Jolla ‘Saapunki’ Update Adds 4G Support For All Sailfish OS Users

Jolla is pushing out an update for Sailfish OS that brings 4G compatibility to all users of the open source mobile platform, along with a number of other requested features from the Sailfish community.

The update is called Saapunki and combines both update 6 and update 7 for the platform. It is being rolled out to early adopters who own ‘The First One’ cover for the Jolla smartphone before being made available to other owners a few hours later.

Saapunki adds support for folders, personalised shortcuts on the Sailfish lockscreen and quick scrolling, along with a number of new animations and cosmetic features and a contact import wizard for new users. Operators can now offer SIM-specific services to their customers.

Jolla Sailfish Saapunki

The browser now includes support for uploading files on an experimental basis, the ability to remember where a user was located on a web page when switching tabs, HTML5 full screen, the option to clear private data and a do not track option.

A number of security bugs have been fixed, while there are improved mail and calendar synchronisation options and improved compatibility with Android applications such as the ability to access contacts from external sources such as Facebook.

Users should receive a notification informing them of the new version, although they can also check for updates manually, and to receive the upgrade they must have a working Jolla account, a connected charger and a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.

“The June Sailfish OS update is a major one as it introduced a significant amount of new features and improvements,” says Juhani Lassila, head of communications at Jolla. “The most important one here being enabling the 4G LTE connectivity, but also including a lot of new personalization possibilities, enhanced browser functionalities, additional support for different calendars and Bluetooth options, as well many usability improvements.

“After the sixth major Sailfish OS software update, the Jolla smartphone is getting lots and lots of positive customer feedback as being a very competitive alternative to the market giants.”

Jolla, which was formed by former Nokia employees who wanted to continue developing the open source MeeGo platform, released the eponymous smartphone in Finland last November. Sailfish OS has since reached version 1.0 and Jolla hopes its community will continue to influence future versions of the software.

Co-founder Stefano Mosconi told TechWeekEurope at Mobile World Congress (MWC) earlier this year that it was confident about the future of Sailfish OS and believed his company could carve out a niche in the smartphone market, with Finland desperate for it to succeed.

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