I usually use my Fairbuds XL without ANC and without ambient sound, which means that when I turn them on I have to sit through:
Is there any way at all to change the default mode? I can’t seem to find anything in the app.
If not, where/how do I submit a feature request?
You can contactsupport for this. The app and headphone controls are indeed limited.
Alright, thanks. I’ve sent them an email.
Did you have an answer from them?
I am facing the same problem, it’s ok but a bit annoying i must say.
Bose have an option in their app to turn voice to just beeps. O hope fairphone will get this option of dont have it
I suggested to FP support to add the ability to remap the Assistant button. In other words, a double click could then disable ANC. And a single click then cycles between Ambient mode and ANC.
A better solution is for the device to turn on in the mode it turned off in. The device has to have non-volatile storage in order for it to save bluetooth pairings. A couple of bytes of that storage for this issue would make the device much friendlier.
Why not both solutions? Easy switching and an option to save the setting. I personally prefer a default mode when turning the device on and then have the ability to effortlessly switch.
Holy moly, please moke this exact suggested default possible. 
And please make the NC button not wait for the voice prompt to finish before taking the next input. It’s so freaking slow. 
How do you think we user should do that for you?
Please contact Fairphone directly.
I would very much like the option to have it start on non noise cancelling. Now I have to turn it off every time.
When I contacted support, they suggested I contacted the store I bought the headphones from… Like they’re going to write a firmware update for them…!
Anyway, the latest firmware update allegedly stores EQ settings across reboots, which makes it even more strange that they don’t store ANC state.
I actively avoid using my headphones because it’s such a hassle to turn them on and adjust them each time. It’s honestly embarrassing and extremely disappointing.
I agree. It’s a bit of a pain to set this each time I use my headphones. I would love for them to remember the setting they were last used in.
@madsen wondering if there was any progress on this. There are various feature requests out there with varying degrees of complexity. Though my feeling is that storing the last used ANC mode persistently would probably be achievable with limited resources and practically solve a lot of annoyances (e.g. slow switching of modes, loud and long mode announcement). Maybe an employee like @Ioiana_Luncheon can also chip in if this is something the team is considering/working for a future firmware update or if this is off the table due to technical reasons.
contactsupport is the only way. But there hasn’t been an update for a very long time. I don’t think they are developing this device anymore.
I now also tried to contact support. Will let y’all know if I get a response.
I was wondering if there is still firmware development on the Fairbuds XL. There seem to be potentially basic usability improvements being discussed on the forum. See for example Fairbuds XL set default mode? for remembering the ANC mode, but also things like having options to disable bleeps and announcements when interacting with the buttons. If there is still firmware development happening, I would be interested in knowing how we can get in touch with a developer to understand what features are off the table because they are difficult to fit into the current firmware architecture, and which ones have potential. If there is no firmware development anymore, I am wondering if Fairphone is willing to open-source the firmware and tools to upload firmware to allow the community to potentially support further development. Appreciate your time!
I actually got a response, see text below. They suggest providing reviews on the fairbuds app as the way to provide feedback. That’s a bit of a redirect, but ok.
I don’t use Google Play directly, so I cannot provide a review. Are some people that use Google Play willing to drop a review with for example the suggestion to remember the ANC mode? That sounds as a small and concrete feature that would make a bunch of people happy. If that works, we can see if we are able to provide more feedback through reviews for other features.
Thank you for supporting Fairphone and for reaching out.
Thank you for your feedback on the Fairbuds XL. We will take it into consideration for our future developments.
We appreciate your response as it is very helpful for us, and it gives a good insight into the wishes and needs of our community.We indeed offer firmware updates still. You can check for the latest firmware updates via the Fairbuds app in the Google Play Store or Apple Store. For giving feedback to the developers directly, you can leave a review on the Fairbuds app in the store.
I will go ahead and mark your request as resolved. If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll be happy to help you further.
This stinks so hard. But it’s still more to go off of than anything they’ve said before
yeah, I really wish we could get in contact with a dev to see what the options are regarding open sourcing the firmware. that would really allow people to keep the product alive, even if fairphone does not have the time or resources anymore (which is understandable for a company). not sure if anyone knows any sw devs that could be involved here to understand the options better.