I am quite new here, and a proud owner of a “new” FP4.
I have a question about the stock OS on FP4.
I was expecting it to be Android 11.
Now I realise, after letting today the system boot until it stands and I can do some settings, that the OS is Android 12.
I didn’t knowingly allow any update nor upgrade; but I did, in a previous short step yesterday, start the phone and enable USB. The phone was on, as I was thinking about whether and how to connect my old phone to this new phone (google Android account transfer). But I finally preferred to give it time (and let the new Fairphone recharge) and stopped without doing the account transfer.
Furthermore I read this, and I am wondering if the phone didn’t just ship with A12, which the reseller of my FP didn’t mention in his product description…
Anyway, my question now is:
is it as simple to go back from this Android12 to a stock A11 as pressing the famous “factory reset”? Or is it a whole different ball game with this topic of bootloader unlocking and relocking (as described here)?
Or is it perhaps impossible, because it shipped with A12, and A11 was never installed on it?
Thanks a lot for your attention and support of a beginner, almost already an enthusiast!
I am no expert in reinstalling the Android but I am almost sure that the simple factory reset would keep the OS you have.
But I have a different question, FP4 is currently supported and the security updates are provided for Android13. What might be the reason you want to go back to the older, not supported version?
The fact is that I would want to keep the option open to install an alternative operating system.
And as far as I have understood, it is “easier” to move from an older version of Android than from a newer one - because of this question of security patches versions/dates: the options are apparently more limited with a more recent OS version.
I haven’t quite made up my mind, and I am still in the process of checking and assessing things (OSs).
I think you did understand it wrong. I’ve recently got my new Fairphone 4 (brand new, old stock), and I’ve already installed LineageOS 22.2 (Android 15) on it, and as you can see on the instructions:
The required version is Android 13, which may be lower than the LineageOS version you are about to install - this is not an error!
If there are multiple updates of that version (e.g. security updates), make sure to use the latest!
Although trut be said, it’s not exactly the same with /e/OS
If you try installing a version of /e/OS based on a security patch that is older than the one on your device, you will brick your device.
Security patches move fast, so worst case scenario, you may need to wait a bit until /e/OS moves to the next update.
So, in any case, my recommendation is to upgrade your system to Android 13, and just be extra careful if you decide to move to a custom ROM.