After my my FP1 got stolen and then my FP2 was not working good enough anymore (after 6 years heavy duty usage) I decided to give Shiftphone 6mq a try.
But now after 1.5 years I’m thinking about returning to Fairphone (mainly due to the lack of availability of official custom ROMs, no official TWRP and no official way to root it, as far as I found out and of course because the forum/community support with Fairphone is unbeatable).
I was very happy with my FP2. It was rooted easily (without using Magisk and patching boot images or whatever complicated things), had TWRP which I used to backup user data and also to flash Xposed Framework and most important: it had a google free open source OS.
Since I’m not very up to date with any of these topics anymore I ask for your advice.
How can I come close to what I had with my FP2 but with the FP4 instead?
So most important for me:
a stable google free open source OS (official, no beta versions or other potentially unstable things)
Root (easy as possible)
TWRP or other easy possibility to backup user data
As far as I have seen until now there are plenty of possible custom ROMs that are stable and official (/e/, Lineage OS, iodéOS).
TWRP is not available in a fully functional version but maybe seedvault could do the trick when it comes to backup
And root is possible but theres not an official and 100% safe way to do it as far as I found out.
So far my research.
Now my question: could you recommend a Google Free OS that allows easy backup (or even TWRP if possible) and also easy root access?
A very big thank you in advance and a happy new year!
You will not get an official root option from Fairphone as with FPOOS on the FP2. So rooting always comes with some risk and is only possible using Magisk.
If TWRP will be come supported is unknown.
Beside the mentioned OSes you might want to have a look at Calyx.
For back-ups, when you are rooted I rhink there are better options than TWRP, like Titanium or others.
But keep in mind that CalyxOS devs don’t officially support rooting (I don’t say it might not be possible, but they don’t support it).
On the other hand, SeedVault is integrated into CalyxOS (which might or might not suit your needs).
For me, FP4 with eOS works great. It was easy to install and I can use it like a stock Android phone since version 1.0, without problem with all apps (also Italian banking and identification apps). Clearly my device is not rooted. I also be aware that for someone it has a lack of security (not for my experience: others family phone don’t receive security update for almost two years).
I didn’t want to say that it is not possible and I know he/she and others do it, I just wanted to point out that the devs always emphasize that they don,'t support it everytime someone asks whether it is possible.
The only FP4 custom ROM I know of, that has a pre-rooted version is LeOS (forum topic).
But that wasn’t an option for me.
I have experiences with Magisk on a FPOS and a CalyxOS phone and both devices have been running without issues for a year basically (Calyx has only been out for 8 months).
The only thing to look out for are OTA updates, but those are like a minute of additional work, not a problem really
So I guess it will be Calyx or iodé OS for me (or maybe also LeOS).
I dont really understand the actual state of Calyx OS in regards to the FP4: is there only a test build or is there already a 100% stable version?
Iodé OS is the most popular and widespread among these 3 as far as I understand. So I guess its also the most stable one, right?
LeOS comes prerooted according to himsushi, which is nice. But I think not so many people are using it with FP4, so I guess support will be better with Iodé OS.
Can maybe someone tell me the difference between Calyx and Iodé in terms of stability, support, updates and preinstalled apps? Ah and if SeedVault works on both of them?
I know, so many questions, I’m sorry.
I try to make the right choice from the beginning so that I dont have to backuo and factory reset and reflash and restore everything after a few months of usage
Thank you very much LibrePhoner!
I read the two threads (sorry to not find them on my own, I should have searched the forum better) and I think I will give iodé OS a try. And then I try to root it.
It sounds like the OS I was looking for
It’s all good, you don’t need to excuse yourself. Sometimes you can’t find the relevant topics. And then a little hint from someone who has the right topic in mind is helpful.
LeOS is a GSI, not a ROM and can be installed as bvN (vanilla non rooted, but adb root debugging available in LOS based, but not in AOSP based) and bvS (rooted)
But remember, it is a GSI
I know that it’s a GSI, ROM is used in that sentence the same way you’d call something a distribution (which people like to have semantic discussions about as well)
Anything that changes the Android system running on my phone → ROM
