After all the heated discussion, I’m still confused: does the FP4 come with no hardware LED at all, or does is come with no software support for an existing LED, that may or may not work later on with a software update, like the FP3?
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It comes with ho hardware LED at all. Not even a charging LED. (Unlike FP3.) Here is an additional reply from support:
The Fairphone indeed has no LED, also not for charging. To emulate a notification LED, you can take a look at some third party applications.
So yeah, if you really need it, then FP4 is not the right phone for you.
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I don’t like this paternalistic attitude. I want to decide myself if I want to be notified by led or not. IMHO it would have been better to build in a notification led and let the user decide when it blinks or not.
For me the led is important, because depending on the color (luckily every app uses a different color) I can decide if it is interesting for me or not. I hate to always switch the screen on to see if there is a post of the beloved person or not.
The missing led is bad.
What for a pity: my next phone will not be a Fairphone (and I was one of the first 500 PF1 first edition users).
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Sometimes some circumstances make your favourite dish taste differently and not as you might expected…
having just received my FP4, the lack of the notification LED is easily my least favourite thing about it. I’ve known that it didn’t had one before the order has shipped so it wasn’t much surprise. what was surprising is how much I’ve been relying on the LED over the years without realizing it. it’s so easy to see at a glance that you have a notification waiting, and being able to tell what it is by its colour has been a godsend. and there’s more beyond that - I’d gauge the phone’s battery level by the colour when it was charging, or notice that I’m low on battery when it would start blinking red. seeing it being removed without providing a viable alternative is disappointing to say the least.
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I helped me with Developer Option - Stay Awake when charging
Just wanted to add a solution I have not seen mentioned in this discussion: the Microsoft yourphone app.
Of course you need a Microsoft account and a Windows PC - so it is not for everyone - but of you have both of those things and work on your PC a lot this app helps you manage your notification perfectly
It’s a good one. But at my computer I receive mostly the same notifications (calendar, mail, Signal, Element, browser notifications). And like you mentioned elsewhere, sure a smartwatch can help as well. But in terms of resource efficiency it’s not great. And I prefer my unbreakable GShock Rangeman with solar power anyway 
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I would call this at most a kind of possibility, but never a kind of solution.
If you choose this way, you go to bed with the devil…
The next logical step would be to use the MS launcher, edge browser and Outlook for android 
It might - or might not - shock you, but that is - minus Edge, I use Ecosia - my work setup on my FP4. 
you are right. i am shocked 
i think i will not come out of the shock for the rest of the day…
For me this is the worst case scenario
But thank god we live in a democracy and everyone can do what he wants. we have this freedom and should be grateful for it.
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My worst case would be using Google apps for everything. I am with you: freedom of choice is great
That’s why I love my Garmin: Solar powererd and it can teake a beating. The smartwatch functionality comes into play approximately once or twice a month when I am waiting for urgent calls or mails and do want to make sure that I don’t miss them.
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For linux there is KDE Connect, I have had it working with my FP2 but stopped using it after a while. Does not require KDE desktop and there is the matching app in F-Droid.
Does not require any accounts
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KDE has got a build for Windows, too. it’s even on the Windows Store
I think that relying on Bluetooth for my earphones does decrease sound quality especially in crowded places, and an LED is just fine.
So, when I decided to buy a “smartphone” (…) again last year the missing jack and LED of the FP4 were the main reasons to order the FP3+ instead.
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Sound quality of bluetooth works fine in crowded spaces. Even better, you could enable “hear through” or noise cancellation. Wired headphones are overrated if you ask me. The cable always got an internal break withing one year. Bluetooth earbuds are still going strong after 4 years.
You’re lucky experiencing no flaws.
“Crowded spaces” for me are those where most people around me carry devices requiring Bluetooth-access.
I found it quite annoying when the music seized or studdered in case I just wanted to walk around enjoying the view of people and my music.
Never happened to me being wired.
But this is [SOLVED], and this is neither is on the LED nor on the mike.
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Bluetooth uses frequency hopping, so interference rarely happens. However, you do need to make sure you have good quality earbuds. A Fairphone 4 with Jabra Elite is a flawless combination.
According to Fairphone, there are apps that simulate a notification LED. Does anyone know and tested such an app on FP4, ideally open source?