I’m not sure if you have read much of this topic, but the update was pushed by Google not Fairphone. Fairphone only knew about it when someone posted here and or contacted them a week ago.
It seems that a version of Google Play Store updated Google Play services with an error ~ not one I received
But the question is: why only Fairphone seems to have been impacted by this faulty update from Google?
Hi everyone.
Currently, there are three known solutions to this issue. Which one works for you depends on many factors, including how long it takes for your device to reboot after you unlock it.
You can find a great summary with screenshots in EN and DE here, courtesy of @urs_lesse.
While effective, this solution relies on downloading an apk (file used to install an app) from a third party. We cannot guarantee the integrity of the software provided by the third party, and if you choose to try this solution, it is at your own risk. I will not link the instructions in this comment but you can find them in previous comments in this thread.
This is quite similar to the above because it requires a computer which you can use to run some commands.
Can’t get to all the settings fast enough? You can save some time by opening the Settings from your lock screen. Before unlocking, swipe down to open the notification bar and tapping on the “Settings” wheel icon. You will be prompted for your unlock method and this will be the moment when the timer to restart starts running.
cd FolderLocation and press the “Enter 
” key.cd C:\Users\MyUserName\Desktop\platform-tools
cd ~/Desktop/platform-tools
In the command line, run the following two commands:
adb shell
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.qualcomm.location
Note: If you’re running macOS or Linux, use ./adb shell above instead.
That’s it! Reboot your phone once more for good measure and the issue should be resolved.
If you cannot enable USB debugging because your phone restarts too quickly, or if you’re having trouble with the steps which require a computer, you have two options:
We will continue to actively monitor the situation and share updates if there’s new information.
Thank you.
Yes If your mum doesn’t want to download from the Google play store, disable it…
When OS updates are ready they go through tests, some 2 milliom, by Google before they provide s license. It seems that Google’s tests may have missed something,
Also there is no knowing how often other manufactures allow the Google Play updates which can occur multiple times a week
I think the problem is that Fairphone choose to sell their phones with Google software installed. Effectively, Fairphone choose to outsource a large part of the necessary software development to Google. It is disingenuous for Fairphone to claim complete irresponsibility for this crisis when it was Fairphone that made the choice to outsource their software development.
By analogy, if I buy a car and a component turns out to be faulty, I go back to the car manufacturer, not the OEM the manufacturer bought the faulty component from.
If Fairphone have an issue with the service they’ve received from Google, then Fairphone should certainly be taking that up with Google.
These issues are compounded by the lack of proactive communication from Fairphone. We’re a week into this crisis and Fairphone have done nothing to actively contact their customers. Instead, they’re relying on customers realising what’s wrong, working out the right words to type into a search engine, finding this forum thread, reading through 400 posts, and finding their own solution. That’s not acceptable when users’ phones are bricked and the only option they’re presented with causes irretrievable data loss and doesn’t even solve the issue.
Fairphone should have been actively communicating with their customers by every means possible a week ago.
And it really saddens me to type this. I am (was) a big fan of the Fairphone and recommended it to everyone who’d listen, but this has been a catastrophe.
Fairphone use the default Android developed by Google.
So it’s not that they chose to install Google apps
and it is blatently clear that people are buying the phone with the default A11
No one forces anyone to buy an ‘Android’ phone and for those with concerns they ca change the OS
There’s sn archaic blame mentality that has existed for thousands of years and Fairphone didn’t create that either
@anon64862762 Thank you for the details, helping people to get rid of the boot loops!
But there are other people (like me) who never have been affected by the boot loops because they disabled the Google Play Store and reverted the updates of Google Play Services as a PRECAUTION measure since last week.
Is it 100% safe for these people to activate Google Play Store again and performing updates of Googles Play Services again (= going back to normal)?
There are different opinions and reports about that.
I would be happy if you could say something about that, too. Thank you!
I’m complete with you rvalkass!
And we have a lot of other handies from different manufacturers (all running Android) in my environment an the only one that is affected is my Fairphone. So from my point of view it must also be a problem of Fairphone.
Because I said already multiple time that I’m not able to uninstall the Google Playstore Service it would really be great if somebody will find a salution now!!!
Thank you in advance!
Before reading further, back up anything you’re concerned about (and you can easily copy) via a USB cable (or your preferred backup solution). Backing up your data is just a good habit to have when tinkering with software, regardless of how safe something is.
If you really successfully uninstalled the updates of Google Play Services, then yes - you can safely re-enable and update everything. The version, which caused this issue, is no longer being distributed.
By default, my Fairphone came with Google Play Store and Google Mobile Services installed and active.
So it’s the customers’ fault for buying a Fairphone and using the operating system it comes installed with? Surely that can’t be Fairphone’s actual stance on this?
I’m not trying to be antagonistic, but as a Fairphone customer I am frustrated and disappointed both with the software disaster itself, but also with the lack of proactive communication from Fairphone. You must be able to understand that? And that Fairphone have some lessons to learn here?
Is this still the final solution, if the uninstall of the Google Play Service is failing?
I really do not understand why to uninstall the Qualcomm Location Services if the problem seems to be the Google Play Service.
Yes I read a lot about this topic. But I totally agree with what Rvalkass said : Fairphone team support is not here to explain clearly what to do to fix the problem for experts or for novices.
The only solution that works needs development tools to resolve the problem…!
Xiaomi develops it’s own ROM but is concerned by the same bug (Question - Xiaomi Note 11 stuck to rebooting into recovery mode 5.0 after unlocking the screen | XDA Forums).
Android is developed by Google and some companies add then their customisation like Samsung but it doesn’t mean they outsourced their software. In fact, it is how work open source software.
You can buy a Fairphone with /e/ is you prefer to avoid Google. And you can even install it now on your Android Fairphone.
Maybe you could try to contact a Fairphone angel. to receive help.
Let’s not turn this community with great people and advice into a “who’s to blame” discussion - but:
Fairphone is missing both an obligation and an opportunity here. As brand owner and final product distributor you both claim glory and eat shit for what is happening in your supply chain. If something is wrong with the software in your car and you can’t drive it anymore of course you expect the car manufacturer to fix it for you…
So Fairphone is the only face to the customer here. And I think they know it. I managed to talk to a customer support representative today and was told that 1. Fairphone does not (!) consider this issue being solved, 2. They know that the proposed solutions from both their side and the community do not work for all users, 3. They are working hard with Google to find a permanent fix for the problem, 4. It is just not possible for them to predict how long this will take.
I think these are fair statements from Fairphone - just would have liked to hear them earlier and in a more structured communication to a broader group of users.
So personally I do hope for a solution communicated by Fairphone asap since all of the proposed workarounds and fixes have either not worked for me or I am just lacking the skills of executing them. A phone is just a tool that needs to work without me having to understand or even manipulate the “how”.
To have the right to install Android on a smartphone, a company has to sign a contract with Google. In this contract, there is no choice and the company must install Google services and apps.
You can buy a FP3 or a FP4 without Android if you wish it (no need to install anything) : https://murena.com/products/smartphones/
Personally, I would trust more @anon64862762 who works at Fairphone in the IT support than somebody who works at Fairphone but don’t have his knowledge.
Did you contact a Fairphone angel in order to help you implementing the solutions you were not able to apply by yourself ? Maybe one can help you.
Hello! non-techy fairphone user here who’s been following this thread since my phone entered the bootloop on Saturday evening.
I was waiting for a solution that didn’t require specialist knowledge, and in the meantime left my phone with the error message screen on. It ran out of battery and now won’t charge or turn on at all. Does anyone know why this is, or what I can do to fix it? Without power I can’t try any of the fixes in this thread, or anything more permanent that fairphone comes up with!
Would it work to buy a replacement battery?
For now, yes. See the next answer.
The problem is caused by a conflict between the two services, and was initially triggered by an update to the Google services. Once it starts happening, one of the two services needs to be uninstalled. The root cause will be addressed with an OTA update but given the impact of the issue, we had to find other options quickly.
We constantly adjust our instructions as the situation develops. At first, we focused on the Google service for a few reasons. For example, it is much more accessible to the average user. It can (mostly) be done in the Settings, plus it is easy to revert by re-enabling automatic updates in the Play Store. This became even simpler when the update distribution was paused. Now, users don’t need to disable automatic updates in the Play Store at all.
I hope this adds more clarity.