@tpo1 You are right, the accessibility menu of e/OS is not able to replace the power button.
However if you swipe down form the menu bar twice, the quick settings panel appears. There at the bottom in the middle you can easily access the power menu, where you can power off or restart your phone, but also take a screenshot.
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Hi @mxeff - thanks a lot for the tip. However I do not have that in my e/OS (Android-Version 9 (I wonder if I can update…)) either. I checked in the cog-wheel (configuration of the drop down settings) and in there there isn’t a “power” icon either…
You are using an old (outdated?) version of e/OS (and therefore also old Android version). This easy access via the quick settings panel is a feature of new Android itself and not e/OS in particular.
If you want to use this feature you need to update your phone. Due to some changes from Android 9 to 10, e/OS needs to be completely reinstalled for this update.
Here is a link on how to do this. Upgrade Fairphone 3 from Android 9
This article many explains how to save and restore your personal data, but also links to another article in step 2 explaining the update process using the /e/OS easy-installer (which, as the name suggests is actually fairly easy to use).
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I just downloaded the WaveUp app.
And I also activated the accessibility menu, to allow changing the volume.
This is a great work around to allow me to use the phone while looking for a more long term solution.
I will update the thread when trying other solutions.
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I had the problem of a power button that basically died. I had to press it several times from different angles until it hopefully worked.
I could fix it in the following way:
- I opened the phone and partly took out the strip that holds the power button – in the way that anon9989719 shows it in his post at the top.
- I put a tiny piece of paper that I folded three times behind the strip, i. e. between the back of the strip and the inner plastic frame of the fairphone.
The problem was apparently that the green part of the strip was compressed over time and so the outer power button did not press hard enough anymore onto the switch.
Feels great if you can repair a smartphone with a piece of paper. 
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I tried your solution with a bit of tape instead. Then I put in just the screen without screw to test it. The button worked a bit better. I put all screws in, tighten them and tried again. My phone would start but I could not do anything with the button anymore. Even restarting did not work. Opened it again and removed the tape. Then put it back together again with the screws and now the button is fine. Although with this operation, my volume down button malfunctions.
Did got a result that I had not expected 
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Now I have enabled the Accessibility menu. Within this menu there is a lock screen button. I use that to lock and the fingerprint to unlock. No need for the button then 
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Edit: power button is starting to act up again. The first thing I thought when I pressed that button for the first time is: “How long will this button work? It feels quite fragile.”
The power button does not work. I gues its broken? It does not look like the volume button.
Do you know how I can fix it
In case of my broken FP3 it isn’t definitly not the hardware switch shown above. There must be a broken resistor or capacitor on the main board.
Short update: After a few days, the problem occured again. So it seems, that I’ll have to regularly repair the phone. I’ll try out different materials and positions.
My update:
Tried to change the position of the button. Somehow broke the whole unit and cannot use the power button at all. Guess I can’t power the phone on without it.
Still deciding how I’m going to fix it. Most likely send it in for repair.
Update #2:
With this tip, I could get my phone powered on again! Thanks @mxeff!
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I’m currently waiting for another broken FP3, which I bought for spare parts. The seller claims, that it wont turn on anymore and no LED flashes if a charger plugged in.
I will report, what I find out about this FP3 after a short diagnostic.
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Just want to say I have send the phone in for repair and got it back again. The buttons now work again. In the invoice they claim to have put in “Grade E, Recyclee” parts. Sounds like used parts from another FairPhone 3.
Edit: The phone was factory reset when I received it again. The backup I had made at Google One had failed so lost some app settings.
Also, I found another way to lock the phone. With this app:
It is a very simple app. Just start it and the phone gets locked. Because it does not need a floating button, I can use the whole screen. When I want to lock, I just press the home button and then the app pinned on my launcher home screen.
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