FP2: Too many errors?

Help Fairphone 2
1

I like my FP2, I really do. I like the idea behind it, the design and the feel of its OS. But there are way too many errors! Most of them are rather small: Sometimes the screen is unresponsive, sometimes the phone restarts when I want to call someone, sometimes the connections is gone, sometimes I need to wait 5 seconds to select the sim for calling someone, sometimes the headset stops working in the middle of the call, sometimes the phone doesnt charge properly when I use the wrong cable, sometimes the camera doesnt work and needs restart, sometimes the sim card doesnt find the new provider after crossing a border…

For many problems I have found a work around here at the forum, provided by an amazing community. However, in sum, it is quite annoying!

I wonder, is this just me? Maybe all phones have some bugs, but other companies dont have such an open community? Or does the usage of this forum (40 topics/ week?!) mean that the FP2 has too many errors?

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I’d argue this community is indeed rather unique and the forum is the first-go-to address for anybody in the community who needs help. (There are also some facebook groups, an XDA Forum thread and what not, but the forum is most active.)

It’s expected to find a lot of help topics in a forum like this one and in general the number of existing issues doesn’t alarm me.
However you experiencing so many of them could indicate a specific problem with your phone.

If this doesn’t happen during charging then it usually indicates bad connections between the modules.

Could have a number of causes, but if it just happens during calls I’d guess it has to do with your SIM, provider or connectivity-settings.

Also indicates SIM issue

That’s a known bug - so everybody with two SIMs experiences this.

Yeah that’s normal. If you need to charge your phone a lot while not at home it’s probably best to have a compatible charger and cable with you. Charging with the wrong equipment can cause other issues too.

Could also be an issue with the connections between the modules.

I don’t know what you tried so far and which issues you already resolved but here are a few things I would try:

  • take the phone apart - including taking out the individual modules. Carefully clean all connectors and put everything back in order.
  • If one of your SIM cards is old ask for a new one from your provider. If not do some testing to see if one of the SIMs is causing some of your issues and then replace it.
  • If you continue to have a lot of problems perform a hard reset (after a backup) to rule out software issues. If that doesn’t help you may consider contacting support.
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Bugs and issues are never “normal”.

We can just hope Fairphone will release software fixes and better modules soon.

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Like you Paul - I was keen to support the FP, and appreciated the ethical project. But I have also experienced a wide range of "errors’ with my FP2. For example Needing to reboot when i switch on after charging. Seems to switch power “off” on occasion even if battery OK, Most difficult is screen going blank when I dial and and connect - so I then have no control over the call -and have to remove battery in order to hang up. There are other issues but I havent kept track of them all.
Sure there is huge value of a FP community. But to be honest I didnt spend ÂŁ3-400 on a phone to then deal with all this
. It may be I didnt appreciate the apparent commtiment to searching for workarounbds and fixes that is required by buying the FP, It is in a drawer at present and I am using a old phone that works.

Can I return it ? it is still under warrranty.

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You’ll have to see with Fairphone support, head for http://support.fairphone.com

Usually the delay to return your phone is 14 days, but if your phone is recognized as non functional then you might be able to apply for a return.

EDIT by @paulakreuzer: I removed the link to the return portal as the right procedure is to contact support first.

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I’d like to state here that there are also Fairphoners like me who haven’t had a problem in 8 months. So it’s not generally the case, that this phone isn’t working poperly. But I would be pissed if I had the problems you’re discribing :wink:

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And about that call-problem. Have you tried the recallibration tool? It’s really easy to use.

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The need to search for workarounds and fixes is not a Fairphone specific thing. If you order an iPhone or Samsung and get a Phone with issues you’ll also need to spend some time to find fixes. Probably even more time - the Fairphone Forum is pretty great in comparison! :smiley:

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That’s just not true at all.
If you have an uncommon problem with an iPhone , you go to the apple store…problem solved.
You got another android ? A Samsung ? At least you can go on cyanogen if the software doesn’t fits you ! ( cyanogen on Fp2 ? Maybe in a year ! Sailfish ? It seems just as dead as Firefox os !)
Yeah, you are right , for almost every problem of the FP2 , there is help about it on the forum, and this is really cool !..but there were SO MUCH problems, even I had to wait 6 months of updates to be able to say that my phone is working properly, and even now there are some occasional bugs or unexpected behavior, not impeding its usability, but still annoying !
My other phone had problems at one point of their life, but never as much as my Fairphone.
Don’t get me wrong i love m’y fairphone, and now i’m perfectly happy with it, but i have to say that the 6 first months with it were far from smooth !

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And how is that quicker than opening your browser and using the forum’s search function?

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Fairphone :
Day 1 : how can I put this back cover, it’s pretty hard ! go to forum oh yeah, its normal, cool !
Day 2 : why my phone is going nut when I charge him ? go to forum oh, I have to have a charger compatible…I have to try all my chargers In my house ???
Day 3 : my screen is flickering like hell ! go to forum oh, okay, it will be fixed in next update
Day 4 :oh, the update is here roll a dice I can’t download it for reasons go to forum oh cool, I can flash it myself
Day 5 : indeed , the screen isn’t flickering anymore when in low brightness, it just go BLACK !
day 6 : I’m making a call… How do I turn the screen back on ?* go to forum* oh, that’s a problem, if I clean it it might get better, but a future update will allow me to recalibrate it…
Day 7 : time to use my GPS ! Oh, it keeps rebooting !go to forum at least it in the buglist…
Day 60 : my cover start splitting apart ! go to forum, oh, I “just” have to send them photos and they will send me one back !
Etc…
IPhone :
Day one : oh my phone have one of the things said above
Day 2 :go to apple store , hey , I have this problem !..the apple guy: indeed ! That’s not normal for a phone you paid more than 500€, here, have a new one !

So, yeah, It’s quicker

Please take note that I only used problems that I experienced for the fairphone, I’m not even trying to make a generalization of it !

25 oct. 2016 a Ă©crit :

And how is that quicker than opening your browser and using the forum’s
search function?

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Day 1 & 2 are not issues, I mean they are not related to hw/sw of the phone.

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Yes, they are completly related to hardware ! You can’t be more hardware than a badly designed charging circuit and a less than reliable cover !

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Which have the badly designed charging circut, phone or charger? Incompatibility on electronic device it’s not so unusual

and about the cover, I think that if the problem is that we must put more strength probably it is best that to put less and let in the moisture and it’s just a matter of habit.

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There is a big difference between something that become faulty over time (like the one on iPhone) and a bad design !
Yeah, of course it’s not really uncommon (the glorious antenna gate on iPhone 4…and the epic reaction of Apple “hold your phone another way !”)
But for fairphone, there is a bit much ^^
Luckily, they offer something completely different than other phone manufacturer, and they have a tight community , but as shown by the reviews and user experience, they still have a lot of work to be able to compete with the " common phones"
I rest my case, the community and forum are excellent , but its just balancing the somewhat “drafty” phone

16

Stop arguing. You’re both right, nobody loses.

Phone for believer geeks.

Two levels of issues cumulating: Android bugs (there are many) + FP2 bugs and design flaws (yes there are some)

Btw: phone reboots when trying to make a call + wait 5 sec before selecting SIM are related issues… It often reboots when you’re in hurry and forgot you had to wait because of fucking bug… And this bug is open since quite sometime now. Last release did not fix it.

I’m both a geek and a believer. So I hang on… But I’m also tired to hang on… Now guess what: I’ve had a Samsung: I had bugs. I’ve had an HTC, I had bugs… I don’t have an iphone but I have a iBook Pro, and guess what… Yes… I have fucking annoying bugs.

Problem is not FP2 or Android. Problem is Technology Market. Going fast, faster, fastest, do more, and more, and cheap, and cheaper, and throw away, and build new, and buy new, and throw away, and build new, faster, cheaper, with more features and more bugs, and so on…

FP exists to give a message. Wanna have a 700$ shit you can change in two years, or even replace right away at 1st bug ? Indeed, go for Apple. They don’t fix bugs, they fix image and confidence.

Anyway, there is no miracle solution. Whatever the choice, it’s yours and yours only.

I’m pissed with my FP2… Butmainly because I pissed with technology… And technology is my job… How ironic.

You want a true solution ? Go for Venus Project, and maybe, at some point in a near or far future, we, or most probably our children, will know a world where we develop technology and software to serve humans and not to make money. In such a world, all efforts will be put in improving the technology to better serve, not release technology to make more money…

Maybe… One day…

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Like many others, I’m committed to the FP2 project but am frustrated by the problems I’m having - main one is the phone rebooting randomly. Sometimes I’m unaware it’s happened until I go to use it (so I may miss a call or an alarm)

I have many of the other issues, too, which others describe. Might they improve with updates, or are they hardware issues?

Barry

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I can relate to the issues raised here, my fp2 is also now in a draw (for about 3 weeks now) and I’m using a 2nd hand phone that works and has none of the issues of the fp2. On a day to day level i no longer stress about black screens and reboots.

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I’ve had the same problems:

Bright spots
Crazy touch inputs
Proximity sensor problem
Crashes with Google maps
Cracked cover
Hot battery
2 new displays, new back cover
3 weeks without a telephone cause of the return process

What helped me most was to sell the phone and buy a different one. No more problems ever since. The idea is good - the product is unreliable and it doesn’t help when fanboys in this forum put lipstick on a pig.

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The modular design of the FP2 is unique. 5 years ago there was no Fairphone. So the team and the design come from a long way. It is worthy that all of us have bought a Fairphone. Without these early adopters, changes can not happen! Keep the faith that the Fairphone team will do everything the can to keep improving the usability of the phone. If the early adopter thing is not your thing, please find somebody else who is willing to give your phone another chance. Smartphones are one of the most complex devices that exist. We need to give Fairphone company some more years time to make the concept work and the products faultless.

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