Install /e/OS v2 on Fairphone 5 - my little guide

I had some troubles following the official guide so I’ve tested different settings and came up with a little guide that can be useful to others.

So my install /e/OS v2 on Fairphone 5 guide is hosted there but I’m posting it in this forum as well, for readability’s sake.


This is how I’ve managed to install the great ungoogled /e/OS ROM on my Fairphone 5

This guide works with Linux computers.

Unlocking the bootloader

  1. Enable dev options (settings, about, build number : 8 taps, system)

  2. Connect to Wi-Fi, then Settings > System > Dev options > OEM unlocking, Input verify code, get it here

  3. Restart the phone

  4. Power off the phone

  5. Go to the bootloader screen with Volume Down + Power

  6. Using a computer running recent fastboot do a fastboot flashing unlock

  7. Phone : select “Unlock the bootloader”

  8. Phone is restarting

  9. Power off the phone

  10. Go again to the bootloader screen

  11. Computer, do a fastboot flashing unlock_critical

  12. Again, on the phone : select “Unlock the bootloader”

  13. Phone is restarting

  14. Power off the phone

  15. Unplug the cable

Flashing /e/OS

  1. Download the latest /e/OS stable version

  2. Triple check that your Android security patch is under the download /e/OS build date

  • Triple check that your Android security patch is under the download /e/OS build date

  • Triple check that your Android security patch is under the download /e/OS build date

  • :wink:

  1. Unzip the /e/OS archive

  2. Phone : Go to the recovery screen with Volume Up + Power (yup, this is volume down)

  3. Select “Enter fastboot”

  4. The phone is now showing a new “fastbootd” screen

  5. Plug the cable

  6. Computer : launch the flash_FP5_factory.sh file

  7. Let the script do the job…

:rotating_light: WARNING - When writing this tuto (/e/OS 2.0), after 2 minutes, the script is crashing and printing this :


Erasing 'metadata' OKAY [ 0.004s]

Finished. Total time: 0.006s

Setting current slot to 'a' FAILED (remote: 'Unable to set slot')

fastboot: error: Command failed

And here is the fix :

  1. Phone : on “fastbootd” screen, choose “Enter recovery”

  2. Phone : yeah, the recovery screen has changed

  3. Choose “Advanced”

  4. Choose Enter fastboot

  5. Computer : launch again the flash_FP5_factory.sh file

  6. At the end, phone will automatically restart

Job’s done !

Now let’s finish the stuff, and properly relock the bootloader

Locking the bootloader

  1. Power off the phone

  2. Fastboot mode with Volume Down + Power

  3. Computer, do a fastboot flashing lock_critical

  4. Phone, select “Lock the bootloader”, phone will restart

  5. Switch off the phone

  6. Fastboot mode

  7. Computer, do a fastboot flashing lock

  8. Phone, select “Lock the bootloader”, phone will restart

  9. Unplug the cable

Now we’re good to go :muscle:

Let’s enjoy a pure ungoogled experience

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Could you additionally point out those troubles here, please, so that the official guide can be improved? …

1 Like

Hi,
Thanks for this guide.
Do you know when the easy installer would be available for the FP5 ?

Thanks

@Manoj

Thanks that helps me more i think.

But i do not understant what you mean with do a fastboot flashing lock-critical.
I installed adb devices and fastboot devices, but when i enter adb devices is see nothing under: list of attached devices. Maybe i need another cable but i still dont know what you mean.

Michiel

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your device, connected to the computer via a “data USB cable”, must be in normal mode with “USB debugging” enable to react about adb command
or in recovery mode

the phone must be in fastboot mode, connected to the computer via a “data USB cable”

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When I’m saying do a fastboot flashing lock-critical, I mean do a fastboot command, not an adb. Those tools are two different tools right.

  • I found that some steps were not that clear (not fastbootd screen mention, unclear recovery vs bootloader screen mentions).
  • I also found that the biggest issue is the bug that some users like me faced, see the bug quoted bellow

Hope that helps

Thank you for helping, because i get stuck on this.
Im working with e/os about 5 years now and the first time i bought the Gigaset GS290 and install e/os with the easy installer. After testing the os, ive bought the Asus Zenfone wat cost me 3 months and a lot of patience to get my phone back from Paris with the protests on that moment.
now i have bought a Fairphone 5 and i get stuck again on this.

So, for me and a lot of other people would trying to test e/os without directly buying a Murena Phone from the website, this is a big issue to not choose e/os.

1 Like

Thanks @diarra for sharing your guide.
I exactly followed each step of the procedure, but my phone enter in a bootloop after the last step (i.e.

Computer, do a fastboot flashing lock
Phone, select “Lock the bootloader”, phone will restart

Whatever I do, I return in bootloader mode. The phone doesn’t start, cannot go in recovery mode and the bootloader is locked…

I would be very intersted if someone has a solution !
Thanks
Romain

hey, I haven’t tried with the last v2.1 /e/OS, which version have you tried to install ?

It was v2.1
Before locking the bootloader, everything was fine, I was able to see the /e/OS loading page.
After locking, the device was bricked.
I believe one needs to starts the device completely, activate USB debogging and THEN lock the bootloader

locking the bootloader is done using a “fastboot command” so no relation with “activate USB debogging”,

the failure is related to “android security patch date”

@piero

Nope I cautiously checked that one, reinitialized the phone to its stock ROM (Security patch = april 24) and installed /e/OS/ with security patch May 24

Thank you for this guide which is very helpful in addition to the official installation docs.

I still ran into an issue with the eOS image 2.4.1 (stable) when executing the flash_fp5_factory.sh script. This issue is described in the following forum thread with several solution proposals (please note that the issue affects both the FP4 and FP5 installation scripts, so the linked thread is applicable to the FP5 installation as well despite being FP4-themed at first glance):

Once you’ve got beyong this point, I also ran into the script crashing.
For me, it did NOT help the choose “Enter recovery” on the “fastbootd” screen after the crash, as I could not see an “Advanced” option there.
What helped me there instead was the following:

  • Reboot into bootloader
  • From there, choose again to enter recovery mode
  • For me, the recovery mode now looked differently, in a different layout and more colourful.
  • From there it was then possible to choose “Advanced” and “Enter fastboot” as described above in the guide
  • The script then passed the point where it crashed before

I could install eOS from the above mentioned image with the change to the script and the additional information.
I now still have the issue that I cannot lock the bootloader again as the fastboot-command (PC) does not find any devices when going to the bootloader screen/fastboot mode. I guess that means I have to unlock the bootloader again, but I still have to investigate this further - see below.

Edit 24/11/03:
Today I tried again to lock the bootloader again.
This time I first restarted the device, powered it off and then went to the bootloader screen as described in this guide. There I chose “Reboot the bootloader” and checked the availability of my device with “./fastboot devices”.
After that, locking the bootloader again went smooth for me.
I don’t know if this precise procedure is of any importance to make it work, but maybe it helps someone.

3 Likes

Thank you very much for these instructions @diarra and @Maryn ! :star_struck:

I can also confirm everything that @Maryn added for the image 2.4.1 (stable)! For me it started with the script not wrongfully claiming that the phone is still locked, but simply not flashing the images and getting stuck.

I did not yet try relocking the bootloader but up to the “edit”, I can confirm that I had to do every additional step as well!
(btw.: the “more colorful” recovery is the one from /e/ which you flashed just before with the script! It says “e” and also has the reference to the version 2.4 in the upper corner :slight_smile:)

PS, I told my mom that getting /e/ on the phone would take me 30 mins. It was 5.5 hours now :grimacing: (But I would have nothing on there if not for this forum :sunglasses:)

Congrats. Are you aware that if you lock the bootloader at a later time that it will erase all data? Not sure if someone mentioned it before

2 Likes

i am aware but thanks a lot! good point also for future readers :+1:

1 Like

As Fairphone is now shipping the FP5 with Android 14, is this guide still working ? I ask this question because /e/os for FP5 is still based on Android 13.

I think it should be OK, as long as the Android security patch is under the /e/OS security patch, but I prefer asking :slight_smile:

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As Fairphone is now shipping the FP5 with Android 14

I just had one shipped over last week, and it had Android 13 on it. It’ll probably be a little while before retailers deplete their stock of phones that shipped with Android 13.

As for /e/, after verifying with the stock OS that the phone would work with T-Mobile, I followed the docs and got the stable build running without a hitch.

1 Like

Thanks for your reply. I received the FP5 today (it’s a 128GB/6GB), and it’s shipped with Android 14. The security patch is June 2024. I had no problem installing /e/OS

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