I have been using the FP2 now for almost 4 years and despite my enthusiasm I feel the offering is not working for me, here is a few things that keep disrupting my work flow (and I use it professionally): the SD integration is sketchy, apps keep crashing, photos are not being saved, phone connectivity is poor, hick ups with the dual sim slot, random but frequent reboots, slow speed… to keep a social media presence for a professional business is really hard if those apps keep crashing. I hate to say this, but I feel to keep my own sustainability focused business up and running I need a new phone. I am not a geek and am sure much of this could be improved if the phone would be set up new and properly, but I don’t have the time to go through all these forum discussions and fix it one by one myself. I believe if Fairphone would run this on a subscription model, where support for set-up and maintenance is included to keep it running slick that could work. I just don’t have the time to constantly repair my phone. any motivational speech or idea who, where and when could set up my phone so that it runs properly are muchly appreciated. I really do want to support your work. thanks
Thanks for your thoughts, but keep in mind this is a community forum, so you should replace you with Fairphone in your post.
Regarding your question, here is my opinion: If the FP2 is not working for you, but generally working, sell it for a fair price in this forum. Keep in mind to completely erase all data (there is a guide on selling and buying used phones in this forum). Then subscribe to the Fairphone newsletter and keep an eye on this forum, maybe the FP3 will work better. In the mean time, buy a refurbished phone with warranty (like from refurbed.de or asgoodasnew.de, in Germany) or maybe borrow one from friends and family. Of you buy a refurbished Android or iPhone, make sure it still gets security updates from the manufacturer, so aim for premium devices like the Pixel 2, the Galaxy S8 or Sony devices that are enterprise recommended (https://www.android.com/enterprise/devices/ ) and not to old.
Thanks Ben, this is very useful advice! I hate to let it go but will monitor the space and hopefully come back. I will check out the the two websites for refurbished phones as well. thanks again! anna
You might also try and install LineageOS instead of the built in OS. Just find a tech-savvy friend to do it. It will fix most issues that you mentioned. It certainly transformed my FP2 from a terrible but sustainable phone to a pretty decent phone.
I haven’t followed it, but last year Fairphone posted that they’re piloting exactly that for businesses: From ownership to service: A new Fairphone pilot just for companies - Fairphone
Is your phone up-to-date? I’m surprised you’re seeing those problems. Last version is 19.02, please check!
Sounds like a broken microSD card. Have you tried a different one? Today’s consumer grade (micro)SD cards are sketchy.
This sounds like my experience as I get random freezes and restarts which is often when I am totally dependent on it, eg routing with Google maps. I have reset my phone and this did stop the hiccups for a while. This happened with only the essential apps loaded. It has got worse again. The helpline suggested a major hardware purchase but changed their minds when I pointed out the impact of the reset. I’m hoping the F P3 will come soon.
I recently switched back to a non-fair phone. I’m really sorry to say. I really liked the idea and I felt that you guys were on the right path to achieving something great. I admired your company goals, the phone and the idea that you could assemble it with some new pieces. However the whole experience was such a nightmare. The problems I had were of non I ever had, with even cheaper phones I had before. The problems I had were:
- Phone case breaking down on it’s own
- Screen sensors failing, twice.
- Screen glitches at random intervals, mostly when there are animations on the screen
- Phone randomly reboots 5 times a day
- Battery life is the worst
- Connectivity issues
The marketing is great and I really liked it, but the product quality is really really poor and it just doesn’t last longer than 4 years (at least that’s how long I used it). Disassembling the full phone also felt a bit stressfull (what a metaphore). I did it once to see what it was about, but it scared me - since some of the components are really feable and feel very fragile. Replacing the screen, which I had to do twice, felt like I had to crack the phone in half - which is the worst feeling you can give.
So I’ve just recently bought a Nokia and I’m using that. I ditched it and don’t regret it.
I’m sorry to hear that you had so many issues with your phone! Unfortunately you won’t reach the company you’ve addressed as this is a user forum.
Regarding the modules I can’t agree. I’ve disassembled several FP2 and the modules appeared stable for me.
4 years does not sound too bad as a lot of people unfortunately change their smartphones more often but I’m afraid it was a bit shorter as FP2 has only been on the market for nearly three and a half years.
I hope “ditched” means given to other people (whole phone or at least modules) as I’m sure there are various who would still like it!
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