Repurposing Old Android Phones to Run Nerves

The author discusses the challenges and steps taken to successfully run Nerves on an old Fairphone2 smartphone, highlighting the potential of e-waste reduction by reusing older devices for modern applications. The process involved using buildroot to set up a Linux environment on the phone, including kernel and device tree configurations. The author shares insights on the necessary configurations and the flashing process using fastboot, as well as ongoing efforts to enable modem functionalities and exploit additional sensors available on the device. The broader implications of using PostmarketOS for this endeavor are noted, suggesting that many discarded phones could be repurposed in similar ways. The narrative touches on the journey of experimentation and the potential to extend this effort to other old Android devices.