Linux commandline, build FP6.QREL.15.122.0, adb + fastboot
with 3.1.2 official build
I had a break, then on flashing …
“INFO: One Fairphone 6 in fastboot mode found (serial …).
Info: Your phone is in regular bootloader mode.
Error: Critical partitions are still locked.
Did you execute ‘fastboot flashing unlock_critical’?
Error: Your phone is not ready for flashing yet (see above), aborting…”
then I entered
“fastboot flashing unlock_critical”, got
“FAILED (remote: 'Flashing Unlock is not allowed
')
fastboot: error: Command failed”
What can I do??
You already did this step from the install page?
- Your device requires a code to unlock the bootloader. Get the code here before proceeding with the next steps
…“this step from the install page?”
yes, unlocking has worked perfectly for me.
I had started the FP6 with left button and power botton pressed, as given in the spec.
I can toggle the FP6-Screen with the left buttons, showing alternating Power off/Restart bootlader/Recovery mode
the onScreen list starts with FastBoot Mode in red, then a full spec table in white, last line is in red “DEVICE STATE - unlocked”.
So I expected to be ready for flashing … but no.
I had even tried a factory reset, had worked I think, keeping the unlocked state and everything else the same.
But somehow the process got “out of sync”, no idea how to flash or even to re-lock. :-((
The “Google-Mode” is working, but I do not want to start anything before ungoogling. Only wlan. I do not want a Google-account…
Thanks for helping.
You did double check oem-unlock in developer settings ??
The process surly must have failed somewhere in
- Ask for unlock with
fastboot flashing unlock - Approve with volume + then power
- The device proceed with a factory reset, and automatically reboots
- Reboot again into bootloader
- Unlock critical with
fastboot flashing unlock_critical - Approve with volume + then power
- The device proceeds with a factory reset, and automatically reboots
Did you keep your terminal output from this session?
unlock_critical requires physical intervention on the device, do you remember this?
There are 2 steps which include unlocking. Just as @aibd wrote before.
I hope you read the installation page more than once. For firsttimers it is really important to understand the steps.
For someone familiar with the the flashing is like a 15 min thing.
thank you, aidb,
I thought to have read all several times, but …
unlock_criticalrequires physical intervention on the device, do you remember this?’
I tried i think, but I am afraid I did not really understand this point.
I hope I can restart it. Its better then to continue on Sunday, I report again than … Thanks for helping!
(sorry for mixing up the dialogue, hope getting better next time)
Back again.
(earlier Listings are mixed up with other tasks, even another terminal 
)
I tried again to FastBoot, as seen on the FP6.
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$ ./flash_FP6_factory.sh
INFO: You are using a Linux distribution.
INFO: Looking for connected device(s)…
INFO: One Fairphone 6 in fastboot mode found (serial …).
Info: Your phone is in regular bootloader mode.
Error: Critical partitions are still locked.
Did you execute ‘fastboot flashing unlock_critical’?
Error: Your phone is not ready for flashing yet (see above), aborting…
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$
If I try ‘fastboot flashing unlock_critical’ in this state I get
FAILED (remote: 'Flashing Unlock is not allowed
')
(BTW: the terminal prompt ‘fp@f6’ is historical and is not related to the FP6 device)
I found no way to get back, what can I do now?
Try to turn on the device again, activate developer mode, activate ADB. Then run:
adb reboot bootloader Then wait 1 min, then:
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
If it still doesn’t work. Turn on the device again, activate developer mode, activate ADB. Then run:
fastboot flashing unlock then navigate with the vol- button and select “unlock bootloader” with the power volume.
Then turn on the device again, activate developer mode, activate ADB. Then run:
fastboot flashing unlock_critical then navigate with the vol- button and select “unlock bootloader” with the power volume.
Then boot it in bootloader again and retry your flashing section.
ok, stanwood,
– Try to turn on the device again, activate developer mode, activate ADB.
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$ adb version
Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41
Version 29.0.6-debian
Installed as /usr/lib/android-sdk/platform-tools/adb
– Then run: adb reboot bootloader
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$ adb reboot bootloader
– FP6 got dark
Then wait 1 min, then:
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$ fastboot flashing unlock_critical
FAILED (remote: 'Flashing Unlock is not allowed
')
fastboot: error: Command failed
– (same result as the other days)
– If it still doesn’t work. Turn on the device again, activate developer mode, activate ADB. Then run:
fastboot flashing unlock then navigate with the vol- button and select “unlock bootloader” with the power volume.
– I did
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$ adb reboot bootloader
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$ fastboot flashing unlock
FAILED (remote: ’ Device already : unlocked!')
fastboot: error: Command failed
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$
– The FP6-display shows always “FastBoot Mode” in red, and the last line always the same as I wrote earlier is “DEVICE STATE - unlocked”.
So I cannot navigate “unlock bootloader”, and still “fastboot flashing unlock_critical” is “not allowed”.
Thanks for helping, but I still see no exit from this “trap”
So it seems that fastboot flashing unlock_critical is the step that doesn’t work.
This partition of the bootloader contains the information needed to start the system and the kernel.
The good thing is that the device still boots, so no brick so far…
On Telegram, another user is experiencing exactly the same issue. He was able to unlock the primary bootloader partition with the command fastboot flashing unlock, but the second command fastboot flashing unlock_critical is not responding.
I don’t know for sure why it doesn’t accept this command. But there are several hypotheses.
The most likely reason is that the “OEM unlock” was not performed correctly in the ‘developer options’. I hope you noted down the unlock code you obtained from the Fairphone website. You should double-check this setting. OEM unlock must be enabled in order to unlock the critical partition of the bootloader.
Another possible issue would be a bad connexion between the PC and the device…
I also suggest the following diagnostic action:
Reboot in bootloader and enter the command fastboot flashing get_unlock_ability which won’t flash anything on your device, but will inform you if the bootloader is still able to be unlocked (return value: 1) or not (return value: 0)
Then, eventually, try to flash your device using a different USB cable, another port or another computer…
yes, thats what I learnt.
The “oem unlock” including the code from fairphone did work, seemed an early step.
But I did not succeed with the following steps, no idea what mistake, and now I seem trapped.
The fastboot mode with unlocked device is in this state is quite stable,
in this situation I do not find an exit:
Info: Your phone is in regular bootloader mode.
Error: Critical partitions are still locked.
Did you execute ‘fastboot flashing unlock_critical’?
Error: Your phone is not ready for flashing yet (see above), aborting…
‘flashing unlock_critical’ is not allowed then (!).
In this bootloader mode I can toggle with the left buttons through “Power off/START/Restart bootloader/Recovery mode”, but I did not see any exit til now. It works to go back to normal Google functions, but to escape this is the very purpose of this FP6 …
Cables, Computer: its Linux LMDE6 with 2x USB A and 1x USB C. I have two “thick” 30cm cables, one C - A, one C - C. I found no difference with the available connections. The initial unlocking did work, so I do not expect this as reason.
The error message after ‘fastboot flashing unlock_critical’ says
remote: ‘Flashing Unlock is not allowed’
maybe the remote is a hint.
(long ago I started with Fairphone Open on FP2, I liked it, but now??)
I’m sure it did. But if for any obscure reason the OEM just switch to “off” again, this avoid to “flashing unlock critical partition” (but still enables to unlock the normal bootloader) that’s why it worths the double-check. Just activate the developer options and check that it’s well activated.
If yes, you may reach Fairphone assistance or post your request on their community forum. Maybe they have specialist people who can help you further.
I’m not enough skilled to do more, I’m sorry…
What is the output of
fastboot flashing get_unlock_ability
with a FP6 in bootloader mode ?
Yes, correct. All fasboot commands are done in bootloader mode.
It will indicate if the bootloader is unlockable or not. (see details in my previous message)
I had it in German, now switched to English. The toggle is disabeled (greyed), Text: “OEM unlocking, Bootloader is already unlocked”
voila, msp:>
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$ adb reboot bootloader
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz$ fastboot flashing get_unlock_ability
(bootloader) get_unlock_ability: 0
OKAY [ 0.001s]
Finished. Total time: 0.001s
fp@f6:~/FP6-offiz
Ok, so that means you can not unlock your bootloader.
On my device, OEM option is activated and green.
I suggest you to go back there and try to switch it (or force to switch) to off and on again.
As I suspected, something seems to go wrong there.
til now I did not get it …
I toggled recovery mode which offered Wipe data …
I was greeted with a really fresh device dialogue … and in the end I found the same disabled OEM flag :((( with unlocked bootloader.