Don't buy a FP3 yet if you don't like stock android or Google!

[JeroenH]

There is no E2EE for Android backups in Google Drive either.

Android has FDE, as does iOS.

[Soprano]

@BertG

Please enlighten me, what new phone is has a google-free alternative available on entering the market. Developing such an OS always takes some time, if I am not mistaken.

The evil multinational company named Sony does it:
https://developer.sony.com/develop/open-devices/

[Ingo]

Do you happen to know if Sony has the stuff up on their page as soon as a new model is released?
And unfortunately the links to the open source archive and software binaries just give a network violation on my firefox.

Without deeper knowledge it looks “just” like developer information, not flashable images. But as I said, some links I can’t check because they give errors at the moment for me.

[JeroenH]

True, on select Sony devices you are able to run SFOS (Sailfish OS). Which is heavily based on Maemo (and standard Linux desktop) but not completely FOSS.

[Flaburgan]

This discussion about Apple privacy is interesting but is going a bit off topic.

If I can summarize and add my opinion to what’s going here:

• Some people are disappointed because they want a phone respecting their privacy and the Fairphone 3 doesn’t allow that yet, as no version of Android without Google services, which track the user, is provided.
• The disappointment is especially high because the Fairphone 2 was provided with Fairphone Open OS, a version without the Google services. So, it puts the FP3 as a worse option than the FP2 right now (end of Januray, 2020),
• Even if it was not available on day 1 on the FP2, Fairphone Open OS has been released a few months later. We currently have no indication, roadmap or any information from Fairphone about a release of FOOS for the FP3 (please correct me if that’s wrong), leading to think that this could not happen
• It looks like Fairphone delegated (subtrade? sorry I’m not a native english speaker) a lot of work for the FP3. That’s maybe the reason why they are late. Or maybe it’s even the reason they won’t provide it, who knows?
• The shame is even bigger because thanks to the providing of FOOS for the FP2, other OSes have been made available by privacy friendly communities such as /e/, Ubuntu Touch or Sailfish OS. To be able to run those OSes is a very important selling point for many power-users out there. If the Fairphone 3 never allows that, that phone would definitely be a regression compared to the FP2

So please Fairphone, provide a boot image, or at least give information about what you plan to do and an estimate date!

[AnotherElk]

@Flaburgan

To be able to run those OSes is a very important selling point for many power-users out there. If the Fairphone 3 never allows that, that phone would definitely be a regression compared to the FP2

TWRP is here as an important step, it’s not as if there is no progress .

[Flaburgan]

@AnotherElk

TWRP is here as an important step, it’s not as if there is no progress .

Yep, but that’s a community effort achieved with a lot of hacking. It doesn’t send any good signal from Fairphone unfortunately.

[AnotherElk]

@Flaburgan

It doesn’t send any good signal from Fairphone unfortunately.

Not any? They made the bootloader unlockable .

[Linn]

Based on the FAQ I’d say it’s just a matter of patience.

Soon, you will have the option to install an alternative operating system such as Ubuntu Touch, Lineage OS, Sailfish OS or e-foundation. These communities will also first need to port their Operating Systems on Fairphone 3. To do this, you will need to unlock the bootloader. All Fairphone 3’s are shipped with the bootloader locked, this is to ensure an attacker cannot compromise the device by installing their own system or boot image. We plan to publish a step-by-step guide to unlocking your Fairphone 3 bootloader in the coming weeks.

[AnotherElk]

@Linn

Based on the FAQ I’d say it’s just a matter of patience.

If you’re looking at the respective topics here … what is this “patience”? Is this even English ?

[mgfp]

@Linn

Based on the FAQ I’d say it’s just a matter of patience.

Soon, you will have the option to install an alternative operating system such as Ubuntu Touch, Lineage OS, Sailfish OS or e-foundation. These communities will also first need to port their Operating Systems on Fairphone 3. To do this, you will need to unlock the bootloader. All Fairphone 3’s are shipped with the bootloader locked, this is to ensure an attacker cannot compromise the device by installing their own system or boot image. We plan to publish a step-by-step guide to unlocking your Fairphone 3 bootloader in the coming weeks.

Doesn’t that mean: nothing to expect from Fairphone!?

The step-by-step guide to unlock the bootloader is already there - not from the company but from the community. The rest of the answer just expresses their expectation that the community-projects somehow will succeed to get their OSes running on the FP3. If I understand the development threads correctly this involves a lot of reverse engineering - because of lack of information from the vendor and/or manufacturer. This FAQ answer does not seem to justify any hope that there is something to come from Fairphone.

[AnotherElk]

@mgfp

Doesn’t that mean: nothing to expect from Fairphone!?

Until revoked by Fairphone, this statement still stands …

“We are currently investigating the possibility of making Fairphone Open available on Fairphone 3.”

At least you can expect a statement on the matter once they are done investigating.

[mgfp]

True. But I think this is a (related but) different topic. I understand that developing FP OOS requires some effort and takes time. . (Edit: FP OOS is not mentioned in the FAQ answer.) But I struggle to understand why Fairphone can’t support the communities by providing the needed information Insofar I agree with that comment above:

@Flaburgan

Yep, but that’s a community effort achieved with a lot of hacking. It doesn’t send any good signal from Fairphone unfortunately.

[AnotherElk]

@mgfp

I understand that developing FP OOS requires some effort and takes time. But I struggle to understand why Fairphone can’t support the communities by providing the needed information.

Well, I agree they could have blunted that attack vector towards themselves somewhat with some quicker effort.
And I would agree it would be nice to know what’s keeping them busy right now preventing them from doing so.

But it’s not that they can’t support that, they just didn’t yet …

We are working towards making available:
a flashable image for download and manual flash

… which was an important missing piece as far as I understood and would have helped in time, but community heroics yielded quicker results now …

@k4y0z

I have linked to a full stock dump above. (Which could be used with fastboot to get back to stock state)

[pigpig]

We managed to boot to a GSI (lineage OS).

FP3 custom rom development based on released source code

Yiha! I have lineage on the FP3! (with gsi) I used the treble_arm64_bvN image. Install magisk Note the slote ! Flash back stock vendor & system, erase userdata fastboot getvar current-slot fastboot --set-active={slot with magisk} # if needed fastboot flash vendor vendor.img # Not sure if needed fastboot flash system system.img # Not sure if needed fastboot -w Flash the gsi on the two slots! fastboot flash system_a {gsi_image} fastboot flash system_b {gsi_image} Reboot and wa…

[AnotherElk]

@pigpig

We managed to boot to a GSI (lineage OS).

The best of both worlds … we’re on our way to a custom ROM without much Google … Yay! … but it isn’t entirely ready suitable for the mass yet, so people can still complain about the unjustifiably dire situation in technicolor … Yay! .

[pigpig]

Actually, this is a custom ROM without Google

[AnotherElk]

@pigpig

and everything works fine

Well, that info bit was relatively new .

GSI = Generic System Image … but it didn’t sound entirely convincing to me, more like a basic testing environment.

[pigpig]

True ^^, I’ll edit.
GSI are dev images, you’re right. But it is still a custom ROM without GAPPs. And I prefere a dev image than g**gle. Some GSI (e.g. Bliss, Resurrection) are official supported image. And they haven’t any Gapp. What was the meaning of the thread ^^

The last problem is about the qualcomm libs, and their possible privacy issue

[JeroenH]

Fairphone Open wasn’t available right away either, nor was SFOS or other custom OSes such as LineageOS. Community OSes are made for and by the community. They don’t come with warranty. Anything can happen when you run such. Which is a Bad Thing ™ in a corporate or business environment. There’s a plethora of people who can/will only run official firmware.