I don’t like smartphones. I use a dumbphone.

But this is a wonderful initiative.

  • @[email protected]
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    43 months ago

    Fairphone don’t sell replacement mainboards, presumably to stop people building phones from parts but they look very serviceable in other respects.

  • @[email protected]
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    733 months ago

    I really wish this was available in the US. I’ve found myself able to hang on to devices longer and longer. So this would be perfect. I’m only charging my battery to 80% and discharging it to 30% before charging it again just to prolong the life of the battery because that’s the first thing that dies on most devices. Having a user replaceable battery again would be an absolute godsend.

    • @[email protected]
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      353 months ago

      This is a 50% DoD and is considered best possible practice to prevent lithium-ion dendrite formation.

      Updoot for good advice.

      Proof:

      • Tywèle [she|her]
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        13 months ago

        What did you actually gain here? With my Pixel 7 it looks almost the same with 3.1% capacity loss per year without taking any special care of my battery. Is my phone an outlier or does it just not matter? And I almost exclusively charge with wireless.

        • @[email protected]
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          13 months ago

          I charge wired (high speed, 18-22W). Wireless is known to be a lot slower and theoretically gentler on the battery.

          I also use the phone heavily, like a computer, I’m a “power user”, so my battery thrashing is higher than average.

          Us having the same durability lost on our engine despite me driving double the miles is a good analogy.

          • Tywèle [she|her]
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            23 months ago

            To my knowledge wireless charging is harder on the battery because of the heat it produces.

        • @[email protected]
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          323 months ago

          Depth of Discharge, sorry – 0 to 100 would be a 100% depth (the entire battery), 30 to 80 is 50%.

      • @[email protected]
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        63 months ago

        The really nice thing is that the larger phone batteries get the more you get to use at 50% depth of discharge. My phone is 5,000 mAh and so I get to use 2,500 mAh of it. Once average phones start getting 5,500 mAh, that will mean I will be able to use 2,750 mAh. 250mAh may not sound like a lot, but it can go a decently long way.

      • Ulrich
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        3 months ago

        This is a 50% DoD and is considered best possible practice to prevent lithium-ion dendrite formation.

        Not entirely true. “Best possible” would be left plugged in and charged to 50%. Next best would be 49-51%. Then 48-52% and so on.

        Also it’s not that difficult or expensive to swap a battery and not really worth the stress, in my opinion.

        • @[email protected]
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          23 months ago

          Well, you are absolutely correct. A 1-2% DoD is something for like, the Voyager Probe though, not a smartphone :)

      • @[email protected]
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        33 months ago

        So my device settings have the functionality built in to stop charging automatically when the battery hits a certain percentage. And so I have set it to stop charging automatically at 81%. I also use BatteryBot Pro from F-Droid to alert me when the battery rises above 80% or drops below 30%

      • Natanael
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        43 months ago

        Several Android manufacturers have their own settings in the OS for battery longevity (automatic schedule based smart charging, or charging limits)

        Don’t think it’s native in Android. Charging limits need support in the charging controller chip, plus driver support in the OS.

    • @[email protected]
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      13 months ago

      There’s other phones with user replaceable batteries. I looked it up a month or so ago. They’re not as ethical as fairphone, but still better than my drawer of working phones with dead batteries.

      • @[email protected]
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        53 months ago

        Phones like the Galaxy Active which have terrible hardware to make them entirely unappealing outside of that one crucial feature. They do this on purpose.

    • @[email protected]
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      3 months ago

      I’m interested in this one also. I like the look of it. Currently a long-time Pixel user, but I’m open to other options. It will take a truly good camera to pull me away, though.

      • @[email protected]
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        203 months ago

        Sometimes last year Marquez Brownlee (I think it was him, I don’t think it was Dave2D) was conducting a blind test among his audience which Photos they thought looked best. Some top brands were jumping up and down from one test scenario to another but the Fairphone ended up in the midfield constantly. True, that’s not a glowing recommendation of the camera but at least an insurance that one doesn’t get utter trash either.

          • @[email protected]
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            33 months ago

            Not off the top of my head but I distinctly remember that the Pixel A phone scored higher than the flagship Pixel model.

            I would need to look the video up but I’m also between appointments, so I can comment for a bit but not do research.

          • @[email protected]
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            83 months ago

            iirc, it’s typically the pixel a series, normal pixel series, the most expensive iPhone, and the Samsung flagship (or smth like that)

            The Pixels tend to give really punchy contrast which a lot of people like

        • @[email protected]
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          33 months ago

          Do you happen to know whether this was before or after the camera update? The camera has been noticeably improved at some point.

      • @[email protected]
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        43 months ago

        That’s honestly one thing I’m really glad about. I’m legally blind, so pictures don’t honestly matter that much to me, and so I could really give a fuck less what the camera looks like as long as it functions well enough to act as a magnifier for me to read small print on things occasionally.

        Like if I go pick up one of those frozen pizzas from the store and I need to read the box to know what temperature to set the oven to and how long to put it in. I use the camera to just zoom in on the print and read it and then leave the camera.

    • Pherenike
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      23 months ago

      Murena does ship them to the USA, but with /e/OS preinstalled, which is great if you’re into privacy and degoogling. I don’t know how it works with US carriers though. Feel free to ask them on their forum, community.e.foundation

      • @[email protected]
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        113 months ago

        /e/OS doesnt interest me because its far to iphone(esk) in design. Though i might be able to flash LineageOS instead. I also want nothing to do with Google Play Services or even Micro-G. I even think Micro-G is too much of a compromise and won’t use it. If an app won’t run because Google Play Services doesn’t exist, then I don’t run that app. If I don’t get notifications because Google Play Services doesn’t exist, then I don’t get notifications. So be it.

        • Pherenike
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          13 months ago

          I don’t like their default launcher either, it’s indeed very iphon-y. I just installed another launcher and that’s it. It’s essentially Android so that’s no problem. I also disabled microg entirely, which is possible.

        • @[email protected]
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          23 months ago

          It’s pretty open hardware I’m sure it would be very easy to flash it to Fairphone’s OS

        • @[email protected]
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          83 months ago

          its far to iphone(esk) in design

          It’s far too iPhone-esque in design

          “It’s” has the apostrophe because it’s “it” + "is

          “too” has two o’s when there’s an excess of something. More stuff = more o’s!

          “esque” is uh…just how it’s spelt

          iPhone capitalization is just their branding.

          I only commented to help with “esque”, but saw other things I could help with. Knowledge is power!

  • Admiral Patrick
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    43 months ago

    Anyone know what the bootloader unlock process is like for Fairphone? I know they support it, but does it take 7 days like OnePlus or constantly have issues like Motorola?

    • @[email protected]
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      103 months ago

      First thing I did on my Fairphone 4 was to flash iode OS on it.

      I don’t know much about bootloaders and such, but I was done and happy within an hour after purchasing it.

      Also, if I am not mistaken, I think warranty is still valid if you run custom ROMs.

      Fairphone is very pro openness 😄

      • DerGottesknecht
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        163 months ago

        Else anyone with physical access can install spyware without anyone noticing. Thats a bit of security which most people probably won’t notice but can be deactivated in a minute by any owner, so I don’t mind.

      • Admiral Patrick
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        73 months ago

        Oh, nice. That was my question. I wish it didn’t require a code at all, but at least you don’t have to wait a week like some other manufacturers. Thanks!

      • @[email protected]
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        I don’t understand why this requires a code rather than a toggle in developer settings like a Pixel. That doesn’t seem like openness and a commitment to treating users fairly since they could change their policy at any time.

        • @[email protected]
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          I’ve read that it’s because fairphone has to pay a fee for each unlocked device, but it sounds a little weird so no idea if that’s real.

          but, it can be worked around if you don’t want to get logged. the system just wants a 200 OK response from the server, I think through HTTP (not S), so you can set up an MITM proxy or custom DNS and web server to always give this response without using their website. that’s what I did too.

          you can read more here: https://forum.fairphone.com/t/oem-unlock-input-verify-code/56231

          edit: and also here: https://forum.fairphone.com/t/unlocking-bootloader-offline/95573

          and the connection is actually HTTPS, but does not validate it against a globally trusted root certificate, so it can easily be served by a local server and a self signed cert

          • @[email protected]
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            13 months ago

            I’ve read that it’s because fairphone has to pay a fee for each unlocked device, but it sounds a little weird so no idea if that’s real.

            The posts seem to suggest that Google is charging them a fee in that case, but that would be a little surprising given Pixels have a no-fuss unlock, and Google permits third parties to redistribute its proprietary add-ons to Android free of charge for installation by end users.

            In any case, you’ve convinced me this probably isn’t Fairphone being evil, though some sort of public explanation would be nice.

  • CaptainBasculin
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    143 months ago

    I wish importing phones were an option for my country, but no. Even if I secured a way to bring it here, it takes 1000 dollars just to register its IMEI to use here.

    • @[email protected]
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      23 months ago

      Şu an yurtdışından telefon getirtecek olsam IMEI değiştirir geçerdim. iPhone için mümkün olmayabilir. Bu hale getirenler utansın.

  • @[email protected]
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    223 months ago

    I have the fairphone 4 and have had no issues. As long as a fairphone exists I don’t see any reason I should switch.

      • @[email protected]
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        243 months ago

        I had to replace parts on my FP5. It fell on very bad asphalt at speed whilst cycling in a foreign country. The glass on the camera modules scattered. Display protector broke and the case got some good damage. I was instantly calmed realising it is a FairPhone and knowing I could order replacement parts.

        Repairs were trivial and it feels good to have created just a tiny amount of e-waste instead of a large amount. The black aluminium case has some war wounds (scratches) reminding me of the trip.

        • Notamoosen
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          23 months ago

          Knowing it’s so easy to repair, do you think it’s worth bothering with a case and/or screen protector?

          • @[email protected]
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            23 months ago

            I don’t bother with a case for this reason, haven’t broken anything so far. Just replaced the battery a couple times.

            • Notamoosen
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              13 months ago

              I’d likely use a case in this instance. I remember dropping the Pixel 5 several times for that reason.

          • @[email protected]
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            23 months ago

            If you hate cases so much, sure. But why create e waste and waste your money when you can avoid that by using a case?

            • @[email protected]
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              13 months ago

              FWIW, I have the FP3 for now more than 4 years. I have only replaced the battery 6 months ago. A case would have been extra waste (to produce the case itself) in my case, and probably will be trashed after as it might not fit the next phone.

              • @[email protected]
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                23 months ago

                If you can keep it safe then cool. I cannot take that risk as my current screen protector is already cracked a little within a year lol.

          • @[email protected]
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            13 months ago

            Depends on the use.

            The screen protector serves as a blue light filter too, it’s cheaper than a display, and fairly thin. That’s a straightforward addition for my use but if you don’t have issues with your phone dropping then you could certainly do without.

            I very much dislike cases and loved the PH-1 for stating that a phone should be solid enough without a case (sadly it did not survive a 50cm drop on a floor so it did not hold up in practice). If you don’t have much issues with your phone dropping then not having a case makes it so much nicer.

            I take more risk holding my phone than I should which means it falls more than average. The price I have to pay is a screen protector and cover. Replacing the display should be easy, but it’d also be wasteful.

  • @[email protected]
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    3 months ago

    Really wish Fairphone would come to the US. I’d spend the money on it, but they only half-ass sold the last gen phone here on the US.

    I don’t even understand why. They support most 4G and every mid and low band 5G in America. Even if I could just import it, I’d be happy.

      • @[email protected]
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        33 months ago

        Unfortunately Telecomms in Australia seem to have a pissing contest on who can screw consumers more, America or Aussie companies.

    • @[email protected]
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      13 months ago

      Yup. I was interested in one as well, but they don’t really support US customers, so I ended up w/ a Pixel w/ GrapheneOS flashed.

      • @[email protected]
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        23 months ago

        I appreciate it, but I just got a new phone because I needed a new one recently. I wish it could have been something like a Fairphone, but thems the breaks.

    • @[email protected]
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      493 months ago

      my phone has a headphone jack, my phone before that had a headphone jack. Wanna guess how often I used it? Zero because I have decent bluetooth headphones

      • Natanael
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        483 months ago

        I use my backup headphones when my Bluetooth headset has run out of battery

      • @[email protected]
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        143 months ago

        Wanna know how many times I played a piano in the past 20 years?

        Zero. Clearly they shouldn’t exist.

          • @[email protected]
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            You’re not making sense.

            Your position was that someone else is wrong to desire audio jacks, because you personally don’t need one after spaffing money on some Bluetooth earphones.

            My point – which I thought was very obvious, but apparently you missed it – was that just because you don’t see the value of something doesn’t mean others don’t or that it shouldn’t exist.

            I don’t have a piano, and I don’t know why you think I do.

            My entire metaphor is that I don’t play or have a piano, but I recognise that it’s stupid for me to discourage others from having them solely because I personally don’t have or want one.

            • @[email protected]
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              I’m a bit confused by your metaphor then (and thanks for the constructive insults, brings me back to the old reddit days…), since why take issue with something you dont own or use in the first place? Is the piano the headjack, or is it the bluetooth?

              • @[email protected]
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                I didn’t insult you, I remarked that you didn’t appear to have understood my comment, and by the looks of it you still don’t.

                Apologies if you’re upset by my comment. That was not my intent. I was just pointing out the absurdity of your judgemental comment.

                I’m not the one taking issue with something I don’t own. That’s my entire point. You are discouraging someone from wanting something just because you personally don’t value it.

                The piano is the headphone jack.

                You don’t need a headphone jack, and feel the need to disparage others who do. “I don’t use a headphone jack, so you shouldn’t want a phone with one.”

                Similarly, I don’t need a piano. However, I don’t go around telling people they shouldn’t want/play one, because I recognise that the things I want in my life are different to the things other people want in theirs.

                • @[email protected]
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                  23 months ago

                  It’s more like a new keyboard comes out and people all complain that it’s not a piano.

      • Communist
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        153 months ago

        I used mine all the time because I hate using bluetooth even though I have expensive bluetooth headphones, I have now cancelled you out

        • Oniononon
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          33 months ago

          I just have a dap that can receive bluetooth. More battery life, drives literally anything to very loud, 4.4mm out and can hold it’s own music library and play it without eating phones battery or memory.

      • @[email protected]
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        63 months ago

        This is fine if you don’t care about having the best audio quality and lowest latency possible.

        • @[email protected]
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          33 months ago

          I feel like latency only matters if you’re realtime gaming. In any other situation the video just syncs to the audio.

          As for quality AptX-HD is decent for low bitrates even at 24-bit, and LDAC remains excellent for anything higher.
          Unless you’re listening to high-res FLAC (in which case, god help your earphone impedance when listening to normal songs), I doubt the loss is audible

        • @[email protected]
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          not just that. with a jack, you can use your phone as a perfect mic for your PC. its also better in terms of privacy as you don’t blast “IM HERE” signals that every other shop has a tracking device for logging them. I would guess majority of bluetooth audio devices don’t even support mac address randomization

          @[email protected]

          • @[email protected]
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            13 months ago

            I would guess majority of bluetooth audio devices don’t even support mac address randomization

            Wouldn’t that be a nightmare for pairing? The device wakes and tries to connect to the last device it was paired to, only to find unknown vendors

            • @[email protected]
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              23 months ago

              mac randomization is a defined thing in the BLE standard (afaik bluetooth classic does not have it, but maybe that changed in BT 5.1?). It’s not truly random, it involves cryptography so that paired devices can recognize each other in the end

      • Scroll Responsibly
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        my phone has a headphone jack, my phone before that had a headphone jack. Wanna guess how often I used it? Zero because I have decent bluetooth headphones

        That’s just like your opinion man

      • @[email protected]
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        353 months ago

        I use mine. Bluetooth is great and all, but it’s still not the same quality as a hard-line. And they also run out of batteries.

      • @[email protected]
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        253 months ago

        My last phone had a headphone jack. Wanna guess how often I used it? All the time! And that was despite having decent Bluetooth headphones.

        I loved wearing my cans when mowing the lawn because it cut down on the noise, and I also used them when laying in bed since they had much better audio. I would use my Bluetooth headphones the rest of the time because they were more convenient.

        My new phone doesn’t have headphone jack, and I’m super bummed.

          • @[email protected]
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            33 months ago

            I’m going to lose that dongle. You say further down that I can just leave them connected, but I use my headphones with more than my phone (laptop, desktop), and those other devices have a headphone jack. Leaving it plugged in to my phone sucks too, for obvious reasons.

            I don’t care about water ingress. I’m happy to give up water resistance and have a slightly thicker phone if it means I get a headphone jack, bonus points if it’s easier to open the phone for repairs.

          • @[email protected]
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            USB-C to headphone jack dongles suck. You lose them easily, you can’t charge your phone if they’re connected and if you disconnect your headphones the device still behaves as if they’re plugged in. It’s so much less convenient and on the other hand there’s just no downside to having a dedicated headphone jack, so I still don’t get why they’re no longer including them.

            • @[email protected]
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              93 months ago

              As well as all your points (which I 100% agree with), my other issue with these dongles is simply that they stick out way more. If I buy a pair of headphones with an angled connector, I can plug them in and wrap the wire a little bit and then when the phone’s in my pocket, the wire takes up basically no space and doesn’t get smushed about by my leg.

              With a dongle, I need an extra couple inches of vertical space, and because the wire/connectors are sticking directly out the phone, they get bent all over the place. Absolutely crap design. Yes 90 degree USB-C to headphone jacks exist but they take up way more space than just a headphone jack.

            • @[email protected]
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              You lose them easily

              Just leave them connected to the headphones.

              you can’t charge your phone if they’re connected

              Dongles with an additional usb port exist.

              if you disconnect your headphones the device still behaves as if they’re plugged in.

              Again, leave the dongle connected to the headphones, not the phone.

              It’s so much less convenient

              It is less convenient, but I’d argue not by all that much. More importantly it’s not any less convenient for the vast majority who are already only using Bluetooth.

              there’s just no downside to having a dedicated headphone jack

              1. It’s an additional, and to most people superfluous, point for water ingress. Water damage is the most common type of damage in phones.

              2. It takes up space which could be utilised otherwise, like with a slightly larger battery or larger speakers or camera modules.

              3. It’s an additional part which needs to be manufactured, stocked, installed and purchased. Extra cost which only benefits a few. This is especially important to Fairphone in particular because they don’t use off-the-shelf components and promise to supply replacement parts pretty much indefinitely. I.e. Fairphone would have to design a custom module and then have that module in stock and manufactured specifically for them for the lifetime of each of their devices. That’s not a trivial expense.

              • @[email protected]
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                53 months ago

                I can’t have them connected to my headphones all the time because I connect headphones to other devices that all have a fucking headphone jack.

                1. It’s an additional, and to most people superfluous, point for water ingress. Water damage is the most common type of damage in phones.

                I’ve had watertight phones with a headphone jack over a decade ago.

                1. It takes up space which could be utilised otherwise, like with a slightly larger battery or larger speakers or camera modules.

                Yes. Anything you add to a phone is a tradeoff. No shit. These points are what is usually used to justify the lack of a jack. But maybe, just maybe, they don’t save as much money as they make with selling wireless headphones and this is just an excuse? Especially the big companies like Apple or Samsung that sell their own peripherals? And this whole thing is just an excuse to sell overpriced gadgets that need to be replaced every few years because of their batteries? Maybe, just maybe, it’d be valid if consumers still had a choice and could pick phones with or without a jack and would have to pay for the luxury of using decent headphones with a few milliamperehours?

                1. It’s an additional part which needs to be manufactured, stocked, installed and purchased. Extra cost which only benefits a few. This is especially important to Fairphone in particular because they don’t use off-the-shelf components and promise to supply replacement parts pretty much indefinitely. I.e. Fairphone would have to design a custom module and then have that module in stock and manufactured specifically for them for the lifetime of each of their devices. That’s not a trivial expense.

                Manufacturing a phone is not a trivial expense. Removing features is a business decision and a headphone jack costs money but doesn’t earn any whereas they can produce more cheaply without one. I get it. It’s just that doing so requires you to buy and use battery powered headphones that are much less sustainable than traditional magnets tied to a cable. How a company that lives off its promise to safe the world jumps on that wagon is a miracle to me. Companies that remove headphones don’t care about audio quality (which is why Sony still produces phones with audio jacks, I guess) or sustainability. Which is odd for a company like fp.

                • @[email protected]
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                  13 months ago

                  requires you to buy and use battery powered headphones

                  This is simply false though, we’d agreed that you are required to buy and use a dongle, and that this is an added inconvenience. But you are not required to switch to wireless headphones and your old cans haven’t suddenly become useless. People still have a choice between wired and wireless, wired has just become a little less convenient, that’s all. I completely agree with you that people shouldn’t go out buying new gadgets if their old stuff is still functional, but you can just continue using your old headphones if you get a new phone if you buy a dongle with it. Inconvenient yes, but not the end for wired headphones.

              • @[email protected]
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                63 months ago

                It’s an additional […] point for water ingress.

                the whole back panel is a big point of water ingress when that is not glued shut hard

                It takes up space which could be utilised otherwise, like with a slightly larger battery or larger speakers or camera modules.

                I never needed the additional camera modules, and there were phones with single camera module that made very nice images. the jack is also often at the top of the device where the battery doesn’t reach, but in my phone there’s also enough place for it between the bottom and the battery for a jack connector. in a fairphone

                It’s an additional part which needs to be manufactured, stocked, installed and purchased. Extra cost which only benefits a few.

                exact same opinion about multiple camera modules. nobody really needs them.

          • NekuSoul
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            53 months ago

            Yup. If anything, they should add a second USB-C connector. Much more versatile and you can still charge your phone if one of them dies.

            These flaky, but simultaneously bulky headphone connectors need to die. They’re inferior in pretty much every way imaginable.

      • @[email protected]
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        133 months ago

        My decent Bluetooth headphones have the option to plug in a headphone cable to use them wired. I use it occasionally so I can reduce audio latency, which can be useful with gaming…and essential with rhythm games.

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    233 months ago

    I really want this to come to the US as well…

    Is this phone also more secure?

    The problem we are running into right now is Apple and Google are colluding with the US government over fascism and they are supporting their Nazi regime

    They have all the power and they can change all of these services overnight, they can track you and everything and you will have no idea and no way to get rid of it

    We really need an open replacement. Phones are now used for everything

    • @[email protected]
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      93 months ago

      I used a Fairphone 4 with /e/ and it was good. Not great, but useable. I expect the hardware bugs I ran into (using the camera only worked like 20 times before the phone needed a restart, Bluetooth randomly not working) to be ironed out by now. Currently on an old Samsung and it is more solid, but I also liked the environmentalism with the fairphone. Anyone with a Fairphone 5 and something like a glucose sensor thats in constant use?

      • @[email protected]
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        73 months ago

        Well yeah, because why would phone companies care? Consumers buy devices based on camera and display quality, not for security, privacy, etc. I just had a chat w/ a coworker about a Chinese device with an incredible camera and big battery, and I highly doubt it does anything but the bare minimum for security. It’s a cool piece of hardware, but a no-go for anyone that cares even a little about security updates.

        I have a Pixel device because it has a long SW support cycle (Google promises at least 7 years), and I use GrapheneOS because it removes Google’s spyware crap. I’m not married to GrapheneOS or Pixel devices, I just need something where the software support will last at least longer than my desire to keep the device (about 4-5 years for me). I’ve ditched each of my last phones largely because they ran out of security update support, and that sucks.

        I’d prefer a Linux phone w/ decent security features, but they don’t meet my minimum standards for things working (just need phone features to work properly, don’t need apps). The moment a Linux phone comes out than actually works properly and has reasonable security, I’ll switch. The FairPhone could be that, but it’s not, so I don’t have one.

        • @[email protected]
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          33 months ago

          how is pixel with graphene os ? does it completely remove all google spyware shit? or do they have some sort of hardware backdoor?

          the reason I ask is because i have a motorola right now and it pisses me off immensely … there is this notification they keep pushing, “Activate Live Lock screen” which i don’t even know what it is, some background pictures crap. I uninstalled this app, but the notification remains. Like it’s not there always but keeps coming back every few days. this has been going on for months and i got so pissed i decided to contact support and complain there. they said, something along the lines of, we can connect remotely and do it for you. ( like disable, but they can’t disable because i went through every option on the phone, it cannot be disabled, it’s just bloatware) but their “we can do it for you remotely” got me thinking, backdoors, backdoors everywhere.

          now i want a new phone lol and one that can support a custom firmware but installing custom firmwares on pretty much all phones is a nightmare.

          but i also hate buying anything google, hence my question.

          • @[email protected]
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            3 months ago

            Understand your worries. I can say that GOS is the gold standard of privacy phones , nothing beats it. Calyx comes in 2nd. A new install of graphene has a browser, pdf viewer sms app and that’s about it. Use as you wish , with secured bootloader and zero google stuff. And I think it’s the easiest install of any , anyone can do it. And 2nd hand phones are available

            • @[email protected]
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              33 months ago

              thanks, this sounds great. i’ve installed a few custom firmwares but like a decade ago and i wanted to install one on my motorola recently and was just perplexed at the complexity of it all, i might be getting old. i mean i can follow instructions, but just so many things can go wrong, don’t do this, softbrick, don’t do that, hardbrick … honestly, the instructions were well written but unorganized a bit, just put me off.

              i think i might like GOS tho, sounds great and 2nd hand pixel 8 or so are cheap enough so i’ll probably give it a go.

              • @[email protected]
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                23 months ago

                Yea a lot have changed in 10 years in the cat and mouse game. GOS is a completely different thing. Want to unlock or unlock bootloader on a Motorola = 2 pages instructions in different xda threads. On a pixel? fastboot oem unlock done. And that’s just because I’m old school , GOS have a webinstaller were I think you don’t even need to touch the terminal.

          • @[email protected]
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            33 months ago

            how is pixel with graphene os ?

            Good?

            By default, there’s no Google Play Services or any Google apps whatsoever. What you do have is a handful of utilities and a minimal app store that gives you the option to install Google Play Services and a few other apps. Or you can use the browser (Vanadium, a Chromium fork w/ some security options enabled) to download an alternative app store (F-Droid, Aurora, etc). They recently added Accrescent to the built-in app store as well, and I see 12 apps in that app store. I think by default there are 6 apps installed? (Messaging, PDF Viewer, Vanadium, Info, Auditor, and the App Store). I can’t remember which I had to install manually since I set it up a few months ago.

            So yes, I think they thoroughly remove Google’s stuff from the default install.

            Most Android apps seem to work (i.e. installed through Aurora), though a few have issues without Google Play Services running or one of the security features. I use a separate profile for the apps I need that don’t work w/o Google Play services, and I switch profiles as needed. That way I don’t have Google Play Services running at all unless I actually need it.

            • @[email protected]
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              23 months ago

              alright thanks for the extensive answer, this sounds great. i like the two profiles setup. and i didn’t even know about aurora store ( i am out of the loop i know :) ) looks like this could be my next phone, and previous gen looks great enough, i don’t need the latest bells and whistles, pixel 8 would be great.

              • @[email protected]
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                23 months ago

                Cool!

                I’m happy to answer any other questions.

                BTW, Aurora is just an alternative frontend to the Play Store, it has the same apps, but you can use an anonymous profile instead of logging in with a Google account.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 months ago

          Not only that, it’s really really hard to leave the app ecosystem. Anything that has an alternative basically has to run Android apps as well

          I mean with smart homes and all the various apps, it becomes really hard to switch phones even. Even your bank app

        • @[email protected]
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          23 months ago

          Agree. Calyx is also an option when GOS support ends , then lineage etc. Wish we had good working Linux phones but I have high hopes my pixel 7 will be my last android

      • @[email protected]
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        3 months ago

        T-Mobile supports these bands:

        • 5G: n2/41/71/258/260/261

        • 5G,ER: n25

        • 4GLTE: B4/5/12/71

        • 4GLTE,ER: B25/66

        • 2G,GSM: B2

        Fairphone 5 supports these bands:

        • 5G: n1/2/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/41/48/71/77/78

        • 5G,ER: n66

        • 4GLTE: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/20/28/32/38/40/41/42/48/71

        • 4GLTE,ER: B66

        It looks like the Fairphone 5 covers T-Mobile’s 5G Frequency Band 1 frequencies (bold), but Frequency Band 2 is not covered (italic).

        Regarding 4G, the Fairphone 5 covers all LTE networks (bold) except for extended range band B25 (italics).

        it doesn’t support US bands for TMobile

        It covers some, but not all.

    • @[email protected]
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      3 months ago

      no other manufacturer than google ever will have graphnene os support. their requirements cannot be met unless you are a tech gian, and with exceptionally good connections to the hardware manufacturers

    • @[email protected]
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      23 months ago

      Fairphone brand is basically saying to everyone “Hey look at our generic Android phone with everything you need from Google, including AI stuff and data collection” and when you ask if you can have a privacy friendly features they basically say “Nope, we just do a phone with replaceable parts, that’s all. Don’t ask for more”

      • @[email protected]
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        23 months ago

        And it would be such good marketing strategy “replaceable parts + privacy”

        At least someone commented CalyxOS supports it which seems to be a good alternative to GrapheneOS

    • @[email protected]
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      743 months ago

      The biggest downside of Fairphone IMO is that they don’t maintain their hardware support in LineageOS and for the retail product then branch development off, add a bit of custom branding and adapt whatever Google requires these days. It would greatly improve custom ROM support in general.

    • baduhai
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      63 months ago

      It has CalyxOS support though. A decent alternative.

      • @[email protected]
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        13 months ago

        Agreed. I was debating between CalyxOS and GrapheneOS, and I ended up w/ GrapheneOS because I ended up picking the Pixel 8 due to the long software support cycle. If I picked any other phone, I would’ve ended up w/ CalyxOS.

        Both are great projects.

        • baduhai
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          23 months ago

          Indeed. I am currently waiting for Calyx to be released for my phone, it’s a Moto g84, and support seems to be coming along nicely.

          I probably would have picked a pixel if I could, but they are not available for sale in my country.

    • @[email protected]
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      553 months ago

      Graphene isn’t the best choice for everything. It doesn’t have good backup solutions nor device to device backup or anything solid for complete snapshots and when restoring your so called backups you’ll realize what all it truly lacks.

      It’s hardened and has a lot of security and privacy features but none of that matters if your opsec is bad, or it’s feature set doesn’t match your threat model. I am not knocking it at all. It just isn’t the white knight for every case.

      • @[email protected]
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        143 months ago

        Agreed.

        That said, it would be awesome to have an alternative to Pixel devices if you do want GrapheneOS.

        • @[email protected]
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          93 months ago

          The project has sort of silo’d itself into security which is only one part of the equation. Rather than overall completeness, functionality, maintainability. It’s lacking major fundamental feature sets. Thus its more of a tails meets whonix/Qubes right now not a all in one bow wrapped package to save the day for its consumer base. Many many other issues/bugs I didnt list. Perhaps I’ll add more tomorrow. If everyone wants.

          • @[email protected]
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            3 months ago

            And that’s exactly what it should be IMO. I prefer a project with narrow goals to one that does everything, but poorly.

            If I want backups, I can use something like Syncthing. When moving to a new device, I prefer to install everything from scratch because I generally don’t use most of the apps I have anyway. I don’t put anything critical on it, so why would I need to restore from a snapshot?

            If you want those features, it’s not the ROM for you.

            I just want a simple device with a long support cycle and no spyware, and GrapheneOS delivers. I have Google Play Services on a seperate profile, and my main profile is completely free of that crap. I want a Linux phone, but every phone has serious limitations, like missing audio, sketchy calls, or completely broken camera. GrapheneOS is the closest experience I have to that.

            • @[email protected]
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              23 months ago

              If I want backups, I can use something like Syncthing.

              syncthing cant backup your device. that is a file transfer app. for backing up the device you need either appmanager and root, or good old dd and root (and a half shutdown system)

              I don’t put anything critical on it, so why would I need to restore from a snapshot?

              1. because not everyone uses the device the same way as you
              2. snapshots are always complete. file based backups are not because of metadata changes. seedvault even less because it picks apps except this and that, and an unknown subset of the settings, and shared storage for the files that you have enabled

              If you want those features, it’s not the ROM for you.

              currently there’s no ROM on which you could execute a real backup, thanks to encrypted storage with keys stored in TPM. TPM sees a change, and now your backup is a useless blob of practically random data

              I just want a simple device with a long support cycle and no spyware, and GrapheneOS delivers.

              as does calyx os

              I have Google Play Services on a sperate profile, and my main profile is completely free of that crap. I want a Linux phone, but every phone has serious limitations, like missing audio, sketchy calls, or completely broken camera.

              with microg, this can be done on calyx too. there’s even a few options on how much you want google to know.

              and if your point is that not all apps work with microg, then you would never actually move to a linux phone because that will never have google play services (hopefully, else something has gone way wrong), probably not even microg or apps that would depend on it

              • @[email protected]
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                13 months ago

                syncthing cant backup your device. that is a file transfer app.

                That’s exactly what backup software is, it’s keeping copies of important data in multiple places so if one dies/gets stolen, you have backup copies.

                I can tell syncthing to copy all my important data to another device.

                I don’t need all the installed apps or a disk image, that’s way overkill. I could do that, but it’ll get way more than I need.

                as does calyx os

                You’re right, Calyx OS is also a good choice.

                I went with GrapheneOS for two reasons:

                • sandboxed Google Play vs microG - no option AFAIK to disable it
                • faster security updates

                My goal is a baby step toward Linux phones, not compatibility with Android. I only have Google Play Services on a separate profile, and I spend 95% of my time on the profile without it. The less I rely on Google Play Services, the easier it’ll be for me to transition to Linux alternatives.

                Better app compatibility is a nice side effect. I have a handful of apps that rely on Google Play Services, and there’s a decent chance they wouldn’t work on microG. But I rarely use them and I’m willing to go without if it means I can have a Linux phone.

                • @[email protected]
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                  23 months ago

                  sandboxed Google Play vs microG - no option AFAIK to disable it

                  you mean disabling microg?

                  if so you can refuse installation at profile setup. if you make a new profile, you can choose to install it there. then in microg settings there are some toggles for functionality

                  btw, which of your apps nead google services?

        • @[email protected]
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          3 months ago

          Seedvault works, I’ve restored from backups multiple times.

          However there are still many parts of overall data that aren’t fully backed up.

          Certain app data doesn’t get saved.

          Settings are but not in entirety requiring manual rechecks of all settings and reconfiguration if needed. Which saves no time because then you cannot trust it fully for what was and was not altered meaning you then must asses everything which took away the total value, and adds a layer of distrust.

          Profiles must be backed up individually which creates a giant hassle to restore/maintain consistent backups, which also requires different drives for each profile to be recognized correctly.

          App lists are impartial requiring a wrote down list or some form of rememberance that’s not reliant on the backup list of installed apps.

          I can go on with more its late in my time zone and I have to sleep so. It’s a good project and has merit. It is just not where it should be to really be useful at scale. I am aware of the experimental setting to create a more comprehensive backup. Even with it checked on the backups are not complete. Thus the use of Graphene while a great project has definite major flaws. If they implement device to device backups it would be a game changer. Not high up on their list of to dos though.

          • @[email protected]
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            53 months ago

            Thanks for the info. I have not really tested Seedvault myself so this is all good to know.

            Ironically, one of the main reasons I switched to GrapheneOS was because Google’s backups were so frustrating and I was hoping Seedvault would be more comprehensive.

            • @[email protected]
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              It is and its not. You just have to know the limitations, some of which I mentioned. Try it for yourself and to a restore then report back you’ll understand it’s very cumbersome in some ways.

              Don’t expect to be able to wipe a phone and restore from backup like you never left it’ll get you closeish. So you need to ask yourself is that good enough for you with your opsec and threat model? To only have part of your data back…

              In its current form its just a hassle right now to create backups on seperate drives (not even partitions on one drive I tried, as seedvault and the OS only identifies the drive you don’t get to choose) for each profile plugging them into your phone individually, backing up each one, and keeping them up to date often, it’s a lot! I have swapped several pixels and profiles I hate doing it everytime it really is a subpar process. I AM ALL EARS FOR A BETTER SOLUTION. Having to piece your data back together for it to be complete again doesn’t sit right with me to be considered backed up correctly. It leaves you vulnerable and some of us don’t like being locked into any specific device or situation like having your life on a device and being at the mercy of it for any reason you might encounter. I’m actually moving away from graphene due to these issues. It’s just not there yet.

              Its one thing to read the documentation and another to have experience in using the software first hand which is why I got downvotes, over time, daily those are the ones who have experienced what I mean. I just wanted people to be aware that it’s not the saving grace yet.

              Imagine the real world use case of backups and maintenance which should be done as often as possible as to lose as little data as possible. Phone gets broken, stolen, confiscated, what have you. Having reliable backups is the difference between starting over and continuing with what could be your entire life in this digital age.

        • @[email protected]
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          83 months ago

          I’m being bugged by Seedvault caring for apps that have a ‘don’t backup app data’ flag.
          I could live with that being a default setting, which can be manually overwritten in the Seedvault settings for these apps.
          Apps not allowing (in case of Seedvault: encrypted) full backups while offering no or bad built-in backups is just cumbersome when trying to have current backups.

          • @[email protected]
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            23 months ago

            afaik their device-to-device mode should be able to workaround that. it can still be saved to storage

            • @[email protected]
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              33 months ago

              I believe you’re right, but that doesn’t solve the problem of making routine full backups, which would come in handy if the device gets lost or breaks.
              One can hope future versions of Seedvault care less about what apps want.

        • @[email protected]
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          43 months ago

          I agree. Seedvault works but if you really use the project and its features as intended you’ll see problems I listed above which is not complete I’m just tired there are plenty more.

          You’ll start to see the problems and the lack of value add from graphene. I’d feel much safer on a Linux machine and correct backups, under most threat models and opsecs, even without all the advanced security features than stuck locked into graphene as a half baked project. Which is saying something, and why I said it depends on your opsec and threat model I wasn’t bashing the project it just is not the end all be all right now.

          The year of Linux is upon us. Soonish*

          Its had more dev time across the board which is why I would choose it first and foremost. What it lacks in certain features its fundamentally more complete. Regardless of distro mostly.

    • @[email protected]
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      93 months ago

      Was thinking the same thing. Not Graphenes fault though but a failing of OEMs to provide what’s necessary.

    • FireWire400
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      3 months ago

      You could always go for /e/os though

      Edit: Didn’t know it was this bad…

          • @[email protected]
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            193 months ago

            Every other version of Android gets security updates out within a couple weeks of release at most.

            /e/OS users are lucky if they get them within a couple months.

            • @[email protected]
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              43 months ago

              Thanks for the answer. How does it compare against other Android forks in terms of security update speed?

              Also, isn’t Fairphone once also criticised for falling behind on Android security updates or was I misremembering this?

            • @[email protected]
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              183 months ago

              No offense, but that’s not what a security dumpster fire is. Security updates are important, of course, but they are also not the biggest deal.

              In fact, I bet that the vast majority of users (on Android or otherwise) are lagging way behind in updates anyway.

              • @[email protected]
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                33 months ago

                So an OS that boasts about the “privacy” it offers… Doesn’t need routine and consistent security updates?

                Sure thing bud, keep going on like you know what you’re talking about.

                • @[email protected]
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                  33 months ago

                  Generally speaking privacy and security are related but not really linked to each other. Google services might be very secure, but a privacy nightmare for example. In this particular case, even more, because the chances that using a “googled” phone will mean data collection (I.e. privacy issues) are almost certain, while the risks we are talking about are much more niche and - as I elaborated on another comment - in my opinion not really in most people threat model.

                  I would like to hear your perspective instead, because I am not really into using authority arguments, but as a security engineer I believe to at least understand well the issue with security updates, vulnerabilities and exploits. So yes, I do think to know what I am talking about.

                • @[email protected]
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                  43 months ago

                  I am not dismissing it, I am saying that is not as big as you make it to be. Most users lag behind in updates anyway, besides using minimal and trusted applications, the outside exposure to exploitation is relatively small, for a device without a public address. I am not the one APTs are going to use the SMS no-click 0-day against.

                  Similarly for the bootloader issue. The kind of attacks mitigated by this are not in most people threat models. They just are not. As someone else wrote, it’s possible to relock the bootloader anyway with official builds (such as my FP3). But anyway, even for myself the chance that my phone gets modified by physical access without my knowledge is a fraction of a fraction compared to the chance that someone will snatch the phone in my hand while unlocked, for example (a recent pattern).

                  If these two issues are what prompts you to call a “security dumpster fire”, I would say we at least have very different risk perceptions.

                • Incogni
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                  /e/OS has official builds for the fairphones, you can re-lock the bootloader there, afaik. At least according to this: https://doc.e.foundation/devices/FP5/install

                  You can also buy the phone directly with /e/OS pre-installed & closed bootloader, from what I read on the fairphone website.

  • @[email protected]
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    203 months ago

    Aaaand it’s impossible to buy in the US. Even if USians want to do the right thing, we’re not permitted.

  • @[email protected]
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    500 Euro for what amounts to a midrange phone still seems like yuppie consumerism to me. Better to get an older phone and hold onto it. My Moto G4 lasted 7 years before obsolescence and physical wear caught up with it. I wonder how many current Fairphones will still be in use in 2034.

    • @[email protected]
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      Turns out ethical wages and materials cost money. I agree that older tech being more ethical as whatever ‘cost’ is may have was paid by the first owner.

      • @[email protected]
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        I still have a made in Finland Nokia N9 that cost $200 around 15 years ago. Too bad it became unusable in the US with the shutdown of the 3G network, whenever that was.

      • @[email protected]
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        13 months ago

        I hope so, and I hope they make it compatible with regular Linux, like postmarketOS or Mobian. Make sure all the core phone features work properly (calls, SMS/MMS, data, audio, sensors, etc), then let the Linux community go nuts on it.

        I’d pay a premium for that, and I’d probably pick up a Framework laptop as well. I currently use an old Thinkpad (circa 2018), and I’m trying to make that last until Framework has an option for a 13-14" laptop with insane battery life (ARM or RISC-V is probably fine), or at least has a keyboard that has a Trackpoint and physical mouse buttons like my Thinkpad. But if they make a phone, I might just lower my standards a bit to keep everything in the family.

      • melroy
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        23 months ago

        Yes eventually they will. Might be still 5 years away tho