Hi everyone!
I hope to get some help here, since I don’t really have an idea what I am doing here…
So, I got two fairphone 4s on which I wanted to install /e/OS . I tried the easy-installer under ubuntu 22.04, however the device detection didn’t work, so I tried the web-installer under windows 11. First phone, works without problems, using /e/OS happily. Second phone, everything is the same until the installation of /e/Os (after the third reboot). The installation looks completed, some screen flashes shortly on the phone, however then I am left with what you can see in the attached picture. Seems to be called FastBoot Mode. Sadly, the web-installer tells me the installation is successful, and I cannot re-connect to the phone to try to install again. Can someone tell me (for dummies, since until now I just followed what the GUI would tell me) a way how I can install any OS on the phone to then maybe try a manual installation (since easy installer failed and I don’t trust the web-installer anymore). Thanks for any help! Now I am left with a piece of electronics that I can’t use so I am more than happy to change that state.
Edit: So, if I select “start”, the android logo flashes (not the /e/Os one, so maybe installation did not work out in the end) and then the device returns into FastBoot Mode. The other options are “Restart bootloader”, “Recorvery mode”, and “Power off”.
Hi, same thing happend to me, clicking “start”, “restart bootloader” and “recovery mode” only brings me back to the fastboot mode as shown on the picture above.
Android adb also doesn’t work since USB-debugging is likely turned off due to the android factory reset during the installation process.
Hi @Suuus50 adb will not work because your phone is in fastboot mode. adb is only for when your phone is connected regularily as far as I understood.
The tool that should work is fastboot (you could check whether your phone connects properly with fastboot devices, if you set it up like explained here).
What I did was to re-install Fairphone OS manually, and then try the e/OS install again. Following the “flashing with fastboot” sections of this guide worked for me.
I hope this is helpful!
But a bit different than in your solution: fastboot didn’t work in the beginning since the computer didn’t recongnize the phone properly (although it was listed in the device manager). Same thing for Fairphone OS (Android 13), no recognition.
BUT
After I randomly went into EDL mode (power off → press volume up and down simultaniously) and afterwards went back in the fastboot loop (by removing the battery), the computer was able to recognize the phone and then I could install Fairphone OS manually!
What a relief indeed! Hope it worked in the end to install e/OS for you
I should have added that fastboot is a… picky program. If you, next reader, encounter this problem, try a different USB port (one port of my laptop worked for one command at a time, the other one not at all, even through both ports my computer recognised the phone), a USB hub, a different cable, turn the phone anti-clockwise 3 times and donate to charity, then try again. And if you encounter a permission error on linux, try following this thread.
Happy flashing to all fellow non-pro users! You will make it!
Hi Valeria, thanx for the infos. Helped me save a lot of time!
I had the same problem with a FP4 I had bought second hand and which I had updated to the latest version of the stock ROM.
After using the web installer for /e/OS, the phone was stuck in Fastboot. Then I successfully did a factory re-install like you recommended. I used the latest Android 13 built from your link. But I noticed that the installer script deactivates the Google anti-rollback feature. What I also noticed is that, unsurprisingly, the security level of that stock ROM version was the same as the one I had after initially updating the phone via OTA. It was from 2025-03-05, which is two days NEWER than the level in the latest /e/OS ROM.
Hence, my suspicion is that the problem has to do with the security level and the anti-rollback feature. So, after flashing the Android 13 stock ROM, I downloaded the Android 11 stock ROM from the same page and installed it. The security level is from early 2023 now. After that, I installed /e/OS 2.9 via the script in the ZIP package and had no further problems.
Now, for me, that poses the question to the community whether I can relock the bootloader now as the security level of the newly installed /e/OS rom is newer than that of the recovery stock ROM of Android 11. As I understand the “Caution” note about the security level on the /e/OS installation page, this would be possible without bricking the phone now. Would be great if somebody with more knowledge can confirm that.
Edit → @aibd Corrected me (Thanks ) If you have Android 13 now then I suppose you installed official build and since your security patch is supposedly lower than the before installation you should be fine. As far as I know Fairphone recovery flashes everything and kinda resets the index of the security patch.
If you get stuck in a bootloop you can just unlock the bootloader again (but you would need to wait another version to get a new month)
If this was a locked phone this will be the date in the index.
Your downgrade, as I understand it will have no effect on the index as you did not lock the phone. You could do any install with SPL below 2025-03-05 with no consequence, but you should not lock it again till you install a build with SPL ahead of that “locked in date”.
I re read this as I do not believe this is the case. The “anti-rollback feature” only hits you when you lock the phone (that is nothing will prevent you install it ). Just to clarify, the Installer will install an official build, your subsequent installs were all official?
The Fairphone install script is a fastboot install script which reflashes all partitions, even the critical partitions.
The install page, Install /e/OS on a Fairphone FP4 - “FP4”, includes no hints as to how to reset the index, and the only way recorded reliably in this forum to reset the index is to have the device reimaged by Fairphone or their agent.
In case it was missed here is the Detail of the Google Android anti-roll back feature
To check the security patch level on your phone with a locked bootloader, prior to installing /e/OS, open your phone Settings » About Phone » Android Version » Android Security Patch Level.Then compare it against the level of the security patch on the /e/OS build as visible in the Downloads for FP4 section below.
The following values control whether anti-rollback features are triggered on FP4:
Rollback protection errors trigger if you install an update whose version number is LESS than the rollback index’s value stored on device.
The value of rollback index is UPDATED to match ro.build.version.security_patch’s value of the currently installed version, but only if the bootloader is LOCKED.
The value of rollback index is NOT dependent on the currently installed ANDROID VERSION.
The value of rollback index can NEVER be DOWNGRADED.
Rollback protection errors are FATAL when the bootloader is LOCKED.
Rollback protection errors are IGNORED when the bootloader is UNLOCKED.
Here are some examples to help you understand how anti-rollback features work:
Example 1
Your FP4 with Google Android has a Security Patch Level saying June 5, 2022
The /e/OS build available says: /e/OS build : R official (Security patch: 2022-05-05)
In this example, the /e/OS build has an older Security Patch level than the origin, so the anti-roll back protection will trigger, and you will brick your phone
Example 2
Your FP4 with Google Android has a Security Patch Level saying June 5, 2022.
The /e/OS build available says: /e/OS build : R official (Security patch: 2022-06-05)
In this example, the /e/OS build has the same Security Patch level than the origin, so the anti-roll back protection will pass, and you will be able to install /e/OS with no issues.
Example 3
Your FP4 runs Google Android -R while /e/OS is now available based on AOSP -S.
Your FP4 with Google Android has a Security Patch Level saying 2022-10-03 or October 3rd, 2022.
The /e/OS build available says: /e/OS build : S official (Security patch: 2022-06-05)
In this example, the /e/OS build has an older Security Patch level than the origin, so the anti-roll back protection will trigger, even if the /e/OS version runs on a more recent version of AOSP. In this example, you will brick your phone.
The bootloader was still locked when I did the OTA update. And yes, all ROMs were official builds.
I just noticed that I even might have confused something here. On the “Android verson” page in “Settings” in /e/OS, there is “Android security update” and “Vendor security patch level”.
In the “Caution” note in Install /e/OS on a Fairphone FP4 - “FP4”, it says “Android security patch level”. So, there is not even a consistent terminology used. The “Vendor security patch level” on my new /e/OS installation is 2024-07-05, the “Android security update” is 2025-03-01.
But the latter was the only security date listed where I downloaded the /e/OS image, and I would have to install the stock ROM again to check the dates there. So, I guess, the only safe way to lock the bootloader again would be to wait until both dates in my /e/OS reach April 2025.
But then, on my older FP4 6/128 that I want to give to my girlfriend (the used one I bought this week is a 8/256), I installed /e/OS in late 2022. Hence, the latest SPL from the original stock ROM can only be from 2022. Since all the security patch and update dates on my up-to-date /e/OS are much newer now, that would mean I can lock the bootloader on my older phone, right?
That whole business with this SPL stuff is really annoying…
Sure, it can lead to confusion, but they are two quite different things. Let’s talk of Android SPL; this is the thing with Fairphone and the Google Android anti rollback “feature”.
The significant thing is locking the phone and “locking” that Android SPL to the index.
So you had a Locked FairphoneOS in 2022.
You installed /e/OS – you left it unlocked (??)
If the phone has never been locked since 2022, then that “old date” will be the one fixed in the index. Locking it now will wipe data (Factory reset) but is expected to give no other issue.
This “first of the month” thing is extra tiresome as you commented,
Yep, exactly like that. Wiping is no problem, since I would do a factory reset anyway. It’s not the most important issue, but I would prefer a locked bootloader, if only for “aesthetical” reasons.
) If you have Android 13 now then I suppose you installed official build and since your security patch is supposedly lower than the before installation you should be fine. As far as I know Fairphone recovery flashes everything and kinda resets the index of the security patch.
). Just to clarify, the Installer will install an official build, your subsequent installs were all official?