Fairphone is ending support for this phone, but updates will continue

Fairphone has long been a rebel in the smartphone industry, creating devices that are meant to be opened, repaired and maintained for years rather than replaced every two or three upgrade cycles. At such a time repairability is finally gaining widespread attentionit feels a little ironic that official support for one of its most important early devices has ended – but there’s more to it than that.

The company confirmed it Fairphone 3 will be officially retired in August this yearmarks the end of software updates for the device. For a phone launched in 2019, this is not entirely unexpected. Most devices of that era have long since stopped receiving software updates. However, Fairphone’s end-of-life approach isn’t quite the same as what users are used to.

Rather than simply cutting support and moving on, Fairphone is extending the device’s lifespan through a partnership with Murena. Even after Fairphone’s official support ends, the phone will continue to receive software and security updates for an additional two years. This alone makes a big difference for existing users and extends the device’s lifespan far beyond what most smartphones offer.

Continued support will be delivered via /e/OS, a privacy-focused Android fork developed by Murena. This means that Fairphone 3 users will receive security patches and system-level improvements in addition to continuous stability updates. More importantly, they’ll also have access to privacy-first features built into /e/OS, including Advanced Privacy controls, built-in tracker blocking, and access to apps via App Lounge.

Interestingly, the company is also working on updating the /e/OS build of the Fairphone 3 from Android 13 to Android 15. Although the hardware is outdated, this move ensures that users can still benefit from newer Android basics, modern security improvements, and compatibility improvements that are completely unavailable for a device of this age.

Installing /e/OS is offered as a free option for users who wish to switch. Here’s the process It is documented on Murena’s official websitehere, Fairphone 3 owners can follow the step-by-step instructions to flash the operating system on their device.