Android 14 is here. Here’s what’s changed.

Your Fairphone is about to get a brand-new Android experience. With Android 14, your device is more customizable, more secure, and more privacy-focused than ever before. At Fairphone, we are always listening to our community and exploring how we can incorporate their feedback with the latest updates. To that extent, there are a few value-additions we have made with this update. Here’s what you can expect with our latest iteration of Android on your Fairphone.

• New look, new layouts: Android 14 comes with a new look and feel for your device. Dark mode is now the new default. Swap the Back and Recent buttons on your home screen navigation bar as per your liking. Make your device more you.
• Make your lowest volume setting even lower: With the introduction of Android 14’s split sliders for ring and notification volumes, we have revisited our sound levels, and lowered the minimum volume on your device. So now, you get even more control on how loud (or not) you want to go.
• Enhanced PIN security: With the Android 14, you now have the option to set a PIN of up to six digits instead of four. This means even more security for your device, locking it away from unwelcome eyes. Type in your new PIN and the phone will automatically unlock as well, making the experience that much more seamless.
• App data permissions*: Ever wondered how much of your personal data is being shared with your apps? You can stop wondering. With Android 14, you will get comprehensive information about how your apps are collecting data. This way, you can make an informed decision on whether you want to allow the app data permission or not. That means if an app wants to access your location, your camera, your media, or anything else, it has to go through you.
  *Works with compatible apps
• Flash notifications: Going into a meeting but expecting an urgent message? Switch on flash notifications from your Accessibility and Notifications settings. This way, your phone stays on silent or Do Not Disturb mode, while giving you visual light cues from your screen and camera flash for new notifications.
• Font size scaling: Scale up your font size to 200% for better readability if needed. The scaling is non-linear, which means smaller font sizes will be increased exponentially more than larger font sizes, keeping your screen layout in mind. Nobody likes oversized text spilling out of their screen, after all.
• Improved magnification: Magnifying the screen is now more intuitive, with the ability to pinch to zoom in and out from 100%. Customize the magnifier size with the new Magnifier Settings panel and choose how much of the screen you’d like to be magnified. You can also permanently switch on magnification, so it doesn’t reset when switching apps.
• No more Always Show Time and Info: We removed the Always Show Time and Info feature on the Fairphone 5, as it was a major battery drainer, as per our data. With this removed, your Fairphone will now last longer than before on a single charge. 

The latest update comes with a security patch level from July 5th, 2024, and will start rolling out to Fairphone 5 users shortly. And if you’re using a Fairphone 4, we haven’t forgotten about you. Expect to hear from us by mid-September.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, we won’t be able to roll out the Android 14 update for Fairphone 4 users just yet. There are some issues we have run into for which we will need Qualcomm’s support on. This is taking a little longer than we anticipated. As it stands, we don’t see the update rolling through in 2024. Hopefully, we should know more by early next year. Stay tuned for more.