Option 2 worked well and restoring apps using Seedvault worked without a hitch too. Thanks for the information.
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Instructions state “Updating from version 6 to version 7.4 poses no problem if the bootloader is unlocked, and does not require formatting the data.”, but do I still need to follow the same instructions for OTA update? News article from 2026/04/03 has a point with text “Download the update for iodeOS 7 available here”, but the “available here” link is broken. Is there still any way to update the system directly from my phone if I have the bootloader unlocked?
With an unlocked bootloader, you should just be able to install the advertised update from the Updater app. I am getting confused with the scenarios of what shows and what doesn’t, if it doesn’t show, then the OTA file can be downloaded (link at the top of this thread) and in the Updater app choose “3 dots > local update”. No data reset needed.
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Thanks man, that worked great!
Hi folks,
I am trying to make that backup with seedvault. The seedvault app is now busy for 5 h and still not finished. I can see that it says “backup running/ [app name]”. And a bar, indicating a 75% completion. Well, that app name is visible for 3 h now. Battery level dropped from 85% to 60%. Am afraid that backing up with Seedvault is not quite practicle.
Are there any other options for backing up?
That does not sound good. My seedvault backup runs for maybe one minute (other model than Fairphone). Okay, I do not have much data on my device, but I think, even for heavy usage this should not run longer than 5 minutes.
Have you tried to run the backup without the apk files? (Just to test if that resolves the problem)
Have you tried saving to a usb stick instead of saving to a computer?
Which iodé version are you on atm?
I have tried seedvault 3 times now. Only one occasion did it properly finalize. That was about 2 weeks ago. Since I wanted to upgrade now from latest Iode 6 version to version 7.4, I wanted to use a most recent backup.
This is a phone with 133 apps. The yet available older seedvault is 26 GB, on a USB stick of 58 GB.
Anyway, as I was fed-up waiting so long, I disconnected the USB backup stick. And did the sideloading of Iode 7. Now restoring the older vault. That does work indeed.
Luckily I backed up all phone data using My Phone Explorer, as none of the data were backed up by seedvault.
So far, the operation went reasonably well.
Restauring some of the apps did not proceed properly.
Especially Aurora does not update nor install apps, … What might be the issue here?
Under the Downloads/ it list all my apps and for those that I tried to update and install manually it says: “Failed”
Got it, found a missing setting in MicroG self test….
Well that was sufficient for installing one app, but not for updating 4 existing apps..
Would the forum have any suggestions? (THX)
Next day…
For some reason, not understood, Aurora DID update the 4 remaining “failed”-to-update appafter a night’s rest.
Super.
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Just for others that are still stuck I am linking to a new thread to consolidate the current status and issues:
où sur mon ordinateur, je tape cette commande ? dans quelle application ?
C’est un peu léger comme explication. Veuillez être un peu plus précis ? merci
Dans ton terminal, lorsque vous êtes sur un sytème linux
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I have the same Problem on my Fairphone 4 with update iodeOS v6.14 to v7.6
I have used fixes/Updater-v6-to-v7.apk · master · ota / ota · GitLab
this updates the updater, so the v7.6 update can be run, but then i’m in in a boot loop with these errors:
Reason: init_user0_failed
ERROR: recovery: public: 179_2 failed to mount /dev/block/volmgr/public: 179_2: Permission denied
Thanks to the initial post here: Does FP have an issue with OS updates? - The Products - Fairphone Community Forum i also have boot the old system, just by click on “Try again” many times again and again… After some retries it just switch the Slot from B back to A here… The old installation looks fine…
There is really no way without backup/reinstall/restore ? Because seedvault can’t restore everything 
The whole backup topic on Android is just a pain 
see: Feature request: Backup solution
Correct. If your bootloader is locked, then an unsolved Fairphone 4 firmware bug prevents moving to iodéOS 7.x without a reformatting of your userdata. Sorry.
I updated my Fairphone 4 from iodeOS 6.x to 7.6 via download of the OTA zip on the phone and then installing it using “Local Update” in the Updater app.
I did see the new Bootscreen once.
It asked me to format data. I clicked yes.
It formatted data.
It did the reboot. I saw the old bootscreen icon.
I am back in a fresh 6.x install.
I did boot into fastboot.
I ran fastboot getvar current-slot - says slot b (while the new iodeOS 7.x is on slot a).
I ran fastboot --set-active=a.
Did reboot. It was stuck in a boot loop for iodéOS 7.6 (new fairphone boot screen logo)
After several times, it switches back to slot b, I see the old fairphone logo and am back in iodéOS 6.x.
I then did reboot into recovery, selected “Apply Update”, “via ADB”. Connected to a PC with adb installed and did run: adb sideload ./iode-7.6-20260617-FP4-ota.zip
This succeeded and now I am happily running iodéOS 7.6
Unfortunately, I do not have further logs of this process
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I completed the upgrade from iodeOS 6 to 7.7 last night on my Fairphone4, using adb sideload.
I did a factory reset/data wipe.
Most of my apps were restored via a Seedvault backup (with APKs).
Issues I’m having are app related, not iodeOS, namely:
- my password manager Proton Pass crashes. I reinstalled f-droid and got an older version of the apk to work from there
- my main banking app N26 is totally borked. Aurora Store knows about the app, but lists the version number as v0. Does not run, this is a huge issue for me. Any tips / leads would be appreciated. Posted about it here: Banking, Finance, and Insurance Apps - Editable List
Thanks
My expirience is that though SeedVault restores the app, I still have to make a cleane install sometimes so make it work namely banking apps.