My Fairphone keeps restarting
Follow these steps if your smartphone is unexpectedly turning off and on.
ⓘ These steps require Android 13 or later. If you are not sure which version your Fairphone is running, see How to check and update your software version.
Check for SIM card faults
An old, damaged, or poorly fitted SIM card can cause serious system instability and affect network performance.
Physical scratches and corrosion on the metal contacts of a SIM card can cause your phone to spontaneously disconnect from the network, freeze, or experience a random restart.
If you experience frequent random restarts, remove the SIM card completely and use the phone on a Wi-Fi network for a few hours. Alternatively, try a different SIM card in the phone for a few hours.
If the random restart behavior stops while the card is missing, the card itself could be faulty. Contact your mobile network operator directly to request a brand-new replacement SIM card.
Reboot in Safe mode
Third-party applications can run background processes that conflict with the operating system, resulting in spontaneous restarts. You can reboot your device into Safe mode to temporarily disable all downloaded apps.
- Press the Power and Volume Up buttons simultaneously (or press and hold Power, depending on your settings).
- Tap and hold the Restart or Power off option on the screen until a Reboot to safe mode prompt appears.
- Tap OK. Your phone will restart, and you will see a Safe mode technical tag at the bottom of the screen.
- Monitor the device for a few hours.
Perform a factory reset
If your data connection still fails after following all the steps above, persistent software formatting errors may be blocking the connection. You can perform a factory reset to clear out deep software glitch traces and restore your phone to its original system state.
- Go to Settings → System → Reset options.
- Tap on Erase all data (factory reset).
- Confirm your security code or pattern to proceed, then wait for the device cleanup profile to finish and restart.
Still need help?
If your issues persist, first try our self-service portal and then reach out to our customer support team. You can also open a support request directly through the My Fairphone app pre-installed on your device.