On FP6 I’m having a problem with Android Auto and charging which is similar to a problem I had on FP5 that I solved by changing the FP5 module with the USB-C port. Before buying a new USB-C module for the FP6 I’d like to be sure it’s really the culprit as costs are not negligible (20 € the module + 7 € delivery).
On FP5
Android Auto connection with my car wasn’t stable at all, sometimes the app didn’t start, sometimes once started it exited for apparently no reasons. Sometimes (but not always) I could solve the problem by unplugging and plugging again the phone in the car. Moreover, charging got almost impossible. I tried different USB cables without any result. After replacing the module with the USB-C port my FP5 started working perfectly again.
On FP6
Android Auto connection works 50% of times. The other 50% of times the app is not started or it exits for no apparent reasons. Almost always I can “solve” the problem by unplugging and plugging again the phone into the car. On the charging side, 1-2 times a month I wake up in the morning and find the phone not charged, despite spending all the night connected to the charger.
In both cases (FP5 and FP6) I used the same car and the same USB cables.
And I can finally come to the question: apparently my FP6 suffers from the same problem of my FP5 so a USB-C port replacement could solve the problem… is there any test I can make to evaluate the status of my USB-C port and see if it could really be the culprit?
I agree that is strange but I can remember I had to change the first time my FP5 USB-C port a few days after receiving it as it showed the problem “liquid or debris in the USB port”. And then again a few month ago as I wrote above (i.e. I changed it twice in about two years).
Probably the warning is there because it’s not that easy understanding how to use and how to interpret what is shown on the screen. It’s more for technicians than for plains users.
I’ll search the internet for more information and try again.
The situation is getting worse, tonight I had to struggle to start the charging. I woke up a couple of times and I discovered that even if at the beginning it started then it suddenly stopped after 1-2% of charging.
Another funny behavior is that while it was charging the screen kept turning on and off every 10-20 seconds as if someone kept connecting and disconnecting the cable.
I’ll collect some screenshots using tests available through *#*#2886#*#* and open a ticket to the support.
Meanwhile, I’ve already ordered a new FP6 USB-C module as this problem seems an exact copy of the one I already had with FP5.
This looks like a loose connection between USB-port and cable. Could be a mechanical defect. I have this with one cable here, where the charging success depends on how the cable is plugged and orientated in the port.
I tried with three pairs of cables/chargers two at home (one pair from Fairphone and one from Asus) and one at the office (I don’t know the brand) the result is always the same: after a bit of attempts the charging starts but as time goes by you have to do more cycles connect/disconnect to have it started.
Moreover, when it starts I have to periodically check that it’s still charging because sometimes it starts but then suddenly stops.
The first time I got the problem was a few days after receiving the FP6 but at that time I thought that it was my fault, I didn’t connect the cable properly, so I didn’t pay much attention. Then in the following weeks it might have happened 1-2 time but I always thought I made something wrong. Then in the last 3-4 days the problem became somehow persistent.
Now it’s fully charged (100%), I’m waiting to drain some charge so that I can recharge again and get some screenshots.
The fact that I can trust the cable (it’s the same cable I use to charge all my devices and they are not having any trouble) plus the fact that the phone shows the same behavior also with Android Auto (I mean that the problem is solved by unplugging and plugging again) plus the experience I had with FP5 makes me think the problem is in the phone USB port.
Anyway, the port should arrive in the next 5-6 days so we can check.
I did some testing using *#*#2886#*#* with Fairphone cable and charger, results are below.
Phone charge when I started the test: 76%
Test “USB/Charger”
Settings: Charging mode = eco; Battery protect = OFF
Test results:
USB: OK
Charging: OK
Current: NOK
Current: = the value varies around 960 mA
Settings: Charging mode = fast; Battery protect = OFF
Test results:
USB: OK
Charging: OK
Current: OK
Current: = the value varies around 4240 mA
Test “USB 2”
Phone connected through the Fairphone USB cable to the same USB PC port above:
Plug Status1: NOK
USB 2: NOK
Plug Status 2:OK
USB 2: OK
Test “USBType-C”
Phone connected through the Fairphone USB cable to the same USB PC port above:
No reaction, the phone keeps showing the message “Please connect USB disk”
On the data transfer side the only test I could do was a file transfer from my PC (Ubuntu Linux 24.04) to FP6 using one of my PC USB 3.0 ports and the Fairphone cable: it took 11 seconds to transfer a single 400 MiB file. It took about 1 second to transfer the same file to a Kingston USB pen drive connected to the same PC port. It seems to me these results are aligned with the difference between USB 2.0 speed (FP6) and USB 3.0 speed (PC and pen drive).
