KaiOS is almost dead

When I wrote my first blog post on my experience using a feature phone, it was also the first time that I was introduced to KaiOS and the whole feature phone / dumb phone community. During my 10 weeks without a smartphone, I learned a lot about KaiOS and it was almost perfect. It supported WhatsApp, Email, Google Maps, it could play music and it had Google Assistant¹. If I’d wish for one more feature, it would be NFC or any type of wallet app (flight tickets, credit card, etc.).

A few months after I went back using a normal smartphone, I noticed that Google Assistant was discontinued on KaiOS. This was not because KaiOS stopped supporting it but rather because Google ended support. It became cumbersome and very time consuming to type a simple “Let’s meet at 3” message. In 2024, Meta also ended support for WhatsApp on KaiOS , killing now almost any reason to use a KaiOS dumb phone. There’s a blog post that lists the whole timeline: https://bmndc.github.io/nokia-leo/news/2024/07/03/the-end-of-whatsapp.html

On the KaiOS subreddit , many users talk about the (upcoming) death of KaiOS. With the drop of some of the most important apps on a dumb phone as well as less and less supported new KaiOS devices, the death of KaiOS seams inevitable. However, KaiOS announced KaiOS 4.0 for 2025 with support for 5G, eSim and other features. Who knows, if this’ll ever be released with the already shrinking user base and big tech discontinuing their support.

The dumb phone community is moving away from KaiOS. Lately, I see a lot people recommending the Cat S22 Flip, a flip phone with Android 11 installed. I haven’t yet looked into this a lot. Here’s a good reddit user review: https://www.reddit.com/r/dumbphones/comments/1fa3m8f/my_cat_s22_flip_experience_a_bittersweet_journey/?show=original

Maybe the best way to continue is to run your custom-made Android that only allows you to use specific apps. Until then, it’s sadly the best to stick to your smartphones.