What you need to know
- The Fairphone 2 will get its final security update this week.
- The device first launched in 2015 with Android 5.1 Lollipop.
- It now runs Android 10, and the company guarantees to provide spare parts until stock runs out.
In early January, Fairphone announced that the seven-year-old Fairphone 2 would receive its final update in March.
The Fairphone 2 will be officially retired this month as it just happened to get the final update which is a security update. In a recent tweet, the Dutch company officially said goodbye to his Fairphone 2, which launched in 2015.
Seven years of innovation, modularity, and community-driven change. The Fairphone 2 is retired, but its legacy lives on. Kudos to the passionate community that maintains sustainable technology and modular design 💙. The final security update is now available 📱🪛. #Fairphone2Forever pic.twitter.com/JPaEVgyGiJMarch 7, 2023
Devices that shipped with Android 5.1 Lollipop now work with Android 10. So in seven years it’s had a fair amount of significant updates. The Android version above is dated, but the same is true for the chipset the Fairphone 2 runs on, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801.
According to a January announcement from Fairphone, the device will continue to work just like any other Android device, but there will be no future security updates. Fairphone 2 users may need to be careful when running apps on their device. In particular, you should be careful when handling personal information, but this is not recommended.
As for spare parts, Fairphone has ensured that some parts, with the exception of the lower module, will still be available, provided there is sufficient demand from active users until supplies run out.
Those who are no longer interested in the Fairphone 2 and wish to recycle the device can proceed with the process. The company also offers €50 store vouchers through its reuse and recycling programme. However, if you wish to recycle it, please return it by the end of this month.
Good news for users who still want to use their Fairphone 2 but don’t want to throw it away. LineageOS users should twitter, has promised to lend its custom /e/OS support to the Fairphone 2 for at least a year. This looks promising.
Users might also be interested in checking out the much newer Fairphone 4 if the hardware needs a refresh.
