Installing e/os on fairphone 4 (in 03/23)

Help Fairphone 4
1

This is a version related question, i have installed e on several devices so it’s not about the installation itself.

My FP4 came with Android 11. And e/os only offers S (aka android 12) downloads.
I am wondering if it safe to install e/os S on the Android 11. The docs don’t mention major versions, so i am hoping to get some help here.

The stock 11 offers a security update, (0048) which i believe would update to Android 12 as well.
But to a newer version than the newest e/os (1.8.1) . And there is a lot of talk on the device page about not downgrading and bricking. So i don’t think that’s the way.

Currently it looks like doing the security update and waiting for the next e to roll around. Unless someone can shed better light on this?

Thanks
T.

PS: i would also enjoy some more info about the FP e/os deal, what it exactly means. Any links?

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Yes it is safe if you do it right:
If you decide to lock the bootloader after /e/OS installation then the security patch date is relevant (not the major release version). You shouldn’t “go back in time” with this date. And as long as OEM unlock is enabled you’re safe.

Well, it’s a “partnership”. But I’m not sure there are a lot of details on web pages more than the general information. What exactly are you interested in about this “deal”?

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Here’s the official announcement from the year 2020, however – as Volker already suggested – it does not really flesh out what kind of collaboration it entails:

I think there has not been any more detailed explanation of the partnership.

From what Fairphone /e/ users like myself and Volker have witnessed, the /e/ developers usually get easy access to the Fairphoner developers’ firmware patches, making sure /e/OS for Fairphone profits from improvements in Fairphone OS development, too.

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Thanks guys,
I guess i’ll take your work for it @Volker (good luck to the trusting:-)
I am not worried about locking the bootloader , just about bricking.

I guess the interest (also @urs_lesse , had seen the post, thanks) was in the details. Ie who does the actual development, who maintains the e device page, how sure can you be. My experience with e is a bit wobbly. Only the fourth phone (pixel) worked, zenfone 6, and oneplus 7T developed problems and became unusable/ bricked. It’s as if they are more interested to get a long list of compatible phones, more than stability of existing ones (off course imho). I switched to lineage which seems like a rock in comparison.
But i could not keep running around with a google phone after all the effort to remove google software, hence switched to FP.
Which hardware wise i am happy with. Functionality wise i was more happy with e than lineage, which really boils down to the advanced privacy setting / blocking.

I’ll report on success, but after 4weeks holiday :slight_smile:

5

Then it’s easy: no relocking → no bricking :slight_smile:

Firmware updates are from Fairphone/Qualcomm, (/e/)OS updates and device page are from Morena (/e/) team.
I’ve been using /e/OS for more than a year and for me it’s stable.

So have nice holidays and good luck with flashing!

6

So i now have a working phone (thanks to all the fairphone and e engineers) and this is what i did:

I updated to Android 12, i believe march security update.

Then followed e FP4 installation page for command line (on linux), smooth sailing. The version i flashed is e 0.1.10 , which may be security update march too, as least the phone now says that.

Thanks everyone for the input and encouragement. Let’s all enjoy that change in our hands :slight_smile:

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