If they run Linux, “Podcasts”, for GNOME. https://circle.gnome.org
If they don’t, well they can install it, e.g. https://fedoraproject.org or https://linuxmint.com, and sync their usual folders (~/Documents, ~/Images, etc.) to their phones by using Syncthing, so they could just check if their data is properly synchronized, and then directly install Windows, and pair back their computers to their phones.
Most people see installing GNU/Linux as a sort of long-term commitment. It isn’t. We don’t need to be fluent English speakers, or learn the CLI, or read books about system administration or software development now. It’s just a tool.
A Raspberry Pi. I bought it out of a whim and now I use it as a portable desktop computer, I can use Alpine Linux with my files and my setup on virtually any system that doesn’t whitelist MAC addresses.
Especially handy when your university has contracts with Microsoft so you aren’t supposed to use competitive software, I feel like I’m breaking the law.