my FP1 is next to unusable at the moment. The capacitive buttons are not reacting any more, and the part of the touch-screen directly above is also defunct. To be clear: only the lowest part of the display stopped being touch-sensitive. If I boot to the factory test mode (vol down +power button), I can see under “Touch Panel” / “CTP Test” that the lower three lines (as indicated by the squares on the side) don’t work.
Inconveniently [shift] and [enter] of on-screen keyboards are usually situated there. Also, with the buttons below the display defunct, I can open an app after startup - but I can’t go back to the home screen, or use the back button. Which turns out to be my favourite button.
Jennifer from the support team suggested a factory reset. (I lost count how many times I have done this with my phone by now. ) Anyway, this did not help. She then said that it looks as if the display has to be replaced. She wrote that I could either send it back, or order spare parts and repair it myself. The latter would however mean that I loose warranty. As I sincerely hope that this problem will be covered by the warranty, I’m now waiting for the return form.
####Now, I’ve got a question for you lads and ladies:
Is it possible that a loose connector somehow is causing this? If not, can anyone explain how it is possible that this happens? Jennifer / the support team did not answer this I asked them.
Just FYI:
if they decide they can not repair it on warranty and you do decide the issue should not be repaired by them, you will get your Fairphone back once you paid 23€ diagnosis fee.
The warranty statement mentions it and also says you would have to pay the diagnose fee and shipping if the repair is not covered by warranty, but does not specify, and the repair price list and FAQ lists the amount at the bottom of the price list as “Assessment, handling and shipping costs (out of warranty and unrepaired)”.
I am already slightly worried: this would mean that, if not covered by warranty, replacing the display unit (as the support team suggested) would calculate as:
shipping costs to the Fairphone repair centre (which will be ~10 €, I think),
diagnosis fee (23 €),
repair costs (111,32),
summing up to around 144 €.
Shit. I really hope they do repair it on warranty!
thank you for all the information! I really appreciate it.
I had the same answer as you and I receive my RMA number.
Can you give me an update when you get an Answer?
I prefer to wait and know what they tell you before I send mine…
I hope the warranty works, it’s a lot of money and I just had the phone for 1 month!
I did not manage to send it in yet. Opening hours of the bloody post office and my working hours did not fit together. Going to send it off tomorrow. Keep you updated.
Just FTR, did you do anything special before the behaviour started? My phone did not drop lately (it has dropped before), and the only thing I changed during the last days before the screen stopped working properly was to encrypt it, again.
This surely does not cause the display to fail, does it??
Took the support contractor, rePod, eight working days to switch from
diagnostics to job well done. Heard from someone in Twitter he had made the
same experience.
Judging from a dead pixel, which was there from the beginning and is no
longer to be found even with a magnifying glass, the changed the display
unit.
For free, i.e. under warranty. \u/
Interestingly, support did a reset, and the phone arrived here with German
language settings.
And they used DHL. Which was rigging fast, phone got sent on Monday
evening, arrived on Tuesday.
So, in all, this has gone very well. I am really content with the process,
and the result. Only very minor nagging because I still don’t know why this
happened in the first place…
I’m glad all has been sorted for you and it’s been done under warranty. It sounds like you may have had a defective screen from the beginning so the problems were always likely to get worse. Hopefully you can now enjoy your phone as it was intended to be.
I’ll set this topic to auto-close in the next few weeks, just in case anything happens and you need more support on this specific topic.
I have just seen your answers now. I’m really glad to hear that all has gone well for you.
I didn’t do anything special with the phone. Just, one day, the three buttons didn’t work anymore.
I’ll send my phone today and hope all is going to be fine like you.
Thank you for all!
back button. Which turns out to be my favourite button. 
) Anyway, this did not help. She then said that it looks as if the display has to be replaced. She wrote that I could either send it back, or order spare parts and repair it myself. The latter would however mean that I loose warranty. As I sincerely hope that this problem will be covered by the warranty, I’m now waiting for the return form.