How can I downgrade the fairphone OS to an old version?

Hi, after installing OS 1.9.3 my fairphone is not working properly any more. One minute after powering up the phone freezes and the only thing I can basicaly do is pressing the power button and shutting it down. I have never experienced such problems with OS 1.8.1 so I want do restore that Version again.

I tried to follow this tutorial on how to manually apply an update:

But the problem is that the phone is telling me it won´t install an old version of the OS over a newer one. How can I do that?

Maybe like I’m trying

Basically, I really really would not recommend to downgrade. It is very likely that your issues are not directly connected to the upgrade; would it be faulty, other users would experience the same problems. If there should have been a problem during upgrade, then installing again the latest version should solve it as well.

But if you really want to, you can find older software versions here. I do not want to go into detail on how to proceed, since if you don’t know what to do with these files (i.e. how to flash image files and which files to flash), I wouldn’t recommend you to continue.

In any case it is much more likely that your problems are connected to your settings/installed apps. For this purpose, have a look at this:

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Hello,

I experience very bad things since the last update too and I tried to come back to an older version (1.8.1 for instance) but I don’t manage to.

Then, I’ve put my phone in safe mode and then it is ok in this mode.
I guess the problem come from Hiccut, but I can’t be sure because I can’t manage to remove it.

Hiccup is a system app and therefore exists in safe mode too afaik.

###If you really know what you are doing
It’s not that hard to downgrade your FPOS. But generally, in terms of security, it might be a better idea to re-flash the current OS before trying a downgrade. The way is - however - the same:

  • Select an arbitrary update-package from the above page
  • Boot TWRP without flashing
  • [Inside TWRP] Hit “Install” and select the update-package (if you didn’t copy it on your phone yet, connect it to your pc and copy the file to SD-Card)
  • After installing, wipe Cache and reboot.

I also experienced enormous problems after an upgrade last apr-may and I didn’t have any particular app… maybe a wifi weaknesses. Something like this I never heard happened with other smartphones of friends or people I know. In other phones Apps or upgrades don’t cause the problems many FPers experience.
I also think there are problems with upgrades of the OS, so I usually don’t upgrade as soon as the message gets to my phone, probably risking in security.
I think there are also a lot of other fairphoners that have the same problem but don’t have the time to communicate it. You already waste so much time to solve the problem!!! It should be an instrument that make you save time, not waste more time!! Especially for its cost, that for people that try to work in a fair system it’s very high.

Anyway many of us, as responsible consumers and change makers, are very motivated to go on with the FP 2, with all its limits (bad camera…), but I have experienced almost all the serious problems that come in the forum (cable bought following the indication in the FP website that didn’t work, phone gone crazy after update, months to receive a reply from the customers service…), and other problems I didn’t have the time to fix yet, reading the workarounds (Bluetooth only working for JPGs, audio recording, micro and speakers volume, random reboots, overheating, camera click sound and focus, SD card…)
Something is being done at FP, for example the voluntary OS testing team.
But there is still a lot to do to get it working well, so please take note at FP. We will try and support you as long as we can, but many have already given up…
Food for thoughts… Thanks for all the work done :slight_smile: We are proud of your work!

Wo kann ich diesen “safe mode” finden - vielleicht habe ich da eine falsche Einstellung!
mfg StePfl

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