FP2 Screen can't be reactivated during/after calls - See first post for Workarounds

I installed Call Screen Lock wich is a good workaround.

I had the same problem, i cleaned the sensor and now the screen is working again. The only problem is: i damaged the speaker on the top-module somehow while cleaning and now when i call someone the sound is distorted…
I probably have to change my top-module if i find no way to fix this.
Does anyone have experience with distorted sounds while calling?

I have experience with distorted sound since delivery in February. Initially I thought this was normal. I asked helpdesk but the answers were quite generic. I think I will have to hand it in for warranty repair.

I also have the failure of the screen not being activated after a call.

1 Like

Regarding the screen reactivation/proximity sensor and for your statistics:

I experience this problem as well. I have followed the recommendation and cleaned the proximity sensor window on the inside. I also noticed a lot of dust and foam on the inside. Afterwards it worked shortly for one or two calls but then it failed again.

I understand that this is an infant desease caused by the not too robust design that is not easy to solve and you have my sympathy in communicating about it. I am also impressed by the community’s creativity in developing workarounds. However, I would expect a commercially acceptable solution: either this problem occurs only for a minority of phones and then I would expect a warranty repair/replacement, or it occurs for a large share of all phones and then you should find the root cause and offer a structural bugfix.

What is the decision of Fairphone’s management here?

As mentioned by others, for a €500+ phone a minimum quality and service level may be expected. In the meantime, I will discourage anyone who’s asking from buying a Fairphone.

Thanks for your consideration,
Achim

2 Likes

The problem as I have analysed it, is that too much IR light gets reflected between the inside proximity window of the screen and the IR receptor. Dust particles and grease (like from a fingerprint) on the inside display proximity window are the main cause. When I encountered this problem, I cleaned the inside proximity display window with a cotton swab and a little bit of alcohol and blew some air into the proximity sensor (gently!). This solved the problem right away. The bridge between the IR led and the receptor is fairly low so when the problem re-ocurred, I decided to void warranty and removed the rubber bridge between the led and sensor and glued a thin black plastic bridge in place that is just as high as the rubber surrounding of the sensor, so it reaches almost to the display itself. This solved the problem completely up to now, but a disadvantage is that the activation point of the sensor has decreased somewhat in distance, effectively making the proximity sensor less sensitive. In my opinion there are 2 ways to really solve this problem:

  • Avoid dust getting where it shouldn’t come.

  • A software update that provides a tool to adjust sensitivity so a bit of dust doesn’t trigger the sensor.

Probably a software solution will get rid of this problem easily.

2 Likes

I’m sorry I don’t have the time to read through all the posts here, but for me the problem definitely seems to be on the software side:

I have no protection foil, and the sensor seems to be working (when checking with sensor readout, there is a reliable signal for each time I hold my finger over/ close to the sensor).
But sometimes (just had the problem with a self-initiated call, where I got into the mailbox), the screen still just won’t reactivate.

The power button workaround is a feasible though not ideal solution for me…

Have had the same problem with black screen for a long time, reluctant to work much inside my phone… And, yes, I work in a dusty environment… Tried the aluminum foil on the sensor as my first “fix”, and it worked fine - immideately!

Thanks for a VERY good tip! And after reading all (!) the notes about this problem, I also miss some humbleness from the company…

1 Like

I also have the same issue. As soon as a call is established the screen goes black and the other side needs to hang up to make it react again. (nice if you are connected to an answering machine)
I cleaned the screen, the display, the proximity sensor, no change at all.

“Sensor Readout” and “SatStat” report “-” as proximity value independent of me covering the display or not (so not even a 0 or anything sensible).

Accessibility settings help (“power button ends call”), but it’s a clumsy workaround that does not let me enable the loudspeaker or use the dialpad during a call, for instance.

1 Like

Another workaround that works for me is to have a headset connected. Or to connect it at need. Also a clumsy solution, but at least it lets me use the keypad when I need to. I haven’t tried to connect an empty 3,5mm plug, which would be easier to have at hand at all times. Going for that next.

/Ub.

1 Like

Indeed, plugging in a headset also prevents the screen from going black. The ambient light sensor (which sits on the same physical sensor (lt1pa01 ALSPRX)) returns useful and sensible readouts. I am not sure whether this is a hardware or software thing. Cleaning definitely did not help here (and I do not have a protection foil/glas either).

Hi all !
Screen problem goes dark and not respondong as described but with the exception of voicemail and earpice .

A first clean did the trick . but then problem repeated . I’ve decided that i will not be cleaning this again every two weeks :slight_smile:

Sensor app tests shows 5cm then drop to 0.00cm when covered BUT then never goes back to 5cm when uncovered , so it gets stuck on 0cm

Calibarting with suggested apps did not work.

****A small piece of aluminum did the trick **** . the sensor is not repsonding but since I use the speaker phone alot i feel that this is a small price to pay untill an official workaround will be found or a replacmnet module for a crazy acting sensor .

London feels like its mid December WTF !!?? I want summer back ! !

Thanks @guillaume ! great skills !

x

I have the same issue

My FP2 turn off during calls and I can turn it on anymore… until correspondent end the call.
It is very very very annoying.

Please fix it in the next update or tell us what to do!!

Thx

Hi, another careful cleaning actually did the trick, it works now. Rather than fiddling with aluminium foil I had used a software workaround. The Xposed Framework (root needed) has a “sensor disable” module which lets you set a fixed fake value.

2 Likes

I did some tests today with a second phone that works. (because all suggestions here in this post didn’t work on my side)

  1. I swaped the whole top module from the working to the not working phone. result: blackout by picked call
  2. I mounted the top module of the not working phone to the working phone. result: it works! so that means my top module that doesn’t work is not damaged.
  3. I mounted the top modules back to orignal phones.
  4. I swaped the screen from the working phone to my not working one. result: blackout by picked call.
  5. I mounted the screen from the not working phone to the working one and it works as it should. That means that not dust or any mecanical thing is the reason for that problem in my case.

So to me it has to be a softwarebug… any other thaughts?
Regards, Novski

Edit: maybe I have to add that the Software was FPOS 1.3.6 on both devices.

6 Likes

this is really interesting!!!

It might be that in the case of your not working phone it’s really a broken proximity sensor…?! (And no dust/dirt)

See Nr.2 in my post above…
The top module of my not working phone did work correctly in the phone that always worked properly.

I think I was able to solve the issue of my FP2!
I moved the small rubber, which is placed between the light- and the proximity-sensor, a little bit with a toothpick, because I thought it could maybe partially cover the sensor and now it works totally smooth!

4 Likes

Just wanted to report I had this issue for a while now and it was resolved by removing the screen and cleaning the sensor as described earlier.

Removing the screen was really hard for me. I had to use a lot of force! Holding the Fairphone flat between two hands (almost like when praying) and sliding them in opposite directions was a good tip I learnt…

1 Like

Hello everyone, my fairphone2 is black at the end of calls : I cannot ring out …
Someone could tell me ? is it still happens to someone ?
Thanks for the answer !
Best, Guimett