Initialising on FP5 after opening up home screen

Help Fairphone 5
1

When I go into my Home screen after opening up phone the ‘Initialising’ message continues indefinitely. It never completes.

I cannot open any Google apps (mail, calendar, Google Search etc.) and Spotify as well. Other apps such as Whats app, Ecosia search engine work OK.

Can anyone suggest anything to fix this rather fundamental problem?

Thank you

Tim Mason UK

2

Hi and welcome, can you give a few more details? Did you just set-up the phone? Did you restart the phone and then it happened, before it worked? Have you installed an update of the system or any App? Does is happen as well in safe mode dic:safemode ?

3 Likes
3

Hi Yvonne

Thank you for your response.

I have been using my

4

Hi Yvonne

Thank you for your response. I have been using the FP4 5G for a couple of years with out any significant problems. This occurred out of the blue a couple of days ago. It coincided with a message coming up which asked me to choose what search engine I wanted to use. I generally use Ecosia and have resisted all attempts by Google to make Chrome my default search engine though I sometimes use Google. I don’t think I ever responded directly to the question about which search engine I wanted to use.

So I just restarted the phone and then the problem came up.

I generally update Android when I am told that my current version is out of date. Similarly with any Fairphone updates; I am not aware of any particular new app that I have uploaded.

I have not tried using the phone in safe mode and am not sure how I do that. Is it something that I should try?

Thanks for any further advice that you can offer.

5

A further thought - about a week ago I deleted Macafee Security and replaced it with Norton Security package. Could it be associated with that?

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Hi Yvonne

I have uninstalled the Norton Security package and the problem with initialising never completing and no access to various apps, including all Google Apps and Sykyp and Spotify continues.

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I have just been to a local mobile phone technician who I trust.
He has looked at the phone and says that this is a software issue. The phone needs to be reset and a fix applied by a set of instructions which he thinks will have to come from Fairphone and I will need to work through this while connecting my phone to my laptop.
I will need to backup everything first and I can’t do this at the moment because I have no access to Google.
In fact I can’t get access to any Google apps and some other apps such as Spotify are not working. I cannot get text messages either. So the phone is almost completely dysfunctional.

Any suggestions welcome

8

You could back-up on your PC instead of Google the most important things, like pictures, documents, contacts and even Whats App e.g.

So did you try safemode? More info under the link dic:safemode

Do you have a SD card inserted and how is it formatted?

As you relate this to the search engine. Do you mean the searchbar on the homescreen? Maybe try to deactivate the Google App. settings-Apps-Google-deactivate? Maybe also deactivate the Chrome Browser, I understand you use a different one?

9

Thanks again.

All this is quite new to me but I am trying to follow your advice.

Firstly I realise now that my photos , contacts , email etc. are all available vis my laptop. So there should be no backup issues.

Secondly, I have put the phone into safe mode and the problems with access to gmail, Google calendar, contacts, text messages continue.

I do not have an SD card inserted.

In relation to your comments on ‘dectivating’ the Chrome Browser. When I go into my apps list the ‘disabling’ Chrome is available but when I press this I get a warning saying that if I do that Android may not work correctly. It also says that Chrome was preset on this device and I cannot delete it. So I am nervous about going down that route.

I flagged up this whole issue to Fairphone a few days ago and I have a ticket no, but they are saying that they may take two weeks to respond, also I could not get onto the Fairphone ‘chat’ function this morning. Are their support functions normally so poor?

Thank you again for your comments

10

Nothing happens, mine is deactivated since I own the FP5. I understood you either way use a different one, else download one before to feel safer. Did you deactivate the Google App already? Also this warning can be disregarded. Overall the phone is already useless, so not really much more that could happen

As its also occurring in safe mode, the next step, when disabling Google Apps that are having issues, update those apps if possible and an update is available does not help, would most likely be to perform a factory reset, also I guess that would be support advise.

Support is slow, yes. Chat hours are populated on their homepage, hopefully always up to date

11

Thank you for your help on this. After waiting for FP support to get back to me - they haven’t, I did a factory reset as you hinted might be needed. That worked and I have re-established most of the previous apps. So I learnt something in the process.

Very unimpressed with FP support though. There claim to provide sustainable equipment should include a more effective maintenance service (IMHP).

Thanks again

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