Week 1, 2023: Development and Testing Updates

Wishing all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023 :diya_lamp: :pray:

We continue this series of updates from various /e/OS teams into the new year. Thanks for being a part of the /e/OS family and helping us grow and improve with your feedback and suggestions. :pray:

Releases

v1.7

Status : :green_circle: Testing

Update 6 Jan

  • ETA : Next week :crossed_fingers:

v1.6

Status : :green_circle: Released

  • Release notes

    :mag_right:

  • Some users reported their devices missed the v1.6 builds.

    • Check if your device has an OS upgrade available. For e.g. if you are on R check if there is a S version for the device
    • Where to check for the build ?
      • Look for your device name here
      • There may be a few names missing from the supported device list. That is because by default, we do not show devices that are not supported.
  • we are planning to stop supporting multiple versions of the OS on the same device. This decision has been taken as application do not work seemlessly on older OS versions.

Share your feedback and vote on v1.6

Previous releases & user feedback :open_file_folder:

GSI

v1.6

Status: :green_circle: Released

  • Download here
    • Sources available here
    • version is /e/OS Q (A10)
    • S (A12) and R (A11) version of GSI yet to be planned. Awaiting developer availability

OS OTA upgrades

Status: :green_circle: Ongoing

Completed

  • FP4 >> R ( A11) to S (A12)
  • FP3 >> Q (A10) to R (A11) stable
  • OnePlus Nord >> Q ( A10) to R (A11) (stable build)
  • Samsung s7 / s7+ >> Nougat (A7) to Q (A10)
  • Samsung s9 / s9+ >> Oreo (A8) to Q (A10)

Upcoming

  • Samsung s8 /s8+ >> Pie (A9) to R (A11) OTA upgrade
    • ETA : To be announced :crossed_fingers:

:point_right: Some users wanted to get an update on the chances for the FP3 getting OTA updates to latest OS versions. Will collect and share details on all the upcoming OTA upgrades in this thread this week :crossed_fingers:

What we mean by OS OTA upgrade - Click to expand or close

:nerd_face: OTA OS upgrade means the upgrade to a higher OS level. Updates will be delivered Over the Air (OTA). The OTA upgrades are available on official builds only. Users who have unofficial or custom-builds will not get the notification to install the upgrade build. They will have to manually download and flash the Q builds once they are released, which may result in data loss.

Unofficial ROM build refer the section ROM Builders - Unofficial and Custom


Recent Documentation updates
ROM Builders - Unofficial and Custom
  • Pleas update your Docker image to tne latest image we released
  • Those building using traditional repo sync method refer android_prebuilts_prebuiltapks_lfs
  • You will have to install git-lfs (sudo apt-get install git-lfs)
  • After completing a repo sync, you will have to run repo forall -c ‘git lfs pull’

:nerd_face: Reason behind these changes:

Due to the large size of the android_prebuilts_prebuiltapks we have switched to using LFS, and now you will need to refer to android_prebuilts_prebuiltapks_lfs

End of official support for Nougat, Oreo and Pie 😞 For Pie, Oreo and Nougat the official /e/OS support draws to a close.

Reasons for dropping official support are:

  • newly released applications like App Lounge, Advanced privacy code has not been customized for these OS versions.
  • lack of dedicated ROM Maintainers
  • no support upstream (Lineage dropped support for Pie sometime back)
  • device trees will continue to exist in the Gitlab and users with build skills can create custom ROMs on these builds
  • Security patches and vendor patches for the Pie, Oreo and Nougat code will be updated based on availability.

:nerd_face: Google stops security patches for OS after some time. Similarly, Vendors drop support for older models when they release newer models in the market. Then it depends on developers from various communities to backport the patches.

Device and Vendor specific Announcements

:loudspeaker: Gigaset GS290

  • We have stopped the sales of the Gigaset GS290 on the eSolutionsShop as the vendor has stopped production of the device. We will continue support for existing users.

:loudspeaker: Message being shared on the request of our vendor partners

  • Vendors whose phones we sell on our eSolutions Store do not directly sell /e/OS flashed devices.
  • The vendors only sell their devices with their own stock ROM.
  • To get pre flashed /e/OS phones, you have to purchase them from the eSolutions Shop.

:loudspeaker: /e/OS Pre flashed device sales

  • We sell directly in EU, US, Canada.
  • Find details of what devices are available in which countries here eSolutions Shop.
  • In Australia we do not sell directly. You can purchase preflashed /e/OS devices from this site

:loudspeaker: Murena One released
A phone from Murena with /e/OS installed has been launched and is available for purchase. Check the device specs here

Expect more device releases from Murena in future :grinning:

:nerd_face: Murena is the brand name and /e/OS is the operating system.

/e/OS Links

Support

  • Facing issues with devices you purchased from us ? Send a mail with details to helpdesk@e.email

Websites

Telegram Channel

Social Media

Newsletters


Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/ the unGoogled mobile OS and online servicesphone

16 Likes

FP3 OTA update to S sounds great, count me in :wink: As it was sold in the shop, it would be great to have an OTA update. I’m meanwhile servicing e OS FP3s for me + two people, but I have no idea how I’d do an update manually (and my morale to learn it is not very high, as I do have other hobbies :wink: )

2 Likes

Unfortunately, on the FP3 the OTA OS update from Pie to Q/R is not possible as encryption method changed on FP3 between Pie and Q/R. It is not possible to change the method while updating. The team spent a great deal of time on this, but has not been able to resolve this problem. For now, the manual process is the only way to upgrade the FP3 from pie to other OS versions.

But there will be a R to S OTA upgrade for FP3, won’t it?

1 Like

Thank you – Yes, I saw that. I bought the FP3 with e OS on Q, so I’m happily on R already meanwhile. So I mean R to S OTA.

I discussed this with the team and the response was that it is not only the FP3, they need to plan which all devices can receive OTA OS upgrades. Will share details on devices and which OS versions will the upgrades be to, once I have more inputs.

3 Likes

Thanks for the updates. I really appreciate them!

I just have a couple quick comments though.

First, concerning the OS OTA upgrades, could you tell us from what to what version you are referring to? When you say that the murena-store S9 is “completed”, it sounds like there will never be any more OS OTAs for this device (which is only on android 10…), which can’t be the case.

Second, would it be possible to either stop using the “p, q, r, s, t…” version names, or to also give the numeric version numbers? (Imaging if I asked you which version of macos was “snow leopard”…). When I go under the settings of my murena-S9, it says I am on android 10.0, not some letter.

Thanks!

2 Likes

Have added the A10…A11 to the original post. There are users who had requested for the P, Q, R to be displayed instead of the numbers. Have added both.

It appears the WebView/Browser has been finally updated after 280 days, however it is slated for v1.8 which users won’t receive until February… is that correct?

Users will have gone eleven months without hundreds of security fixes by then.

@Manoj

Almost hesitant to ask, since S just got released, but since the phone environments move forward quickly and there are a lot of new features coming in LineageOS 20 (Android 13).

Where do you think this newly released software falls in the current release cycle?

It sounds like there was a lot of refactoring to try simplify merging things going forward. Things like security features, builds, llvm, etc.

Hi! If I may try to guess, I think we can expect /e/os t (13) in 6 month. With some hard work, looking how fast LineageOS is releasing it, we might have a surprise and get it in 3-5 month. Well, just guessing…

But the most important is to get bugs fixed, specially those that affect device security so hard.

Cheers

Once LOS releases its official versions we fork it, customize the code, install and test it on select devices and then create a list of device that will get the upgrade and start the process of releases. As yet, we have not started any work on this. Will update once I have more inputs.

9 Likes