Fairphone 3+ compatibility

Hi, I am also eagerly waiting for an update that will allow me to use the new camera+ on my Fairphone 3. Since a few months it is said that they are working on an update until October. Now it’s December, I installed update 0.13 on my FP3, but the camera still doesn’t work.I’m not a hardware professional and not a programmer, but just a “simple” smartphone user who wants to use his smartphone AND the camera without all kinds of obstacles, reinstallations, non-existing backup solutions and resets. Fairphone has produced bullshit here. There should have been a clear indication that the camera+ does not work with /e/. I’m not a hardware professional and not a programmer, but just a “simple” smartphone user who wants to use his smartphone AND the camera without all kinds of obstacles, reinstallations and resets. Fairphone has produced bullshit here.There should have been a clear indication that the camera would not work in an FP3 with /e/.

This is not correct. The new camera modules do not work with Android 9, be it /e/ or Fairphone OS. On Android 10 they work.

This, sadly, is true. There will be no simple way to update /e/ OS based on android 9 to android 10 in the near future.

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So what can I do? Switch to Android 10, which I, because of goolag, do not want to do? Wait for an /e/ update that solves the problem with the camera? Fairphone clearly writes on their website that /e/ OS will soon work with the camera+ in an FP3… I think /e/ OS is great, but if there is no simple solution to this problem, or if I have to reinstall everything several times in the future to be able to use the new FP camera module sometime (when?), /e/ OS is useless for my purposes. I just don’t have the time and the desire to deal with such problems so extensively anymore. But what alternative is there?

Sorry, I should have made clearer that the camera of course also works with /e/ OS based on Android 10. I am running /e/ on my FP3+ and the camera works :wink:

Still the inconvenience of having to perform a new installation to get from /e/ 9 to /e/ 10 remains :frowning_face: .

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Hi Ijahn, is there a guide somewhere on how to install from /e/ Android 9 to /e/ Android 10? That would help me a lot. Thanks for your help in advance!

As far as I know, the manual upgrade procedure is in no way different from a normal installation.
You unlock the bootloader, boot into fastboot, flash the new images,… the usual stuff, just follow the instructions on the website. All your data is lost in the process.

If you already have an unlocked bootloader, there may be ways to backup and recover your data. I’m no expert on this (mine is locked :wink:), but the forum search is your friend :smiley:

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about backup and restore data, you may find some help here : [HOWTO] Backup and Restore Data on Android Devices

Hi!
I am also currently facing the camera+ issue on my FP3+ and as I understand it, there won’t be a simple way in the near future to change from android 9 to android 10 on /e/, so I decided to just use the old camera modules until then. However I was wondering if someone knew where/how/if we will be informed about it, so that I can be notified about that particular update coming out ?
Thanks a bunch!

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As mentioned in previous posts…there is no OTA method to update the OS as of today. The default Updater throws an error when it detects a higher level OS . We had a developer work on modifying this and he was able to get it working for a Samsung device. That means for one particular model of Samsung we were able to upgrade the OS by sending the ROM OTA. The development stopped at this point mainly due to lack of resource and also because further development would require detail testing on multiple devices. We were also worried about bricking user devices if this was not properly tested. For now the development has been stopped on this. Hope to get it restarted in the next couple of months. If there is any progress on this I shall put out an update here.

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Would it make sense to use the topic below as a central point of information? I mean the title perfectly fits. If this was the information I was looking for, that would be the place I’d look at first:

Maybe this could be pinned to the Fairphone category so that it would always be on top for this specific device? It feels like every topic around the FP3 draws the same OTA upgrade question sooner or later :smiley:

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@Manoj: I am enthusiastic about the combination of /e/ and the Fairphone.
I supported and still am supporting and using /e/ with other phones.
So I had pleasant anticipation for the support of the Fairphone.
It was advertised as full support. I am using it for all my daily usage.
For me it is no support, if I have full data loss for an update.
I understand all your worries about bricking user devices and of course I understand lack of ressources.
But for a supported phone (and especially one, which fits so good) I expect an OTA to Android 10 without data loss as an implicitness.
Sorry for the hard words but I am really annoyed.
So would you please organize to change your priorities?
The backup documentation is not helpful because on the Fairphone is no TWRP preinstalled. If I would install it, there would also be data loss.

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A friend bought a Fairphone3+ with /e/. He has the problem that in the middle of a phonecall the phone dies and he has to put the battery out and in again. Is this issue Android Q in combination with Fairphone?
I’m happy with Fairphone 3 and Android 9 and still wonder if I should upgrade.
Anybody a clue?

@Manoj: Hope you are fine and all of /e/-team are healthy.
I am still enthusiastic about FP3 with /e/ and
I am still waiting for an Android 10 update. The new camera is waiting in the drawer since months.
So do you have any check list for doing it manually or semi automatically without any data loss?
Do you have perfectly working backups, which can be restored without loss after update?
Any tips which can help?

The upgrade guide is available here. This has to be a manual process and cannot be done automatically.
The Fairphone users are fairly active on the forum and as such you should not have issues getting good advice.

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No.

No.

Make a backup the way you are doing it now for your important data, upgrade manually including the data wipe, then set your stuff up again … or wait :wink: .

Hi @AnotherElk ,
I am still waiting. Is there any progress for an OTA-update for Fairphone 3 to Android 10?
I checked the forums and online documentation. Manual update is no way for me, there would be too many reinstallation and reregistration.

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I don’t know the progress in the background on the developer side, but it’s not here yet.

Are you prepared to do this in case of phone or OS failure?

Will check and update if there are any plans on the OTA upgrade for the FP3+. As of today this is still under development for the S9 . We would like to have this ability for all devices that we sell on our eSolutions shop.

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The developer is working on the OTA OS upgrade for the FP 3 but unfortunately no ETA in sight.

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That’s good news that it’s actively being developed. Good luck and godspeed to the developer to get us there. I would appreciate an OTA OS updater also very much.