After using Nexus 4 for a week, I just found out that there's an inherent flaw of design. The proximity sensor is so close to the earphone jack that when it is turned on, it induces interference in earphone signals, causing significant noises.
Here's how I found out about it. In order to avoid the hassle of having to press a button every time to turn off the screen to save battery, I install an app that automatically turns off display when proximity sensor is covered. Normally the sensor is off, and when i turn on this app, it enables the sensor. Then I plugged in my earphones to listen to music, and then I hear the constant noise that accompanies any sound. When I turn the app off, then sensor goes off and the noise immediately disappears.
So, what can I say... good job by LG and Google, Not sure which one of them exactly is responsible for screwing this up. If they were to adopt this design, at least they should have had enough basic physics to realize there was going to be induced current that makes the sound go **** and add some sort of shielding.
I'm really disappointed. The launch on google play store was a disaster that lasted for months and the phone doesn't run as smooth as I expected, not to mention the battery life...
Is it a common choice to put these two things right next to each other to make phones more compact? Does this problem occur on other phones?
Seems like you're the only one with the problem.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Well, they didn't know that there will be one guy, who is desperate to use his proximity sensor and listen to the music in the same time. **** happens.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
scream4cheese said:
Seems like you're the only one with the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No he's not, I have the same problem.
My proximity sensor is always active, because I also use an app that works with the sensor (IntelliCover) to turn on/off the screen.
Maybe it is the app. I hear no noise when I listen to music and then launch Sensor Test (thus verifying the sensor is on and functioning).
Cause who actually wants to push the power button every time they want their screen to turn on and off gawdd
Super first world xda problems
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
To solutions etcetera: I don't think you tested correctly. You need to use some app that enables your proximity sensor and keeps it active constantly. Then put on your earphones and you'll here the noise due to the active proximity sensor.
Also I don't think it's a problem of any individual app because I tried several similar ones and the problem persists. The post above also confirms the issue on another device using a different app.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
givoltage said:
To solutions etcetera: I don't think you tested correctly. You need to use some app that enables your proximity sensor and keeps it active constantly. Then put on your earphones and you'll here the noise due to the active proximity sensor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is Sensor Test not an app that enables the proximity sensor?
You need to make sure the sensor is on before you play music through headphone, not afterwards. Also make your music volume low so the noise is not covered. You can pause the music and the problem will be very obvious.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
givoltage said:
You need to make sure the sensor is on before you play music through headphone, not afterwards. Also make your music volume low so the noise is not covered. You can pause the music and the problem will be very obvious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not obvious at all. I set up a Tasker profile that flashes a word to the screen from the proximity sensor (so it is indeed on full time), Launch Play Music and listen to music and there is no noise, paused or otherwise.
I installed the app you mentioned and was able to reproduce the problem. Again you are testing it wrong.
The app only enables sensors when it's active. Once you switch to player and it goes to the background, it stops detecting.
Not sure what tasker profile you were talking about
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
givoltage said:
Not sure what tasker profile you were talking about... Again you are testing it wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You win... I give up.
But mine works just fine.
Seriously, Sensor Test doesn't keep your sensor active full-time.
You can try any of those apps which auto turn off the screen, and you'll be able to hear the noise in headphone.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
givoltage said:
Seriously, Sensor Test doesn't keep your sensor active full-time.
You can try any of those apps which auto turn off the screen, and you'll be able to hear the noise in headphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously, Tasker does... and I don't hear it.
Last comment as your continued denial is tiresome. Take it for what it's worth... the sensor is not causing any issues with audio on my Nexus 4.
I don't believe it. There must be something wrong and I cannot tell without actually buying and testing with Tasker. I read something about tasker turning off the sensor to save battery. You might look into that.
I suggest you use something that has been confirmed to keep the sensor constantly on to run the test, instead of denying the issue by mere experience with a not-well-understood app.
If you do so, first you can confirm the issue happens on all Nexus 4 devices. Second you would prove that Tasker indeed turns it off without your knowing it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
I did testing. I downloaded IntelliCover and plugged headphones in. As soon as I hit the on button in the application, I heard that faint buzzing noise - no music required. But here's the thing: The sound is only momentary. It buzzes for ten seconds and stops, and then when you wave your hand over it to turn it off, it starts buzzing again and then it stops.
Never had this kind of problem and i am using a lot the hands free.
rr5678 said:
I did testing. I downloaded IntelliCover and plugged headphones in. As soon as I hit the on button in the application, I heard that faint buzzing noise - no music required. But here's the thing: The sound is only momentary. It buzzes for ten seconds and stops, and then when you wave your hand over it to turn it off, it starts buzzing again and then it stops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what I was talking about.
As long as (1) proximity sensor is on (2) any sound is played, the buzzing noise will occur.
If you trigger one sound and stay silent, it fades out. If you play music it's always there.
Essentially it's interfering with the audio signal passed to the cable by the audio jack.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
givoltage said:
This is exactly what I was talking about.
As long as (1) proximity sensor is on (2) any sound is played, the buzzing noise will occur.
If you trigger one sound and stay silent, it fades out. If you play music it's always there.
Essentially it's interfering with the audio signal passed to the cable by the audio jack.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's what I think it is......it's an unfixable hardware defect. I am assuming that the traces for the proximity sensor are too close to the audio jack's traces - interference.
AW: [Q] Conflict between proximity sensor and earphone jack on Nexus 4
rr5678 said:
If it's what I think it is......it's an unfixable hardware defect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid you're right.
Had a RMA and got the actual revision 11.
Same problem with the new device.
Related
Hi all,
Currently i'm having an issue. From time to time my speaker emits a loud sound like a pop and it stops working. No sound is emitted after that until i reboot or plug and unplug my headphones. Is this a HW issue or a software issue. Is this a known problem? I tried googling it but got no relevant results.
Beamed from my Paranoid Google Nexus 7
The same thing has happen to me twice...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
I own 2 , 1 I already had to replace due to a messed up screen upon delivery. Now both mine and my sons speakers male a crackle sound every now and then. Neither of my tabs have ever been turned up high at all and speaker quality still sounds fine but this really bugs the hell outa me. Anyone have any input on what this may be? (This faint crackle (feedback like) sounds only happens when I'm not using the tabs and nothing is playing)) They have never ran real hot that I'm aware of.. Not real into oc
Sent from my neXus 7 (Rasbean & Trinity kernel)
It's been happening to mine recently, and occurs on a per app basis. If the popping sound happens in one app, no sound will come from that app until I close it from the recent apps menu.
*Sent from Nexus S*
My Nexus 7 gets the pop but only when the screen is off and no sound is playing. It also does not cause any issues or affect audio playback in any way. I've had other mobile devices that have done this and my best guess would be that my device i switching between a low and higher power state or vice versa (scanning for notification updates or entering a sleep state). I often notice it occurs shortly before I receive an email and it only happens when the screen has been off for at least 15-20 seconds.
Some of you clearly have a different problem but given the shared symptom, I'm wondering if it could be rooted in a similar cause.
Hello all,
Very happy with the Note 3 so far, which is no mean feat since I came from an S4.
I have however found an issue which could end up being very annoying. I use my phone for listening to music through a headphone amp and a set of UE Triple-Fi, so I'm sensitive to potential issues. I've found that when the phone is idle (no music playing, no other apps using the sound subsystem) there is a constant and very clear hiss. If I press the volume rocker down for example, it "thumps" and goes quiet for a few seconds, then the hiss returns. Similarly, if I start playing some music (Spotify or Google Music for example) again it thumps and goes as quiet as as I can hear.
Just to make it absolutely clear:
1) there's no hiss when a sound is playing, just when the phone is not outputting anything sound-wise.
2) when going from no sound to an app starting to play a sound, there's a clear, audible click/thump.
So from all the above it doesn't sound (ahem...) like a DAC SNR issue for example, just potentially a software bug. Has anyone else noticed this, are there any fixes?
Thanks!
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Yepp, same problem here...and I hate it. I haven´t found a solution yet. The N2 I had before didn´t suffer of this backgroundnoise.
Thanks for replying, at least I know it's not me going crazy! Can anyone else reproduce this, or is it just us? If it's not everyone then we've got faulty devices, at least that has a solution. Thanks!
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
My laptop does this.
Set the brightness to full. (and turn off auto brightness.)
Also try disabling any battery-savers.
Nope, this doesn't cause it. The problem is there all the time, no matter what battery options I use.
Gesendet von meinem SM-N9005 mit Tapatalk
And changing the brightness to full also has no effect? (That was the main cause on several devices.)
If not, I suspect something else is running in the background. Since it briefly stops when you press the volume keys, it is unlikely to be caused by dust in the headset port. So it has to be an app causing this.
It's still there after the latest updates. I think I might actually take a trip to a Samsung store or just an EE store and see if another Note 3 has the same problem, at least then I know if it's a general issue or if mine's faulty. To be honest, I'm starting to get a bit annoyed with it now just because of this.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
when recording video i get the awful hissing sound
steps i tried
reflashing
turning off sound zoom
turning on airplane mode to disable radio
anyone else?
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I wouldn't even try to guess until you provide a reasonable amount of information about your situation. How do you expect us to narrow anything down without any clues?
Where is a sample video clip or even a decent description of the hiss? Tell us under what conditions this occurs, e.g. only on quiet environments, randomly, always, etc. Does it change when you change video quality settings, internal, external mike? What model phone, firmware version and anything else that appears even remotely relevant.
.
oki. ill upload a sample. it occurs under all circumstances, phone is pure stock so camera app and all is out of the box
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
the video and hissing (turn volume up)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/brxys1ka3u86l56/20140819_095825.mp4
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
screened
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
?
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
That seems to be a musical selection.. so how to tell what is part of the unknown music track and what is hiss? Better would have been recording the quietest environment you could find. Or if the hiss only shows up when recording something, then play a recorded music track. And provide both the phone recording and the original music track so that it can be, more or less, subtracted or distinguished from the hiss.
It would help if the track didn't have interfering music or if you tried recording in quiet, moderate, loud environments, impulse sounds, etc with comments on whether the hiss varies under various conditions. At a guess it's the aggressive ALC (auto level control) when you record with the internal (?) mike. So when there is a quiet part in the music, the ALC cranks up the gain and the noise from the phone circuit becomes more apparent. On that theory it would be good to know if using an external mike alleviates the problem or not.
If it is an ALC problem.. there isn't much that you can do about it.. other than consider using an external mike.. not recording in quiet locations, which could be difficult.. or hope that someone disassembles and tames the ALC.
.
I have the same problem. Even returned my phone to the service and they did smth to the mic, maybe even replaced it. But my problem is still there. Search for check out 'hissing 001' video on youtube, i have uploaded a sampleml. they said they tried recording videos with two other samsung fives, and they all had hissing problems. But i just cant accept that a quality phone like thos has an amateur error like this... for others, sound recording sounds just fine. What can I do?
I'm having the same problem. Not sure when it started but now the hissing sound happens most of the time when I recorded videos. Recording voice through an app doesn't create any hissing sound. Anyone can provide anything we can try? TIA.
kan555 said:
I'm having the same problem. Not sure when it started but now the hissing sound happens most of the time when I recorded videos. Recording voice through an app doesn't create any hissing sound. Anyone can provide anything we can try? TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got my device back from service, and I have to say they did something to it, because now the mic works PERFECT, without hissing whatsoever.
IT could be sw related problem, but i strongly believe they gave me a brand new mic.
good luck!
darkerr9 said:
I just got my device back from service, and I have to say they did something to it, because now the mic works PERFECT, without hissing whatsoever.
IT could be sw related problem, but i strongly believe they gave me a brand new mic.
good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the update Darkerr9. I'm tempted to replace the mic by myself but not so confident I can handle it. Watched how to do it on youtube and will cost me around $25 for the parts. I still think it's software related issue since when recording just voice, it works perfectly. No white noise or anything. ... hmmm.. what to do..?
kan555 said:
Thanks for the update Darkerr9. I'm tempted to replace the mic by myself but not so confident I can handle it. Watched how to do it on youtube and will cost me around $25 for the parts. I still think it's software related issue since when recording just voice, it works perfectly. No white noise or anything. ... hmmm.. what to do..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I see. Well I still had my warranty so they did it for free. And remember, the 1st time they (another service) tried to fix this, they failed to do so. I guess I got lucky now... voice recording quality is poorer, so that doesnt count imo btw if you use your headset mic, you will see (hear) that the problem is fixed..
Hi everyone. I have the same problem and it's very frustrating. I don't have a solution BUT I know the reason why it's hissing . It's not the microphone! When I record only audio with both microphones it's all OK. The problem occurs when front cam is on! When my girlfriend close up the phone to her ear she heard that awful sound (hissing). So the camera make that noise. Top mic is very close to the cam so mic gets that noise. Try to hear very closely to the cam and check if you have the same noise from cam.
I am experiencing very annoying speaker pops on unlocking and relocking the 6p (32GB aluminium) with nothing playing. Anyone else?
kboya said:
I am experiencing very annoying speaker pops on unlocking and relocking the 6p (32GB aluminium) with nothing playing. Anyone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to confirm you don't mean the actual lock/unlock sound effects do you?
Sounds like a defect to me. I'm not having that issue when I lock and unlock phone.
Did you have the nexus 6 at all? My nexus 6 has an annoying sound upon unlock at times.
Maybe it's a similar sound.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Henrock11 said:
Did you have the nexus 6 at all? My nexus 6 has an annoying sound upon unlock at times.
Maybe it's a similar sound.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this on my Nexus 6 - it was really annoying and seemed to worsen as the battery level dropped. I'm happy to say there's no issues like this on the 6P (for me anyway)
To clarify, it's a sound like the static charge pop on a separates HiFi system when turning on and off.
My n9 did it, although only one the bootloader was unlocked (then again that proved to be faulty and was so poorly implemented that it almost put me off nexus devices).
You're not the only one. I've got the same issue. Been doing it since the moment I turned it on.
Although, I honestly think it's just the lock and unlock sound. I've seen people talking about it on Reddit as well. The only way to change it would be to swap out the unlock and lock.ogg files.
Turn off the screen locking sounds. It's under 'Other Sounds' in the Settings menu.
It is not the stock noises. Perhaps I should've said crackle instead of pop (and now I need a snap!)
So I had what I think you're talking about now that I remember. It happened when I installed double twist and connected the phone via AUX cable to my cars stereo to stream some music. Once I unplugged the phone notification sounds turned into static pops basically. No jingly sounds would play. It took a reboot but seems OK now. I assume you've rebooted tho, so not sure how much help this is lol.
MYxdaUSERNAME said:
Turn off the screen locking sounds. It's under 'Other Sounds' in the Settings menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said, works.
Hi,
I have a strange issue wherein the botton speaker of the phone totally stops working occasionally and all the sound comes through the top speaker. The volume for the top speaker is also very low and its badly distorted. The only fix is a restart.
This started happening a 1 month back, I've had this phone since November last year. So i don't think its a hardware issue. Does anyone have any any ideas as to what might be the issue.
Could it be that some app is causing this or some software updated messed it up ?
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
From my own personal experience, it seems to be due to surround sound configuration. If the app partly allows surround sound, the sound will be badly mixed between the speaker, while if you set the app to mono-speakers only it will play sound from both speakers. Try to play some music in mono or download a midi-file with mono configuration and see if it does anything different.
But this is happening with all apps when it happens. If it would have been just one app it would have been easy to pin point, but when it happens, its for all apps.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
Solved
Yea so i checked it ... I killed the google play music after turning the equalizer off and started it again...the problem is solved :good:
My bottom speaker has done the same, I noticed it when I could hardly hear on load speaks. I am reading it's come with the new Android update 7. Seems about he same ti e mine stopped. I have tryed your fix. Turning of eq in Google Play. Shutting it down then restartinh. But no fix.
Use stereo test app (high volume) and this will fix your problem.
Were you able to fix this issue?
I'm having the same issue on my Mate 20 Pro
just restart your phone fckers