Ubuntu for Android is No Longer in Active Development

We’ve been trying to converge all our technologies into one singular device for so long, it’s almost surprising that I had forgotten that Canonical, the developers of popular Linux distribution Ubuntu, had been working on a project they liked to call “Ubuntu for Android”. I say “had” been because the company has today confirmed that the project, which allowed you to plug your Android powered smartphone into a docking station, turning it into a full featured Ubuntu desktop computer, is no longer in “active development” and the company is no longer interested in publishing it.

The confirmation comes following reports earlier today that Canonical project leader Matthew Paul Thomas wrote the following on a bug report filed on the company’s Launchpad tracking service:

“[The website] describes Ubuntu for Android as the must-have feature for late-2012 high-end Android phones. Ubuntu for Android is no longer in development, so this page should be retired…”

According to Canonical, the company would require an OEM launch partner to proceed with development – an unlikely event considering how easily forgotten Ubuntu for Android had been until today, plus the fact that the company admits they are “not in concrete discussions with launch partners.” Canonical also points to their Ubuntu for Phones project with a higher priority.