We’re about to release the Open Source version of Fairphone OS. To make sure we’ve squashed most bugs, we hope to get critical feedback from our community and we’re looking for more people to join the testing process. We would like to have input on the installation process, switching from GMS <->OSOS and the overall experience.
The Fairphone Open Source OS does not include Google services and thus no app store. A great opportunity to explore different app-stores is for example F-Droid, an app-store that only contains free and open source software.
This version is a pre-release, and if everything looks solid enough we will release the open source version to the public soon.
Who is it for?
Anyone can apply, but we are specifically looking for people who:
Own a Fairphone 2
Can explain fastboot, ADB and how to restore a Fairphone to their 8-year-old nephew.
Are aware that this update will erase data on their Fairphone and are ok with that.
Can handle and are happy to enter a world without Google Services on their Fairphone 2.
Want to join?
Send a mail to our developers at beta@fairphone.comwith your forum username and explain why you want to join the beta testers group. Once you are approved, you’ll be added to the beta group and will be able to see that category on the forum.
Will it be available on FP1 ? If yes, when ? Because I’m interested and I’d like to participate but unfortunately I don’t own a FP2 (and buying one to enjoy a more advanced software would be … paradoxical)
Well this built is meant for the FP2, which has different hardware than the FP1, so it won’t work on the FP1.
The Fairphone team announced at some point that they would want to work on a software update for the FP1, but I don’t know the state of that, or how certain it is that an update would come. I certainly hope for one, as we also have an FP1 in our house.
That said, the main difference of this FP-OSOS to the regular OS of the FP2 is that it is Google free and easy to root. These are features you already have on the FP1. So in that regard, this version we are talking here wouldn’t be that extraordinary for the FP1.
I tried to get the commit log for the new code but was not able to. Could be my skills or that the new code is not in the public repo yet.
The only “test” I use is repo forall -c git log | egrep -i '2016|CVE' after a sync. It’s just not showing enough. I’m sure there are better ways. But I was not able to get a useful Changelog using git.
After the postponing of the OSOS release date from “on delivery” (information last summer) over “first quarter” (January), “we are right now bulding it” (2 weeks ago) and “imminent” (last week) this is yet another point that now keeps me from recommending the FP2 to users who love open software and transparent customer focus policies.
I understand it in the way that they want to follow the “Google release model” to have more control. Release the binaries first, code later. It’s maybe not the worst idea … as long as the code ends up in the repo in time. But so far there are no official comments about it, so it’s hard to tell.
that is the point.
there are hardly any official comments at all.
the announced release date of “first quarter” just disappeared from the page, instead of explaining why it is taking longer. Fairphone’s information policy is neither fair nor open.
I see that there are reasons why only testers can post in that group, but at least it could be made readable for the public.
