Android 6.0 Marshmallow / 7 Nougat for FP2?

:confused:

I was really hoping that weeks would mean weeks and that february would go down in the annals of history as the month where fair Marshmallows started to spread!

5 Likes

Just for reference, according to xda, the beta of the Nougat update is available for the ZUK Z1. We’ll see if they really release a stable version.

To be honest, I would already be happy with FP2 even staying on Lollipop - If it was stable
I mean, the most basic example: I never use FP2 as an alarm clock. It does randomly reboot in the night and forgets what time it is, just because it’s in flight mode (Yes this happened once. Missed two meetings with customers because of it that day).

4 Likes

I second that wish. And I tried Nougat on another device (Wileyfox, also rooted like my FP2) which also runs Lollipop 5.1 from factory. I tried Nougat for 3 days and reverted back to Lollipop. Nothing is better, but a few things make me unhappy (write rights to sd-card, USB-mass-storage-mode).

Read this blog-entry.

I shall be happy with my FP2 and Lollipop, if the bugs would be fixed …

2 Likes

I forgot: the current consumption is the same with nougat - the battery lasts the same time span as with Lollipop.

My testing-device works like my FP2 without any Google-service and I had no battery saving options switched on.

In Play Store is sort of an official statement :wink:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fairphone.updater&reviewId=Z3A6QU9xcFRPRWhtZlBqQzRiaGVmTVNfbWdPeVQxcE53TWpueGU2Qld2UFZZbWN0OGs3WUNwOWE5eDdKeDAyMUlsWU9xMC1JMURnem1fU1lUUUJqYkZuekNZ

A user complains about the missing upgrade to Android 6 or 7. Fairphone answers (9 February 2017):

Hi Michael. We have some good news coming soon, stay tuned! :wink:

8 Likes

Latest I have heard was here:

8 Likes

Is there an update about the update to 6.0?

1 Like

It’s currently in beta testing. There are some bugs though which Fairphone are working on. However it’s probably not going to be that long before there is a stable version for release. Can’t make any promises though, just depends on the speed of bug fixes etc etc

7 Likes

Good to know. Is the process of beta-testing transparent in any way? Though, which bugs, how many testers etc.? This knowledge would increase the “visibilty” about what FP is working at the moment…

And is it already for sure, that first it will be provided Android 6.0 for FP2 (and is not discarded for a double version jump to 7.0)?

1 Like

Good to know. Is the process of beta-testing transparent in any way?

You can find more information about the beta program here. When you join the beta program, an additional section “FP2 Beta Testing” will apear in the forum. You can then download the latest Android 6 beta and discuss it with other beta testers and the developers.

And is it already for sure, that first it will be provided Android 6.0 for FP2 (and is not discarded for a double version jump to 7.0)?

I’m pretty certain that they will release Android 6 and won’t skip it in favour of Android 7.

5 Likes

Old platform, the snapdragon 801 is 3 years old, and can’t support android 7, a this point…buying a new phone with this chip isn’t a really smart move :frowning:

3 Likes

In 2015, the Snapdragon 801 was a smart decision. Because it was a widespread platform with many phones and there were no signs of obsolescence at this time.

The turnaround happened in August 2016 when Android 7 was released and the Snapdragon 801 was excluded. At that time, Fairphone should have started to develop a Fairphone 2 with a new chipset (Fairphone 2.1) instead of hoping to get Android 7 anyways on it with Google’s sake. Because when Android 7 is really not possible on Fairphone 2, we have a big sustainability problem which could have been avoided for the newer portion. Other way round (two Fairphone 2 versions, both with Android 7 possible) would only be a little problem (little more developing work because of two different chipsets).

6 Likes

Hi, this place is better for this discussion (I moved the two posts above mine). :wink:

They don’t need Gxxgle’s sake for an Android 7 FP Open OS, so that would be our hope for an officially supported Android 7 version. There are plenty of ways to make FP Open OS behave like the GMS version (pretty similar to all FP1s), for example OpenGAPPS, Yalp Store, etc. I don’t see a pressing need for a different chipset.

PS.: That would also contradict Fairphone’s idea in a philosophical way. They are fighting obsolescence and are trying to prove that a different relationship between a company any its products is possible → namely providing updates as long as feasible and not ditching an old product just because Gxxgle doesn’t deem it worth it to support it anymore.
PPS.: Social scientist would probably say that FP2’s “oldness” is a social construct, constructed by Gxxgle and the other shiny OEMs. :wink: Even in comparison with the average lifetime of a smartphone (about 18-24 months) FP2 is relatively young! :smiley:

7 Likes

That would also be possible with a Fairphone 2.1. A Fairphone 2.1 does not mean that the Fairphone 2(.0) would not get (security) updates in this case anymore. See the Fairphone 1.

Also, a “Fairphone 2.1” means that there is no significant change, but only slight changes between the Fairphone versions, and the modules are backwards-compatible. Like the new cases or the new camera module. That could also be done with the chipset.

Advantage is that most Fairphone users do not instantly feel the need to buy a new phone when there is only a slight change and the old parts are still working. Another advantage is that the hardware in new devices will still be up-to-date after many years.

With a significant change (“Fairphone 3”), there will be many users which feel a need to buy that.

2 Likes

That’s simply not true. Official Google support may not happen, because of (for Qualcomm) obsolete chipsets… But there are way older devices performing great on, e.g., los 14, btw even better than on MM.

4 Likes

Unfortunately not so good news for all who have hoped that the “within weeks” tweet from 19. of January would come true.

Fairphone just responded to the question again: now its "Maybe May 2017. Hopefully earlier."

But at least we have a confirmation it will be definitely before 2019 :joy::joy::joy:

10 Likes

Well, I’d rather have a solid, polished release later than expected than an unfinished one right away.

15 Likes

Thanks for your post - though I don’t like the content of it. :wink: So then let’s wait and hope for the best.

The Beta version is getting better. A couple of small bugs are present, and hopefully the release won’t take much longer to polish up :slight_smile:

6 Likes