Database Users

I just did a swap

And my GPS is much faster.
Phone was built on the same exact day too.
Factory resetting the phone should be a prerequisite. It eliminated a lot of the loading screens. No different here. The first thing I did was reset the phone.

I just swapped mine too. The GPS problem is not there with this one and I get no lag whatsoever. .. I'm not going to root this one due to the fact its perfect the way it is!

quickex99 said:
I just swapped mine too. The GPS problem is not there with this one and I get no lag whatsoever. .. I'm not going to root this one due to the fact its perfect the way it is!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you just go to t-mobile, complain about the phone, and they'll give you a new one?

ua412 said:
So you just go to t-mobile, complain about the phone, and they'll give you a new one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, within 14 days, exchange.
I am going to do that.
See my last few posts here: http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/Samsu...Tmobile-know/m-p/427717/highlight/false#M5225
Tmobile acknowledges the issue as of today, Samsung phone support was helpless. He also said those are Shipped dates on the box, not manufacture dates...
I think I am going to exchange when I have time tomorrow.. this sucks as it is.

quickex99 said:
I just swapped mine too. The GPS problem is not there with this one and I get no lag whatsoever. .. I'm not going to root this one due to the fact its perfect the way it is!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand what you're saying and I myself was apprehensive about rooting again but I did and GPS still works the same. I'd understand if you still wouldn't want to mess with what works. WiFi tether doesn't even work so you would basically be rooting just to take screenshots and maybe a couple of other things.
ua412 said:
So you just go to t-mobile, complain about the phone, and they'll give you a new one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wherever you got yours from. Take it back and tell them you want a new one because GPS doesn't work on this one. Don't accept those hacky fixes because they really don't work.
That's interesting about the Build Date, it was still "shipped" on the same day then but this one is much MUCH better with the GPS..

Can you guys confirm if the compass problem its still there with your new devices.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I was super unhappy with the phone coming from a nexus one.. it had lag and was just a horrible experience. . Getting this new phone shows me what the vibrant can do.. I don't even think twice about the nexus now.
But I just went in there with my receipt and told them the phone was laggy as hell. He gave me a new one no problems at all!
I love this phone!

Lag is fixed with a simple Factory Reset, GPS seems to be a defect.

my last 2 I've had were laggy even after several factory resets.. this one out of the box is amazing no reset needed.

I dont know. I think i may call T-Mobile because if i go back to Radio Shack im sure im just going to get one of the first phones. Plus when I first got this phone i didnt have any of the lag issues but the more I used the phone the more i noticed the lag problem.

u guys have specific dates of the phones that have the issue and the ones that dont?

Can you now lock into more than one GPS? I think I saw 2 of them lok int today for the first time. I guess I will return it.

your post gave me some hope, so i called into Tmo to arrange the return and exchange
the rep, after giving me the return instructions, asked me if i would mind speaking to their "android" dept - gave me over to somebody who wasn't in that dept but wanted to flesh out the return issue
he looked into it, said he found a note in their system from engineering that there was a known issue with the GPS on the T959 and that there was no known work around or fix at this time
it could be bad chipsets that were used in the first shipment, and these replacements or later production units were assembled with better QC'd GPS chipsets
think i'll wait out the full 14 days to see if the replacements continue to function the way they're supposed and exchange. if not, simply return for credit

I get 3-4 sats in my house. So there is still room for improvement but there is no doubting that this one has much better GPS performance
Sent from my SGH-T959

Thanks for following up with your replacement experience. Guess I'm off to the tmo store today.

I called tmobile as well and they admit that there is a problem that tmobile and samsung are working on, currently all devices are supposed to be affected and there is no known workaround.
The compass is something I could live with but the GPS not working is a reason to return it. Big question is if this is a hardware- or software related issue...
Looks like I will be on my way to the store soon as well...

I just tried a swap myself and they gave me the same spiel about the known problem and no known fix. So I couldn't get a swap because they said it wouldn't fix the problem so the only option they gave me was to get a refund... I passed. If this is true I am very disappointed.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I'd also much appreciate if those of you have swapped and are happy with gps & compass performance can post the date from the box, and maybe serial number sequence (last 4, or something, maybe?)
So far I have no real issues with lag, but definitely get poor gps performance, even after the fixes.
Date on my phone box is 7/12/2010
cheers =)

I've honestly not had any issues with my phone. When I have clear sky its as fast as my G1 was. I will admit its not as strong as my G1 getting a signal in doors near a window, but outside it doesn't have any issues.
I've not exchanged mine or tweaked it. I received mine via UPS last week.

I just received my vibrant today and gps and compass seem to work as good a my old G1. I used gps status from the market and had a 42-38 ft accuracy in the house, didn't test outside, damn tropical depression. The compass seemed pretty stable as well. At least more stable then my G1.
My box ship date is 7/13/10.
Sent from my SGH-T959

(new) GPS Poll

I just wanted to start a new poll about the performance of the GPS. This time there's also an option to choose a firmware version (*). For the best results it is adviced to participate in the poll after a few weeks of "real life" usage, so you can form an informed opinion.
I've forgotten to include the JF firmware versions. For this versions please choose one of the options for the JG firmware versions. Unfortunately I can't edit the poll. I don't think that this will be a great shortcoming for the results because the differences between the JF and JG firmware isn't very big.
(*) Because I think too many errors will slip in when one can indicate the firmware and the GPS opinion by multiple choices, the list is a bit long. I tried to keep it as clear as possible
(Mods: In order to make the poll as "objective" as possible, maybe it is possible to make this a sticky and close the thread. I can add a link to a new post where the results/finding can be discussed or I or someone else could place a link to the old poll/gps thread where there's already a discussion going on)

cant vote in your poll as mine is yet to be firmware upgraded, im running JF3, and my gps is currently running fine in google navi (as i siad in the original thread it does jump at times but it is still very usable), however my tracks shows this first statment to be abit wrong. so im still working on it and need to try and sort out the firmware upgrade i cant seem to work it out just yet.
btw i have had tis second working phone for 1 week 3 days now, the first was taken back after a week where it would just simply not get a gps lock at all.

I have original firmware, Android 2.1-update1(have only rooted it), and no have problem with GPS at all, for now.
It fix the signal inside my home, my iphone 3Gs not, not lost the signal and bring me at destination, always.
Regards

No offense, but whenever I see people praising the quality of the GPS by if and how fast they do get a lock indoors, I die a little bit inside... That's not real GPS fix you're getting, that's just aGPS at work.

Could you add JFx options to the poll please ?
I have JF1. GPS works most of the time, but could be better.

demusss said:
Could you add JFx options to the poll please ?
I have JF1. GPS works most of the time, but could be better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I can't edit the poll (maybe a mod could?).. As an alternative I suggest to vote for one of the JG firmware options.

Case_ said:
No offense, but whenever I see people praising the quality of the GPS by if and how fast they do get a lock indoors, I die a little bit inside... That's not real GPS fix you're getting, that's just aGPS at work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it is GPS. I have disable aGPS and removed the APN from data settings, the APN field is blank, because I not have a flat account with my carrier provider(WIND Italy).
And WIFI is OFF. It is only the GPS, sure!
Regards

Can I suggest everyone goes on here -
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SamsungUKmobile
And promotes the GPS issue some more? They obviously are enjoying the positive press...lets see if they like some critical feedback as well.....

Well I've now set up my SGS with Copilot and used it in the same position in my car as I used my Iphone 3G, with Copilot, and I must say that the performance is extremely poor.
I thought the GPS in the Iphone was poor but it beats my SGS hands down.
firmware: I9000ADJF1.
That seems low compared to other posts I've read!

This really has to be the most ridiculous poll yet.
I've had problems in all firmware, although XWJM5 (as opposed to XWJM2) is yielding some hope for a fix. It's looking quite a bit better and is a lot more stable for a lot longer.
XXJF3 was great for a week then died and now it's so intermittent its ridiculous.
XXJG5 was better but had the habit of losing GPS signal and putting you 100 metres off and convinced it had to draw a track between your last known good and where it thought you were.
XXJM2 was better than that in that it took account of your speed and heading and never put you more than a few feet off, but it was still prone to making silly mistakes when it lost GPS signal.
XXJM5 is looking considerably better, but they still need to sort out locking onto Satellites < 20 SnR and more than 8 satellite fixes.
The reason I think for this is because of those things called Urban canyons, buildings, trees, etc, which have an annoying habit of destroying your GPS signal. A lot of other devices will cope. Unless you can see Satellites over virtually overhead, forget all hope.

sjdean said:
This really has to be the most ridiculous poll yet.
I've had problems in all firmware, although XWJM5 (as opposed to XWJM2) is yielding some hope for a fix. It's looking quite a bit better and is a lot more stable for a lot longer.
XXJF3 was great for a week then died and now it's so intermittent its ridiculous.
XXJG5 was better but had the habit of losing GPS signal and putting you 100 metres off and convinced it had to draw a track between your last known good and where it thought you were.
XXJM2 was better than that in that it took account of your speed and heading and never put you more than a few feet off, but it was still prone to making silly mistakes when it lost GPS signal.
XXJM5 is looking considerably better, but they still need to sort out locking onto Satellites < 20 SnR and more than 8 satellite fixes.
The reason I think for this is because of those things called Urban canyons, buildings, trees, etc, which have an annoying habit of destroying your GPS signal. A lot of other devices will cope. Unless you can see Satellites over virtually overhead, forget all hope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your observations. Unfortunately it isn't possible to poll every single firmware version with the current poll functionality

Just did this track with a brand new SGS 16 GB w/JM1.
It was easy to vote.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...254,0.046434&z=15&iwloc=00048d2c278fbc21e8849
Still, as sjdean mentioned, I suspect that this issue is related to several factors and cannot be singled out that easily. I have to have one in my hands to believe it but now I guess I'll go to the store to get my money back home. Not that I don't believe that Samsung and Broadcom might end up making their magic work... I'll probably not have enough patience to wait.

Beowulf_pt said:
Just did this track with a brand new SGS 16 GB w/JM1.
It was easy to vote.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...254,0.046434&z=15&iwloc=00048d2c278fbc21e8849
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, as if a child tried to draw a route on a map. That's not good at all

Bynar010 said:
Can I suggest everyone goes on here -
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SamsungUKmobile
And promotes the GPS issue some more? They obviously are enjoying the positive press...lets see if they like some critical feedback as well.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just incase it gets deleted, here is my comments on the facebook page
Ghosty like all the others here im happy with most of the phone but i had to take the first one back as it would never get a lock on any gps satalite, the second one however is a little better as a least this one can be used to navigate, but in my tracks it is all over the show, please can you at least issuse a statment about... what the fault actually is weather it be hardware or software/firmware, as the most annoying part of it all is not knowing what is wrong, as if its software/fimeware related im sure people will hangonto the phone waiting for the fix, if however it turns out to be hardware related then there is gonna be alot of upset customers, wanting exchanges. i think you just need to clarify exactly what the issue is, saying we are working on a fix just anit good enough, especially when you are locked into a 2yr contract with a phone that only half works.
come on samsung sort it out, and give the general public some idea of what is actually gonna be done about this.
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as you can see i have not held back

ghosty_uk said:
just incase it gets deleted, here is my comments on the facebook page
Ghosty like all the others here im happy with most of the phone but i had to take the first one back as it would never get a lock on any gps satalite, the second one however is a little better as a least this one can be used to navigate, but in my tracks it is all over the show, please can you at least issuse a statment about... what the fault actually is weather it be hardware or software/firmware, as the most annoying part of it all is not knowing what is wrong, as if its software/fimeware related im sure people will hangonto the phone waiting for the fix, if however it turns out to be hardware related then there is gonna be alot of upset customers, wanting exchanges. i think you just need to clarify exactly what the issue is, saying we are working on a fix just anit good enough, especially when you are locked into a 2yr contract with a phone that only half works.
come on samsung sort it out, and give the general public some idea of what is actually gonna be done about this.
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as you can see i have not held back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have some severe problems with the GPS most of the time. ( I still can't reproduce the artistic trackings though I see all over this forum - although I never used mytracks, but always use another program for this). Nevertheless, I still want my GPS to be very reliable and the reports I read makes me a bit uncomfortable. I use it a lot for "offroad walking" and I depend for 100% on my GPS for this. I need the thing to be accurate. I need to trust on it. So yes, I'm also waiting for Samsung to come out and make a statement about this.

ghosty_uk said:
just incase it gets deleted, here is my comments on the facebook page
Ghosty like all the others here im happy with most of the phone but i had to take the first one back as it would never get a lock on any gps satalite, the second one however is a little better as a least this one can be used to navigate, but in my tracks it is all over the show, please can you at least issuse a statment about... what the fault actually is weather it be hardware or software/firmware, as the most annoying part of it all is not knowing what is wrong, as if its software/fimeware related im sure people will hangonto the phone waiting for the fix, if however it turns out to be hardware related then there is gonna be alot of upset customers, wanting exchanges. i think you just need to clarify exactly what the issue is, saying we are working on a fix just anit good enough, especially when you are locked into a 2yr contract with a phone that only half works.
come on samsung sort it out, and give the general public some idea of what is actually gonna be done about this.
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as you can see i have not held back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I left a slight 'snotty' comment on there about the issues a couple of weeks ago, to be fair, they didn't delete the comment but they never replied either!

ghosty_uk said:
just incase it gets deleted, here is my comments on the facebook page
Ghosty like all the others here im happy with most of the phone but i had to take the first one back as it would never get a lock on any gps satalite, the second one however is a little better as a least this one can be used to navigate, but in my tracks it is all over the show, please can you at least issuse a statment about... what the fault actually is weather it be hardware or software/firmware, as the most annoying part of it all is not knowing what is wrong, as if its software/fimeware related im sure people will hangonto the phone waiting for the fix, if however it turns out to be hardware related then there is gonna be alot of upset customers, wanting exchanges. i think you just need to clarify exactly what the issue is, saying we are working on a fix just anit good enough, especially when you are locked into a 2yr contract with a phone that only half works.
come on samsung sort it out, and give the general public some idea of what is actually gonna be done about this.
See more
2 seconds ago · Comment · LikeUnlike · Report
as you can see i have not held back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for those of you that remember my post on the samsung page, here is the official response from them:
Samsung UK Mobile Hi, thanks for getting in touch. Head Office is currently working on a solution to the GPS problem and we hope to have a solution very soon. Rest assured, this is a high priority task for us.
maybe we are getting through to them after all.

Yeah they seem to have put that on all the GPS complaint comments on their facebook page..except mine....perhaps I was too *****y!!

The GPS on my JM2 is just useless... no matter where I am, in my appartment or at the very centre of the city, its just unable to locate me.

Hi all,
I have used my GPS with sygic maps mobile 10 for 1387 Km and it works well!
Yes, when I entry in a tunnel it not immediately switch the screen from night and day light, it switch after about 50meter when already was inside the tunnel. This mean it is not 100% accurate but work well. Consider which has travel a street named "street of tunnel". In the same travel, the GPS of the my Iphone3gs with tomtom lost the signal always and employ many more time for take the signal again.
In city, have used POI features on the Galaxy S, and work well!
I'm "sorry", but cannot say "have a problem with GPS", because not have any problem with this GPS, for now. Some day ago has a problem with alarm clock, always have a problem with copy/paste from gmail and yahoo e-mail, but not with GPS.
For who interested, have the original rom, android 2.1-update1, only rooted.
Regards
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

GPS issue

So i did the fix, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728894, and i was able to get a gps signal after 10 seconds after i did, but now it wont connect at all, i left it outside of my house for 10 minutes and didnt connect :S

Locational services on the Galaxy S phones is totally broken. Your only option is to play the waiting game - hoping that Samsung will fix the issue in an OTA - or to return the phone and repurchase it if or when the issue is fixed.
I'm going down road #2. $500+ is too risky to potentially be stuck with a phone that doesn't work as advertised. I'm going to miss this phone...

Jon C said:
Locational services on the Galaxy S phones is totally broken. Your only option is to play the waiting game - hoping that Samsung will fix the issue in an OTA - or to return the phone and repurchase it if or when the issue is fixed.
I'm going down road #2. $500+ is too risky to potentially be stuck with a phone that doesn't work as advertised. I'm going to miss this phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand. Personally, after trying the phone on contract extension and being dissatisfied with GPS performance, I decided to risk buying a gray-market Vibrant and hope for such a fix. If the fix does not materialize fairly soon, I can probably sell it used and recover most of my investment. But based upon what is known with certainity today, I could not commit to a two-year contract renewal.
[BTW, I'm not sure why this rates a new thread. The OP is just one of many commenters with GPS woes, there is nothing really new here, and there are lots of GPS threads already.]

so no fix for this yet?

SuperMiguel said:
so no fix for this yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The short answer is no. The long answer is also no, but there is some hope for a future fix. There are lots of threads to browse and read, though.
You might try some of the other mitigating configuration changes that are published in those threads. Just setting the GPS mode to MS Based will probably help accelerate getting the lock, at least emporarily, but won't help with ultimate accuracy. At a minimum that seems to need a firmware/driver fix from Samsung and Broadcom, which is what we are all waiting for. Also reboot frequently, or even try a factory reset (which means reinstalling all your apps and data). This seems to help suppress some of the bugs temporarily.

A story of two phones and how I got the GPS fixed.

Hello all, generally I am a lurker here and find want I need and more on. But today I decided to share the story of getting two Vibrants GPS fixed. I am sharing this to hopefully help someone else who is as frustrated as I was. I am not here to debate what Samsung or T-Mobile should or should not have done. This is not a magic software fix or discovering something hidden. It is just using what was already in place to get the phones fixed and hope this helps at least one person. here goes...
My best friend Tom and I purchased our Vibrants on the same day. Both have a production date of 7/17/2010. Since day one my GPS has never really worked. There were a few times I would get a glimpse of it working but then would quickly stop. Tom's GPS has been good, not fantastic but okay. Neither of us use them driving but do use them for walking and bike riding.
As many of us I had high hopes JI6 would be the magic fix but for me it made it worse. Tom's phone was still about the same. My phone is/was rooted and I have tried a number of fixes and ROMs but nothing has helped. Tom's phone has never been rooted.
So a few weeks ago my frustration got to me and I decided something had to be done. Since the phone has a manf warranty on it I decided to contact Samsung to hopefully resolve this issue. And with a little pressure from me Tom did the same to get his working better. I felt Samsung's support was great and explained the problems, they did have me go through some minor testing but I stressed I had also already done those tests but still did what they told me as I know they are just doing their job. Samsung gave me two choices to either return to T-Mobile or send it in. They quickly sent us prepaid two-day air labels and our phones went out for repair.
Little over a week and both phones were back. In looking at the repair emails it seems that Samsung had only tested and reinstalled the OS. Okay, this was a bit bothersome knowing this was all that was done but thought I would see the results. First up Tom's phone. His now worked perfect. Locks on 6 to 8 birds in about 10 seconds. Going on walks it was spot on. Mine, well not so much luck. Out testing I went through two batteries while his worked on every test we threw at them. I called Samsung back explaining how I had tested and the results. They were very apologetic and again offered for me to send it in or return to T-Mobile. They quickly sent me a return label and off my phone went. This time I also enclosed a very detailed note explaining my tests and results.
The day my phone was shipping back the email from them said Problem found: BAD BGA Component. Solution: Replaced PBA. From my understanding the PBA is the main board but I could be wrong. I received my phone back and started testing the GPS. Hot damn! The phone sees 10 to 12 satellites and I get a lock from 4 to 8 in about 10 seconds then continues with locks on about 6 or so while testing. I have since tested it out on a number of walks and it has been quite good. My last test today (which is cloudy and snowy) was about a 4.5 mile walk around the city and included a stop in the grocery store and CardioTrainer even continued to track my walk inside the store. And sitting here at my desk inside my apartment I am getting a lock on 4 birds in just a few seconds after a reboot.
On top of the fixed GPS I have noticed an improvement of battery life. Granted it has only been a week and I don't have exact specs on this but it seems to be working longer. Also I now have GPS turned on instead of always off. Another bonus is my general signal strength on the phone is better. In the back room of my apartment I would always get zero or one bar. Now I get three and in most cases have noticed a 1 to 2 bar increase anywhere I am. I assume this is also helping battery life.
So I hope this encourages anyone else who feels like I did to just use your warranty and get it fixed. Yes you will be without your phone for a couple of weeks but hopefully the end result will be a fixed phone. Also I encourage you to be kind to the rep when you call, in a previous job I use to do tech support for a call center and know that the nice customers always got treated much better than the yelling and screaming ones. And keep in mind it might take a second return to get it fixed as it did mine. Granted if it would have required a third return I would not have been nice.
Note: A couple of the reps I spoke with at Sumsung stressed that the GPS is not designed to work in stand-alone mode. It will always need a network assist and a dataplan will also be needed. I asked one of them why they were stressing that and he told me that so many of the calls regarding GPS were people without datapalns. It did not surprise me that the mobile network is needed. I did do one quick test with data turned off and I get nothing on the GPS.
All previous & post testing was done with JI6 so I had something to compare. But now I am running Nero 5 and still GPS has been great!
So that is it, I hope this helps someone!
-mg

Nero 5 cured my GPS! Honestly.
No other Rom did.

Actually if u order a new placement your gps will most, likely work.
They've changed all their refurbs gps or something, so your right.
thanks for sharing your story

mgerard said:
All previous & post testing was done with JI6 so I had something to compare. But now I am running Nero 5 and still GPS has been great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since Nero 5 is based on Samsung's KA5 leak, did you ever try just the stock KA5 rom to see if you got similar results? Perhaps Nero 5 is just inheriting certain fixes which you're assuming are exclusive to Nero 5 when they could actually be common to any/all KA5 based rom?

I did the mechanical fix and that made seeing and locking exponentially better, I always had some sat action, but now, i got 15 sats the other days 8 lock....... insane

Installing Axura rom with JL5 gets me 9/12 sats. My GPS locks on and starts working within 10s. I did purchase a refurbished Vibrant so maybe they changed a part on my phone.

Lethal_NFS said:
I did purchase a refurbished Vibrant so maybe they changed a part on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every Vibrant has a date code under the battery. Anything November 2010 and later, I believe is using newer GPS parts. This definitely true of many new phones but also may be true of refurbished phones as well.

epakrat75 said:
Since Nero 5 is based on Samsung's KA5 leak, did you ever try just the stock KA5 rom to see if you got similar results? Perhaps Nero 5 is just inheriting certain fixes which you're assuming are exclusive to Nero 5 when they could actually be common to any/all KA5 based rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess KA5 may be a fix for some or even mine but it was clear a hardware fix did work as JI6 did not before but then did after. My frustration just got to me last month and sent it out! I really hope KA5 helps people that will be great!

oka1 said:
I did the mechanical fix and that made seeing and locking exponentially better, I always had some sat action, but now, i got 15 sats the other days 8 lock....... insane
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had thought about the mechanical fix but decided I should get Samsung to do it since it was under warranty. This way I would not risk voiding my warranty for when it was needed. I can't afford a new phone right now!

i just got a new phone after a warranty replacement...and i just tested my old phone and my new one...my old one would find 1 gps satellite and and then lose it, never locking on....when google maps found me..the smallest it is ever accurate is within 100 meters...and this is after like a minute
i tested my replacement model and i turned on google maps...not more than 1/2 a second, it locked on within 4 meters...i also got 10 satellites in 3 seconds and locked onto 9 of them in about 10 seconds
agreed with OP, if you are having problems with GPS, and are under warranty, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT...do not open your phone, or anything risky when this is such a viable option
also...i got my replacement in 4 business days

I am very disappointed with Google

To whomsoever it may concern. Yes that's what my state of mind is right now.
I will begin from the beginning then.
So heard on 4th October 2016 that google is launching it's Pixel phones. Couldn't have been more excited with the news as I am a big android fan boy. I had been using the Nexus 6p then, so the news of the Pixel phones was really pleasing to me.
I wait for the Pixels to get launched in India. 26th October 2016 is the date. I pre-order my Pixel XL very silver 128 GB before hand and receive the handset on 26th! Very happy!!
I haven't ever used a better phone than the Pixel XL. The smoothest android experience. Period.
So a month passes by. The phone does overheat from time to time but other than that it worked fine. My "rock solid" Pixel XL gets about 40 GB full. One fine day, while I was trying to open a PDF from my drive, the device freezes and reboots. Nothing to worry, sometime android does that, I think to myself. Same day, Gmail freezes and the phone reboots. Then the Camera freezes and it reboots. Now I started to see a pattern. Tried uninstalling apps one by one, to pin point the root cause. Found nothing. Tried Safe Mode. Still it would freeze and reboot. Finally, made my peace with a factory reset. The phone started behaving. I told myself that I must be some rogue app.
This cycle continues again when the phone reaches that 40 GB mark. It would freeze and reboot. Factory reset once again. It works fine.
So I start suspecting the phone internal memory. I fill up the around 80 GB with random videos and music. The restarts start happening like clockwork.
Come 6th December 2016, and I receive the 7.1.1 update. Everything goes smooth. The phone acts normal, for sometime at least. I call up Google Support on the 8th and the guy tells me to take my phone to the service center.
Moments after, I see my phone restarting. It boots up and it's sitting on my table. In about five minutes, while lying idle on the table, it reboots. And this time, it reboots to boot-loader. I try to start the phone with the power key and the volume keys by choosing the right option. It boots back to boot-loader. Doesn't load up android. So somehow my phone was soft bricked just sitting idle on the table.
I am not new to the fastboot mode and decide to flash the stock rom. However, there is this issue that i suddenly see. The fastboot screen on my phone says Baseband : N/A and my bootloader is locked! The only option I see to get android up and running is using stock recovery and sideloading the Stock ROM, which should have worked as Google Stock ROMS are signed and might have not need unlocked bootloader(I did my research). I select recovery, and surprise surprise! The phone says recovery can't be loaded, press any key to go back!!
So now my phone has no OS, no baseband, no recovery with a locked bootloader! And i don't know how it happened!
I take the phone to the service center today around 11 am. They can't make sense of what happened. They say they would keep the phone for sometime. I get a call from them around 4, which was like half an hour back. The guy tells me there is a power button issue and another hardware issue(which he doesn't specify) and tells me they will keep the phone for 2 days. And repair it!
WHAT!?! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU REPAIRING MY PHONE GOOGLE!?! It's a new phone, not even 2 months old! And it doesn't come cheap! For the price amount I would expect it to work flawlessly!! I ask the service guy for replacement unit, and he says it is more than 14 days old, and gives me all terms and conditions! The problems that I had with this phone couldn't have been foreseen!! Till the time the internal storage gets to about 30 percent full the restarting issue did not show itself.
I expect a replacement unit or a full refund. Because this is just not fair! Not really happy with you Google. Thanks!
P.S.: thanks for reading this.

TL;DR
Cliff notes?

I am not getting it! You mean that the phone you had, had no hardware problems? So if its software only, then why did you submit the phone at service centre at first place? And in case they are offering you a repair service, or a new phone, what is the problem with that? From the sound of it it does sound like a hardware problem anyway, repetitive problems are never software. In fact you should be rather thankful that they accepted the phone and offering you a free service, cause a lot of reviews say that HTC service centre is asking money for a phone which is just one month old and sorts like that.
And you probably are one unlucky fella where the phone might have come with a hardware problem, cause most seem happy with theirs anyway. I am not defending Pixel or its ridiculous price point anyway.

Honestly what's the difference? If they fix it and it's working again then it should be no different than a new unit. unless you've damaged the device and wanted to get a new one with no damage I don't understand.
So if you get a new car from a dealer and it has an issue you would demand a new car instead of letting them repair it? Sounds pretty dumb to me.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Guarantee this is caused by a bad memory chip. The only way to fix it is to replace the chip (which I highly doubt can be done at a service center) or the motherboard. I had a Nexus 4 that had the same issue. Eventually I could not even write a new system image at all.
At least demand a written explanation of what was done to correct the problem so if it continues after being repaired you can demand a new unit. If they are replacing the board you should be good to go.

So you are angry that Google are fixing the device for you at no charge to yourself? Things go wrong sometimes, sounds like Google are looking after you nicely.
You will get your phone back in the same condition you gave it to them - with the issues resolved.
Or
If they can't fix it, they will replace it.
What's the issue?

Mdizzle1 said:
So you are angry that Google are fixing the device for you at no charge to yourself? Things go wrong sometimes, sounds like Google are looking after you nicely.
You will get your phone back in the same condition you gave it to them - with the issues resolved.
Or
If they can't fix it, they will replace it.
What's the issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He wants a new phone. I understand. From my experience when things like this go wrong like this they keep going wrong. It is a phone not a new car. I am surprised they did not give him a new phone and call it a day.

johnciaccio said:
He wants a new phone. I understand. From my experience when things like this go wrong like this they keep going wrong. It is a phone not a new car. I am surprised they did not give him a new phone and call it a day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree

Pretty sure that the NAND chips are faulty. That is why after that chip gets written with data, phone starts to act up.
It may not be easy to replace just the faulty chip. Either they will replace the whole logic board or give you a new piece.

ithehappy said:
I am not getting it! You mean that the phone you had, had no hardware problems? So if its software only, then why did you submit the phone at service centre at first place? And in case they are offering you a repair service, or a new phone, what is the problem with that? From the sound of it it does sound like a hardware problem anyway, repetitive problems are never software. In fact you should be rather thankful that they accepted the phone and offering you a free service, cause a lot of reviews say that HTC service centre is asking money for a phone which is just one month old and sorts like that.
And you probably are one unlucky fella where the phone might have come with a hardware problem, cause most seem happy with theirs anyway. I am not defending Pixel or its ridiculous price point anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a hardware problem only, the phone worked fine till the 40 GB or so mark. And yeah, seem to feel unlucky about this now.
Also, I am not bashing HTC for this, they were pretty nice and they are doing their job. I understand that. Just not happy about the situation I am in that's all.

superchilpil said:
Honestly what's the difference? If they fix it and it's working again then it should be no different than a new unit. unless you've damaged the device and wanted to get a new one with no damage I don't understand.
So if you get a new car from a dealer and it has an issue you would demand a new car instead of letting them repair it? Sounds pretty dumb to me.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish i would have damaged the device just so that I would have something to blame this on.
And as for the car issue, you would want a new car, won't you? They will indeed repair it, however, a customer asking for a new car which works doesn't sound dumb to me.

johnciaccio said:
Guarantee this is caused by a bad memory chip. The only way to fix it is to replace the chip (which I highly doubt can be done at a service center) or the motherboard. I had a Nexus 4 that had the same issue. Eventually I could not even write a new system image at all.
At least demand a written explanation of what was done to correct the problem so if it continues after being repaired you can demand a new unit. If they are replacing the board you should be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thought as much. Thanks for reading the long post!!:good:

sanke1 said:
Pretty sure that the NAND chips are faulty. That is why after that chip gets written with data, phone starts to act up.
It may not be easy to replace just the faulty chip. Either they will replace the whole logic board or give you a new piece.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is when they eventually return the phone, it would be hard for me to understand if the problem persists until I get a PC in front of me and fill up the device. And the problem is pretty random too. Thanks for the reply though.

No problem. Been in similar shoes. You are not getting anything for free here.. It is one of the most expensive phones out there and you paid for a new device. Not one that has been reopened after being assembled. Check it carefully for scratches after getting it back.
I do not even like my car being worked on. Nothing is as perfect as when it comes from the factory.

dc/dc said:
TL;DR
Cliff notes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got a faulty Pixel XL, issue with the logic board(based on what i have read on this discussion so far), not really happy with HTC opening my new phone and repairing it. I paid for a new phone and I want a new phone which works! I know I am whining a bit.

johnciaccio said:
No problem. Been in similar shoes. You are not getting anything for free here.. It is one of the most expensive phones out there and you paid for a new device. Not one that has been reopened after being assembled. Check it carefully for scratches after getting it back.
I do not even like my car being worked on. Nothing is as perfect as when it comes from the factory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You read my mind!! Totally agree!!:good:

At least it will be fixed. I purchased my Nexus 4 from a reseller so Google refused to warranty it even though it was completely sealed and new when purchased. Google hates resellers, which I understand the reason, but it is not a good policy to have.

johnciaccio said:
At least it will be fixed. I purchased my Nexus 4 from a reseller so Google refused to warranty it even though it was completely sealed and new when purchased. Google hates resellers, which I understand the reason, but it is not a good policy to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It surely is not a good policy to have. And with the pixel devices the resellers were a part of the launch process. It was not like we had to wait for a few days after it was available online. It was almost the same time. I hope i get my device as soon as possible in working condition, because as I mentioned earlier, I love the phone. Also I have been using a prehistoric Nokia 1100 which I found in some corner of my house as I don't have any other back up device currently.

I'm just impressed that Google had a service center in Bangalore.

Yeah sucks. Let us know how it goes.