An easy and ready-to-use distribution for Android lovers

The Story



mAid ... Why? .. and why this name?
The existence of mAid has a simple reason. I wanted to have something where I were able to point users to when they came with issues on Windows because the most problems around were solvable when using Linux (for my special use cases) ...

The only issue with Linux (even with Ubuntu, Mint and such) is that they do not include everything an Android user needs (out-of-the-box). You still have to issue commands to install and you have to make other adjustments like udev rules etc. Nothing a "normal" Windows user can/want do without guidelining.

That was the main reason why I started mAid.
... but wait I read "FWUL" somewhere. Is "FWUL" the same as "mAid"?

At the time when I started this project everything was branded as "FWUL" (Forget Windows - Use Linux) up to v3.1 .
For v4.0 the whole project has been re-branded to mAid.

Why?
Mainly because some users thought it is an offense to Windows - which it wasn't. The idea of the FWUL name was simple: I supported a lot of users in an Android development project and mainly Windows users. The most annoying thing were driver issues as some had Samsung + LG, older and newer ... devices causing a lot of strange things. Everytime I had to let them download the same support tools and install remote sharing which was a PITA when doing it a bunch of times.. so I thought about a simple distribution which comes with everything needed right out-of-the-box ... and forget Windows. Got it? Forget Windows - Use Linux. It was never an offense but it becomes more and annoying to explain this .. and so it comes that I had re-branded everything to mAid:

a maid which helps to [m]anage your [A]ndro[id]! that's all about it :)

Light Weight & Fast

While containing a lot of pre-installed tools mAid tries to keep its size tiny (around 1 GB)

Easy to use

... No driver hassle
... no complicated installations
... remote support tools installed (tmate)
... or installed with a click (teamviewer)
... just download, flash and enjoy

More Info
For everyone

mAid is for Windows Users, Linux Users, MAC Users, BSD Users, Android Users and everyone else. There is no limitation here ;)

For Experts

While mAid claims to be easy to use and being for everyone even advanced users can make use of mAid! Here are some examples:

- No need to prepare your own distro
- Give others (family, noobs, ..) easy support in a known and fix environment!
- mAid comes with tmate pre-installed
- and a simple one-click TeamViewer installer!

More Info
more then

165.443

Overall Downloads

(2024-07-26)


since: 2016-12-28
more then

29.977

SourceForge Downloads

(2024-07-26)


since: 2022-12-07
more then

68.955

AndroidFileHost Downloads

(2024-07-26)


since: 2017-01-05
more then

31.679

Nightly Downloads

(2024-07-22)


since: 2016-12-28
more then

34.832

XDA Downloads


(2020-12-02*)

since: 2016-12-28
*XDA removed file sharing in early 2021

Some Impressions

UEFI-Boot

Legacy / BIOS Boot

Multi-Language

Desktop

mAid Installer

Testimonials

LinuxUser

(German print and online edition)
With the specialized Linux distribution mAid, manual firmware updates for Android devices lose their dread.

Full Article

XDA Spotlight

Former Writer, XDA
Microsoft’s Windows platform has been the single most widely-used desktop OS for decades [...] unfortunately there are still intercommunication issues that can frustrate any user who owns a Windows computer and an Android phone (which is millions).[ These issues are especially prominent when dealing with ADB and Fastboot. [...] sometimes, no matter how many times you boot into safe mode, reinstall your drivers, install new drivers, or mess with system settings, you just can’t get your Windows computer to recognize your Android phone. To that end, [...] “Forget Windows Use Linux” (FWUL*) – a bootable GNU/Linux ISO geared specifically towards Windows users who need to communicate more reliably with Android.of choice.

Full Article

youtube Guides

Various
Check out youtube for more reviews and guidance on how to use FWUL(*):

OPEN YOUTUBE

LinuxUser

(German print and online edition)
Flashing smartphone firmware often turns out to be tricky.
With the Arch derivative FWUL* you can easily update such files in no time.

Full Article

Martins D. Okoi

www.fossmint.com
A Distro Designed to Work with Android
"FWUL(*) gets rid of the driver hassle and complicated installation of Android tools related to using Android on Windows."

Full Article

XDA News

Adam Conway, XDA
[...] Dealing with incompatible drivers when trying to connect your Android phone to your PC can be especially frustrating. That’s where “Forget Windows Use Linux” (FWUL*) [...] comes in. It’s a USB bootable Linux distribution which aims provides all of the tools out of the box that any Android user may want. This is an operating system that is aimed at a person who wants to mess with or recover their device without the hassle of dealing with Windows or finding the right software.

Full Article

Adarsh Verma

FOSSBYTES
What is so special about FWUL(*)?
Forget Windows Use Linux (FWUL*) is an Arch Linux-based distribution that can be used by Android-tinkerers for making the transition from Windows to Linux world. In FWUL (*), efforts have been made to make sure that you don’t have to go through different hassles while connecting your phone to your computer. For that, all the tools are pre-installed in FWUL(*) distribution. So, no matter which brand of Android smartphone you’re using, FWUL(*) has got you covered.

Full Article


(*) FWUL has been re-branded to "mAid" since v4.0