Software Update: Android 11 for Fairphone 3 and 3+

Ever since the update to Android 11 on my FP3, I have these problems:

  1. Some videos (both pre-existing and newly made) appear as black in the Gallery, and file size = zero. :worried: Detail: I don’t use an SD card, but internal memory.
  2. Google Assistant does not respond to speaking “Hey Google” out loud, at all. And yes, the toggle switch in the settings is turned on.

What can be the cause and how to solve?

I’m starting to wonder when the FP3 will get the next software update, the first since Android 11 was rolled out. The FP4 has received two updates since May. It is now at “Security Patch Level: 5th of June, 2022”.

I have no idea how severe the security problems that got fixed on the FP4 really are, but the Android Security Bulletins for May and June list numerous fixes with severity “high”.

Anybody got any information? I don’t want to open a ticket just because I overlooked something. But my phone is definitely still on the initial A11 release and not update is available from Vodafone Germany.

1 Like

Thank you for mentioning that; I already thought I am the only one who is worried about missing security patches :wink:
Especially as Android on the FP3 itself is already warning about this outdated version (red color under “security”).

No, sorry. But also very interested about news.

Hello, I’m trying to update a Fairphone 3 from Android 10 to 11, but when I make it look for updates, it says it’s up-to-date. I know several devices are not eligible at the same time to the update, but after 3 months, I’d like to know if the delay is still normal, or if I have to do something about it.

Ty ! <3

Hi and welcome. Have you tried to restart the phone? You can try to take our SIM card(s) and check if available via Wifi, if not which SIM Provider do you have? Which Android 10 Version exactly do you have installed, you can check under settings, about the phone, build number

1 Like

hi, rebooting and searching without a SIM both didnt work, I’m afraid.
The current Android version on the FP3 is 8901.3.A.0136, so the last update before the Android 11 update.

Hi there,
As yvmuell asked, could you indicate your network operator (carrier) and country? Unavailability of updates is usually linked to the carrier.

In all cases you should #contactsupport about this, Fairphone need to know otherwise they can’t act.

1 Like

Hello,
The carrier is SFR, located in France.
However, even w/out the SIM card it won’t update, so maybe I could install Android 11 manually with this guide : https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/360048050332-FP3-Install-Fairphone-OS-offline

You could, however in case your bootloader is not already unlocked, all your data will be erased and you have to setup from scratch. In case you dont want to contract support you can try a SIM from another provider

1 Like

So that’s two or three in this thread with SFR who haven’t received the update.
@tb06 , @clemsys do you have any news?

@Honeyxilia as yvmuell says make sure you have recent viable backup before unlocking the bootloader! If you’re doing standard Gg backups make sure it’s up to date and you should be OK.

Edit - P.S. - don’t forget that relocking the bootloader will also delete your data, so don’t do much except updating the OS, between unlocking and relocking.

1 Like

Hello @OldRoutard,
No news on my side, I’m still under Android 10 with no proposal to migrate:
“Your system is up to date, last safety Android update on March 5th, 2022”

1 Like

It’s not enough to just remove the SIM card. I think the easiest way is to get a SIM card from another provider or ask your friends if you can use their SIM card to install the update…

3 Likes

Yes. @Honeyxilia you should be all right with Free if you know anyone.

The trouble with this approach of course, is that if FP in collaboration with the carrier, have tweaked (or planned to tweak) the patch to conform with some specificity on the carrier side, then you’re not going to get the correct tweak and that may lead to other problems down the road. But it’s fairly often done.

2 Likes

I am also in France, but my carrier is Orange. I got the update notification very promptly (and the update worked just fine after taking precautions about the Google Camera Internal/SD storage issue), which suggests it is an issue with SFR. However, there are at least two caveats: (1) I brought ny FP3 at the local Orange shop; and (2) My phone is known-to(? registered-with?) Fairphone, due to a previous support issue. I have no idea if either caveat is of any importance.

Hi, I did it and it worked !! tysm :))

2 Likes

A post was merged into an existing topic: Software Update: 8901.4.A.0013.4

Hi everyone:

Here is the answer from the Fairphone support team regarding this upgrade not available on the French network SFR:

Unfortunately with the latest update, there were issues with compatibility and the SFR network infrastructure.
Therefore they have not pushed the update onto its users. They fear that there maybe be connection issues if done. They are the only carrier in Europe to have this issue, and we are looking to resolve this with our next update. We apologise for the delay, and thank you for your patience!

7 Likes

Thanks tb06 for relaying this useful information.
It shows, as I have already remarked above, that borrowing SIMs to force an update may not always be a good idea and users do this at their own risk.

3 Likes

Thanks for the info.
I wasn’t aware of this incompatibility warning and did the update manually on July (had to reinstall every app :frowning: ). I suffer from no issue at all on the SFR network.

Quick settings tray/drawer or pull down menu. This does not get fixed with the increased display resolution. If anyone knows the solution let me know, it’s driving me nuts :sweat_smile: