Fairphone and Open Source

Fairphone’s ambition is to bring more fairness to software. We want to build trust with our community, support the software long after the phone is launched and put the users in control of their phone. One of the best tools for us to reach these goals is to embrace open source software. Alternative software routes are the answer to keep your Fairphone running securely for longer.

If you can’t open it, you don’t own it.

From the very beginning Open Source software has been an important topic for Fairphone – it’s part of our history and DNA.

On every smartphone we produce and sell – we publish as much source code as we legally can. And we share all of this information publicly with our users and community on our Fairphone Code website.

What we believe in

Software longevity

We started Fairphone with a mission: to encourage smartphone longevity by disrupting the electronics industry from the inside. We know that fairness is possible, but it will take the broader industry jumping on the bandwagon, taking responsibility and driving as well as demanding change. We often say that software is the unsung hero of longer-lasting phones. So in 2022 we upgraded the Fairphone 2 to Android 10 – that’s 7 years of software support. Without the help of the Open-Source community, this industry-first would never have been possible. This is why we need and will always continue to support Open-Source ambitions.

Control your data

Chances are you’ve grown increasingly aware of data security over the past few years; this isn’t just about protecting your email password or credit card number anymore. We’ve seen first hand, in real-time, the cost of intensive data extraction on our society. There are huge forces at play here, but we hope to influence them by increasing awareness and availability of open-source software (like /e/OS). We’re making a statement by offering Fairphone 4 and Fairphone 5 with /e/OS pre-installed on our webshop.

7 years of software support

In 2022, our 7-year-old Fairphone 2 was upgraded to Android 10 – that’s 7 years of software support. An industry first for an Android device!

We’re on a journey to change the electronics industry, and our superpower is our incredible community! We collaborated with the Fairphone open source community to help build the operating system. At Fairphone, we’re constantly raising the bar for ourselves and the industry, proving that it is possible to put sustainability at the heart of technology.

Fairphone & /e/OS

Setting new standards and reshaping an entire industry takes serious, long-term commitment – and likeminded changemakers. So we partnered with Murena, to offer their privacy-focused operating system for our Fairphone 4 – as an alternative to Google’s Android.

Looking for a smartphone experience that has all the functionality and values your privacy? This is it. By default /e/OS doesn’t share any data with Google and it’s been designed to offer a great and natural user experience. /e/OS is paired with carefully selected apps, so you don’t have to choose between functionality and privacy. Fairphone 4 with /e/OS preinstalled is now available on our webshop.

Buy Fairphone 5 with /e/ OSBuy Fairphone 4 with /e/ OS
Visit Murena’s website

Fairphone Open

Beyond Android updates for the Fairphone 2, we also have our own alternative Android operating system – Fairphone Open, which is exclusive to Fairphone 2. We wanted to create a path for developers to engage with our growing community and promote our core values on longevity and transparency.

We believe that offering an alternative Operating System like Fairphone Open supports the growing demand of consumers who are concerned about their personal data and surveillance capitalism.

Build your own Fairphone OS

You’ll find the full open source code to build your own Fairphone OS in our Open Source documentation.

View Open Source documentation >

Open Source Android OS for Fairphone

In need of guidance and support relating to open source Android OS for Fairphone? We’ve got you covered.

View support article >

.a{fill:#4495d1;} Fairphone