FP Security Updates need to be more frequent

Well, I’m new(-ish) here and don’t really know who “Rae” actually was (“we hardly knew you”, as they say…), but in case she was some kind of official company spokesperson, she should had used an official, non-individual company account for posting such stuff.
Which doesn’t preclude also having and using a personal account, for personal posts. It’s the not very subtle difference between “I say”, and “Fairphone says”.
Just saying.

Just FYI (news about security updates on the end of the post):

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We are now 2 months behind again. Does anyone have any info on when we could get another security patch?

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Still wondering about the update policy.

I might’ve been naive but I thought a sustainable phone would include a reliable update scheme where I wouldn’t have to wonder if and when an update might arrive. I expect about 10 of 12 updates per year and let’s say 7 of those 10 arriving before the next update gets released.

In addition the standard OS (Fairphone OS) does not give the impression og being cared for very thoroughly. Camera app has a shutter lag between 4 and 5 seconds in the dark (didn’t expect that in 2022), the gallery isn’t accessible from the camera app if it’s not the Google gallery, a Files app that can’t be uninstalled or disabled but forgets its settings (sorting) every time, hotspot no longer 5G. List might be continued.
Seems to me that the sustainable part of the phone mostly is reduced to hardware / production and the OS including updates might anyway be neglected since most users will unlock the phone and install their own OS or love to fiddle with it since it’s a so very special phone?? OK, my fault that I just want to configure a phone once and then simply want to use it.

Could possibly live with either the update policy or the OS but both together don’t make this phone sustainable for me- I definitively don’t want to have it like this for the next 5 years.

(Coming from a Nokia 2.3, so really not used to a luxurious phone- but Android one without bloatware and 3 years update promise kept)
(The work done by Fairphone for a fairer production is still impressive, all honor to them for this effort and with this work changing the attitude of other vendors, too)

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Best is to ask FP and #contactsupport, please do share their response :slight_smile: The updates were quite predictable before the development of Android 12 started. That’s why I sometimes posted the update sooner than FP. I wasn’t refreshing on a daily basis, I noticed a pattern. But it could also be just random of course. In any case, they usually lag behind one monthly update, which usually is released on the first or second Friday of the month. But this comes with a disclaimer that this is not official. Hopefully the updates will be monthly again from now on.

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Good timing! Software update: FP4.SP21.B.048.20230215

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Received today in Switzerland with provider Swisscom A 12. SP February.

Received through Orange F.

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Well you can check the terms and conditions which where in place when you bought the phone.

If updates are mentioned but they don’t deliver as promised you should be able to cancel your purchase. I think that’s your best bet.

My current plan is to use this phone until it breaks and then I’m buying a Pixel 9a or whatever will be out at the time

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If the FP5 will have a better design (not that huge and dramatic rounded corners and massive nodge), an LED screen with 90Hz that can go brighter, better vibration motor and better software quality overall… Then I’ll buy that this year. Otherwise it will be a Pixel again. FP has an awesome mission, but I don’t find it fair to the users with all these bugs and no real progress on improving that quality. I hope they will release the FP5 when it’s ready. And not too early and then they are overwhelmed again by complaints. Quality takes time and saves time in the end. So many issues are still present since launch.

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Not sure you really support the mission. You expect a Pixel like experience, what Fairphone never can provide. Look to the size of teams and background.

You cannot expect the same type of hardware nor a similar design - see repairability of Pixel.
Same for maybe not using the very latest technology - as such technologies maybe only available by companies not being compliant with fairphone values or using materials that were not available in a “fair” way.

For me currently it looks that Fairphone is back to a monthly release - after the Android 12 rollout - what seems to be logic.

I am still happy with my Fairphone 4. It is durable, working in all conditions. Have still some Bluetooth codec bugs since the Android 12 - but I am sure it gets resolved.

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Do I? I don’t think I do. I find it strange that people immediately think you want a Pixel if you just want a phone that’s released without bugs you can find in the first 5 minutes using the phone and expect more modern and usable hardware in the next version. Is that really expecting a Pixel? Of course not. Then my list would be more demanding. I’m just asking for a phone that works. I don’t find it fair to the user to have anything else. Maybe read my comment again. The FP4 was released too lazy. They probably expected to fix the issues with sequential updates. But they couldn’t. So if they just spend some more time at bug squashing we shouldn’t be in this position of still complaining about 1.5 year old bugs. Bugs that even weren’t fixed when we got only one OS update every 3-4 months. That’s really not asking for Pixel quality.

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Comparisons with Pixels apart, I think we all agree that Fairphone has a software issue. The good news are they lately seem to be genuinely trying to keep up with customer complaints: We see @anon64862762 quite frequently lately, in the last couple weeks we’ve seen more Fairphone interventions than in all the months before. So there is hope they will do something about it, eventually. IMHO.

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You idealise a bit too much Pixel phones since they are also concerned by bugs : Pixel 7 and 7 Pro problems and how to fix them - Android Authority

And the last one appeared with the last update. But at least they are corrected faster than what Fairphone does :roll_eyes:

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Really fun bugs too, like not being able to call emergency numbers (!)

I thought they hadn’t rolled out the update for the affected devices and delivered another A11 update instead?

May my guess be wrong - reading all your old statements, sorry.
I comply to all wishes for success and as well to monthly updates and so.
Still the update to Android 13 - to me - has less significance against regular security updates and bug fixing.
The Bluetooth Audio Codec bug is really annoying - even if the first step is done to fix in last update so I hope the remaining Codecs will work from next update onwards.

Citation needed. Don’t confuse me with people that think they can speak for me :wink:

Of course they have issues too. My Pixel 3 also had issues. Short battery life, clouds on my Earth live wallpaper didn’t refresh for a while and video recording wasn’t that smooth. But these issues were fixed, except for the battery life. They just put a small battery in there.

Every phone does have issues. I’m not saying that a Pixel is bug free. What counts is the overall quality, Pixels are king in that regard. But for some reason, every time I bring up that Fairphone needs to improve, people think I’m talking about Pixels quality on a Fairhpone. I never said that. I just point out flaws. Flaws that aren’t fixed. If those flaws remain, then, my alternative, my third choice, is a Pixel (second choice is a FP5). Now that may be “less sustainable”, but having a phone I’m happy with for 5 years sounds better than a phone that’s “sustainable” but makes your life difficult with no improvement in sight. That makes it a waste problem, because people may buy it, and then throw away because they can’t even have a call, shoot a picture or any of the daily issues this phone has.

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That was in combination with Microsoft Teams on your phone if I remember correctly.

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