I had to do it.

After constructing my custom PC and installing Linux Mint as the OS, one of the many things I attempted to do was connect my iPhone 7 to my Linux machine. The iPhone mounted, but not everything was accessible. I had access to my photos and videos, but not my music. Searching on the internet, I came to discover the reasons for this state of affairs. iOS supports PTP, but not MTP which is protocol support needed in order to access the music on the iPhone from Linux.

I thought it horrible that I could not simply just connect my phone to my Linux PC and access media that I purchased. Want to put media on your iPhone? One must go through the gate of iTunes. Uhg! So, I began the search for a more open ecosystem, which lead me very quickly to Android. Android is a derivative of Linux customized for mobile devices.

I looked at various Android phones and watched dozens of reviews. One phone stood out to me as a good value and clear winner. The OnePlus 7T running Android 10 with Oxygen OS skin on top became my choice. The phone was purchased directly from OnePlus’ website for $500, $100 less the normal price.

Once the 7T arrived on March 3rd, 2020, I simply removed the device from the lovely orange box, removed the SIM card from my iPhone, and inserted the SIM card into the SIM slot of the 7T. I also created a Google account/email. I have no major complaints about the 7T, but there have been a few hiccups.