How to Install Pidgin Instant Messenger 2.14.1 in Ubuntu 20.04

Pidgin internet messenger

This simple tutorial shows how to install the latest Pidgin instant messaging client, so far it’s v2.14.1, in Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 18.04.

Pidgin is a chat program which lets you log in to accounts on multiple chat networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on AIM, talking to a friend on Google Talk, and sitting in an IRC chat room all at the same time.

While the software package in Ubuntu universe repository is always old. The latest release now is Pidgin 2.14.1, which can be installed via Flatpak package from flathub repository.

How to Install Pidgin 2.14.1 in Ubuntu:

1. Setup Flatpak framework in Ubuntu:

First open terminal from system application launcher. When it opens, run command to install flatpak:

sudo apt install flatpak

Then add the flathub repository by running command:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

2. Install the Pidgin flatpak package:

To install the package, run command in terminal:

flatpak install flathub im.pidgin.Pidgin

To update the Pidgin flatpak package, run command:

flatpak update im.pidgin.Pidgin

Once installed, you can launch the IM from ‘Show Applications’ menu and enjoy!

Uninstall:

To uninstall Pidgin flatpak package, run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall im.pidgin.Pidgin

Ji m

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I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1

3 responses to How to Install Pidgin Instant Messenger 2.14.1 in Ubuntu 20.04

Rokko July 25, 2020 at 7:27 am

I have installed Pidgin from the repo and hoping for a ppa, because i dont want to installed twice as a flatpak Version too. Do you know about a newer Pidgin ppa?

Thank you very much for this wonderful Website for Ubuntu users!!!
w September 11, 2020 at 1:37 pm

that didn’t work
Penguin Dancer October 30, 2020 at 3:04 pm

Thanks for the tip. It installed, but it doesn’t have OTR. For some reason, Pigin and Pigin-otr no longer work on 20.04 LTS from the usual place or the usual methods, which is a major loss. I wish this flatpack would include OTR, or add OTR as an additional step. The cypherpunks.ca site suggests installing libtor / gaim on linux mint. How many universes do I need to travel through to get some XMPP OTR love?