Installing /e/ on Fairphone 2

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

OK thanks :ok_hand:
Hope documentation team picks this up.
“Choosing bootloader” could be a separate page linked from all install instructions.

Same problem here! Am a long-term Linux user, doing nothing other than trying to install /e/ on my Fairphone 2 for the entire last two weeks, by following the given instructions word for word. As an impoverished pensioner in Germany I cannot afford buying a phone as offered on these pages. I hereby declare to have finally given up.

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Hi @Helmut welcome to the /e/ forum. Two weeks and you did not ask for help before! You must be stoical and self-sufficient! :slight_smile: But seriously, tell us where you got stuck, I sure many would rather help than say goodbye!

https://doc.e.foundation/devices/FP2/install
Getting Started on /e/OS

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Coming from FairphoneOS on a Fairphone2, you can go directly to point (7) or (8) as you already have TWRP installed on the device.
If you need a newer TWRP, boot to the older one, and use its install feature to install the newer one,
Then, install /e/…

Thanks, Piero!
following your instructions posted yesterday and a year ago, it did not work with SD card. Reason being the SD-card slot of my used FP2 is broken. I now see no other option than giving up and don’t want to use it as it now is with googled OS. Maybe in some distant future when I have saved enough money, I may be fortunate enough to be able to buy another used phone and try again. Unfortunately the phones working with the e/asy installer are all rather new and therefore very much too expensive for me and out of my reach. Thanks again, I’ll try to be back hopefully some time this year!

Not a problem, paste the files in internal storage (after format /data)

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… which is in fact the “Method B” linked here

That unfortunately is no longer true. At some point Fairphone reverted back to the standard Android recovery instead of TWRP for the FP2 (which caused some kind of problem which I don’t remember).

Edit: of course it’s still possible that people have TWRP on their FP2 when they didn’t install all available updates

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Hi @Ingo_FP_Angel thanks for that. On the Fairphone 2, is the “standard Android recovery” able to perform its own replacement, by installing TWRP, when it is provided to the device as a .zip file?

The best way is to install TWRP using fastboot or even run TWRP wiithout installing it: https://forum.fairphone.com/t/how-to-use-twrp-without-flashing-it-e-g-for-backup/37732
As already mentioned above it’s not necessary to use an SD card for all of that.

@Helmut : You might even try to contact a “Fairphone Angel” (https://forum.fairphone.com/t/the-fairphone-angels-program-and-map-local-support-by-community-members/33058) and ask for local help if there’s one near you…

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Thanks very much to all for the help!
In spite of decades of Linux and console experience, getting /e/ onto my FP2 has proven to be absolutely unsurmountable and a nightmare.

Maybe I might be back if I become lucky enough to somehow get hold of a pensioner-affordable phone with /e/ running on it. I have three university degrees plus over 40 years of working history, but the German state pension is roughly €1500 monthly for the entire family, doesn’t leave much for a phone…

Thanks a lot and goodbye again to all!

I guess we can all agree on that you have our sympathy and we wish you all the best in your circumstances.

But there’s a chance we could help with your installation problem if you would simply start saying what the current problem is you are facing with your installation attempts, or which step of the instructions is giving you trouble currently.

/e/OS can be installed on the Fairphone 2 (I have one running /e/OS myself), there are users here who have experience with possible Linux pitfalls as well as with possible Fairphone 2 peculiarities, but we need some input … error messages, missing output on the computer or phone side, surprising behaviour not mentioned in the instructions etc.

If all else fails, there are still community volunteers called Fairphone Angels out there who might be able to help you in person or via video chat, who knows, see the link in @ff2u’s post above.

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