Week 45, 2022: Development and Testing Updates

After checking my xz2c for ‘S’ via install doc, I have just read that I can sideload it and therefore upgrade from R to S…(I would create backup even though it does not state it :wink:) I was wondering why and a post before it was mentioned, unlocked bootloader. Confusingly in the FP3 install doc the same procedure is stated, although the bootloader can be locked. Shouldn’t this be changed?

Hi
What instructions did u use?

I thought about upgrading my Murena S9 which is still on Android 10 to the dev build. It seems that there will be no more OTA upgrades for sold devices after they got one. If this is not possible I’m definitely be disapointed.
It’s a shame that now the older S8 gets Android 12 and the newer S9 is stuck on Android 10. Gettings OS upgrades OTA was the key for deciding to buy a Murena phone.

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Hi! I wouldn’t have done this in a daily driver phone. I believe that /e/ will find a better solution for Murena phones like yours (and my FP4), at least using Easy Installer if OTA upgrade is not viable.
Having said that, just for curiosity, I followed the following steps:

  1. Download the file with the update/upgrade and rename it to something easy to remember like update.zip
  2. Enable USB Debugging on your phone
  3. Make sure battery is charged
  4. Plug your phone to your computer making sure to use a good usb cable for data transfer
  5. Open Terminal
  6. Type adb reboot recovery
  7. After reboot choose apply update from adb
  8. Then adb sideload update.zip
  9. After installation restart your device

Once again, personally, I wouldn’t try sideload update in a daily driver phone.

S8 users will very much appreciate this level of empathy towards them, I suppose. Well done.

/e/OS on the S8 is currently still based on Android 9 (Pie), with /e/OS update support dropped several months ago, with security update support for the Android 9 base dropped by Google even longer.
On the S9 /e/OS is currently based on Android 10 (Q), getting updates, still with some time of security update support left.

The S8 is getting an upgrade at all (if developers succeed) with some recent Android. Good thing it’s 12 then, which should have this device covered for a while, giving some more time to developers to consider the situation on other devices.

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I still hope to see the S9 move to android 12 in OTA. That’s the strategy I chose when I switched to /e/OS, see what phone was on their store to get the same model to be pretty sure I had maximum convenience.
It remains to be seen if this strategy is good.

The sentence below gives me good hope:

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Thanks to the whole team for /e/OS S for FP4 :hearts:

My bad, /e/OS S isn’t available yet but the tuto yes : /e/OS Version Upgrade

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FP4 OTA upgrade to S is now starting to test in the dev gruop.

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My FP3 has a locked bootloader and was able to boot TWRP fine via fastboot.

Pics or didn’t happen :wink: .

Does the screen in fastboot mode really say “DEVICE STATE - locked”, or do you refer to the OEM unlock toggle in the Android Settings … which doesn’t lock or unlock the bootloader, only toggles whether the unlocking procedure would be allowed or not.

Please check this. Possibly having an unlocked bootloader assuming it would be locked is more unsecure than leaving it unlocked deliberately.
If it indeed is as you say I would consider something seriously broken, a locked bootloader should prevent booting anything other than what is installed.

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Yeah I was too exited when i saw the tuto to upgrade on /e/OS S but it’s not available yet so just wainting :slight_smile:

What??

I know it’s a significant dev/test effort to implement OTA updates, but announcing an OTA and canceling it many months later is really not cool.
Especially for phones that were bought preinstalled with /e/, from the /e/ shop (I bought a FP3 there in October 2020 for a relative, based on Android 9 at that time).

We’re stuck on /e/ OS 0.23 since April 2022. It already caused technical issues, like some apps not working on it (“Instax Mini Link” requires version 1.5 of /e/ OS, probably because of its updated microG), or Signal not being updated because of lack of AppLounge: https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/backlog/-/issues/5791 where @Manoj said (on August 3):

Hi @mossroy the OTA OS upgrade for the FP3 is planned but as, yet we do not have an ETA for it. Which means we are working on it, but are not able to predict as to when we will be done with it. You need not manually flash the OS. We will inform all users on the forum and channels about the upgrade as and when it would be available.

Not everybody is able to use the EasyInstaller, so you’ll leave some customers with this outdated /e/ 0.23.
I’m able to use it, and can do the upgrade for my relatives and I. But please do the necessary to transfer all the data (apps and their data/settings etc), or a relevant procedure for that. It’s usually a real problem for a regular user to loose that (especially when it’s on a single device: no way to compare before/after or use a built-in transfer tool of some apps)

I’m a Patreon monthly donator, because I want to support this great platform. Even if I know it does not give me any special “rights” or “privileges”

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Yes it does. What am I missing?

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Interesting, to say the least. I can’t test it, my bootloader is unlocked.
(Locking as well as unlocking the bootloader will force a factory reset for security reasons … unless that mechanism would also be broken. Not worth to try at the moment.)

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Seedvault still reports that it is running now and then, so that part seems to have worked (FP3 on q-dev). I still don’t know how good the backups are, should I ever need them.

@leif “how good the seedvault backups are”: seedvault fan here - better than nothing (pls enable for all btw). Good to re-setup with all app apks as it saves manual steps, but app data can be missing as they opt-out. Davx / accounts not backed up in A9-A11, but wifi networks, call history etc. A12 and A13 bring device2device option, this one will be a true backup, as Apps can no longer opt out. I keep a thread on this alive in the forum, but agreed it’s a lot of reading

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That is what disappoints me too.

They announced the OTA upgrade and now it’s canceled after months. Especially since Fairphone anounced their partnership with /e/ to “keep your data safe” and /e/ becoming an official ROM for the Fairphone.

Now those Fairphones are stuck on unmaintained Android versions (9) which poses several security issues …

I’ve decided to go with /e/ to avoid all the hassle which comes with custom ROMs such as manually sideloading upgrades, security implications regarding root and so on.

And now I can’t even take backups because I’m missing root.

If all this boils down to do everything which needs to be done on unofficial custom ROMs, I don’t see any differences between /e/ and iodeOS or LineageOS (LOS missing the degoogling though).

The huge benefit (convenient updates because of an official supported operating system) was taken away.

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My App Lounge is not working anymore since a few months and my FP3 feels like abandonware :upside_down_face: :melting_face:

Regarding the FP3 OTA Pie to 1.0 update:

@Manoj Can you please make a statement about whether this is cancelled for good and give your reasons for it?
Is there any possibility yet to get a smooth OS upgrade without loosing everything, like announced before?

As some people here already mentioned, we have been waiting since April for an Update on our FP3 phones as you kept saying that the OTA upgrade was planned. Some Apps have since stopped working (can’t open my App Lounge anymore) or can not be installed on the old android version.

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As mentioned in the initial post, the FP3 Pie to R/S OTA upgrade is not possible. The team will update the EasyInstaller to handle this process, but it will require the users to take a backup.
The development behind an OS upgrade is complicated and does not work in all cases or devices. OS versions with each upgrade change a few core components, which further complicates the process. We do try, but when have to give up in case of serious errors. The number of devices the development team has bricked during the testing process are proof of this.
It is unfortunate, and we do understand the amount of work required on the part of the users to take backups, install and then put the data back.

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