UBports released Ubuntu Touch 24.04-1.3 as a maintenance update for the 24.04-1.x series, bringing fixes for desktop apps, docks with input devices, MMS voice message playback, scaling behavior, shutdown issues, and security updates.
One main area improved in this update is desktop app handling. Ubuntu Touch 24.04-1.3 allows X11 apps to launch outside Lomiri, including from OpenStore and Snapz0r. It also fixes dangling placeholder windows and launcher entries when launching X11 apps, along with startup problems affecting GTK4 applications.
Regarding docking support, UBports says the release improves handling of docks with input devices, including NexDock-style setups. The changelog mentions a fix for NexDock trackpad enumeration in Mir and a snapd patch enabling USB device enumeration for FP5 and NexDock combinations.
Multimedia and interface fixes are included as well. Ubuntu Touch 24.04-1.3 fixes playback of AMR voice messages sent through MMS and corrects a scaling factor issue affecting some applications, especially apps using Qt auto scaling or embedded web views.
Existing Ubuntu Touch users can get the update through System Settings > Updates. Devices running Ubuntu Touch 24.04-1.2 will receive 24.04-1.3 directly, while devices on Ubuntu Touch 20.04 OTA-11 or earlier must first update to 20.04 OTA-12 before moving to 24.04-1.3.
Alongside the 24.04-1.3 release, UBports also shared new details on the upcoming Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.0. The primary goal of that version is to provide a more up-to-date web browser experience.
In light of this, Morph, Ubuntu Touch’s default browser, currently uses QtWebEngine 5.15.19, based on Chromium 87. However, that engine is far behind current Chromium releases, causing compatibility problems with modern websites and web applications.
UBports also notes that Qt 5.15 support has ended, although Qt previously backported security patches for the Chromium version used by QtWebEngine 5.15.
The long-term fix is moving Morph Browser to Qt 6 and a newer QtWebEngine base. However, Ubuntu Touch still depends heavily on Qt 5 components, so the transition cannot be done by simply replacing one browser package.
The remaining problem is image size. Since many apps and system components still require Qt 5, Ubuntu Touch images may need to include both Qt 5 and Qt 6 for now. Some supported devices do not reserve enough OS space to carry both stacks simultaneously, so UBports is working on a solution to bring the updated browser engine to as many devices as possible.
For more information, see the release announcement.
