Recurrent receiver issue – hardware or OS related?

Help Fairphone 5
,
1

Hello everyone,

I’m posting here following a call I had yesterday with support about a “receiver” issue. I wanted to wait a bit before writing, so I could clearly summarize what has been happening.

I’ve been experiencing this problem across several devices.

It started with a Fairphone that had already shown multiple malfunctions (I’ll call it FP1). After some time, I was no longer able to hear the other person during calls unless I switched to loudspeaker mode.

To rule out a hardware issue, I moved to a brand-new device from a recent batch (FP2). After only a few days of use, the exact same issue appeared: no sound through the receiver during calls, unless loudspeaker was activated.

I replaced the receiver module on FP2 (which is quick and easy to do), but the problem persisted.

I then set up another brand-new device from the same batch (FP3). Very quickly after enrollment and setup, it showed the same malfunction.

At that point, since FP2 and FP3 were from the same batch, I suspected a possible series defect.

To verify this, I went back to the original device (FP1) and re-enrolled it. Everything worked fine at first, which made me consider another hypothesis: a potential software issue, possibly related to the OS or recent updates.

However, as of this morning, FP1 is now also showing the same “receiver” issue again.

Some app updates were installed between last night and this morning, so I am currently investigating whether this could be software-related rather than a hardware defect.

To summarize:

  1. Initial device (FP1): multiple malfunctions, including receiver issue

  2. New device (FP2, same batch): receiver issue

  3. Receiver module replaced on FP2: issue persists

  4. Another new device (FP3, same batch): receiver issue

  5. Back to FP1: receiver issue again

I’ve also read similar reports on the forum, including these threads:

The situations described there sound very similar to mine.

I really appreciate the Fairphone concept, especially the modular design and repairability. But at this stage, I’m concerned about the recurrence of this issue and the fact that it affects multiple devices in the same way.

Has anyone experienced the same pattern across different devices?
Did you identify a confirmed software cause or a reliable fix?

Any feedback would be very helpful.

Thank you.

NB : I’m fairly new to this, so if the topic isn’t quite right or isn’t at the right place, let me know pls :slightly_smiling_face:

2

As you mention the other topics, did you test the named fixes, especially this one?

How do you know devices are from the same or different batches, is this an assumption based on the date you got it?

3

I tried this solution, but it didn’t work on the phones.

They are all Fairphone 5 devices. We standardize our devices in the company where I work — same build, same Android version (of course). However, the issues we’re experiencing seem to be random and do not affect all users.

Some users may use their phones less than others, but all these incidents have been reported to official support. Unfortunately, the representatives we spoke with were not able to provide clear answers.

In the meantime, I will continue looking into this online.

(PS: our phones are managed in COPE mode.)

4

I assume the SIM cards are also all from the same provider? Any chance the SIM cards in the phones having using are older?

5

Yes, you’re right all are the same from the same provider and are all up to today’s standarts :slightly_smiling_face:
But I should mention that they are in fact “eSIM”
I also keep a FP for myself as a test dummy, with no eSIM card in it

6

Does the use (or not) of VoLTE/4G and WI-FI Calling, have any effect?

What about voice calls through apps such as Signal or WA?

7

Hello, I guess I can try using Signal, my client banned Whatsapp and we cant use it in our infra.

4G and VoLTE and/or Wifi does not seem to change anything..

8

As you talked to support, what troubleshooting did they ask you to do, so that we dont repeat everything here. And did you send them already logs?

9

for now, I have no responses from them on my end..