I think some rain water might have gotten into my Fairphone. It continued to work for a bit, then stopped. I opened it and left it for a while. I then tried again, but it wouldn’t switch on. So I plugged it into the mains power and the Fairphone logo came up on the screen, then it went, and then the logo came up again, then it went, and that just looped.
So I left it some more. Then I plugged it in again, the red “Low battery” light blinked and the phone physically buzzed, then the light blinked, and it buzzed again, and that looped.
I left it some more and I got the logo thing again. Now I am getting the red light and buzz loop.
I’m not sure what exactly is wrong, and if I can replace something to fix it. Any ideas?
Did you read the “water wiki”?
There’s a lot of good advice about rain and other water damage, have a look round. For instance, this longish read with a happy ending (solution : patience, mostly - we’re talking days).
You might want to open up the phone to improve ambient air circulation and to check whether the liquid contact indicators have turned red (if not, white dots). You can use a fan or hairdryer but NO HEAT, just ambient temperature.
Further to what @OldRoutard has said it can take days to dry well in a flow of air and ensure you dismantle the phone to get air around the modules and help dry the contacts.
For the dampness indicators you will have to dismantle the phone to the point where you remove the screen and then see this post and two above it.
hopefully you don’t see a red square. The top left in the top image is the red square in the bottom one.
I have read the water wiki and my description is what I get after having followed those instructions. I’m now trying to work out what’s wrong. The fact that the logo comes on momentarily tells me the screen is probably ok, and the motherboard is possibly still functional, maybe it’s just the battery or something. But I’m not sure how to diagnose based on this behaviour. Any ideas?
Erratic behaviour can typically be caused by corrosion of internal contacts or connectors between the modules. Your description “It continued to work for a bit, then stopped” is particularly suggestive. After disassembling the phone and thorough drying did you clean all contacts with isopropyl alcohol? They should be “shiny” rather than dull.
Contacts are the Achilles heel of modular design so need special attention especially after water damage or humid conditions.
Could it potentially be the battery that needs replacing? The red light suggests the battery is dead. If it’s plugged in and the battery is perma-dead/broken, would the main unit still be able to draw power?
Well if the connectors are not connecting you can’t expect the phone to give a reliable estimate of the battery condition. That’s why I suggested cleaning the connectors first.
You might take the battery to a repair shop for measurement I suppose, or try a swap if you know someone else with a FP3.
I don’t that is the case. The phone draws power only from the battery.
The battery can be tested using a voltmeter, (friend or shop) The voltage needs to be about 3.8 to get the phone up and running for a while 4.2+ is well charged.
I would doubt it’s the battery, they are fairly simple.
I’m afraid it’s more of what has been said. Much more thorough cleaning would be the first option.
“plug it in, get red “Low battery” light blink once and the phone physically buzzes, then the light blinks again, and it buzzes again, and that loops.”
What does it mean? Should I leave it like this for 24 hours?
As long as it’s not getting hot try leaving it a bit longer. But I’m still thinking you’d better dismantle and try cleaning/drying more thoroughly before you try
What charger and cable are you using? It could be that the two are not providing enough power to get the phone started.
Interesting that you might be able to fix it if Fairphone can’t. You must be a real wizard! Perhaps I should just send it to you first? I still haven’t heard back from their support, you’re much more receptive!
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