[Q] Sensors no longer functioning - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey guys,
This is my first Samsung after multiple HTCs, so this has really annoyed me... I preordered from Orange back in April, so I've had it since release. Everything was fine, though the battery life was far from perfect.
In the last week, maybe two, I noticed that the screen wasn't turning properly. Then it was stuck on the right side, whenever I turned on Screen Rotation. After 4 restarts, it just does nothing. I tried wiping and starting again, but to no avail...
I've also been into the *#0*# menu and under Sensors, the Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Magnetic selftests all fail. I thankfully don't play any games that require them, but taking photos is stuck to landscape and I can't view them in landscape on my phone...
Any theories?

same problem here mate!
Rooted, installed CWM recovery, fooled around with some Google Edition Roms and now I`m on the same problem.
Out of the blue, the sensor stoped working!
Flashed my original ROM with Odin and that didn`t work.
And background of the recovery (now original) the android has a red triangle and he is lying flat.
Everything else is working...
Someone plz help!

I'm sorry about how this sounds, but I'm glad it's not just me!
I didn't try rooting yet, so it's not related to that. I'm going to call Samsung (no web support...) Tomorrow if I get a chance.
Had yours overheated a few times beforehand? I'm wondering if the sensors are ruined by the heat...

Not sure if it is the heat...
My GS3 was always hot when using! And everything was fine for more than a year.
Your light sensor is working?
Mine is not working either.
To be more precise:
Accelerometer, Proximity, Barometer, Light, Gyroscope, Magnetic, Gesture and Temp-Humid
all of the Sensors of the *#0*# test
=/

Nope, light sensor doesn't recognise when I'm in a call and put it to my ear, or remove it... It senses nothing.

Today I unstalled the 3D Image live wallpaper app (since it uses the Gyroscope) and restarted the the phone, every sensor was up and running again.
So I installed the 3D Image live wallpaper again and after a while the sensors stopped again.
So I unstalled again and rebooted the phone again and... Nothing! This seens to be completly random.
Do you use any Gyroscope 'intensive' app?

I factory reset my handset and nothing, so it's not an app or wallpaper I'm using. After the restore I used the Internet Browser to check the screen rotation, nothing.

I've a similar problem here... the sensors sometimes doesn't work, sometimes does work, it's random. Already tried to restore factory defaults and many different FWs, always with this same behavior....
My S4 has only 3 weeks, and it came like this, but I took some time to identify the problem...

I have the same problem, I tried factory reset several times, changed the FW for all available versions and the problem continues. In my case the only difference is that the sensors operate for a maximum of 30minutes after I reboot the phone and then stop again.

Has anything else happened like getting water near the phone in order for sensors to not work..
Or the phobe fell down?
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda premium

Can the problem due to the installation of a third-party launcher like Nova or Apex? When using these launcher, none of the sensors work. When back to the default TW launcher, some work while others not working.
Is this a bug?

greeny2010 said:
Can the problem due to the installation of a third-party launcher like Nova or Apex? When using these launcher, none of the sensors work. When back to the default TW launcher, some work while others not working.
Is this a bug?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used stock Touchwiz. My sensors suddenly stopped working. I did a hard reset and problem still existed. Today I will get my phone from repair and post some more info.

Using the *#0*# test mode, all functions are working. However, some of the sensors are working like hit-and-run state. Wondering should I bring it down to the service center.

Got my SGS4 today and flashed it to GE ROM. Everything woks fine, but I tried taking a picture with Photosphere and it kept on drifting off.
I guess that means I have a similar problem. Will test Service menu later today...
OK, Service Menu does not work on GE edition ROM...but I found a little app called Sensor Test for free on the PlayStore and it shows all sensors working fine with the exception of the accelerometer...that gives nonsense values...

It does sound like a fault with hardware not software or anything you have done so you should be able to walk into the orange store or [insert carrier retail store here] and they should replace it as long as your under contract at least thats how it works here in the uk with the sales of goods act

Okay. Strange things. I only habe severe problems in Photosphere. Flashed a different ROM and service menu dass all OK.
GPS toolbox looks OK with the compass ticking slightly to the right, then jerking back. Needs More research...
Update: I flashed back to a 4.2.2 ROM (also Google Edition) and now my problem seems to be gone...
Are you all on 4.3 or do some of you use 4.2 ROMs?
Update2: Turned out to be coinsidence...drifting started in 4.2.2 as well. I then tried my trust old Galaxy Nexus and saw that it also drifts now. I'm completely confused...

Got my S4 back from repair center. They replaced the main board and now everything appears to be working ok.

goodemail said:
Got my S4 back from repair center. They replaced the main board and now everything appears to be working ok.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got mine back, too (Germany, datrepair.de). Don't know what they changed, but it's still not functioning. So disappointed...

Hey i just had the same issue, suddenly (nothing happened, i was playing some game, not even with heavy graphics or anything) and when i was back to my home screen i noticed the auto rotation doesn't work, after i tried rebooting and taking out the battery i re-flashed my omega rom and still, nothing.
In the sensors test they all fail.
Is there anything else other than sending it to repair?
I mean did anyone succeeded in repairing that issue with some simple means?
Thanks!

i had the exact same problem
i claimed warranty, still waiting

Related

[Q] HTC Trophy - camera not working need help diagnosing

Hi have a HTC Trophy that doesn't have a working camera when the camera app is activated. I just get a blank black screen instead of an image and the usual white icons so I can access settings but can't take a picture.
try to reset ur phone
already...but that wont solve the issue..
Mine started doing exactly the same thing last night after working fine all week. Now, there were 4 applications updates yesterday which maybe caused an issue. However, I also dropped it on a fairly hard surface and it fell flat on the floor. Everything else is working absolutely fine, GPS, Audio, WIFI etc and only the camera seems to be at fault. Even the HTC flashlight app works fine. I have powered down and on a few times but no difference. I could do a full reset, that's the last thing to try but then I will have to start from scratch re-loading all the applications.
At the moment, I'm inclined to believe that dropping it has not done it any good (sounds obvious when I write it out like that). Isn't it amazing how a phone with camera capability has become so important...

[Q] Camera problems.

Hello
I have been having some problems with the main camera on the A500. It has different tints to it. Sometimes the picture seems to be divided in 4 and all 4 squares have a different hue to them. Restoring to factory settings seem to take care of it for a while. Initially I thought it was "skype" that messed it up, but it is not.
I just restarted the tablet and the camera is giving me a yellow tint, with a clear horizontal stripe about 3/4 inch wide through the middle.
The tab has stock 3.2 on it.
I was wondering if anyone has experienced similar problems and if there was a solution to the problem.
Thank you
Well, I would think the problem seems to be some app/apps you have installed. Based on when you do a factory reset, it goes away.
I would just do another factory reset. Then verify it went away. Run it for a couple of days WITHOUT installing any apps. This will probably rule out a hardware issue.
Then install apps, 1 at a time. Use the camera, and look for issues.
Thanx. I will give that a try.
I traced it back to Swift Key X keyboard for tablets. How is that even possible?
Also yahoo messenger is another one that ruins the camera. As soon as I install any of those apps and reboot, the camera is back to normal.
Does anyone out there use either of those apps?
mobilebone said:
I traced it back to Swift Key X keyboard for tablets. How is that even possible?
Also yahoo messenger is another one that ruins the camera. As soon as I install any of those apps and reboot, the camera is back to normal.
Does anyone out there use either of those apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, everything is ok?
Rule #1,
Stay away from apps meant for phones.
Yes, they "may" have tested it it on "1" tablet, then gave it a clean bill of health. Maybe.
Moscow Desire said:
So, everything is ok?
Rule #1,
Stay away from apps meant for phones.
Yes, they "may" have tested it it on "1" tablet, then gave it a clean bill of health. Maybe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought it would be ok. But after restarting a few times, the camera colors are off. I'm going to root and install a custom 3.2 to make sure it is not the hardware.
Spasiba for all your help )
any news about this problems.
it seems that my iconia has the same problem- i never noticed it because i dont use the rear camera.
i sold it it today and the guy who bought has described something like what you folks are talking about
the strange thing is that i had done a clean boot before i sold it, and the buyer hasnt installed anything on it yet.
im waiting to hear back from him after he tries another clean boot.
anyone else have any ideas ?
I'm having the same problem. I don't use it much, but the camera was ok before. When I tried using it this weekend, it showed colored translucent squares on the sides. It is not a config problem, as there are no effects turned on. The front camera works 100%. I will post a sample when I get home.
If I change the "whites" config to Incandescent, it kind of solves the problem. Sometimes, the squares appear, but not for most the time.
I believe this is not a harware issue, unless that whites configuration is made with hardware (highly doubt it). I don't have Swift key, or Yahoo messenger, or any other apps that use the camera (other than Skype, but it was already installed when the camera worked).
Did anybody find a fix to this? It seems it is only a problem on stock 3.2.
Edit: not an exclusive 3.2 stock issue, it appears that custom roms have this problem as well.
I have the same issue after ICS ota upgrade...
Any ideas?
I haven't had the issue since the ICS upgrade. Only tested once or twice, but it is working properly.
What I did to partially fix it was changing the White Balance to "Incandescent".

Camera keeps failing

I am not a power user like you guys, just a basic user so no roms or anything is installed other than nova launcher.
symptoms:
1)the regular back camera will work fine and take pics normally
2)if i try to switch to the front facing camera i get something like "camera failed" and it will freeze up and exit etc.
3)if i try to switch to video mode with the regular back camera the same thing happens.
4)both times i will have to clear cache through the system settings to get the regular back camera to start working again.
i have tried clearing cache through the system settings and also in the start up menu when you hold volume up+power+home button.
after those didn't work i even tried a factory reset which made me lose all my calender appointments and to do tasks even though i used app backup and restore
nothing has worked to fix this, what can i try next?
also, i think i got a lemon with this phone because most people really like this phone but my experience with it has been horrible. the thing has been laggy and buggy and things just stop working randomly including the ambient light sensor. i wish i could somehow trade this phone in for either a new one of these or something else.
GAH!! im sitting here updating my phone and its hot as hell. this thing frequently overheats. I never had any problems like this with the s1
fupamobile said:
I am not a power user like you guys, just a basic user so no roms or anything is installed other than nova launcher.
symptoms:
1)the regular back camera will work fine and take pics normally
2)if i try to switch to the front facing camera i get something like "camera failed" and it will freeze up and exit etc.
3)if i try to switch to video mode with the regular back camera the same thing happens.
4)both times i will have to clear cache through the system settings to get the regular back camera to start working again.
i have tried clearing cache through the system settings and also in the start up menu when you hold volume up+power+home button.
after those didn't work i even tried a factory reset which made me lose all my calender appointments and to do tasks even though i used app backup and restore
nothing has worked to fix this, what can i try next?
also, i think i got a lemon with this phone because most people really like this phone but my experience with it has been horrible. the thing has been laggy and buggy and things just stop working randomly including the ambient light sensor. i wish i could somehow trade this phone in for either a new one of these or something else.
GAH!! im sitting here updating my phone and its hot as hell. this thing frequently overheats. I never had any problems like this with the s1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S4 always has an overheating issue when using it constantly depending on what you are doing, especially when charging it and using it at the same time. Google results came up with multiple 'solutions' for it, including multiple restarts, replacing the camera module, etc.
Has your phone ever been repaired? And have you tried using a new camera application?
Skyrider said:
The S4 always has an overheating issue when using it constantly depending on what you are doing, especially when charging it and using it at the same time. Google results came up with multiple 'solutions' for it, including multiple restarts, replacing the camera module, etc.
Has your phone ever been repaired? And have you tried using a new camera application?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it has never been repaired. i get the same results when i use snapchat.
what is involved with replacing the module?
fupamobile said:
it has never been repaired. i get the same results when i use snapchat.
what is involved with replacing the module?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search Camera module on google. You'll see it's the camera hardware inside the phone. How old is the phone?
Skyrider said:
Search Camera module on google. You'll see it's the camera hardware inside the phone. How old is the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not old at all. i think less than a year
you Should try a custom ROM, I also had this camera problems with the stock rom and it was gona as soon as i switched to a custom rom.

Camera not focusing???

Today in the morning the camera was working just fine, but suddenly the app crashed. And when I started it again all was blurry, and the focus was not working anymore. I tried to clean the app cache, do a factory reset and I even flashed 3 different ROMS and the problem was not solved. Is there anything I can do?
Mine has had issues since new, here is what I do, try at your own risk. Open the camera app and give a good tap on the top of the phone (obviously not too hard). I think the cameras physical hardware sticks sometimes.

Proximity and ambient light sensor stopped working!!!

I don´t know if it´s a coincidence or not, but I a few days after the update to Oxigen OS 3.6.1 I noticed that the proximity sensor and light sensor of my ONEPLUS 2 stopped working.
I used AndroSenor and Sensor box from the PlayStore, and both os them say thar the proximity and light sensors are missing.
I had a remote session with a ONEPLUS L2 specialist and they wiped my phone and reflashed the latest ROM (ver. 3.6.1), but the problem wasn´t solved..
I guess that, if the sensors don´t appear in the apps I mentioned maybe it´a a hardware problem, but I would like to hear more opinions.
If anyone has any suggestion to try to solve this problem before sending it to repair (out of warranty)??
flash persist.img from fastboot
backup all your info
in some cases it will help
hi there!
I seem to be having quite a similar problem, though, my sensors work, but stop responding after an unspecified period of time (can be anywhere between minutes and hours).
I tried flashing several roms (oreo, nougat) and yesterday i flashed Oreo Pixel Experience (just pure ROM+OP5 camera, no root no custom kernel just to rule out a few things) but the issue remains. Important to mention, i always clean flash.
The best way to describe the issue is: "sometimes the proximity and light sensor just stop working and i dont really know why" which is obviously causing a whole bunch of issues with auto brightness, making calls, picking up when someone calls etc.
The thing is, everything works after a reboot...but only for some time...then the sensors go "offline".
sometimes they work for a couple of hours, even a day...sometimes they die after half an hour or something. I have a feeling that i see them die faster when i have my phone in the pocket and leave it idle for a while, and when i use my phone often and dont really give the phone time to rest they live longer. It almost feels as if the phone goes to some deep sleep when idle for some time, disconnects the sensors, but doesnt turn them on again when woken up.
tried flashing the persist.img as advised just above, but it doesnt seem to have an effect.
anyone has any good idea?
thanks!
allright, being desperate from not being able to use my phone in a normal way i flashed OOS 3.6.1 from official zip files that can be downloaded from oneplus.net support section, using OP recovery and surprise surprise - sensors are working flawlessly! so im ruling out the HW problem. I think im going to stick to OOS for a while to monitor the sensors and eventually im going to try flashing oreo again.
ok, last update from my side: after two days on OOS where everything worked fine i flashed Pixel Oreo build and sensors continue working just fine! so, whoever is experiencing strange behavior of his sensors, i recommend the same approach.
Jackill said:
ok, last update from my side: after two days on OOS where everything worked fine i flashed Pixel Oreo build and sensors continue working just fine! so, whoever is experiencing strange behavior of his sensors, i recommend the same approach.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You still have working sensors?
I have exactly the same behavior as you mentioned in your first post. FRUSTRATING!
I've tried flash lineageos 15.1 ROM, no luck. New persist.img from official fastboot oos ROM but no luck either.
flaektrem said:
You still have working sensors?
I have exactly the same behavior as you mentioned in your first post. FRUSTRATING!
I've tried flash lineageos 15.1 ROM, no luck. New persist.img from official fastboot oos ROM but no luck either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! Yes, my sensors are still working just nicely.
Jackill said:
Hi! Yes, my sensors are still working just nicely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So good for you ?
Before when your sensors struggled, did they also disappear from any sensor test app. Or did they just not work?
My prox sensor did not disappear but just hangs at 0 or 5cm if I check the value in any sensor app. And light turns 0 Lux also.
I've similar problem. Went completely stock as suggested but the problem persisted.
flaektrem said:
So good for you
Before when your sensors struggled, did they also disappear from any sensor test app. Or did they just not work?
My prox sensor did not disappear but just hangs at 0 or 5cm if I check the value in any sensor app. And light turns 0 Lux also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well mine didnt really "dissappear" either. They "froze" too. Lux froze at whatever value it measured the last however i am almost certain it was never exactly 0. Prox behaved the same as you describe: 0 or 5.
lazyfarmer said:
I've similar problem. Went completely stock as suggested but the problem persisted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. I'm going to flash OOS recovery and latest OOS ROM later today and give it a try.
Jackill said:
Well mine didnt really "dissappear" either. They "froze" too. Lux froze at whatever value it measured the last however i am almost certain it was never exactly 0. Prox behaved the same as you describe: 0 or 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My lightsensor always freezes at 0 Lux. And when the prox freeze at 0 its impossible to quit a call. So f*cking frustrating so I have to fix this problem ASAP
I have the same problem with my LUX device, sometimes the sensors work randomly. When I reboot my phone the sensors stop working. The screen does not rotate, the most interesting thing is that it did flash the Moto camera mod and the rotation works perfectly with the camera, with the stock camera there is no rotation.
UPDATE:
I scheduled a remote session with Oneplus L2 Team and they performed a full factory reset of all partitions. No luck, problems still persist.
It must be a hardware problem.
In my case I sent the smartphone to them and they said it was a problem with the motherboard.

Categories

Resources