FairPhone 5 – Reliable and Supported OR Buggy and Frustrating

[sivihk]

I recently encountered my 5th FairPhone-5 bug. And, after 2.5 months of contact with the support team, the issue has yet to be resolved.

Is this what FairPhone meant when they said “reliable” and “5 years of support”? …consistent bugs and months of waiting?

As in alignment with the company’s ethos as I am, I seem to have been deceived by the company’s promises.

I looked back, over my 1.5 years of FairPhone Ownership:

• 24 Sept 2023: I bought my FairPhone 5.
• 28 Sept 2023: I noticed that my FairPhone 5 could not be used with a wired headset (using the FairPhone-branded USB-C to Mini Audio Jack Adapter).
• 05 Oct 2023: My FairPhone’s screen began dimming bellow normal brightness levels, necessitating a restart to resume normal functioning.
• 05 Oct 2023: My FairPhone began powering itself off for no apparent reason (with a power level over 50%).
• 19 Oct 2023: My FairPhone was replaced under warranty in an attempt to resolve the first three bugs.
• 31 Dec 2024: My FairPhone began failing to recognize my e-sim, rendering me unreachable under my work phone number.
• 17 Feb 2025: My FairPhone has begun restarting when connecting it to a USB-C charing cable.

I experienced similar issues with many of the FairPhone accessories I bought for my FairPhone 5: the USB-C to Mini Audio Jack Adapter, the FairPhone 5 Soft Case, the FairPhone 5 Privacy Screen Protector, and the USB-C 3.2 Long Life Cable.

It’s worth mentioning that, during my FairPhone ownership, one of my friends bought a FairPhone 5 on my recommendation of the company. Unfortunately, his experience has been much the same as mine. Recently, he shared that he regrets the purchase and wishes that he’d bought a more reliable device. Having heard that, I cannot in good faith recommend the FairPhone to anyone else.

Since purchasing my FairPhone 5, FairPhone has dropped phone support, limited live chat support, and significantly increased their response times. If the company really is as overburdened with support requests as they’ve let on, I have to wonder if they’re not experiencing more serious problems.

It’s a shame that FairPhone has not been able to deliver on their promises of reliability and support. The company’s mission of enabling right-to-repair and increasing sustainability is noble. However, I think its execution needs work…

What have others’ experiences been?

[T4om]

hi @sivihk,

Thank you for your well written post.
i’m bit set to say, but i agree with your statement.

Ther are already multiple discussions on this form about this.

i think its best to continue the discussion here:

Fairphone support - no response received

An odd one this : I submitted a support request to Fairphone via the contact form on the website’s support page re a broken USB-C port on my in warranty FP5. I received an automated response saying to reply if I still needed help. I replied, 1.5 weeks passed, and not received a response from Fairphone. I then replied again, and got a reply saying to reply if I still needed help. Am I stuck in some kind infinite reply-to-reply-to-reply loop without my messages actually reaching Fairphone? Tod…

or here:

Sadface: I don't think I'm buying another Fairphone

I’m extremely sad to have reached the decision not to buy another Fairphone. I feel like I’m the ideal target audience for this brand. I had the FP2 for a few years, and happily replaced the battery and upgraded the camera. My wife was rocking an old Motorola, and when it died I decided to buy 2x FP3s. The FP2 was converted into an audiobook player for my mother in law, and it’s still alive. I bragged about the Fairphone’s repairability to anyone that would listen to me (and I’m sure I’ve bored …

or here:

Fairphone's next chapter starts now

Originally published at: Fairphone's next chapter starts now. - Fairphone We’re stepping into 2025 with a big shift—one that goes beyond a new logo and fresh colors. This is a milestone moment, built on more than a decade of learning, growth, and hard work. This rebrand is our long-term promise to you. When we first launched Fairphone, it was a radical experiment: could a tech company actually prioritize ethics without compromising product quality? More than a decade later, we all know th…

[fairtony]

I totally agree with you. Fairphone is excellent hardware fairness company, but shi**y with software/support. I had a few bugs, one of which was super annoying (multitasking pane bugging). I think after over a year it’s not fixed yet.
I switched to CalyxOS and so far I had one issue that was fixed fairly quickly, otherwise it’s been much smoother experience.
I tried to write them that they do fair products disservice with their poor support and software quality, but it’s like nobody is listening. I am not recommending anyone because I don’t want to be responsible for anyone’s suffering. This makes me so sad.

[Furdiburd]

multitasking broke when you enabled “Dekstop mode” in display settings. If you disable that then the issue go away

[fairtony]

I know, and it is not yet fixed.