “experimental” status on devices that support FSCRYPT v2. This enables file-system-level encryption as a standard feature on compatible devices. New emoji additions and other general bug fixes are also included.

List of Supported Devices

Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0 Beta has been confirmed to work on the following devices. Notably, the Nothing Phone (1) has been newly added to the support list, along with the Zinwa Q25 from an emerging manufacturer.

• F(x)tec Pro1X
• Fairphone 4
• Fairphone 5
• Lenovo Tab M10 HD 2nd Gen (WiFi / LTE)
• Nothing Phone (1) — newly supported
• Rabbit R1
• Sony Xperia X
• Volla Phone
• Volla Phone X
• Volla Phone 22
• Volla Phone X23
• Volla Phone Quintus
• Volla Phone Plinius
• Xiaomi Poco X3 / X3 NFC
• Zinwa Q25 — newly supported

The predominance of the Volla Phone series reflects the close collaboration between the UBports community and Volla. The addition of the Nothing Phone (1) is a promising sign that relatively young hardware manufacturers are embracing a community-based OS.

Download images and installation instructions for each device are available on the UBports official website.

Editorial Opinion

Short-term impact: Quality adjustments for each device are expected to accelerate rapidly toward the stable release in July. In particular, confirmation of operation on devices like the Nothing Phone (1), whose user base tends to skew toward enthusiasts, could boost Ubuntu Touch’s visibility. The notch support lowers the barrier for using previously shunned hardware. For hardware partners such as Volla, this offers an opportunity to stimulate upgrade demand from older versions.

Long-term perspective: Over a 1–3 year span, it remains difficult for community-driven mobile OSes like Ubuntu Touch to compete with major platforms. However, a strategy that prioritizes privacy and device ownership over expanding the app ecosystem will definitely resonate with a certain user segment. The upgrade to Chromium 134 means significantly improved web application compatibility, enhancing the viability of a strategy to compensate for the lack of native apps through the web. Standardizing data encryption also boosts the potential for use as enterprise work devices.

Editorial question: While support for devices with locked bootloaders like the Nothing Phone (1) is advancing, the question of sustainability remains: how long can the UBports community maintain support without manufacturer cooperation? A quality gap between white-box devices (Fairphone, Volla) and black-box devices (Nothing, Xiaomi) is inevitable. When users choose Ubuntu Touch, how much should they care about hardware openness? This trade-off could become a decisive issue for the future of community OSes.

References

• Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0 Beta Now Properly Handles Notches & Rounded Corners - Phoronix — published 2026-06-15
• UBports Official Website — downloads and installation instructions