We recently discovered that /e/OS users were unable to boot their Fairphone 3+ after upgrading from Android 10 to Android 11. If you are one among these affected users, you can fix your /e/OS by following the steps below.

Requirements:

  1. A computer that runs Linux or Windows
  2. A data cable for connecting your phone to your computer. A charging-only cable will not work.

Step 1: Download the archive file using the link below.

https://images.ecloud.global/stable/FP3/FP3-fix-for-e-1.6-r.zip (checksum)

Step 2: Unzip the downloaded archive by right-clicking the archive and selecting the extract option. You can also do it by entering the following command into a terminal.

unzip PATH_TO_NAME_OF_ARCHIVE

After archive extraction, you will be able to see some files, and folders/directories.

  1. The bin-linux-x86 folder/directory containing Linux tools such as fastboot and adb.
  2. The bin-msys folders/directory containing Windows tools such as fastboot and adb.
  3. A flashable zip file named e-1.7-r-20230110250404-stable-FP3.zip which will be flashed to your phone.

Step 3: Boot your Fairphone into recovery mode by long pressing Power and Volume up buttons together until you see an /e/ logo with recovery mode written below it.

Step 4: Connect your phone to your computer using a data cable.

Step 5: Navigate to the ‘Apply update’ section by short pressing ‘Volume down’ and then ‘Power’ button. Short press the ‘Power’ button again to confirm the ADB update.

Step 6: Follow the instructions below, depending on your operating system.

For Windows users:

  • Navigate to the unzipped folder from Step 2
  • Open a command prompt in that folder. You can follow this article on How to open command prompt in a folder.
  • Paste this command bin-msys\adb.exe sideload e-1.7-r-20230110250404-stable-FP3.zip and press Enter.

For Linux users:

  • Navigate to the unzipped folder from Step 2
  • Open a terminal in that folder. You can follow this article on How to open terminal in a directory.
  • Paste this command chmod +x bin-linux-x86/adb && ./bin-linux-x86/adb sideload e-1.7-r-20230110250404-stable-FP3.zip

The Command prompt or terminal will indicate the progress. Wait for it to complete the tasks.

Step 7: When the procedure is finished, you will be taken to the recovery screen on your phone, where you can tap the Back button to return to the recovery home screen. On the home screen, you will notice that the reboot option is already selected, so you can just short press the Power button to boot into /e/OS.

Enjoy!