r/fairphone

Hi everyone,

Is there an open-source or privacy-focused messaging app that lets me send voice messages? (Otherwise, I have to use WhatsApp or Snapchat, to name a couple.)

Also, is there an app with excellent, fast voice-to-text dictation, like the iPhone's?

Right now I'm using Whisper, but it's pretty slow and inaccurate.

Thanks!

Hi

I cant recieve any texts/sms after the last update. Ive checked settings and it works putting sim in my old phone.

Has anyone else gotten the same problem?

Edit: its a fairphone 6

Hello all. I wanted to share my experience after a month of daily use.

I've had my eye on Fairphone for years but as you know, it was unavailable in the US until recently. I have been gently de-Googling and was very interested in /e/OS for that reason, as well. For context- I'm not a dev or tech person but I'm fairly competent and willing to do lots of research to troubleshoot issues.

This is by far the most expensive phone I've ever purchased, as I'm not typically buying the latest phone. My previous phone was a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE that believe still has a lot of life left, and I plan to use it for work and the bits of Google that I can't quite quit.

I spent a lot of time setting up the phone. I struggled immensely with the setup process, as the phone never gave me the option to transfer files. I factory reset the phone several times and spent a lot of time on reddit and Fairphone forums trying to find a solution for that. The support ticket I submitted to Fairphone four weeks ago was just responded to this week, without solutions.

Despite spending a frustrating business day on setup, I persevered. I installed the Lawnchair launcher (vital) and a different keyboard and all the little things you do to customize.

Most of my apps work - notably, all the important ones (banking, email, docs, etc). There's one weather app I have purchased previously that was not restored, but the handful of other apps that I previously purchased are working fine. I like how clean App Lounge is and I find that I rely on the privacy rankings quite a bit.

/e/OS is great. Supper approachable and familiar enough that I could jump right in and customize most of what I wanted. I do desperately miss my Samsung Edge Panel for quick access apps so I'm curious to find an alternative for that (suggestions welcome).

I had Cricket wireless for years but research indicated that it would not work with the new phone, which was a bummer. Thought I'd give it a try anyway, and I'm happy to report that it does work with my Fairphone 6! Have had no issues with phone service or mobile data over the last month. *fingers crossed*

The phone feels big and chunky, which I don't love. It doesn't fit in a little phone stand that I had been using daily. But being able to repair as needed is a huge draw, and I've ended up treating the larger size of the phone as a reminder to be more careful than I've been with phones in the past.

I love the physical switch and attached it to my flashlight, and find it utterly charming to click it on and off. I have taken sooo many accidental screenshots and don't seem to be able to change that setting. (And yes, I did see that recent post about it- I'll keep trying to figure it out!)

I have not noticed a lot of the bugs that I see others post about, but I appreciate when that info and corresponding solutions are shared. The one bug that's happened a couple of times is that my screen will freeze up momentarily and not recognize touches. Not world-ending but noticeable.

Overall, I've been super pleased. When I encounter any friction that didn't exist on previous phones, it's a good reminder that this is a more sustainable product that isn't built to burn out in two years. De-googling means I generally have a lot fewer apps and that means I'm not on my phone as much, which is good for me. And it isn't filled with bloat like my previous phones (some of which had like 20 gb of "other" data stored that I wasn't allowed to view or clean up).

Very happy with this purchase and where I've ended up.

Thanks for reading!

Multitasking finally has been fixed, but now my battery drains very quickly, again. I've already disabled 5G, which is known to be a batt killer for the FP4.

Do you FP4 guys experience the same?

I was considering replacing my cracked screen when I noticed it was coming loose from the frame. Couple of days later, it basically falls out whenever the screen is facing the floor. Is it likely that some glue has given up the ghost? I didn't think there was any glue in these, but there's no obvious screws that look like they should be holding in the bit that comes away.

Actually now I've watched the replacement video, I can't see the bit where the ribbon cable connects to the main board, so I'm thinking it's the display unit itself that has come apart. Hopefully that means a replacement might be viable. Anyone else had this happen?

When I pull the top bar down to use quick buttons (pull down twice) I get stuck in a loop where I can't close it again, it cycles between notifications and quick buttons. Does anyone else have this issue?

5 years ago, I bought my Fairphone 4. Coming from a LG G5, I wanted to keep the repairability and was willing to take trade-offs. The extended waranty, the availability of parts and the 5 year software support, felt like a no-brainer to me. Contrary to the phones at that time, who were all hold together by glue with no software aupport after two years, I felt like everyone was an idiot who didn't buy a Fairphone.

But after 5 years the market situation has changed. More and more companies offer extended Software-support. And with companies like iFixit and the European Repairability index, companies got incentivised to build more repairable and lasting phones.

What nailed the coffin for me, was the software Fairphone keeps producing isn't great, Android versions coming extremely late, are not even bug-free and the amount of functions Fairphone offers in Android feel limited. And the phone itself feels antique after 5 years of use, the battery life got horrible (maximum half of a day, even after 3 battery swaps). The phone became like a burden.

I don't know how Fairphone wants to circumvent this issue, other than going more premium. And sadly, that experience is universal in my small circle. The guys who bought one Fairphone, didn't buy a second one, since the downsides are too present.

I will still keep my Fairphone but using Murena this time. For some limited use. But it won't be my daily driver no more. I wish Fairphone all the best.

I was freaking out about my wireless not working properly for some months. I recently find out that it's a big discussion to fairphone.

Is there a timeline for a fix? Having to disable wireless 19 of 20 times when I try to open specific apps, it's somewhat annoying.

IPhone6, Germany

I just received my fairphone 6 (with android 16) yesterday and was quite pleased with everything. I got it set up, applied the latest software update and charged it a bit. When I went to bed last night, I tried plugging the phone into the charger by the bed and nothing happened. I thought maybe it was the charger and just went to bed. I tried again today with a variety of cables and charger combinations, including the one that worked without issue yesterday and nothing works (and yes, this includes cables and chargers that meet the specifications listed on the website for this phone). I tried restarting the phone, plugged in and unplugged, multiple times. I tried turning it off, plugged and unplugged, multiple times. I opened it up and disconnected the battery for 30 minutes. I thought maybe somehow the usb-c unit wasn't plugged in properly, but I cannot for the life of me remove the loudspeaker unit in order to check. It simply won't budge. I've watched the official fairphone video for this unit at least 5 times thinking I missed something, but I can't get it to come out.

I'm on the fence about just returning the phone rather than trying to go through the warranty to get it fixed and then missing my window to return the thing. Does anyone have any experience with fixing this issue? I really want this phone to work out, but if charging fails day 1, and I can't even get at all the parts, which is one of the main draws of this phone, then what's the point?

Edit: to be clear, charging worked out of the box. The issue wasn't apparent until hours later. I don't know if it was the android update or if there is a deeper hardware issue. I did not receive an obviously broken phone and then flail around not knowing how to initiate a return, as some comments seem to imply.

Just got my Fairphone 6 yesterday (first not Samsung since 11 years) and I like it so far. Only annoying thing for me is if I scroll on Reddit to next piture (swipe from right to left) or swipe sideways on a webside I really often return to last page by accident what is really annoying for me. Is there a way to place the return funktion like on a Samsund to a bottom corner or at least change it to swipe from left side to the right. I don't swipe often from left to right, so this would reduce this problem at least by 90%

TL;DR: How does the camera compare to the pro iPhone or pixel phones?

Hello comrades. I’m on the fence about the FP6, but what might tip me either way is the camera performance. I’m an amateur/hobbyist photographer and usually get pro versions of whatever phone I get for the cameras. I use it daily but especially at night or in low light conditions where my camera is less accessible or adjusting settings would take too long. So, what have your experiences with the camera been like? I’m open to moving to an “okayish” camera but would have a rough time with a “bad” one.

Hello! I dropped my phone into a pool of water (very stupid I know) afterwards I unplugged everything, cleaned the water drops and let it dry for 3 days. Now when I turn it on it starts up but after seeing the start screen or lock screen it immediately says: shutting down, and shuts itself off.

Does anyone know what the cause or fix may be? If not I will of course try to order new parts or something but if anyone has a tip or something please let me know!

Hello everyone, I’ve received the update: 16 (FP6.QREL.16.82.0) now, when I unlock the screen using my fingerprint, I have to swipe up to finish opening it, whereas before, I just had to place my finger on the sensor and I’d go straight to my home screen. Is it possible to change this?

Thanks, everyone!