IodeOS news app says that FP6 is now supported. Does that mean the bootloader now can be locked after iodeOS is flashed?
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).
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?
I have to say, following the directions on the git page, I was not able to relock the bootloader…
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 
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.
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).
@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!!!
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…
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.
That’s unfortunate.
I’m still on the december version, just got a push for 7.3 via the updater. I suppose installing it will cause issues?
Also, all instructions I found assume the stock installation. What is the procedure for manual Iodé to Iodé updates? Same procedure as described in ota / ota · GitLab ?
Also, are the issues on relocking resolved (i.e. can I relock after updating?)?
Thanks for your help!
The post was a bit confusing but I think it’s referring to a specific scenario when starting from the latest Fairphone OS (i.e. the stock one if you bought from FP directly) and trying to move to iodéOS. That transition would result in a hard brick under certain bootloader lock configurations.
If you already have iodéOS 7.1 installed, I believe updating to 7.3 should be fine even with a (re)locked bootloader, but I’m also holding off from updating for now. Another post mentioned problems due to which they skipped 7.2 for FP6, but given that they pushed out an OTA for 7.3 I would assume it’s fixed now?
I’ll probably bite the bullet and try updating soon, but I’d feel safer if there was a confirmation on whether updating 7.1→7.3 is intended to be working now with a locked bootloader 
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I just did the update (7.1 → 7.3) with locked bootloader and it worked smoothly w/o any issues.
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Thanks! I also made the move after seeing your message, worked out fine as well.
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@max @neobrain Were you running the 7.1 build from the 25th of december or 16th of january? The issue that @rik described to me seemed to be specifically for the december version, so I’m still a bit hesistant to update (I’m running the december build).
Oh gosh, yes now that I read the full thread and not just the last reply (
) I see the issue was clearly about a iode→iode update path. And indeed, I was running the build from January, so I wouldn’t have encountered the problem either way. Sorry for the confusion!
I believe the rollback protection comes down to the Security Patch Level indicated in the settings (Settings→About Phone→Android Version). My 7.3 install now shows “Febrary 1 2026” for the Android security update and “December 5 2025” for the Vendor security patch level. If the dates on your version are the same or earlier, you should be fine, but this is just my layman theory.
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I understand from the developer that the v7.3 update will work for all previous iodéOS builds including the older “previously thought problematic early December 2025 build”. This is why v7.3 was released as a “stable OTA update”.
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Thanks a lot for the reassurance! I did the OTA update from the december 25 build and it works like a charm 
Glad that I can skip reinstalling after all!
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When I don’t want to relock the bootloader, should I simply answer ‘no’ to the prompt at the end of the script? Or should I just comment out the line %fastboot% flashing lock?
Also, is there a way to see what patch level a specific ota-zip has? Or is that irrelevant if I don’t relock the bootloader? (Rollback protection is one reason why I don’t want to relock the bootloader.)
Yes you can just say “no”, or you can comment out the relock step in the script, both work
I have asked if this can be added package filename as a minimum as that won’t add time for the developers. They said they could do that in the future (but I don’t see it done yet).
UPDATE: SEE BOTTOM of post
Yes this is the right question! I am not certain, but the developers did indicate the “February FP patches are included in iodéOS 7.3”
Note: If you hit “rollback protection” and it is unlocked, and it doesn’t boot, then you can reflash again (let me know so I that I can put in my notes that even unlocked if you hit rollback protection it doesn’t boot). If you hit “rollback protection” and it is locked AND you made sure OEM Unlocking was enabled in Dev Options before reinstalling then you can unlock and reflash again. Only if you hit rollback protection AND you lock AND you did not make sure “OEM Unlocking” was enabled in Dev options before flashing will you have a brick.
Flashing FPOS seems to reset / disable “OEM Unlocking” so that is where the issues have come: People flash FPOS, but don’t lock at that step because they plan to install iodéOS, so then don’t go and re-enabled “Allow OEM Unlocking”, then flash iodéOS and relock, and hit rollback protection. So it is not able to be unlocked again and won’t boot: brick.BELOW**
UPDATE: I discussed with the developers, and for the FP6 the upstream LineageOS build that iodé uses does NOT have the newest FairphoneOS security patch integrated. So your FP6 must have the 02 Feb (with 05 Dec 2025 security patch) or older before flashing iodéOS or you will trigger “rollback protection”.
Here is where to look at the commits for iodé where you can see what Fairphone patch is included: FP6 · master · ota / release · GitLab you will see that the newest reference is to FP6.QREL.15.176.0 (that “Feb with Dec security patch” build). So we are waiting for upstream to include the FP6.QREL.15.178.0 update. You can follow upstream LOS commits here.
UPDATE 2: The developers also clarified that due to us now resetting the FRP (“Factory Reset Protection”) as part of the iodéOS install, it auto-enables “Allow OEM Unlocking”. So there should be NO RISK of hard-bricks anymore! (if “rollback protection” is triggered, it can always be unlocked and reflashed again).
UPDATE 3: Lastly, the developers confirmed that there is no rollback protection if the device isn’t re-locked.