Fairphone 6 postmarketOS project gets a working main camera
The anonymous developer behind catcrafts.net, who is building a postmarketOS image for the Fairphone 6, published a driver that gets the phone's main camera working alongside autofocus and color correction. The work builds on an earlier driver for the wide lens camera written by contributor nondescriptpointer. Color correction is still in progress, and the author says the resulting image is still noticeably grainy, partly blamed on the camera stack's JPEG storage; a comparison shot from the author's Samsung Galaxy A16 shows the postmarketOS image still trailing a stock Android camera. The post doubles as a project roundup covering several other threads.
The author reports that the Dutch 1-1-2 emergency-calling test for the postmarketOS Fairphone 6 image has been approved. An email from an unnamed staff member at B ICT, Tactical and Technical Management 1-1-2 (TB112), whose name the author censored, sets the test window for Tuesday, August 18, between 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Until that test runs, emergency calling on the image is unverified, which the author has flagged in warnings throughout the project.
The Fairphone 6+ has been officially announced, and the author plans to buy one to test and fix the postmarketOS image against it, saying donations make it easier to justify spending 650 euros on a phone they already own one generation of. To be transparent about spending, the author built a page at catcrafts.net/financials that generates live from a bank statement, so donations and the FP6+ purchase will show up there as they happen.
The author is also contacting a notary to incorporate Catcrafts as a Dutch non-profit foundation (stichting), a step still pending on legal work. If the project reaches the point of letting the author quit their job, Dutch law caps a non-profit's salary at market rate and bars using it as a disguised dividend, and any salary would be published on the financials page. The author says a non-profit phone company has a genuinely good pitch, adding they respect Fairphone's work but remain wary of it as a profit-seeking business that still posts on Elon Musk's X; they applied to become a Fairphone partner and have not yet heard back.
Shipping the postmarketOS-related hardware will not be fully worldwide, contrary to an earlier statement. The author says Dutch insurers appear unable to offer standard corporate liability insurance (Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering) covering the United States and Canada, only a bespoke and likely expensive quote, so shipping there is off the table for now; shipping to Russia, Belarus and North Korea is excluded because it would be a criminal offense under sanctions.
A table in the post lists four carriers now confirmed working with the postmarketOS Fairphone 6 image, all on Linux kernel 7.1.2: KPN in the Netherlands, Telekom Deutschland in Germany, Phonero, and Telia Norge.
Looking further out, the author says they have been dreaming of building their own Linux phone and now thinks they can. Since Qualcomm chips comparable to the Fairphone 6's are effectively unobtainable, the plan is a RISC-V phone instead. The author expects it to run hot, have poor battery life and possibly end up like the PinePhone, and to cost significant money, but wants it to be as open as possible, backed by the same non-profit structure.
The author also recounts briefly being misrepresented in a claim made about them on a Dutch tech forum by the lead postmarketOS developer, which was corrected once the full thread was shared. Planned next steps for the Fairphone 6 image are further color correction work, a laser rangefinder for autofocus instead of software-only focus, a selfie camera, a fingerprint sensor and extensive testing; once those land the author considers the FP6 image done, plans to open a shop, and will shift focus to the FP6+. Getting the accumulated patches upstreamed into mainline projects is expected to take at least another half year.
Key facts
- The Fairphone 6 postmarketOS image now has a working main camera driver with autofocus and color correction, building on nondescriptpointer's earlier wide lens driver; the image is still grainy and color correction remains a work in progress.
- The Dutch 1-1-2 emergency-calling test for the image was approved for Tuesday, August 18, between 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m., per an email from an unnamed B ICT / TB112 staff member.
- Four carriers are now confirmed working with the image, all on Linux kernel 7.1.2: KPN (Netherlands), Telekom Deutschland (Germany), Phonero, and Telia Norge.
- The author plans to buy the newly announced Fairphone 6+ and is working to incorporate Catcrafts as a Dutch non-profit foundation (stichting), publishing donations and future salary on a live financials page.
- Shipping will exclude the US and Canada, where the author cannot get affordable corporate liability insurance, and Russia, Belarus and North Korea, where shipping would violate sanctions.
Why it matters
This is an incremental but concrete step for mainline Linux support on a mass-market phone: a working main camera driver, not just a proof of concept, alongside autofocus and color correction. It is also a case study in a volunteer project moving from hobby to something closer to an organization, with a planned non-profit structure and a public financials page meant to make donation spending auditable.
Who it affects
Directly, it affects the small community running or following the postmarketOS Fairphone 6 image, including contributor nondescriptpointer, whose wide lens driver the new work builds on. It also touches Fairphone itself, since the author has applied to become an official Fairphone partner and is buying a Fairphone 6+ to extend support, while remaining openly wary of Fairphone as a for-profit company.
How to use it
The postmarketOS image for the Fairphone 6 is usable today on four confirmed carriers (KPN, Telekom Deutschland, Phonero, Telia Norge), all running Linux kernel 7.1.2, with the new main camera driver included. Emergency calling was not yet verified at the time of writing, pending the scheduled August 18 test, so anyone relying on the image for a primary phone should treat that as unconfirmed until then. Donations can be sent through the link on catcrafts.net, which the author says now feeds a live financials page.
How solid is it
This is a first-person developer blog post and project update, not a third-party report; the Hacker News discussion around it had 106 points and 27 comments at the time of the dossier. The number of confirmed carriers, the kernel version, and the emergency-test approval email are the author's own reporting and screenshots rather than independently verified figures.
Risks and caveats
The camera output is still described by the author as grainy and behind a comparison shot from a stock Android phone, and color correction is unfinished. Emergency calling on the image was unverified pending the scheduled test. The planned non-profit incorporation is not finalized, the author's Fairphone partner application has gone unanswered, and shipping is restricted: no US or Canada due to lack of affordable liability insurance, and no Russia, Belarus or North Korea due to sanctions.
“The tests have been approved for Tuesday, August 18, between 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m.”
— unnamed staff member, B ICT, Tactical and Technical Management 1-1-2 (TB112), in an email quoted by the postmarketOS Fairphone 6 developer