FP3 will not charge!

[Una_Kelly]

Hi!
I have just received my new fairphone 3. The battery was about 40% charged when I received it. But I haven’t managed to charge it! I bought a new usb-c cable, tried from 2 different computers and charger. Now the phone has switched off! I tried taking the battery out for half an hour and plugging the phone in again but that didn’t work.
I have run out of ideas. ANy suggestions before I take it back to the shop?
Thanks!
Una

[AnotherElk]

You could try a different cable, many manufacturers apparently cut corners and don’t produce cables compliant to the standard.

Not every USB-C cable will work with FP3

Hi all, just wanted to add some extra information here, as @AnotherElk pinged me above. The reason some USB-C cables don’t work with FP3 is due to the fact that the manufacturing process and specifications may vary based on who produces them. We encourage you to check for the chargers you already have - or if you are looking at other ones besides the ones on our website, if they are IF certified. You can read more about the certification here: https://www.usb.org/compliance

[Una_Kelly]

I just bought a new T’nB cable to charge my phone. How annoying. I only changed because my fairphone 2 was stolen (just after I had changed one of the parts as well).
I’m always being fairphone’s advocate but I feel more and more embarrassed.

[AnotherElk]

@Una_Kelly

I’m always being fairphone’s advocate but I feel more and more embarrassed.

So it would somehow be Fairphone’s fault if a random cable vendor doesn’t produce standard-compliant cables?
And it’s not only cables … it’s the same with adapters …

General Fairphone 3 discussion

It’s best to buy such an adapter in a way so that you can easily return it if it didn’t work. I have a cheapo microUSB-USB-C adapter (was part of an adapter set) lying around which works for some devices, but not for others.

[gougelmobber]

Why not taking the phone with you in the shop and test the cable you’re about to buy right there before taking it home?

[JeroenH]

The problem is not Fairphone; it is cheapskate cable/adapter manufacturers and proprietary standards (QC is one).

This is why I bought the official adapter and cable; to save me this hassle of USB-C.

However, my partner has good experience with Anker QC3 charger with two of her smartphones with USB-C. I have not yet verified it works with Fairphone 3, but I will soon as I will receive my Fairphone 3 (with official cable/charger) soon.

[Una_Kelly]

Hello everyone. Thank you for your comments. I took the phone to a shop and found a cable that worked. I just meant it was annoying that things didn’t go smoothly, not good publicity. But of course it’s not fairphone’s fault. I just have to get internet working. Hopefully, if I follow the instructions someone has given elsewhere on this forum, it will work… Enjoy your fairphone 3 everyone!

[Tessa]

So after months I finally got my phone, but now I’m having a similar problem with charging, tried a few different cables and none of them charge it, or extremely slowly. I left the slow charging cable in and turned the phone off, thinking it would charge it quicker that way (that used to work with my old phone), but when turned off it doesn’t charge at all (when turned on it charges slowly). Is this normal? Surely phones should charge when turned off?!?

[JeroenH]

The official Fairphone charging cable works normal for me, both with the official EU adapter as well as in a USB-A socket (e.g. in an Allocacoc Powercube, and MBP 13" 2015).

I can try some different chargers at home.

[Tessa]

Ah yes, I’m still waiting to get the official one, so hopefully once that one arrives, it’ll work for me too.

[s99h]

My new FP3 doesn’t like the USB charging cables of Samsung and Huawei.
In the beginning they simply did not work until I inserted my third cable gently and slowly. But not entirely, just to the point where it wants to snap in… I held it there an suddenly it began to charge. As if the opening of the connector is a little too wide.

I will order the original cable from Fairphone…

[AnotherElk]

I’m in the process of testing the cooperation of different chargers/cables/magnetic adapters charging the Fairphone 3.

I’m not done entirely, but what I can say already is that cheap generic cables probably will not do the job.
This here really seems to apply not only for chargers, but also for cables …

@Monica.Ciovica

We encourage you to check for the chargers you already have - or if you are looking at other ones besides the ones on our website, if they are IF certified.

I will see to get my hands on USB-IF certified cables next to confirm this.
Edit: Results are here …

Charging speed problems? Use USB-IF certified cables!

Answering to concerns about which chargers and cables to use for the Fairphone 3 because not every piece already in the households of users seemed to work, Fairphone had this to say: That statement is important for cables, too. I have tested the cooperation of different chargers/cables/magnetic adapters charging the Fairphone 3. Conclusions: It’s the cables that matter, not so much the chargers. Use USB-IF certified cables! Magnetic adapters seem to slow down the charging a little compared…

[JeroenH]

4 different, random quickchargers, using an EU powerplug.

• Fairphone 3 official with official cable [EU powerplug to USB-A to USB-C]
• GPD Pocket 2 [EU powerplug to USB-C to USB-C]
• A random one from a colleague [EU powerplug to USB-A to USB-C]
• A Oneplus from a colleague [EU powerplug to USB-A to USB-C]

All 4 worked perfectly fine. It is a bit difficult to test out because the battery is full so quickly, and then does not drain (#firstworldproblems).

I’ll be trying more!

[AnotherElk]

@JeroenH

All 4 worked perfectly fine.

I suspect with the original cables from Fairphone and, respectively, GPD?

[JeroenH]

@AnotherElk

I suspect with the original cables from Fairphone and GPD?

With the cable attached to it, whatever that was (orig?). The GPD cable is USB-C to USB-C so would not work on a USB-A adapter.

[AnotherElk]

@JeroenH

With the cable attached to it, whatever that was (orig?).

According to my tests the cable mainly decides the outcome of the charging, so to know which cable would be kind of important .

(I have no other charger/use for the GPD USB-C → USB-C cable, too.)

[s99h]

Since all my Samsung and Huawei / Honor cables (4 pcs.) heavily refuse to team up with my FP3 (make contact only now and then, charge slowly or don’t charge at all and let only shine the charging LED, establish unreliable data connection to my linux pc) I decided to order an USB-IF certified cable at a well-known online platform. It arrived today.
All of my FP3-USB-related problems are gone now.

I must admit, that I still don’t understand it. My “old” cables continue to work perfectly with my “unfair” devices.

But I’m lucky now

[JeroenH]

I’ve also tested the following:

• USB hub with Fairphone USB-C cable (USB hub to USB-A to USB-C)
• USB hub with TOPK magnetic USB-C cable (USB hub to USB-A to USB-C)
• Fairphone charger with TOPK magnetic USB-C cable (EU powerplug to USB-A to USB-C)

In all three circumstances the Fairphone 3 says “charging slowly”.

I gotta say the magnetic charger fits quite well with the bumper case. It barely sticks out, 1 perhaps 2 mm. I’d guess that is true for other magnetic cables as well!

To be fair, I feel less need for magnetic charger with USB-C as there is only 1 way the cable can fit. You could make a case for preferring such in case of tripping (like Magsafe).

Btw, the magnetic charger does NOT work well with the GPD Pocket 2. Often, it just quits charging, and the slow charging under load does not do much if anything. I’m now checking if that may happen with FP3 as well. With the GPD Pocket 2 I feel more desire to keep it connected whenever I can because the battery goes flat so quickly because Atom is inefficient; the reverse is true for Fairphone 3. Which simply leads to less stress and worrying about juice.

[teezeh]

I ordered the USB Charger (EU) and the USB-C Cable from Fairphone with my FP3 and both work(ed) like a charm right from the start. There’s so many crappy cables out there … It’s always a good idea not to go with the cheapest one. For non-OEM stuff, I personally have good experiences with Anker accessories.

[AnotherElk]

@teezeh

For non-OEM stuff, I personally have good experiences with Anker accessories.

In general I would agree to that.
Careful with looking for cables of a specific brand, though … an Anker USB-A → USB-C cable was among the cables that couldn’t really charge the Fairphone 3 for me.

If you want to get a cable for charging the Fairphone 3, really make sure you get a USB-IF certified cable in the first place, additionally to that you can perhaps look for a brand.