i was watching Fairphone 4 for some time and wanted to know that will this phone get android 12? i’ve not seen it’s name on android 12 update list.
1 Like
Hi and welcome, yes its being worked on and will hopefully come in Q4
2 Likes
So, somewhere in this thread I saw a few comments about the count of Google tests.
Assuming I have a good knowledge on these based on my past experiences, I’d like to give you more clear picture on them.
Let’s just use active Fairphone devices for now.
So its,
FP2 - running Android 10
FP3 - running Android 11
FP4 - running Android 11
But, FP2 is a 32bit device where as FP3 and FP4 are 64bit devices
Since FP2 is a 32 bit device with a Lollipop launch, it does not support VTS(Vendor Test Suite) or CTS-on-GSI but since both FP3 and FP4 are post Pie launch, they have these two suites in addition to CTS + GTS(GMS Test Suite) + STS(Security Test Suite).
FP2
CTS - 477000 approx + GTS - 2600 approx + STS - 900 approx
Now let’s come to Android 11 64 bit devices
CTS - 1659750 approx + GTS - 3900 approx + STS - 950 approx + VTS - 119900 approx + CTS-on-GSI - 152400 approx
Now, the same devices if I have to give an overview on Android 12!(Note: There’s no reference for this and these numbers are just an estimation)
CTS - 2292200 approx + GTS - 3900 approx + STS - 980 approx + VTS - 114600 approx + CTS-on-GSI - 165200 approx
Then how will it be for Android 13??
A very high level CTS run on FP3 is showing me the count as 2673000 approx but I shall get the exact count later.
So yes, the Google certification process is a very complicated step in a dessert release for Android. Even a single failure out of these millions of tests will be sufficient for Google to reject the build from getting certified.
Besides this, as someone already touched upon, the operator approval. They too would be having some requirements that has to be satisfied before they accept the build and make it available to their users.
On top of this would be the user visible/ user facing issues that would be addressed from time to time.
I hope I have given you all a brief overview on the process. Do let me know if you have any queries and I would be happy to answer them.
Thanks.
TeamB58.
13 Likes
Will regular GSM call improve ?
I am really in need of a functional fairphone 4 .
Latest update have improved a lot, but still call quality is much better over data like signal.
Will updating android 12 make the situation even worse ?
That’s either a driver / firmware issue or related to carrier compatibility.
Android 12 isn’t likely to change anything in that regard, only if the underlying proprietary bits, that would fix it, happen to be shipped at the same time.
I’m running A12 on my FP4 and I regularly talk to a family member who’s running stock FPOS A11.
But over VoLTE, same carrier (Congstar / T-Mobile), no problems whatsoever, it does work…
…when you don’t have to use GSM 
I had to make a GSM call at some point, that wasn’t a pleasant experience. So no, A12 doesn’t magically fix things.
5 Likes
4 posts were merged into an existing topic: Fairphone 4 bad signal. Especially Upload speeds & regular calls
Might as well just go for Android 13 directly IMO. It’s out already, and quite stable at that. Skip 12, go for 13, assuming you can get it out before the end of the year.
2 Likes
That would be great, but I don’t believe it’s going to happen, maybe as a Christmas (or secular alternative) 
, one can dream 
Yeah, A13 works fine on my FP4 as well (admittedly I haven’t been running it all that long), having to help my family member on stock FPOS A11 always feels like going back in time.
At this rate I’m going to be running Android 14 on mine before stock moves to 12…
2 Likes
I must admit this is concerning to me. One of the selling features of the FP4, was longterm support. Like 3 to 5 android versions. Android 13 is out and we are still on Android 11?
I DO NOT want to get Android 12 tomorrow and wait another year for Android 13.
In the first statement you are worried about the future i.e. Long term support 3 to 5 issues. I think you may not have read much here as Fairphone have said 5 years and Androids 15. I will not provide links, you can look for them.
Second statement: You may not want to wait but ‘we’ are all waiting, most of us patiently and meanwhile doing really usefull things with our spare time. 
Hope you can weather the lack of an impending the hurricane Ann 12, that with turn up when least expected and totaly unapreciated as it will probably blow your roof off.
So while you wait have a nice day or year.
All the best
2 Likes
I get your frustration, Fairphone seems to be moving at a glacial pace sometimes, but long term support doesn’t mean OS upgrades.
Android 11 is still supported by Google, even Android 10 isn’t EOL yet. I don’t like it either, but that’s what long term support probably looks like, keep running a supported version.
6 Likes
Longterm support doesn’t imply bleeding edge features. I will much rather have stable security updates on A11 every month than a major update to A12/A13 and then nothing for a few months like many other manufacturers do.
7 Likes
I agree, stability should be paramount for stock FPOS, but A12 has been out for almost exactly a year now, that’s hardly bleeding edge.
But yeah, there are plenty of custom ROMs available for those (like me) who get bored by a working system and need something closer to a rolling release model
Hold on, Fairphone most definitely sold us multiple versions of Android. And let’s be real, they are falling behind a bit.
I don’t know what @anon9989719 is on about?
I thought so as well, but couldn’t find anything about it on the product page, the FAQ mentions…
We currently sell Fairphone 4 with Android 11 pre-installed, but we are now starting to work on a significant software upgrade to Android 12 for 2022.
…and:
Fairphone guarantees Android 12 and 13 for Fairphone 4 users.
We also aim to provide upgrades for Android 14 and 15. However, since Qualcomm will not offer support in the development, we cannot guarantee them.
But yeah, they are taking their time. All I know is that the pandemic slowed development down significantly, but at almost 3 years into it, that should be manageable by now…
5 Likes
I’ve seen no link stating Android 15 will definitely be available on any Fairphone. I Googled, well, Ecosiad “Fairphone Android 15” and the top results are basically the following (paraphrased):
We can guarantee updates to Android 12 and 13, and we promise to really try to get the phone to 14 and 15. It boils down to the chip’s support, unfortunately. Qualcomm only gives 3 years of support for the chip we used in the FP4.
I mean, personally I don’t care if we get Android 15 or not. I would much rather get Android 13 in a year or so, and then security updates every month. Basically, I’m with Razem. However, I do think we will be getting Android 15 on the FP4. The FP3 has been updated for ages, and it’s likely that the trend will continue with the FP4.
As I stated before, I was fully aware that buying from Fairphone rather than Google or Samsung would have its downsides when it comes to the software. I just wish they were more transparent about it.
A developer blog! Make one, keep us updated! I genuinely don’t see why a company built on the foundation of being fair and open about their product lines should be secretive like the CIA when it comes to software updates.
If they are afraid of showing their slow progress on the blog, I think most people would be fine with that. Because A) Progress is already slow, without the blog showing us a week to week update on what they are doing, and B) I think most people are in the same camp as me, where I’m perfectly fine with waiting for months if not years for updates.
All I want is communication. We’re taking a gamble on what is essentially a startup company, and I think we deserve as much.
(The above might come off as harsher than intended, I don’t regret buying my phone at all. I’d definitely do it again, I’m just blown away by the corporate trend of “STFU until the 2 year software product is out the door”)
5 Likes
Comparing Fairpone to the CIA is madness. The CIA are a comany that works for the US government outside it’a jurisdiction will the authority to disrupt and kill what are perceived as threats to the USA.
Sure the CIA will want to keep their acticities secret.
Fairphone are obliged by contracts to keep sofware details secret, not at all similar to the CIA.
If you want to have more access to Beta outputs and Gitlab pay attention to the forum. Now and then people are invited to join.
A blog for all and any user would just become a liability, as this one is, which is why it’s a use forum not one Fairphone are obliged to read.
Keep an eye open for a request for Beta testers for the FP4
Yeah I think you’re reading too much into that statement. I simply meant that companies today tend to do things in the dark, even when they are community driven in many ways. Signal is a better example. Open source, discusses issues on their GitHub, etc. Yet we have no idea what’s coming next, because they are community driven in name only. I feel Fairphone is fairly similar in that regard. We have a forum, but actual developer contact is extremely rare. I’ve never once seen it happen while lurking here.
Fairphone are obliged by contracts to keep sofware details secret, not at all similar to the CIA.
I would genuinely be surprised if contracts prevented them from giving statements like “This week we worked on getting the WiFi firmware to play nice with Android 12. We had issues due to the lead developer having corona for 2 weeks, so we’re a bit behind schedule”
There’s a big difference between that and “Hey guys, our contact person at Qualcomm sent THIS to us in confidence today!!”
If you want to have more access to Beta outputs and Gitlab pay attention to the forum. Now and then people are invited to join.
See, the issue is that I don’t think I should have to lurk the forums every day to know whether or not we’re getting Android 12 this year or not. I think there should be a dedicated segment for that. But just like with most companies, they don’t feel like sharing that with us. Which I find odd, to be honest.
6 Likes
Say, how did you get A13 running on the FP4?
I’m running CalyxOS:
5 Likes