CalyxOS (is coming to) is here for FP4!

So that button …

… isn’t there? :thinking:

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Oh my god, I was in such a hurry, that I had the impression the install button in the upper right should be an uninstall button :joy:. Nevermind, it’s now installing after restoring original image… will report back, when it finished.

IT (JUST) WORKS! :slight_smile:

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just a quick heads up about device flasher: it seems it’s attempting to relock the bootloader after flashing, but only if get_unlock_ability returns 1.

cf. FP4: Don't lock bootloader if fastboot flashing get_unlock_ability returns 0 (21a1801f) · Commits · CalyxOS / device-flasher · GitLab

=> don’t use it if you’re not ok with this

see also Fairphone 4

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You still have to confirm locking the bootloader with Vol. Up / Down + Power, so it’s not a completely automated process. If you don’t lock it, the system will boot up just fine as well.

I’ve tested the device-flasher several times with different options and so far haven’t been able to reproduce the dreaded get_unlock_ability=0. Locking and unlocking the bootloader works absolutely fine so far.

First time(s) locking my FP4, and it didn’t turn into a :brick: at any point, good times, still not keeping it that way :smirk:

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Acording to CalyxOS there is an bug with Fairphone 4 bootloader so the CalyxOS developers can’t do more regarding locking the bootloader after flashing. So unless Fairphone fixed this bug then probably Fairphone 4 just won’t be able to be locked after flashing.
Which would be terrible if this isn’t fixed, becaus for many this unlocked bootloader was maybe the main selling point for buying a Fairphone 4.

There is a workaround, if you get hit by that bug.
But I’m not sure if it’s even necessary anymore. I had issues with that exact problem in the past, but I just flashed my phone again, get_unlock_ability set to 0 and at the point the device-flasher asks you to lock the bootloader, that flag was at 1 again. :man_shrugging:

Still plenty of ways to :brick: it through other means, but if you follow the device-flasher, I think you should be fine.

The people who’ve been running custom ROMs with a locked bootloader for months now might have a different opinion :smirk:

However they can still be hit by the issue as get unlock ability might still be 0…

If they already locked the bootloader (and didn’t brick), it doesn’t really matter if they got hit by that bug. Once the bootloader is locked, the OEM unlocking switch can just be toggled again.

CalyxOS for example, by default, automatically resets get_unlock_ability after the first successful boot, for security reasons. (That we already knew)
Whether that applies to booting an unlocked system as well, is something I’m trying to find out at the moment.

If that’s the case, it might explain some of the confusion around this issue. Maybe there weren’t so many people affected by the bootloader bug after all and some just experienced a feature :smirk:

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Dont think so in all cases

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Huh, that’s a curious case :thinking:
Not sure if there’s a misunderstandig at some point (or I don’t get it). The user started on a supposedly locked Calyx, but in the next post seems to be running DivestOS (how?), and ulimately fixed the problem using the Magisk method, which isn’t possible on a locked bootloader (and wouldn’t make sense, since you fake a locked bootloader with it).

The normal flow is, Calyx installed, bootloader locked, get_unlock_ability reset to 0.

To unlock the bootloader the switch in Developer Settings can just be set to on.
That’s what I’ve been doing all evening and so far the install process hasn’t failed me.

Now if you don’t lock the bootloader (going against the device-flasher instructions) and boot into the system, get_unlock_ability does get reset as well.
At that point, following the first run wizards suggestion to reboot the phone and lock it, does carry a risk.

I’ve asked the devs already, if that reset is a bug, or a side-effect of the feature mentioned above and if it’s the latter, whether they would consider removing that prompt and direct people to just using the device-flasher again.

Dont see that information :thinking:

I understood the toggle was set to off and greyed out and if this is the case, you cant enable,or?

Might be a curious case or many have this without knowing, because when the system runs smoothly and you would not want to flash something you wouldnt notice I guess…

The good thing is CalyxOS seem to have found a way to prevent issues

If the phone was locked with CalyxOS installed and OEM unlocking was greyed out, so not toggleable, I don’t see the switch to DivestOS happening, which would have required the greyed out OEM unlocking switch to be turned on again to unlock the bootloader.
I think there’s a misunderstanding somewhere, if there isn’t, I would be very interested to find out how that is / was possible :thinking:

If it’s greyed out you can’t enable it, that’s right, but what makes the switch greyed out is the bootloader being unlocked, once it’s locked it can be toggled again.
That’s how the Magisk workaround works, you fake the system being locked (adb shell su -c 'resetprop ro.boot.flash.locked 1'), and then are able to flip the switch. On a locked bootloader you should always be able to toggle that switch (on stock you might need to enter a code though).

I agree, the issue might not be completely gone (time will tell), but they have mitigated it enough, so that people shouldn’t brick their phones, if they follow the official installation path.
That calls for celebration :partying_face:

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OK you mix up 2 user S+J (both green) :wink:

Edit: following discussion with J was moved to another topic

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:see_no_evil:
You are right, default profile pics on a small phone screen … :smile:

Well, that is indeed a very plausible explanation.

As far as I can tell, there hasn’t been any update on the fate of the first device, @juri.gagarin.ii , are you still stuck on a Calyx installation with a locked bootloader? :thinking:

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Yes I am, but as CalyxOS is working well (except, of course, the camera-issue which is not exclusive to CalyxOS), I didn’t dig deeper.

If I ever want to try another OS (I’m kind of an OS-hopper), I will have to think about that.

Interesting, hmmm :thinking:

Could you check the output of fastboot oem device-info :pray:
Oh, and the output of adb shell getprop ro.boot.flash.locked.

No idea how that’s possible, locking the bootloader should just make the OEM unlocking switch available again … very interesting :smiley:

Unfortunately that will take some time as I am on holiday without my laptop. But when I’ll be home I will get the information and post it here.

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Dump question: Now that FP4 is officially support with/by CalyxOS since a while, locking the bootloader and have the phone rooted is still not supported/recommended, right?

Apart from that the last few updates via OTA went just fine via the described way. Thinking about putting the update procedure into a separate wiki thread/post. Sometime it feels like the procedures/hints/infos/step-by-step-guides are somehow buried in very long threads like this one (or https://forum.fairphone.com/t/howto-install-calyx-os-on-fp4 )

As I wrote in that other thread:

If you use the device-flasher, it’s now generally safe to lock the bootloader.
I’ve tried it 30+ times by now and everythings been fine, as always, no guarantees though :nerd_face:

Edit: Woops, missed that part :see_no_evil:

Never will be supported, and it’s not only not recommended, it can very easily brick your phone.

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3 days ago I installed Calyxos on my Fairphone 4 and I just want to let people know of my experience and opinion of it. I’m a programmer techie nerd so my phone is my life.

The Pros:
The first 3 days were absolute bliss. I loved working in Android 13 and Calyxos is really very very well done. Only one bug I found in the whole thing in their Knock-off of GooglePlay if you somehow miss hitting the “install” button after downloading a new app the only way to continue is to restart the phone. But for such a huge software that is really a very very minor bug. Everything I really needed for banking, communication, etc, all worked perfectly. I’m not interested in avoiding the evil Google Corp so my goal was to just get everything I need to work. Others prioritize avoiding Google and there Calyxos Shines victorious, but then, very little will work of course since Google is so powerful.

The Cons:
Not everything works. Probably 95% of all you need/want will work. Eventually you will find things that don’t work. Not Calyxos’s fault at all. A very few apps that love the evil Google Corp will eventually find something they don’t like about Calyxos and refuse to work. For me it was the following

  1. Samsung Wear and all samsung apps for my watch which means my watch was toast. Too bad because I loved Samsung pay and my watch. I could buy a new Garmin watch which others say works.
  2. All my streaming apps refused to work. You know, like Netflix, however I don’t have netflix myself. Apparently they check if the phone is root unlocked and refuse to work if it is. I assume it is to protect their copyrighted material.

So I re-rooted my Fairphone 4 back to the old Android 11. That went rather well with only a few minor hiccups. One major note here!! “You must re-lock your root or your streaming apps still won’t work”!! Now actually I realize that although Android 13 was a little more eye pleasing than Android 11, actually android 11 is just as good and even some of the eye candy in android 13 is actually irritating in the long run. So for now I am very happy back on Android 11.