Some years ago i posted my experience with a repair of broken solder joints in this thread:
FP2 Bottom Module: Repair broken µUSB port - Participate / Do It Yourself - Fairphone Community Forum
Maybe it could help you.
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That’s very funny because @formerFP.Com.Manager’s reasoning for not releasing the module’s blueprints was that they don’t want to encourage people to mess with the modules…
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At least, Fairphone should not discourage people from saving the life of a FP2…
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Hi folks,
We can repair every faulty FP2 bottom module with new microphone or new USB connector. Hope this will save your FP2 phones from untimely death.
https://www.mobiltec24.de/reparatur/Fairphone/FP2/
Admins please delete this posting if you think that it’s unwanted advertising. But I mean thats’s only a friendly hint to extending the lifecycle of your great products.
[Note moderator Lidwien: As the poster didn’t react to my questions you can read below, I wonder how serious one has to take their claim that they can repair a Fairphone.]
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What do you charge for a repair?
Do you give guarantee on your repair, how long?
How many bottoms did you successful repair?
What do you charge if you can’t repair?
What do you charge if the repair isn’t successful?
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You have raised some good points here, because I could not find any mention in the general business terms (AGB) about warranty for repairs, only for new and used goods…
So you mean, You don’t actually know they can do it?
Is this in germany? Because I have 2 that are not working.
What does this formula suppost to do?
How do I know where to find a fairphone angels.
I am at the point to buy another phone because I really need to make some phonecalls, very important.
After 6 wks without calling. Thanks
I think this code works on FP3 only. For FP2 you’ve to use the Fairphone checkup tool.
fairphoneangels is a link. You just have to click on it to get more information.
You might consider to use a headset as a workaround in the meantime.
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Dear all,
I came upon this thread by hazard, I was wanting to post something completely different - but the end of support just shocks me. I am with Fairphone since the start of the journey; I had a Fairphone 1 (got stolen) another FP1 (circuits burned in Africa, the thing is made for EU weather), and now a FP2 since begin of 2016. My son had a FP2 and drowned it, now I regret I didn’t take out the bottom module and kept the phone as a spare parts store.
I sincerely hoped to use the FP2 for five years more, and secretly hoped for REAL modularity - i.e., we need quicker processors? Just change them. Get FP3, 4, 5 functions in a FP 2 shell, with FP2 display, camera, whatever.
So where is sustainability if the phone is finally destined for the rubbish bin? My grandmother got a Singer sewing machine in 1935, and I still can get spare parts for it. THAT is sustainability.
Best regards,
Eva (very disappointed)
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Although I can really understand your disappointment, modern electronic is something completely different and a phone of a ‘non fair’ manufacturer would have been in the rubbish bin a few years earlier. Fairphone is not able to make the world new, but only slightly better.
Because it’s completely mechanical, I guess a modern sewing machine from the same manufacturer with an electronic defect, has to be dumped too.
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Hi,
thanks for responding so quickly.
It is not only the personal disappointment. I have 5 children at home and always try to make a point about “sustainable electronics” with them. Just repaired 2 laptops, one 2, one 4 years old, electricity connection plug got loose. I changed my boyfriend’s WiFi card, I repaired my electric drill and my belt sander, which is 15 years old. Bosch, for example, has explosion drawings of all tools, and you can purchase any small spare part (mostly mechanical, I admit). I can change the lock of my washing machine (7 years old) and generally simply manage NOT to throw away things because the producers make it possible.
I made a presentation on sustainable electronics for some students at Brussels Free University, praising Fairphone for modularity and availability of spare parts. This becomes highly incredible.
No one expects sustainability from Apple. My daughter purchases iPhones because of the brilliant camera and is not even disappointed if ALL support is ended after 4 years, no new OS available, nothing. But Fairphone set out with a different logic and a different message. Most users, me included, reacted with a lot of understanding after the support for FP1 ended. We were part of an experiment, and we knew it. But when I purchased FP2, I really believed it was, if not for eternity, then at least for longevity…
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The thing is that electronics like the SoC, microphones, speakers, USB sockets, a.s.o. are not produced by Fairphone themselves. They buy these components from various companies and combine them altogether on a motherboard. (The only exception so far has been the camera, although support had to be introduced in the software ROM.) Should any of those components change because they were no longer available/supported, chances are high that this board must be revised, and a huge amount of tests would have to be done - when would that development be finished, and what would be the prices for these new components/this new product (altogether)? To make things “plug and play” the way you want them to be, almost nobody will pay the price for it.
BTW, the weakness of the FP2 modular concept has caused many modules to fail after some time, therefore my advice to all FP2 users is: never open it unless you have to!
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But Fairphone always provides or plans to provide five years support for their phones, so it’s still in their plan. As you can read in this discussion, an unusual high demand for those bottom modules made the stock last shorter than expected.
And it is or might be possible to repair bottom modules, some of them only suffer from some broken contacts and can be resoldered. So the live span of many FP2 can be extended. Mine is still working with the first bottom module, that might be a reason, why I’m kind of laid back, regarding this topic.
Apple btw, normally supports phones for five years too, that’s already on the better side, regarding the rest of the market. And even after that time, if a big security problem arises, they supply older phones with a patched software. And also batteries or displays can be changed after that time, so no reason for blaming Apple 
.
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Repairing an IPhone is more and more difficult. A friend of mine recently tried to change battery at an IPhone 6 and he managed to almost burn the house. He did this before at previous Iphone Versions and he knows what he is doing, however the battery was so cemented that it broke and was ablaze…so nothing I would advise anyone to do on his own, still repair shops might have better options and could repair…
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I didn’t mean to repair it on your own, even Apple does it for reasonable prices. 55€ for an iPhone 6 for example.
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I’m sorry but this ‘five years’ support’ only means something if the five years starts when production finishes. If it starts when production starts, and production lasts four years, then it is only ONE year of support.
The statement of five years’ support is totally dishonest.
The problem is: Fairphone have not understood that supporting the OS (Android) for “fragile” electronics has been a waste of time and resources. It is like “Hey, I got longlasting tyres for my car now, but the engine is about to break…”
No, it is not dishonest, it is just bad management…
Not at all, five years are five years, there it nothing to argue about it, And of course it means five years after start of production and not at the end. That would be completely unrealistic.
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Probably disappointing/displeasing you for some reason, however in no way dishonest. The FP2 turned 5 at the end of 2020, so I do not see where FP is lying about the 5 year support.
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