I am enjoying my self installed Fairphone 4 with /e/OS so much, that I am considering on purchasing a Fairphone 4 for my daughter as well. Does anyone know if the Murena version has a locked boot loader or not? The unlocked boot loader doesn’t bother me, however I think that my daughter wouldn’t want the phone if she thought that the boot up looked weird…
FP4 can be relocked so I’m sure the shop devices will be bootloader locked. You should be able to relock stable builds on FP4 yourself imo - check Is it safe to relock FP4 after e/OS/ installation?
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That didn’t work out for me. In fact, I tried the scenario where I returned to Fairphone OS to redo the /e/OS install, with locking the boot loader. Everything from the command line came out fine, but as /e/OS apparently continues to lag behind Fairphone OS, there is as far as I can see, no scenario where the boot loader can be locked safely. I bricked my phone, and so will everyone else.
$ fastboot flashing get_unlock_ability
(bootloader) get_unlock_ability: 1
OKAY [ 0.001s]
Finished. Total time: 0.001s
$ fastboot flashing lock_critical
OKAY [ 0.027s]
Finished. Total time: 0.027s
$ fastboot flashing lock
OKAY [ 0.027s]
Finished. Total time: 0.027s
the “caution” slide in the FP4 install instruction carries 3 examples on when anti-rollback-protection can kick in on a locked bootloader.
You compared patch level dates and versions, you were equal or ahead on the /e/ side in the date?
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Looking at my post, as well as other posts in both this forum, as well as the Fairphone forum, there appears to be a lot of confusion among users wanting (for good reasons) to re-lock their bootloaders. There also appear to be a number of people that have bricked their phones. Fortunately, it seems that it is possible to send the phone into Fairphone and get it unbricked.
It seems to me, as I stated before, that I cannot see any scenario where it is possible to lock the bootloader, as long as /e/OS lags so far behind the parent software. This isn’t really about how many examples of scenarios where anti-rollback protection can kick in, and more about that in practice, a user actually being able to lock their bootloader is a seldom occurrence, and therefore should be spelled out as such.
I am not mad or frustrated. I believe that there may be a solution to the bricking of my phone, however I don’t think that I will try to install /e/OS again, as I want a locked bootloader, and I now see how difficult that is. Purchasing a Fairphone from Murena with /e/OS installed is an option to consider, however in practice, the Murena phones are quite a bit more expensive than the same models in stores, as they are often discounted. I guess it will come down to how much people are willing to pay to escape the clutches of Google…
I’m sorry for having led you on, it’s not user-friendly. Did you by any chance check if both a/b partitions are unbootable? If the flash process doensn’t do both partitions (it probably does last I checked), the stockrom slot is in accordance with vbmeta and fine with the locked state.
If I’m not mistaken, the scenario is to wait, not update the stockrom and fall behind in patch levels willingly until equal or behind on the same major Android version - this could take a few weeks.
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I have now been able to recover from my issues locking the bootloader. You mentioning the a/b partitions set me on the right path to solving the problem. I also refered to the following:
Fairphone Community Forum Fairphone 4 “locked in fastboot mode”
A new version of /e/ has arrived Release Notes. Unfortunately, there are no specifics about phone models and locking the boot loader. I realize that is quite a job in and of itself, however necessary in the context of locking the boot loader. /e/ is basically Lineage 20, but where more specifically? I flashed my Fairphone 4 to Android 13 - January 5, 2024.
If I again want to try to install /e/ and be able to lock the bootloader, more information is needed. Can I flash an earlier version of “Fairphone OS” onto the phone and which one? Even if I was to wait until /e/ catches up with my currently installed “Fairphone OS”, when exactly will have /e/ caught up? If I try flashing to an earlier version, to get /e/ installed now, there is as far as I remember, a Catch-22 situation regarding the phone needing Internet access to be able to start the OEM unlocking process, but the system will also start downloading updates if there is an Internet connection, throwing a monkey wrench in the /e/ sidegrade process - if I want a locked bootloader. Please spell out a successful /e/ install with bootloader locking process, step by step…
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can’t help you further with a step by step - I’m sorry I engaged in the thread, I’m not into relocking myself as my device doesn’t support it. I just know the theory of it.
Your catch-22 is solved if you unlock from stockrom now and put the device in a drawer for a month or tolerate using it openly.
no exact date - write down your current patch-level-date and read the developer news that manoj is putting out there announcing the patchlevel date the next version has.
Planets will align and you’ll get things relocked.
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Maybe a little difficult to find but if you search the page(s) for “Security fixes” you will find these information blocks.
Security fixes
This /e/OS v1.20 version includes the Android security patches available until January 2024.
And (if only for others) you “currently running” Vendor Security Patch Level should be found in
Settings > About phone > Android version.
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OK, my Fairphone 4 reads Android 13, Android security update January 5, 2024. Sooo does that mean that I am just on the wrong side? There are both a 2024-01-01 security patch and a 2024-01-05 security patch that I assume are included in the Jan. 5, 2024 Android security update…
I have no phone locking experience, I just hoped to help a little by providing the link!
You ask about the diff between the 1st of the month security patch and the 5th of the month security patch. This has baffled me in the past but there is this “Common questions and answers” https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/2024-01-01#Common-questions-and-answers.
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