One of the most interesting experiments in the smartphone industry, the Fairphone lineup, seems to have disappointed its fans. The company has just announced that the promised Android 14 update for its three-year-old phone, the Fairphone 4, is no longer on track for a 2024 release.
Fairphone previously stated that an Android 14 update for the Fairphone 4 will be rolled out sometime this fall. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case, as the company revealed that major technical issues prevent it from keeping its original promise.
According to a Fairphone official, the technical issues require the company to get in touch with Qualcomm and, hopefully, receive the much-needed support. Otherwise, we might not see an Android 14 update for the Fairphone 4 at all.
“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,” explains the Fairphone employee on the company’s forum.
More details about the state of the Fairphone 4 Android 14 update will not be provided until next year, so don’t expect any major announcements until then: “Hopefully, we should know more by early next year. We’re really sorry about this unexpected development, and we’re working round the clock to get it out as soon as possible.”
The Fairphone 4 made its debut back in 2021 and was promised several years of security and software upgrades. Even so, it’s rather weird to see an Android 14-related announcement while most companies have already started to roll out Android 15 upgrades.
Fairphone 4 | Image credits: Fairphone
In any case, if you’re considering the Fairphone 4 as your daily driver, here is what you need to know regarding software support. Fairphone announced plans to support Fairphone 4 with security and software upgrades for five years from its launch date, trying to reach 7 years.
The company guarantees software support until the end of 2026. Since the announcement, Fairphone 4 has been upgraded to Android 13, so it has already received two major OS updates.
Although Fairphone aims to provide upgrades for Android 15 and do security patching until mid-2028, this isn’t confirmed yet.
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Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brings a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.
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