Android 13: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Fairphones runs Fairphone OS (Operating System), an OS based on Android, with a set of standard Google Apps.
Currently the Fairphone 3(+) runs Fairphone OS based on Android 13.
Upgrading to new Android versions enables us to continue providing support to our devices and adds new features for you to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What makes Android 13 better than previous versions?
Android 13 has better security features and includes a better management of permissions and notification settings.
In addition, the Material You UI has been updated and some new features have been introduced to stock Android. Some of these features include:
- Setting a default (keyboard) language for separate apps.
- Changing the accent colour(s) and using Themed icons (as long as you use the pre-installed launcher).
- Updated media player notification.
Q: Why have you skipped Android 12 for Fairphone 3(+)?
When Google released the source code for Android 13, we realized we can use the work we've done until then on the Android 12 upgrade for the Fairphone 3(+) and skip directly to Android 13, as the two versions are close (when skipping a version, you need to implement all changes from both versions at the same time). This way we could get users to the newest available Android version ahead of schedule.
Skipping Android versions is not officially supported by Google, however since our team has taken over the chipset support, we had the opportunity to make this skip happen.
Q: Why is Fairphone 4 still on Android 12? When is Android 13 coming for it?
Because we had a delay with the release of Android 12 for the Fairphone 4, this shifted the upgrade schedule. We do however, hope to be able to roll it out in the end of 2023, but more accurate information will be available as time goes on. Stay tuned!
Q: Will you skip to Android 14 for the Fairphone 4?
Since Android 13 will be the last upgrade supported by the chipset vendor, we cannot skip it. At this stage, Fairphone 4 is too early in its journey to skip Android upgrades. But that’s something we’re looking into for the future.
Q: Why does it take you so long to provide Android upgrades after Google releases them?
Keeping up with the yearly Android upgrades on all of our devices can be a bit of a challenge sometimes. Once an Android upgrade gets released by Google, we still need to do a lot of changes to get it working properly on our phones. On top of this, chipset vendor support ends before we're done supporting our phones, thus some delays are related to that (e.g. in the case of making Android 13 upgrade for the Fairphone 3(+)).
We are working on speeding up our Android upgrades though. With our internal teams and development and validation partners we are improving our processes to be able to deliver future upgrades in a more timely manner.
If you still need more help after reading this article, contact our Customer Support.