Fwupd 2.1.3 Brings Firmware Updating To Modular Smartphones

Fresh off the milestone of Dell and Lenovo becoming premier sponsors of the Linux Vendor Firmware Service (LVFS), there is a new feature release of the Fwupd firmware updating tool for Linux systems.

Richard Hughes of Red Hat and lead LVFS/Fwupd developer rolled out the new Fwupd 2.1.3 release a short time ago. This new version adds support for Redfish bearer token authentication, support for several XMC SPI chips, and can now parse JCat files within the Fwupd library without resorting to using libjcat.

There is also a number of bug fixes in Fwupd 2.1.3 for various hardware issues and other minor issues.

When it comes to new hardware support in Fwupd 2.1.3, there is now support for firmware updates on the SHIFT6MQ and SHIFTphone 8. These are Shiftphone devices as the modular, easy-to-repair smartphones made by SHIFT in Germany. Interesting seeing Fwupd now support Shiftphone devices for firmware updates. The SHIFTphone 8 is their newest model, succeeding the SHIFT6MQ that released back in 2020.

The SHIFTphone 8 is currently in pre-order phase for 695 EUR and powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, 120Hz AMOLED 1080 x 2400 display, 12GB of RAM, 512GB UFS storage, and dual SIM cards. ShiftOS is based on Android 14.

Downloads and more details on Fwupd 2.1.3 via GitHub.