Installing /e/ on Fairphone 2

I would love to have /e/ on my 5-year old Fairphone 2, but I don´t dare to install it myself. I have the latest version of Linux Mint on my laptop. Two questions:

  1. Is there anybody who can do it for me? I live in Hilversum, the Netherlands.
  2. Will there be an ´easy install´ for the Fairphone 2 in the near future?

I can comment a bit on your second point.
There is a work in progress for FP2 support. I have created a binary test version in August, see /e/ OS “easy” installer: development thread about adding new devices

Not sure if anybody but me has tried it out, though.Whoever tries it should be prepared to potentially switch over to the manual flashing method. But at least the installer will bring the necessary tools to do so.

There’s also some hints how to diagnose in case something doesn’t work as expected: Howto troubleshoot issues with the easy-installer

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Thans for the info, Ingo.

Hi @Hansie, and welcome to /e/Land.

You don’t need computer,
as the FairPhone2 have TWRP already installed.
You just need to :

On your SDcard
Download /e/OS
Download TWRP 3.3.1-0

Reboot to recovery mode with your current TWRP
Select « install .img » instead of « install .zip »
Install TWRP 3.3.1-0.img
Format /data
Reboot to TWRP 3.3.1-0
Wipe /system
select « install .zip » instead of « install .img »
Install /e/OS.zip
Wipe /dalvic Cache & /cache
Reboot to system

it’s done

.

Thanks Piero! But … I don think I can/ dare to do it. I even don´t quite understand the steps.

image

Have a look at this FP2 dedicaded page with the help of https://www.deepl.com/translator

https://blog.liberetonordi.com/index.php?post/eOS

Thanks again Piero! I am going to look at it, but that will take some time.

Hi @piero, thanks for your installing guide.
I’ll try to install e/OS according your steps.
Bevor I’ll starting I’ve some questions to e/community. Perhaps someone has helpfull experiences.

I use my FP2 also since 2015 but I useing it as a rooted one. I made all OS updates manually with fastboot on Windows and reinstallation fo XPosed framework with TWRP (like FP community post “Rooting FPOS (with GMS) with Superuser”). Therefore I’ve TWRP already installed.

Now I’ll go ahead with the following steps:
a) make some backups: TWRP, SMS- and phone historiy, contacts, calendar, Threema etc.
b) deinstall Apps there are not offered in e/app store.
c) upgrade my FP2 on e/OS.

Here my questions:
a) May I’ve any problems because I’m useing a rooted OS?
b) Will I have to Install my App inventory again after e/OS installation?

Thanks for all helpfull comments

After installation of /e/OS I want to share my experiences.
The installation was a very quick an ease thing. I’ve it done along the steps @piero described.
The result is, that I haven’t lost any app or app historiy like calls, sms, messanges a. s. o.
At first all looked fine. But by testing my apps I saw that some of them, especially open source apps lost there functions.

For some of them I found substitutes, also open source, like for my pdf viewer. Now I’ve a de-googled OS, thats a fine thing.

But I also lost privatcy protection and security because I can not use apps like Titanium Backup, NetGurard, XPrivacyLuaPro furtheron.

This disadvantidge I want to explain an example: I use the app taxi.eu. This app get in contact inter alia with web sites like:

  • graph.facebook,com/443
  • android.clients.google,com
  • maps.googleleapis,com/443
  • T#.app-measurement,com/443

And the app tracks device data like:

  • app id
  • sim card provider
  • location of sim card provider
  • personal location information

In order to use the app taxi.eu I blocked facebook and google sites but not the google-maps-site. To do this I used NetGurard app. To surpress data like app id, sim card provider etc. XPrivacyLua sents fake data. Hence I could used google/maps functionality anonymously. Now I will be visible for facebook and google, if I woud use taxi.eu.

If I may have a wisch, I would wish thas that e-foundation get in colaboration with the developer of NetGurard an XPrivatcyLua.

It looks like you attempt to install /e/ over your gogolOS without formating /data

Dirty Flash is only recomanded for update or test variants of the same OS and same Version

Just FYI: the topic was in the easy-installer category but in fact it’s now about manually installing /e/ on an FP2 so I adjusted the category and removed the “easy-installer” tag.

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Now I’ve installed /e/OS ones again, considering the formating and adb sideload step. After that all apps and data history was gone. Thanks for all hints. As a next step I will make my first update of /e/OS. I hope, I will be able to install NetGuard after then.

Here is what I did right now:

Slight simplification of Install /e/ on a Fairphone FP2 - “FP2”
→ This procedure below do not need USB debugging enabled in the phone.

§ Hold VolDown+Pwr about 10 s, it vibrate, boots, LED light up blue, then release buttons

§ On host: /usr/bin/fastboot flash recovery twrp-3.5.2_9-0-FP2.img
Wait until it finishes
(here i disconnected USB, probably not needed)

§ Hold VolUp+Pwr for about 10s seconds, it vibrate, boots to TWRP, release buttons
( Probably also work: $ /usr/bin/fastboot reboot recovery )
( Will not work if you let it boot normally - if so flash it again. )

__In TWRP
swipe to allow modifications

Connect USB, check you have connection, on host:
$ adb devices
List of devices attached
8504b6b4 recovery

Select: Wipe → Format Data, yes …
back button (below screen), Advanced Wipe → Cache & System, Swipe to Wipe …
home button, Advanced → ADB Siedload → Swipe

On host:
$ adb sideload e-0.17-q-20210528117214-dev-FP2.zip
serving: ‘e-0.17-q-20210528117214-dev-FP2.zip’ (~9%)
After a while:
Total xfer: 1.00x

TWRP say:
Patching system image unconditionally…
script succeeded: result was [1.000000]

Reboot System

TWRP warn no OS is installed, but just go a head

/e/ boots :slight_smile:

QUESTION:
What are the recovery* files for?
i.e recovery-e-0.17-q-20210528117214-dev-FP2.img at /e/ image ROM download

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That’s the /e/ recovery, can be used for installs and limited recovery operations instead of TWRP.

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hi, @AnotherElk,

can we say that the e-recovery as the lineage-recovery, are some AOSP based recovery ?

Thanks for the quick reply.
The existence of recovery files rise questions… should be noted in the install instructions.
The install instructions say to install TWRP, not mentioning the /e/ alternative, strange.
Does /e/ recovery do something more than TWRP do?
I see there is one recovery version for each /e/ version, named similarly, seem to imnply you have to have the matching one? If so, how to go about upgrading to next version?

No, it have less features than TWRP, but it is easier to use, and does better OTA upgrades ?

Is that important?
I guess without AOSP TWRP wouldn’t exist, too.

TWRP is able to support the same OTA update mechanism as AOSP/LineageOS/e recovery, I think, but results may vary depending on the device.
The major difference and reason for the existence of the /e/ recovery is that /e/ can do something about the /e/ recovery regarding device support or in case of trouble. They can’t do much about TWRP, as TWRP is its own project with its own list of supported devices.

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We need some light on this.
@manoj ?

For instructions to be improved.

If the /e/ recovery image is easier, and may be preferred for OverTheAir upgrades, I dont understand why intructions say to install TWRP.

And on a phone where user already installed /e/ using TWRP, can user switch to /e/ recovery simply using fastboot to write it to the phone and there will be no problems?

It is easily possible to install the " more stock looking recovery " using the TWRP install feature.

But with this minimal features recovery, you cannot do backup / restore of your system, and other liked features witch are implemented in TWRP that is a really improved recovery