Fairphone 4: Public Issue Tracker
The Fairphone 4 5G is our latest model, launched on September 30, 2021. It is the next step in our mission to pioneer more sustainable ways to make smartphones.
We aim to support the Fairphone 4 with security and software upgrades for approximately five years from its launch date (September 2021). Providing long term software support is ingrained in our culture!
However, developing software goes hand in hand with software issues. New issues come to our attention every day through multiple channels - and maintaining your Fairphone’s software is a big part of our sustainability journey!
Stick around to learn more about how we fix software issues.
What is a bug?
Let’s first have a look at what a software issue is to begin with - in our industry, software issues are often called “bugs”.
The term “bug” was first introduced when a malfunction on an early computer was found to have been caused by a moth - a literal bug!
If you have ever used a smartphone before, you will certainly know about bugs already. Bugs are glitches in software that can cause something to go wrong. Some bugs are random and only happen occasionally, others show a pattern: they occur every time a certain action is performed.
Like typos in books, there are always bugs to be found - no software is bug-free. We do our very best to make sure every software update we provide you with fixes as many known bugs as it possibly can. At the same time, we want to prevent the introduction of new bugs - though it can be tricky to predict our software’s interaction with all the apps and accessories that exist.
How do you find and fix bugs?
Information about new bugs can reach us in different ways - through our beta testers, through extensive lab tests, through our repair center, through the Community forum, and of course through our customers (that’s you!).
After being made aware of a bug, we start working towards a solution right away. Thus, resolving bugs is a true team effort: We start by trying to reproduce the issue. This is key in finding the cause and creating a solution. Once we know more about the conditions under which a problem occurs, we can get right to solving it! But that is not always easy, as bugs can be complex.
So we start by asking ourselves some questions: How severe is the impact? How many customers are affected? How difficult will it be to implement a solution? What effects could a potential fix have? All of these questions influence how we address an issue.
As a last step - and to make sure that the solution reaches your Fairphone - we include bug fixes in our regular software updates.
Where are we now?
This list provides you with an overview of software issues we are currently aware of and working on. You will find that each bug has a status:
Under investigation
This means we are aware of the issue and are working hard on finding the root cause and a solution in the background.
Fixed and verified
This means we have found the cause and implemented the solution. Now you just need to update your Fairphone!
Please note that this article does not provide live status updates. Our current software release schedule includes monthly software updates for the Fairphone 4. Every other month, the software release includes bug fixes. You can therefore expect to find new information around every eight weeks!
Last updated: 02.05.2023
| Issue | Description | Workaround | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Microphone irregularities during phone calls. |
Some Fairphone 4 users have reported that during regular and app phone calls, their call partner struggles to understand them. |
- |
Under investigation |
|
"Material You" accent color does not update. |
A12 has introduced the “Material You” feature. It is currently missing for the Fairphone 4. |
- |
Fixed and verified |
|
Call volume too loud at lowest setting. |
Some Fairphone 4 users have reported that, even on the lowest volume setting, the call volume remains quite loud. |
- |
Under investigation |
|
No Bluetooth audio with aptX and aptX adaptive codec. |
After upgrading to A12, Fairphone 4 users cannot listen to music with bluetooth headphones/speakers that use the AptX and aptX adaptive codec. If there is no audio output at all, or the audio constantly breaks up, this is most likely the cause. |
|
Under investigation |
|
Recent apps menu no longer shows screenshot function. |
Taking screenshots has been implemented differently in Android 12 compared to Android 11 - screenshots are now taken via the app icon directly. |
- |
Fixed and verified |
|
Hotspot cannot be enabled when set to "5.0 GHz Band preferred". |
Fairphone 4 users are currently unable to turn on a 5GHz hotspot. |
Use a 2.4GHz Hotspot. |
Under investigation |
|
One-handed mode is missing in Android 12. |
A12 has introduced the one-handed mode feature. It is currently missing for the Fairphone 4. |
- |
Fixed and verified |
|
Screen does not time-out. |
Some Fairphone 4 users have reported that sometimes the screen will not go to sleep after the period specified in the settings. For example, it may be set to timeout and lock after 30 seconds, but it stays turned on for multiple minutes. |
- |
Under investigation |
|
Erratic touch events. |
Some of our Fairphone 4 customers have started experiencing some random, erratic movements on the display of their devices. |
Please contact our customer support team for further assistance. |
Under investigation |
What if I cannot find my problem on this list?
You think your Fairphone is affected by a software bug, but you cannot find the issue on this list? This may have several reasons:
First of all, this article does not give live status updates. However, it is updated regularly by us, so the issue you are experiencing may be added soon.
It could also be that we were not yet able to confirm that the issue you are experiencing is indeed a software problem. Confirming this first is very important in order to make sure we provide you with the correct solution. For example, it could be that the issue you are experiencing can be resolved with a repair, rather than a software update.
Lastly, maybe the bug has not been reported to us yet. Receiving information from our customers, you, is therefore indispensable for us to detect and resolve issues.
If you need further assistance, want to know more about the status of the issue you are affected by, or if you experience a different problem, please contact our Customer Support.
When will my bug be fixed?
We are not able to give a timeline for when each individual report will be addressed. However, we can assure you that we are continuously working behind the scenes on providing a solution as soon as possible.
At Fairphone, we commit to the longest possible software support, to achieve our ambitious longevity objectives, and show the industry that it can be done!
Most importantly, remember to keep your phone updated with the latest software. Every update contains improvements that might help with your issue. You can find more information in our release notes.
If after reading the article you need more help, contact our Customer Support.