The green switch on my Fairphone 6 keeps turning on and off at random when I put it in my pocket. I want to completely disable it and did not find the setting to do so. The best setting I found was to turn it to a battery saver switch, but even that is annoying when I really need my phone to save battery and suddenly the battery saver is off again. I also tried disabling the apps (“Switch Button Settings” or “Fairphone Moments”) but they can’t be disabled or archived. The Fairphone Moments App also doesn’t seem to have a setting to turn it off entirely and ignore the switch. Does anyone know how I can actually disable the switch, or fix its issues with my pocket?
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What kind of pocket? I so far never managed to accidently move the switch also without using a case.
I doubt there is an easy if any way at all to disable the button completely .
Why dont you use theme setting, with this it would just go into dark mode?
Welcome to the community forum 
Maybe the dark/light mode option would make the switch slightly less of a problem.
You might like to suggest the possibility of deactivation to official Fairphone support. I’ve not seen any information from them about such a possibility.
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If you have a protective case it’s more protected as it’s recessed, but if it’s really easy to slide I guess it could still be a problem.
Semi permanent solution would be to carefully introduce a small amount of hot glue in the little gap when it’s in the position you want it in.
Hot glue sticks, but not too firmly, could be removed by picking it out.
Even easier a little square of Blutak.
I guess most users have a case or have less tight pockets. It also only happens like once a day.
Anyways, I’ll try the dark mode setting and I might get a case to see if that helps.
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Pinging @anon76468197 for consideration by Fairphone.
Else … there must be an App managing the switch (in /e/OS it’s called SliderSwitchHandler, but this might be their own App to manage the switch, so it could be different in Fairphone’s OS). Anybody feeling adventurous could try to figure out which App it is and then use Android’s ADB way to uninstall the App and see whether this helps (and doesn’t break anything important) … https://community.e.foundation/t/uninstall-default-apps/8075/29?u=anotherelk
Edit: The link seems dead now, so …
To uninstall Apps permanently …
- Note the package name of the App e.g. in /e/OS Settings - Apps & notifications - (select the App) - Advanced - (the package name is given at the bottom of the page, e.g. foundation.e.calendar) … or from some other source.
- If not done already, make the Developer options visible by tapping on the Build number in Settings - About phone a few times until you are being declared a developer.
- If not done already, enable Settings - System - Advanced - Developer options - Android debugging
- Connect your phone to a computer via USB.
- If not done already, download the current Android SDK platform tools to the computer and unzip the ZIP file to a folder you can navigate to easily.
- Open a command line/ terminal and navigate to the folder to which you unzipped the tools. If you are unfamiliar with the command line/ terminal, here’s a really good and short 1 page introduction to everything you need for now … https://tutorial.djangogirls.org/en/intro_to_command_line/
- Enter the
adb devicescommand to display an ID of the phone to make sure that ADB works with the connected phone (upon first usage the phone should ask you to confirm this access from the computer, there you should also be able to select that the phone remembers that decision, if you want). - Uninstall the App with the command
adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 packagename
(instead of packagename enter the package name of the App you noted before) - If at some point you would want to bring an App back which was uninstalled in this way, use the command
adb shell cmd package install-existing packagename
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Having switch action “do nothing” is the ultimate solution and should be provided.
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Why should devs provide an option for users with tight pockets only? Just asking…
As a dev (not fairphone) I am actually a bit confused why “do nothing” isn´t already an option. Must be trivial to implement and of course there will always be someone who would like to opt out of a feature for whatever reason (tight pockets, a kid that keeps playing with the switch, a faulty switch, some kind of disability that makes them hold the phone in a special way, likes to fidget with the switch, a phone cradle in a car or on a bike that is prone to switching that switch. etc. etc.)
While I don´t have a fairphone 6 I would probably also like to disable it because none of the actions it can do are something I need often enough to need a hardware switch for and accidentally moving it is always a possibility.
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In Android, most “options” are on or off. If you don’t want it, you just don’t turn it on.
The Switch is different. It can easily be moved by accident. At present, it’s not possible to configure it so that it does nothing, if nothing that it offers is useful to the owner.
Some people will find it useful, others not, but the latter should be able to make sure it’s not a nuisance to them.
As for the dev, as gee says, implementation should be trivial.
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I’ve talked to some product and QC guys at Fairphone. The ‘do nothing’ option for the switch was definitely mentioned. Hope they keep on it, because i’ve inadvertently activated the switch a couple of times.
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Most useless feature of this Phone by far and poorly introduced.
Had very similar problems on an older Nokia 6.2 with the “google assistent” button. Praised be they functionality… NOT. These kind of badly implemented “functions” are as usefull as the infamous dedicated “Web/Home” extra button on some old Microsoft Keyboards. I am actually planning to dissassamble this thing and 3D print a button that is fixed in position and is slightly less bulky. Maybe even in a similar color … you know, to keep the illusion of originality. LOL.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this feedback, I will make sure to share it with the relevant team. 
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Hi
just noticed on the official support pages. Good news!
I do not like the switch on The Fairphone (Gen. 6), can I disable it?
Not yet, but the ability to disable the physical switch for Fairphone Moments will be added in a future software update, targeted for the end of August.
I just guess the end of August might be a bit off though 
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they dont say which year, so… 
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The switch can actually be turned off. The setting for that is very hidden.
Go to: Settings - Sound and vibration - Do Not Disturb - Schedules. There you can turn off the switch. Tap the switch itself, not the text. Then the physical switch should be disabled completely.
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I just tried this. You are right, the Switch is actually disabled now. It is insane to me that nobody in this thread found that option until now. They need to make it more obvious. Thank you very much!
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Agreed, though to be fair an average user such as I, would expect an option in Settings > Switch
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