In 2020, you probably read a lot of articles about Snap packages in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa. In a controversial move, Canonical started pushing us to use their next-generation packages, but Linux users have always liked more control over what we use and we didn't like this behavior. Plus, there are many of us who prefer the Snap packages. flatpak packages, among other things, because they are faster and easier to use.
In 2019, we publish an article in which we showed you how to enable support for Flatpak packages in Ubuntu, but that system It stopped working a year later because they started using another software store. Therefore, this article is an update to the previous one or one in which we explained the changes we can make to continue enjoying these packages in the latest version of Ubuntu. This article was updated in October 2024, so it is valid in 20.04 to 24.10 and probably in future releases.
Ubuntu and Flatpak: steps to follow
The problem was that in 20.04 they stopped using the official GNOME software store and started using their own Snap Store. In order to enable flatpak support properly in Ubuntu you have to use the GNOME proposal, and since it has been removed, goodbye to the old method. The new method involves recovering that store by following these steps:
- The first thing we have to do is install the "flatpak" package. To do this, we open a terminal and type the following command:
sudo apt install flatpak
- The above package is not much use to us without a compatible store, so we will install one. We can install Discover (plasma-discover) and, from it, search for "flatpak" and install the necessary engine, but being KDE software it will install many dependencies and it will not be as good as in Kubuntu, for example. Therefore, the best option is to go back and install the "old" GNOME Software:
sudo apt install gnome-software
- Next, we have to install the plugin so that GNOMEsoftware be compatible with Flatpak packages:
sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
- From here, what we have to do is the same as in Ubuntu 19.10 and earlier, starting by adding the Flathub repository with this command:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
- Finally, we reboot the operating system and everything would be ready to install Flatpak packages on Ubuntu >=20.04.
How to install Flathub software on Ubuntu
Once support is enabled, the Flathub software will appear in GNOME Software. The only thing we have to look at is the package information, the section of the source in which "flathub" will appear. Another option is to go to www.flathub.org, carry out the searches from there, click on the blue button that says "INSTALL" and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
If we want, we can also remove the "Snap Store" with the command "sudo snap remove snap-store" without the quotes, but I leave this to the consumer's taste. If we do all of the above we will be the ones who will decide what and where to install it, so I think it's worth it.