Our development team is currently working on Android 12, we have a first boot up version delivered in the past couple of weeks which is currently being tested, but we are still several months away from release, our customisations still need to be ported across to the code and a lot more testing needs to happen. The lockdown in Shanghai put our team back a few months on this, so while we were hoping to get Android 12 out in Q3, it may slip into Q4, we are still finalizing the timeline. In terms of a Beta we expect that is still several months away, once we have the results back from this first round of testing we will be in a much better position to plan the schedule but it is just slightly too early for us to be able to share a specific date with confidence.
Keep in mind that LineageOS and similar alternatives OS are community projects, so it goes as fast as the amount of free time volunteers can dedicate on it…
Yeah, as much as I love my Fairphone 4 and I wish to use it until the day it literally falls apart and becomes irreparable, I’m a bit disappointed by the updates by Fairphone themselves. Android 12 will launch around the time Android 13 is released and sure, that’s to be expected due to non-inhumane working conditions… but I feel there are so many strange changes to Fairphone OS that I wish they had just stayed closer to stock. I also find it weird that CalyxOS manages to get Android 12 out the door faster than Fairphone themselves.
And the changes to Fairphone OS I want aren’t actually there. Samsung has an option to make 85% the new 100% for the battery. This puts less stress on the battery, making it stay in mint condition for longer. THAT is what I want!
Calyx or any other OS does not need around 500,000 Google approvals for certification before going live. FP is still a small company so I dont see how they could manage such big upgrades faster, you cannot compare with the big companies. Also remind its even more difficult once Quallcomm stops suppoort for the SOC. My 2 cents: you are expecting too much from a niche company and product.
Oh I am well aware that there are plenty of approvals and stuff. Personally, I don’t care all that much for feature updates. I’m more of a security update person anyway.
And once again, I understand that Fairphone can’t compete with Samsung when it comes to manpower. I just find it a bit disappointing, that is all. Consider it wishful thinking if you want.
ok in my “world” being disappointed is negative and about expectations I had that were not met. Having wishes in my “world” is positive and not connected to expectations but more to hope for the future. So yeah I would wish FP would be bigger and could compete with the big once and I’m not disappointed its not the case, as its nothing I expect . Overall we can be very lucky that FP has a big and great community that puts a lot efforts in maintaining custom ROMs, so there is mainly a good ROM for everybody and you have the freedom to choose.
We might be lucky with Qualcomms support. The Samsung F23 uses the same SOC, was originally delivered with Android 12 and promises 3 Android version updates, which would put it at Android 15.
Qualcomm might screw with the plans of a small company like FP, but I’d expect them to hold promises against Samsung.
And since they will hardly give drivers to one customer and not the other, I’d expect Android 15 to actually hit the 750G, and thus hopefully also the FP4.
It could be that Samsung pays for the long time support. In that case the drivers are based on a support license. But Fairphone did say they are working on an agreement to have longer vendor support from Qualcomm. So maybe they are trying to get the same deal.
It could also be a marketing thing from Samsung. Releasing an Android 15 update and soon after that stop their support. My Pixel 3 got Android 12 and 2-3 months later the phone got its last update.
It’s also not just about the drivers, it’s also about getting the vendor security updates. Those are on a monthly basis. So FP isn’t saved by just getting the drivers.
Look at the FP2 software history and you will see that some Android versions were never ported to it without preventing it from still being supported and run Android 10.
I don’t believe people should buy a Fairphone if they.want the last version but they should choose a Pixel
I would have bought a Pixel if they were actually available in my country. They were not, and I wanted a phone with a replaceable battery as that’s what essentially made my old phone unusable. It still technically boots, but since Pixel devices are laughable when it comes to repairability, it sits in my drawer and I’m using it as a proxy for Google Photos uploads to use the unlimited storage that gives me.
I think most of us have accepted the fact that Fairphone is never going to be able to compete with Google when it comes to updates. I’m just slightly disappointed I’m 2 versions behind, and I’m roughly a month behind on security updates.
Very minor stuff all things considered, but I would really appreciate Fairphone to be more open about what they are currently working on. As it is now, updates drop at random and I first hear of them on Reddit or on here due to someone else getting them 20 minutes ahead of me. I wish there was an official Fairphone development blog or something.
The biggest issue I have is that the bootloader problems continue. I ain’t risking flashing DivestOS if closing the bootloader or reverting to stock risks bricking the device.
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