TL;DR
- The FairPhone 2 will stop receiving updates in March 2023, seven years after its release.
- The handset launched back in 2015 with Android 5.1 Lollipop.
Five years of software updates is about as good as it gets for major Android phone brands, with Google and Samsung offering this pledge. But it turns out that a smartphone released in 2015 was still receiving updates, beating these Galaxy and Pixel devices.
Unfortunately, FairPhone has announced on its website (h/t: Android Police) that its seven-year-old FairPhone 2 will no longer be receiving updates after March 2023. The company noted that this lengthy run of updates surpassed its initial aim of delivering between three and five years of support.
“In March 2023, we will share a final Fairphone 2 software update for Android 10. After this is installed, users can continue to use their device as normal,” the company explained. “However, in terms of software support, that will be the final update. If there is a bug that users hope will be fixed, that won’t happen anymore.”
The company also notes that the device will therefore become more insecure over time and that it won’t be able to address severe vulnerabilities. It adds that “security-critical” apps such as banking apps might not work down the line.
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The FairPhone 2 debuted with Android 5.1 Lollipop back in 2015, but the company most recently updated the device to Android 10 in March 2022. This was no mean feat when you consider that the Snapdragon 801 chipset inside the device didn’t even support Android Nougat.
In any event, FairPhone is also offering a €50 voucher if you recycle your FairPhone 2 before March 31.
