Fairphone 6 is now Supported

Installation Help
1

IodeOS news app says that FP6 is now supported. Does that mean the bootloader now can be locked after iodeOS is flashed?

2 Likes
2

Yes, on the FP6 the bootloader can be locked, but if you have a build older than 2026-01-16 a full reinstall may be needed: there are unresolved issues with our December 2025 build, for example, not booting after applying an OTA update (and the issue is not with the new build).

3

Is there more information on this? I’m on the december version. What is your advice? Is there a decent chance OTA will work (which doesn’t seem to be pushed yet by the way) or should I start again from scratch?

4

I have to say, following the directions on the git page, I was not able to relock the bootloader…

5

Vincent tried several different scenarios to try and and apply an update via OTA without success. So it isn’t understood exactly why but there doesn’t seem to be a way to install the newer FP6 build when on the December 2025 build without a clean installation :frowning: You will want to backup and restore with Seedvault (but that won’t get everything, so make sure you have any import things saved separately beforehand). Sorry for the problem.

6

There is a FP5 user that reported the same thing for a new 7.2 install. I will pass this to Vincent as well (that you can’t lock with clean install on a FP6 either).

7

@dyedbird I did hear back that the devs do think this is an issue of “Rollback Protection”. There is always about a month delay for the security updates to trickle through: don’t take this as negligence on our part, instead it is just the independent timing of AOSP releases, any Vendor releases, and LineageOS releases that all need to be in place at the time of the iodéOS builds. Usually our “stable” releases are the last beta pre-release which is about a week (typically) before it is promoted to stable.

So if you could see the Android Security Update date / Vendor Security Patch date from Fairphone OS before you install iodéOS you may see it is newer than the Android Security Update of the newest iodéOS build.

You can wait for our next iodéOS OTA update (v7.3 in this case) which should then have security patch dates matching (or superseding) the prior system’s patch date. After this you should be able to finally re-lock again (but locking or unlocking will wipe out your userdata).

Alternatively, if you could force re-flash back to the prior Fairphone OS build (so not their newest one, instead the FP6.QREL.15.162.0.20251121144015_VS1V-factory.zip version, that may then be able to be “upgraded” to iodéOS 7.2 and subsequently relocked. Make sure you ensure “Allow OEM Unlocking” remains enabled in Developer Options before reflashing iodéOS!!!

8

Frankly, I also suspected this was the underlying issue preventing relocking of the bootloader but I think I only realised the importance of FRP after I had already updated /e/os with I believe what included the December security patch. Since then, I experimented quite a bit and in the process flashed Fairphone OS on the device albeit keeping the bootloader unlocked every time. Unfortunately, during one of those experiments I ended up bricking the device and opened up a ticket with Fairphone Support. (get_unlock_ability or whatever the equivalent of that command returned 0 in fastboot) In hindsight what might have been helpful is that a clear upfront note in the instructions to not update the device to a latter security patch than what is available at the time from iodeOS. I think that might have averted the situation I am in now…

9

Oh no! Another brick! Really sorry to read this!

A “hard brick” occurs if these unfortunate scenarios align:

  • Install newest Fairphone OS but do NOT lock

    • Installing FPOS disables “Allow OEM Unlocking”, but as you didn’t lock it, you can install another OS without re-enabling “Allow OEM Unlocking”

  • Install iodéOS, directly locking

    • Won’t boot because when locked it hits “rollback protection” (not FRP) since the security update of iodéOS is a month behind FPOS.
    • Again since it was NOT locked when FPOS installed, “Allow OEM Unlocking” was disabled.

  • Summary: device now a hard brick and won’t boot (“rollback protection” triggered), and can’t be unlocked (“Allow OEM Unlocking” is not enabled).

If any of these items below had happened instead you wouldn’t have a brick:

  • Lock bootloader upon FPOS install

    • Then you would have to unlock again by first enabling “Allow OEM Unlocking” before installing iodéOS.
    • Then you would be able to unlock again and reflash after “rollback protection” triggered.

  • Manually confirmed “Allow OEM Unlocking” enabled in Developer Options when on FPOS (locked or unlocked) before installing iodéOS.

    • Then you would be able to unlock again and reflash after “rollback protection” triggered.

  • Not flashed the newest FPOS

    • Then “rollback protection” would not be triggered and iodéOS would boot.