I browsed the search funtction and didn’t find a clear answer to my problem, though I have a hunch.
My problem: my fairphone screen is alternating between black and blue with a frequency of roughly 5 seconds. No reaction to power button use. Connecting a power cable produces a short LED flash, but afterwards the alternating screens continue.
What I tried: removing and reapplying the battery didn’t change anything. I can reach the sleepy robot (recovery menu), though pressing the power button does not open a menu there.
My hunch: from what I read on the forums and the support page I guess it’s the ‘internal power button’. Before opening up my phone (and trying to find a soldering iron for rent) I just wanted to check if someone had a different, less invasive approach first.
Do you refer to the LED flash? That happens only when I connect a charger, the moment I connect it and it’s a single short flash only.
The alternating between black and blue screens happens as soon as I insert the battery (no button pressed) and only stops when I enter the recovery menu (or remove the battery).
I meant the alternating screen - I understand it is slower, not “flashing”. That is indeed a motherboard defect and most likely the internal power button issue you described, so you need to find someone to solder a new button on the motherboard (since spare motherboards are not really available right now).
A possible solution is found at FP1: Power button does not work anymore
Just in case someone else deals with the same problem at some point, here is what I found out so far:
I had the power button replaced without any change in behaviour. As far as the technician in the shop could tell it is a problem somewhere else on the mainboard, but he couldn’t tell where exactly (there is no further visual physical damage). I will probably try another shop in my neighbourhood over the weekend.
Hi,
I have the exact same problem since yesterday. For several days my phone was rebooting and I could use it almost normally but since yesterday, I cannot turn it on anymore.
Have you found a solution yet ?
Thanks.
Hey,
I have exactly the same Problem since today. It happend once before a few month ago, but stopped when I connected my phone to the charger. This time that doesn’t work. Have anyone of you found a solution so far?
Thank you!
Have you tried the solutions proposed above? You can test for a broken power button if you take out the battery, put it back in, and it starts to flash blue/black by itself.
I just experienced the same exact problem. After I took the sim cards off my FP1 and I inserted the battery again, without turning on the phone or doing anything, the screen just started turning blue for a few seconds then black (off) for a few seconds, then blue again, then black, and so forth until I remove the battery.
Turning on the phone through the power button is impossible. If I boot into recovery mode (resting robot, no command displayed) the power button seems not to work anymore, meaning I can’t enter the menu as explained here. If I wait on the no command screen after a while it goes back to its black/blue shifting.
@Lidwien did you encounter the same problem, and how did you manage to make the power button work? @paulakreuzer any additional idea?
I thank you a lot in advance for your advice! I would really like to keep this FP1 functioning for another while.
Well that’s the thing, I think the power button is working as I can get into recovery mode. It’s only that once I’m in recovery mode it doesn’t work anymore. I have no other way of testing this as I can’t do anything but boot into recovery!
Hi Paula thanks for your reply! I thought so too at first but then it would be impossible to boot into recovery, which I am able to do every time. Also, I read on one of the support pages that the blue/black screen issue can be caused among other things by an old sim card, leading me to think that it must be a software issue. Maybe some malware? Is there anything else one could try besides a hard reset via recovery boot?
Would that explain also the blue/black screen at the beginning you reckon? As it’s stuck it might constantly give an on, off, on, off, on, off, etc. command?
I would also say that the power button is broken. As a matter of fact I just tried constantly pressing my working power button on my FP1 and the phone screen flashes on/off with a delay of roughly 5 or 10 seconds (not too fast). I run kitkat so there is a black screen with white Fairphone logo alternating with a completely black screen.
Here is some more information that could help you or a repair shop to repair the phone:
