@madbilly Sure, Fairphone’s ethics are wonderful. I applaud them for this, praise them highly, and would be the last one to criticise them on that!
But they could and should have improved their software strategy, I think, if they take their own ethics and their buyers seriously. Indeed, the best way would be to partner with their favourite OS developers and not develop their own OS, but it is (was) essential to do this before a new phone release; hire someone knowledgeable, famous in the field even, who is, PR-wise, very well able to explain the necessity plus advantages of such a direction, focus on the primary, (more) free OS - and, if they really must, offer the ‘old’ and ethically totally wrong option as a secondary choice for customers who are just too stubborn (or worse 
). Using solely free and open software (or at least as much as is reasonably possible) is after all much more important than believing that one’s life becomes impossible without an app that converts business cards and adds them to one’s contacts list (just one example, obviously). All for the benefit of (I don’t like the word, but…: education and general awareness of) their clientele and to do another right thing for the world.
Indeed, and that’s what I mean by a missed chance.
Again, it’s all besides the great things Fairphone already do accomplish!
Have a good one!