Week 40, 2022: Development and Testing Updates

/e/OS Smartphone Operating System Development Updates
1

Builds and Releases

v1.4

Status: :green_circle: Released

Some of the fixes and updates

Release Notes: Check the link here

Update for FP3 The Dev v1.4 has some files missing, which are required as per the documentation to manually install the build. We will be releasing a v1.4.1 specifically for the FP3.

  • ETA : Early this week

Device that missed v1.3 - to be released in v1.4

  • Google Pixel 4 - ā€œflameā€
  • OnePlus 7 Pro - ā€œguacamoleā€
  • Google Pixel 4 XL - ā€œcoralā€
  • Google Pixel 4a - ā€œsunfishā€
  • OnePlus 7T - ā€œhotdogbā€
  • Fairphone - FP3 (dependent on this issue being resolved)

Install guide of these devices will be updates to include the links to the stable buildsā€¦ In case users want to manually download. These device builds should be available in v1.4

Update 6 Oct The stable builds for flame, guacomole, coral, sunfish and hotdogb have been released.

Feedback on v1.4

  • Share you feedback and vote on v1.4 here

GSI

v1.4

Status: :green_circle: Released

R version of GSI to be planned based on developer bandwidth

OS OTA upgrades

Status: :yellow_circle: Ongoing - release moved ahead to October

Completed

  • Samsung s9 / s9+
  • Samsung s7/ s7+
  • OnePlus Nord Q to R (stable build)

Upcomings

  • Samsung s8 /s8+
    • Pie to S OTA upgrade
    • ETA October :crossed_fingers:
  • FP3
    • Pie to Q OTA upgrade
    • Q to R OTA upgrade
    • To confirm if we can have a Pie to R upgrade
    • Release dates would be after the s8/s8+ OS OTA upgrade

Volunteer testers required

  • To help test OS OTA build
    • Check the post here for details
  • Users in US or Canada who are willing to help test the hardware of our Murena smartphones

    • Check the post here

    • To volunteer send in your details on testing@e.email with the subject USA/Canada new tester

:pray: Thanks to the more than 50 users who have already volunteered in various categories :pray:

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.

Developers required

Paid positions

Volunteer Developers

  • Community members with technical skills who want to volunteer to help with code updates can write in to helpdesk@e.email . Please share details as to what you want to help with and details of some experience of your previous or current work.
  • We can work on making the contributions paid if you so prefer.

Bug Bounty program

  • You can find the details of our Bug Bounty program here

/e/OS S

Status: :yellow_circle: Development and Testing

  • 70+ devices planned for /e/OS S or Android 12 upgrade.
  • Release will be in monthly batches of 20 devices.
  • For device details, check this list for the device names
  • More devices will be added for upgrade
  • Please note we have as yet not opened up the code of /e/OS S to all users as the addition of patches and testing is still in progress. Attempts to build by forking will result in errors.
  • ETA : October

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

below Recent Documentation updates
ROM Builders - Unofficial and Custom
  • A new Docker image has been 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 ā€˜git lfs pullā€™

: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 šŸ˜ž 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

11 Likes
2

I wonder if/when the (Murena) S9 gets an OTA upgrade to R. Itā€™s still on Android 10 but in the list of devices, where OTA upgrade is already available.

3

Yes, because S9 has already been upgraded from P to Q.
But I wonder too if itā€™ll get Android R or S one day.

4

Iā€™ve understood the OTA upgrade as a functionality, not a one-timer. S8 seems to get a OTA to S upgrade, I believe the newer S9 shall also be capable of getting this (and I believe the OTA upgarde functionality is already in place for S9)

5

Wherever possible, we will upgrade to S or the previous OS

6

They have to implement every upgrade for every device from every version, at least thats what I understood from these weekly updates since I read them

7

To try to avoid this confusion there is a convention in the forum to talk of /e/ version Updates (example e-1.2-q to e-1.3-q) ā€“ the system partition is fully swapped for a new copy, and does not affect your stuff, so is fairly risk free; therefore same risk for the OTA Update.

@ne20002 is asking about OTA Upgrade ā€“ In simplified explanation

The Android version Upgrade (example e-1.3-q to e-1.4-r) would normally require a Data Format in Custom ROMs where Gapps (in some form does not exist).

The OTA Upgrade takes a lot of work (more if >1 Android version is attempted) to try to get this to happen in a sufficiently safe way, that /e/ can propose that a remote user can expect to just apply OTA Upgrade and all their data will be preserved and restored. I would always ensure any actually important stuff is saved or backed up elsewhere. I am not certain but do not recall any ā€œfollow upā€ OTA Upgrades have been published or tested yet,

We have to bear in mind that re the Samsungs of this generation, LineageOS stopped publishing many official ROMs quite suddenly and withdrew some device trees too.

1 Like
8

I donā€™t want to push anyone. I just saw that the S8 (which is older as my Murena S9) is planned for Android 12 OTA upgrade.
That an upgrade is work to do is understandable. But I believe that upgrading a device that has already been upgraded should be easier to upgrade another time as many problems shall have been solved already.
Keeping the Murena sold devices up to date with upgrades would probably be the key reason for people to buy one. At least I love my S9 and use it every day and I try to push other people to buy Murena phones as well :wink:

9

A definite information on the whole OTA upgrade process for FP3 would be great. Donā€™t get me wrong, I really like /e/OS!

It is just a matter of really poor communication that Pie was EOLā€™ed without a proper upgrade path - aside from reflashing the device, thus losing all application data. This can be quite a pain point when it comes to sensitive apps, such as SecureGo for banking.