Following the replacement of the bottom module last December (see earlier thread ) my FP2 was returned to me with a rigid back plastic cover which I’m unable to remove. Up till today I haven’t needed to remove it, as I haven’t had occasion to reboot by taking the battery out and putting it back.
This morning I was about to catch a train using a pre-booked mobile ticket. At the ticket gates I attempted to activate my ticket by going into the app (Chiltern Railways, FYI) . Unfortunately the app was very slow to retrieve the booking. After five minutes of watching it spin I tried rebooting, only for the FP2 to freeze on the “FAIRPHONE … POWERED BY ANDROID” screen. I desperately tried to remove the back cover to take the battery out but I couldn’t shift it. The phone remained in this sorry state for over two hours, until I charged it from a wall socket at home (despite an earlier attempt to to charge it from a socket on the train). In the meantime I had no option but to buy another ticket.
What caused this? I don’t think it was an issue with logging into the app, because I’d done that the night before and my password was stored. Immediately prior to the freeze the battery level was at 55% and the phone was attached to a power bank which had been charged overnight.
Is this the first symptom of a problem which could get much, much worse, like my charging problems of last year?
I don’t carry screwdrivers with me on a typical train journey. Should I?
Edited: No, it doesn’t work for me - just breaks my nails.
Call me old-fashioned, but I would so like to meet someone face-to-face for a practical demonstration. Alas, there is little hope of that in a country with as few Fairphone users as the UK.
Hmmm … I never had a problem taking the back cover off, but some pointy, slim, sturdy thing should help if nails are not enough or inconvenient.
Nail file? Pocket knife? Tooth pick?
Sorry, I can’t say anything about the freeze either … apart from that any computer device can freeze … and according to variations on Murphy’s Law will preferrably do so at the most inconvenient time.
I might believe in a mobile connectivity issue during the booking process. The badly programmed app seem then after a long timeout causing a restart of the phone. So far my guessing, of course can be totally different, but I have experienced similar problems under these circumstances.
Since the latest Fairphone update, I have noticed a definite improvement in wi-fi internet connectivity on trains. Especially on those operated by CrossCountry - which, incidentally, is owned by Deutsche Bahn via its subsidiary Arriva.
I had another incident with a mobile rail ticket yesterday. On the train I switched off my FP2 as we were going through a tunnel. When I switched it on again the screen was frozen. This time it was not the “FAIRPHONE POWERED BY ANDROID” startup screen but something about “windows recovery” (IIRC - I was in no position to take a photo of the screen). When I got to the ticket barriers at my destination ten minutes later the screen was still frozen. Frustrated, I banged my FP2 against the nearest wall, which caused it to jolt out of its case and land on the floor. Fortunately the impact of hitting the floor caused the back cover to come off, enabling me to restore normal service by taking the battery out and rebooting the phone.
Unfortunately since I replaced the back cover it feels as unremoveable as before…
After the last instance I have finally worked out how to open up the FP2 to remove the battery. The trick is to remove the rigid frame from the front rather than attempting to remove the back cover.
How many more rookie mistakes will I continue to make unless and until I ever meet a Fairphone angel in the UK?
(… and you can still keep the power button pressed for about 15 seconds to force a reboot.)
There are 2 active fairphoneangels in the UK currently, better than none.
But in the meantime how about you continue to ask here, and we continue to try to help here?
(… and you can still keep the power button pressed for about 15 seconds to force a reboot.)