Andrew Heinzman
A few years ago, I wrote a quick article celebrating the Fairphone 2’s extremely long lifespan. This modular and repairable phone still received major software updates five years after its release—something we’d love to see from Google or Samsung. Now, at seven years old, the Fairphone 2 is about to get one last update.
Update, 3/7/23: The final Fairphone update rolls out this month. Again, Fairphone suggests that you stop using sensitive apps on the Fairphone 2, as it will no longer receive security updates. Note that Android 10 reached EOL in February of 2023, so we almost certainly won’t see any surprise Fairphone 2 updates in the future.
The final Fairphone 2 update arrives in March of 2023. And it isn’t a major update. It’s just a new iteration of Android 10, which originally arrived on the Fairphone 2 in 2022. (I’m still shocked that this old thing can run Android 10.)
After this update rolls out, the Fairphone 2 will no longer receive software or security updates. It will slowly become an outdated security risk, and the Fairphone company suggests that you stop using sensitive apps (such as banking apps) on the Fairphone 2 in May of 2023.
That said, Fairphone will continue to sell parts for the Fairphone 2 until supplies run dry. And you can load a custom ROM on this phone if you’d like to extend its lifespan a bit more—LineageOS is probably your best bet, though I suggest browsing the Fairphone forum to see what the hardcore users are doing.
If you don’t feel like keeping your Fairphone 2 on life support, I suggest giving it to the Fairphone company for recycling. Do this before March 31st and you’ll receive a 50EUR gift card, which you can use to buy a Fairphone 4.
Fairphone 4
The 5G-enabled Fairphone 4 ships with Android 11, comes with a 5-year warranty, and is guaranteed to receive updates until 2025 (or as late as 2027).
Source: Fairphone
