SIM2 problem on FP3

No the sim is brand new and I am in discussion with them also - of course they say that if it is working as a standard sim but not as a nano sim then it must be the phone not the sim. Meantime I am getting very frustrated carrying 2 phones around all the time.

Yes I’ve done all that, my problem being that it is the NEW sim card that isn’t recognised, the old one works just fine - in either slot and the new one works in neither yet when rebuilt as a standard sim works fine in my old phone. The sim provider is saying that if it works as a standard sim it is working and doesn’t need replacing, whilst all the info here suggests I do need to replace it - so I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I think my husband may have spotted the problem as the contacts on the new (Asda, EE) SIM are subtly different from those on e.g. the Tesco SIM (O2) and also my Truphone (Vodafone) SIM that work fine in the Fairphone. I have contacted Asda to ask if all their SIMs look like this, because if they do it may mean that I cannot utilise their cheap monthly data packages. Has no-one else had this problem?

These contacts do differ by SIM, I don’t think that that is a problem. You can see that the top-left pad is connected to the middle one in both SIMs - whether the line separating them is half-drawn or just absent does not change functionality.

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Well I ordered another new sim from asda which came today and has exactly the same result when inserted the FP3 says no sim inserted so I can only assume that the FP3 contact manages to come down on the separating line. Meantime I have still had no response from Fairphone support - their “1 working day” response has now dragged out to one working week and still nothing! Any tips of getting through to them?

Have your ticket number at hand and call them. More info:

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This could be a stupid question, but are you sure the SIM card is fully inserted? I don’t have an FP3 myself, but I don’t remember the SIM cards getting in the way of the battery.

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Yes the FP3 that I have seems to have spring loaded sim slots (presumably because previous issues about removing sims?) they always spring half way out again when inserted and the design seems to be that the battery holds them in - however getting the battery in to do this is a pain. However I have sims for 2 different networks as the signals here are very patchy and on close inspection their design varies (photo uploaded earlier) the one that works on vodaphone network works in either slot but the EE one (from Asda) works in neither and a second one from the same source doesn’t work either.

The call number seems to be a european number so is going to cost an arm and a leg to call from UK - on top of the cost of the phone! I may well do this on Monday but if I get into one of these call queues I might as well write them a blank cheque!

If your carrier is extremely expensive and you do decide on calling Fairphone customer service, consider getting a temporary SIM for another carrier (e.g. Giffgaff charges 2p /min, though I think the minimum credit purchase to activate a SIM is £10 these days - which I would hope means you’d have a lot of credit left over), or purchase credit for a VoIP service like Skype (also 2p/min, other fees may apply (taxes, connection fee 4.2p, minimum credit purchase £5).

This should not be the case, if you press your SIMs further into the slot they should stay in place. Otherwise you should contact support for a warranty repair of your SIM slots.

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Yup, I agree: it definitely shouldn’t be the battery keeping the SIMs in place. You have to push the SIM to the max and feel a kind of click. It should then stay in place and the battery can then be inserted easily.
To remove the SIM you have to press it in again, feel the click, then it will come out half way.
I suspect that’s why one of your SIMs isn’t working…

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Thanks, yes I agree that I think the sim slots need to be replaced under
warranty as the sims, however hard pushed in, do not stay in place.
However contacting support about this issue only seems to generate
emails saying they are very busy and try to respond within 1 working day

  • however my first attempt wasn’t answered after a working week so I’ve
    raised another and am waiting…

Sorry I’m insisting, but it seems really weird that both slots would be faulty. You do need to slide the SIMs really far in, further than the edge of the battery slot, ideally with your nail. I also found it a bit difficult the first time.

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Seconded. I would love to see a close-up of the SIM cards in place and the battery in. I only have 1 SIM card in the phone, but anyway, it doesn’t need the battery to stay in place …

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Same with me, and I have 2 SIMs and a SD…

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Erica, have you seen this video on how to insert SIM cards into the FP3

and put yours in accordingly?

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Thank you - the finger nail did it!

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Marvellous!
Do both SIMs work now?

Well they are both recognised as being present, I get no signal at my
home on EE so cannot tell if one is working but I expect so since it
worked in my old phone.