✏ How to root a Fairphone 3?

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Since I found it difficult to combine all resources and fully understand them, I decided to put together a guide on how to root your Fairphone3.

It’s mainly based on two sources. First, the wiki on unlocking the bootloader. And second, this post of @sm01man.

Feel free to add/change/clarify elements! If anyone knows more about performing updates, maybe this can be included in the wiki (or put in a new one)?

First, you need to unlock the bootloader. Beware, this will wipe all your data!

  1. OEM unlocking

The FP3 is giving you the option to manually unlock your bootloader. This is the so-called OEM lock.

The first step is then to perform the OEM unlock.
Go to Setting, About phone, and hit the last entry (Build number) 7 times, then enter your password. This allows you to access to a new setting menu, Developer options, in System.

So, go to Setting, System, Advanced, Developer options.

There, select USB debugging.

Also select OEM unlocking.
If you get an additional request to “input verify code”, here’s Fairphone’s code generator … Bootloader Unlocking Code for Fairphone 3 - Fairphone.
First step completed; you can restart your phone.

  1. Bootloader unlocking

For this second part, you will need functionals adb and fastboot. You can download them here.

Plug your phone to your computer, make sure it’s a data connection (not just charging). On your phone, accept the connection and tick to always accept this device.

On your computer, open a terminal and test the connection:
adb devices
This should answer something like this:
List of devices attached
A208F7120204 device

Then, you can reboot in the bootloader:
adb reboot bootloader

On the bootloader, you can see the last line: DEVICE STATE - LOCKED

So now, you just have to enter:
fastboot oem unlock

Then, on your phone, navigate with Volume + / Volume - to accept (power button). This will completely wipe your phone and at the end of the process (it will restart 2-3 times), your phone will have the bootloader unlocked.

Now we can really start rooting the phone.

Newer Magisk versions have different installation instructions: Installation | Magisk

  1. Download the TWRP boot img from https://twrp.me/fairphone/fairphone3.html, put it on your computer and remember the location (right click => properties => security => object name). This location will be used in step 4 (location of twrp.img)

  2. Also download magisk manager from Releases · topjohnwu/Magisk · GitHub and locate the apk on your SD card, install it and ensure that you press ‘install’ inside magisk manager, locate the zip on your SD card.

  3. Start ADB, check connection (adb devices). Then run adb reboot bootloader Your phone will now boot into fastboot mode, this is where we can boot custom images

  4. Run fastboot boot (location of twrp.img) Your phone will now boot in to TWRP

  5. Choose “Install”

  6. Navigate to the SD card, find the magisk zip, select it and now swipe ‘flash’

  7. Voila! Reboot back into the OS and you will now have full root access.

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