Something's wrong with my Galaxy S4, but what? - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I hope someone can help explain my S4's odd behavior. I'll try to be brief but give enough details for the experts to get an idea.
- The phone discharges to about 30% and then either turns off or starts to bootloop or just behaves weirdly by closing processes and apps making it unusable
- Once fully charged, it'll finally boot again almost normally but first I have to go into recovery and wipe partition and after various attempts it'll finally boot. Its behavior will be normal and everything will function perfectly well until it goes back down to about 30% charge again
- There are 2 things to rule-out: battery and rom. The battery is brand new and 100% original because I've already changed it thinking that it was the culprit. I'm currently using AOSP 4.4 rom but the behavior is the same with any rom even stock roms
- I can't get it serviced because thanks to the new bootloader my warranty is void
Any suggestions?

USB board/port. Replace it first. Given it's quick/cheap/easy to do on the S2, I think you'll find it's the same on the S4. Search online & here for details/the service manuals which might be useful. You could also pay a local mobile repair shop to do it, but why pay them 3-5x (or more) what the part costs in labour to do it when you can do it yourself ?

Thanks! Will try that and will def do it myself:good:. Am pretty familiar with hardware. I too think at this stage that it's a hardware issue

MistahBungle said:
USB board/port. Replace it first. Given it's quick/cheap/easy to do on the S2, I think you'll find it's the same on the S4. Search online & here for details/the service manuals which might be useful. You could also pay a local mobile repair shop to do it, but why pay them 3-5x (or more) what the part costs in labour to do it when you can do it yourself ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just out of curiosity, why do you think it's the usb port? I have to say that it crossed my mind once as well because on a few rare occasions I had problems charging my phone as if the usb cable or port was defective. My PC at times has also had problems recognizing my galaxy when plugged in, but only very rarely so I didn't make much of it

The charging issues you've had, another battery not solving those issues, and the auto shutdowns/auto bootloops for no reason have always been symptomatic of the USB board/port on the fritz on the S2 and the S3 (saw so many of these in S2 Q&A this year particularly), just sounds a lot like it. Put it this way, if it's not, it's something much worse hardware-wise, but I think you'll find the easy fix will resolve it in this case.

Related

Galaxy Tab unbricking service

Stumbled upon this a bit ago, a company called Mobile Tech is offering an "unbricking" service on all versions of the Galaxy Tab. At the time of this writing they charge $50. I have not used this service, am not in any affiliated with this company and cannot vouch for their work, so beware. Just thought someone out there might use this when other options aren't available.
They have a nifty video up on youtube showing how they do it:
it will be a good help for those who brick their tab because they ain't follow the steps .. thanks for sharing this out
I can actually vouch third party for this service. Have had two friends use it and the device was returned within a few days. If I'm not mistaken, the guy lives in the southern US, but can arrange international he says.
Sent from my "better than an iPad" tab... Running Overcome GINGERBREAD!!!
This is cool, but I would recommend trying to go through Samsung first if you are still under warranty. I screwed up my primary bootloader and contacted them. They took care of shipping costs, fixed it up, and sent it back in about a week and a half. If Samsung hadn't fixed it I would defiantly have payed the $50 here though.
WOW, that seems like a lot of work for $50.
Thanks for the info, should I ever screw something up its nice to know there are people out there who can clean up my mess!
spacemoose1 said:
a company called Mobile Tech is offering an "unbricking" service on all versions of the Galaxy Tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi spacemoose1
Thanks for link and as always, thanks for honeycomb port. I would like to ascertain the definition of BRICK? with your help, if I may.
(disclaimer: pls forgive my wrong terms or exagerated explanation, but most importantly, pls correct me if I'm wrong)
BRICKed = software total lost, must use JTAG to force revive it, Samsung has it, or buy from web supplier around 300 USD ??? 500 USD ???
JTAG is a device to push software into all newly borned IC. I.E. when factory make IC, it's empty software inside, hence has a special device to push voltage into all sections of the IC, then force the code in.
Another term is ???CRASH??? or ???HANG???, (I don't know) anyway is not BRICKed, hence a reflash can recover it.
Samsung uses proprietary method a lot, not follow conventional, make usb driver very complex. USB driver install EXE around 15MB to 28MB depends on version, ALL work the same.
but, when the device = sgt7 in different state/condition, the driver must RE-ESTABLISH again, or else cannot work.
I.E.
state 1 = "OPERATIONAL"device in android operation, normal use, surf web, phone call etc
state 2 = "SLEEP" device powered off, show battery big icon charging when powered by charger
state 3 = RECOVERY mode
state 4 = DOWNLOAD mode - this is one of the way to FORCE flash to recover, as long as bootloader and something still intact
state 5 = PHONE-!-PC mode
stage 6 = "COMA" device powered off, NO show of battery big icon, even when charger supplied. Don't panic, let it charge fully 4 hours from 2 amperes supply, 10 hours from PC 500mA. It will start again !!!. Battery big icon will appear around 30% battery charged, I know because that's what I saw. I didn't check when it's in 10% or 20%. The 1st time I check was already 30% up from no-boot or no respone.
User need to plug device into PC during each of the state above at least once, in order for various flashing functions to work.
i.e. when it's a newly arrived device, usually install the usb driver 1st, with device state in android OS running properly, then plug in to USB and see "new device detected" installing, pls wait. Finished.
But when flashing via Odin using state 4 = DOWNLOAD mode, user may experience no connection, no COM3 or something. Because device must be unplugged in USB, power-up in state 4 = DOWNLOAD mode, plug in USB, "new device detected" installing = RE-ESTABLISH, done. UNPLUG USB, replug in usb, then COM3 appears FLASH will be succesfull.
same goes for other state.
p.s. many users reported BRICKed but then recovered WITHOUT JTAG is misleading beginners, hence should rename the term to ???CRASH??? or ???HANG???. although some previously use "SEMI-brick", which is acceptable.
stage 3 = ClockWorkMod flashing (super convenient, especially on the move without PC)
stage 4 = Odin / Heimdall both works (still convenient and easy )
stage 5 = Odin / Heimdall both works (still convenient and easy )
???CRASH??? or ???HANG??? or "SEMI-brick" is usually SUCCESFULLY recovered via restock+PIT
(final disclaimer, incase above is correct and help and is copied, pls correct whatever mistakes found, feel free.)
*** Thanks for all those who taught me my mistakes *** devs and fellow forumers
ManticoreX said:
This is cool, but I would recommend trying to go through Samsung first if you are still under warranty. I screwed up my primary bootloader and contacted them. They took care of shipping costs, fixed it up, and sent it back in about a week and a half. If Samsung hadn't fixed it I would defiantly have payed the $50 here though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, warranty repair is always a better choice. But sometimes you've already voided the warranty, lol.
I guess, if u change factory installed rom/kernel warranty gonna be history
thanx for the post ... it might gonna be the last resort...
cx5 said:
Hi spacemoose1
Thanks for link and as always, thanks for honeycomb port. I would like to ascertain the definition of BRICK? with your help, if I may.
(disclaimer: pls forgive my wrong terms or exagerated explanation, but most importantly, pls correct me if I'm wrong)
BRICKed = software total lost, must use JTAG to force revive it, Samsung has it, or buy from web supplier around 300 USD ??? 500 USD ???
JTAG is a device to push software into all newly borned IC. I.E. when factory make IC, it's empty software inside, hence has a special device to push voltage into all sections of the IC, then force the code in.
Another term is ???CRASH??? or ???HANG???, (I don't know) anyway is not BRICKed, hence a reflash can recover it.
Samsung uses proprietary method a lot, not follow conventional, make usb driver very complex. USB driver install EXE around 15MB to 28MB depends on version, ALL work the same.
but, when the device = sgt7 in different state/condition, the driver must RE-ESTABLISH again, or else cannot work.
I.E.
state 1 = "OPERATIONAL"device in android operation, normal use, surf web, phone call etc
state 2 = "SLEEP" device powered off, show battery big icon charging when powered by charger
state 3 = RECOVERY mode
state 4 = DOWNLOAD mode - this is one of the way to FORCE flash to recover, as long as bootloader and something still intact
state 5 = PHONE-!-PC mode
stage 6 = "COMA" device powered off, NO show of battery big icon, even when charger supplied. Don't panic, let it charge fully 4 hours from 2 amperes supply, 10 hours from PC 500mA. It will start again !!!. Battery big icon will appear around 30% battery charged, I know because that's what I saw. I didn't check when it's in 10% or 20%. The 1st time I check was already 30% up from no-boot or no respone.
User need to plug device into PC during each of the state above at least once, in order for various flashing functions to work.
i.e. when it's a newly arrived device, usually install the usb driver 1st, with device state in android OS running properly, then plug in to USB and see "new device detected" installing, pls wait. Finished.
But when flashing via Odin using state 4 = DOWNLOAD mode, user may experience no connection, no COM3 or something. Because device must be unplugged in USB, power-up in state 4 = DOWNLOAD mode, plug in USB, "new device detected" installing = RE-ESTABLISH, done. UNPLUG USB, replug in usb, then COM3 appears FLASH will be succesfull.
same goes for other state.
p.s. many users reported BRICKed but then recovered WITHOUT JTAG is misleading beginners, hence should rename the term to ???CRASH??? or ???HANG???. although some previously use "SEMI-brick", which is acceptable.
stage 3 = ClockWorkMod flashing (super convenient, especially on the move without PC)
stage 4 = Odin / Heimdall both works (still convenient and easy )
stage 5 = Odin / Heimdall both works (still convenient and easy )
???CRASH??? or ???HANG??? or "SEMI-brick" is usually SUCCESFULLY recovered via restock+PIT
(final disclaimer, incase above is correct and help and is copied, pls correct whatever mistakes found, feel free.)
*** Thanks for all those who taught me my mistakes *** devs and fellow forumers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pretty much agree, but I might refine:
BRICK= Unit does not power up, visibly charge, reach a boot-screen of any kind including a service or "download" screen. A device in this state requires service from the manufacturer or an individual equipped with the proper tools. There is no other way to recover a device in this state.
SOFT-BRICK= Unit powers up, reaches a "download" or service screen, visibly charges but does not boot into an OS. Crashing, hanging etc. all apply here. It is easy to recover a device from this state so long as one has access to a firmware that was designed for the device and the ability to flash said firmware.
SEMI-BRICK= See soft-brick above
JTAG= Provides access to system hardware by applying the correct voltage to the correct pins in order to push software via an external program.
In regards to the usb drivers, there are only actually 4 states
1. Active userspace
2. Serial gadget mode
3. Recovery
4. USB storage mode
And there is a separate driver for each of these (except recovery) in the Samsung driver package that should install automatically when the device is plugged in during normal use on a stock rom, or with the installation package available on the web.
The rest of it you've got pretty much correct.
Money seems right, but the amount of work that guy has to go thru is amazing, so much to tare it apart, and reassemble. Then again when it is put back toether, he checks it, what if it did not take the fix... all over again.
Hardbricked Tab Save by Mobile Tech
I hardbricked my galaxy tab bought in Cambodia. My little brother open the tab trying to take the battery off and put it back on, thus void the warranty, found him on the Samsung vibrant forum, sent the tab to him got it back good as new. This person is professional, honest and good communication with his customers, you'll be happy with his work, if he can't fix it you get your money back (minus shipping and diagnosis)...Glad he is arround to help...
spacemoose1 said:
I pretty much agree, but I might refine:
BRICK= Unit does not power up, visibly charge, reach a boot-screen of any kind including a service or "download" screen. A device in this state requires service from the manufacturer or an individual equipped with the proper tools. There is no other way to recover a device in this state.
SOFT-BRICK= Unit powers up, reaches a "download" or service screen, visibly charges but does not boot into an OS. Crashing, hanging etc. all apply here. It is easy to recover a device from this state so long as one has access to a firmware that was designed for the device and the ability to flash said firmware.
SEMI-BRICK= See soft-brick above
JTAG= Provides access to system hardware by applying the correct voltage to the correct pins in order to push software via an external program.
In regards to the usb drivers, there are only actually 4 states
1. Active userspace
2. Serial gadget mode
3. Recovery
4. USB storage mode
And there is a separate driver for each of these (except recovery) in the Samsung driver package that should install automatically when the device is plugged in during normal use on a stock rom, or with the installation package available on the web.
The rest of it you've got pretty much correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should post this in Q/A thread on its own as its very helpful and maybe it will stop the 1% of people saying help my phone is bricked comments ... the other 99% don't read anyway otherwise they would discover their phone isn't bricked and if they read properly it would not have gotten to the state in the first place .. and no I never posted something like that myself >:¬}
but well done on this..
alexgogan said:
You should post this in Q/A thread on its own as its very helpful and maybe it will stop the 1% of people saying help my phone is bricked comments ... the other 99% don't read anyway otherwise they would discover their phone isn't bricked and if they read properly it would not have gotten to the state in the first place .. and no I never posted something like that myself >:¬}
but well done on this..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
Nice find. For that amount of effort disassembling, and reviving, $50 is a very realistic price. I'll keep these guys in mind if I run into issues with my tab.
$50 for that much work is an absolute bargain! I wish I didn't live in a country where you get charged $200/hr for someone to pick their nose.
It's actually not that much more difficult than popping an OS install CD into a hosed computer and pressing 3 keys to let it run through the installation after flashing a corrupt motherboard BIOS. Yes, it takes familiarity with the software and hardware, but it's by no means a feat that requires a special skillset.
Granted, few people have JTAG stuff handy, so $50 is definitely worth it if you've hosed your device, but don't make it sound like he's sweating and coding the bootloader by hand, strenuously manipulating micro tools to disassemble the tablet and flipping DIP switches to restore the bootloader. You spend 5 minutes taking apart the tablet, you attach the JTAG cable, run the supplied software on your computer, and sit there recording the screen with your video recorder while the progressbar moves from 0 to 100.
Again, it's worth $50 simply because not everyone and their mother has JTAG hardware sitting around, but by no means is it hard. It's the same reason I can get away with charging $100 to clean viruses off of a computer. People either don't have the tools or don't know how to use them. That being said, I don't know a damn thing about using JTAG to restore a corrupt bootloader, nor do I have the right hardware, so I'd pay $50 if I were ever in the situation.
Edit: And yes, $100 for a virus clean is a lot, but people generally change their mind when I explain to them why they got viruses, as well as installing proper antivirus software and then instructing them on how to avoid infection in the future. I rarely get repeat business from the same customer but I get A LOT of referrals ;p They're happy paying that much when the person educates them instead of cleaning, not installing/explaining, then having to bring the computer in again two weeks later for another wallet-gouge, which most other computer 'repair people' gladly do over and over.
Everything in this world is rinse and repeat... The money comes from time spent learning to use the hardware properly, micro soldering skills (which isn't easy, no matter who you are), confidence enough to offer it as a service, not to mention the couple hundred bucks for the jtag software and hardware.
Now, the fact that if you have your device in a bricked state you likely voided the warranty, it's a 600 dollar brick if your samsung tech recognized it... 50 bucks is a steal to not deal with samsung anyway.
Try to be less pompous next time oh savoir of the hundred bone virus... Your poop stinks too, promise.
Sent from my "better than an iPad" tab running Overcome Hermes.
LycaonX said:
It's actually not that much more difficult than popping an OS install CD into a hosed computer and pressing 3 keys to let it run through the installation after flashing a corrupt motherboard BIOS. Yes, it takes familiarity with the software and hardware, but it's by no means a feat that requires a special skillset.
Granted, few people have JTAG stuff handy, so $50 is definitely worth it if you've hosed your device, but don't make it sound like he's sweating and coding the bootloader by hand, strenuously manipulating micro tools to disassemble the tablet and flipping DIP switches to restore the bootloader. You spend 5 minutes taking apart the tablet, you attach the JTAG cable, run the supplied software on your computer, and sit there recording the screen with your video recorder while the progressbar moves from 0 to 100.
Again, it's worth $50 simply because not everyone and their mother has JTAG hardware sitting around, but by no means is it hard. It's the same reason I can get away with charging $100 to clean viruses off of a computer. People either don't have the tools or don't know how to use them. That being said, I don't know a damn thing about using JTAG to restore a corrupt bootloader, nor do I have the right hardware, so I'd pay $50 if I were ever in the situation.
Edit: And yes, $100 for a virus clean is a lot, but people generally change their mind when I explain to them why they got viruses, as well as installing proper antivirus software and then instructing them on how to avoid infection in the future. I rarely get repeat business from the same customer but I get A LOT of referrals ;p They're happy paying that much when the person educates them instead of cleaning, not installing/explaining, then having to bring the computer in again two weeks later for another wallet-gouge, which most other computer 'repair people' gladly do over and over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got to call you out on this one. Mis-connecting or shorting any wires will lead to a damaged PCB and an un-resurrectable TAB. I'm also a Systems Admin for a living so I understand where you are coming from. You must realize that I solder at levels of .1mm in spacing on the Captivate, Vibrant and Nexus S. Electrical engineers and technicians have first hand talked with me about the difficulty of doing this and is NOT something that anyone can do. You'd think twice when you burn up a phone or two valued at $500 a pop trying to JTAG them. There is more skill involved than you would think. Not to mention the liability when dis-assembling the device. JTAG software is decent but it's not fully automated. There are TCK frequencies, RTCK frequencies different PBL partition sizes, full dcc loader read/writes and the requirement of EXACT voltage from an external power supply that are needed in MANY cases. Plus, there is little to no support when fixing a device. This means that if you can't figure it out, nobody else is going to for you. I'm not trying to brag but yet point out that this isn't like plugging in your phone for an ODIN flash. I've taken hundreds of hours of time and 1000's of dollars to create what I feel is the most trusted JTAG authority online ANYWHERE. I greatly appreciate having the opportunity to help the community and enthusiasts in this community. If this was as easy as you are claiming, you could get JTAG hardware and a manual at Best Buy. I have to say you put it best when you said you don't know anything about JTAG... Ok end of rant I was just a bit bothered by your post.
Ok with that being said, thanks for the personal testimonies and compliments. I will be here whenever anyone needs JTAG assistance in the future or around the forums to help answer Q&A when it doesn't require JTAG. Here is a Nexus S promo to realize how tiny some of these things are
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecp8jKmm48k
i would love to learn more on how to do stuff like this if i had moneyz. the .1mm ext.
not just for android but to make my own ish.
thanks for the awsome videos.
Thanks for the link, hope I won't need it ;-)
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App

Phone stuck on USB/charging... very weird

Hey there. I have my Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) for about a month, and since a couple of days ago it has been behaving very weirdly about USB and charging.
First of all, the phone thinks it has USB connected at all times. When I go to the settings menu try to enable mass storage it says USB is already connected, even though it isn't!!!
Sometimes when I start the phone it goes to that USB Kies screen and says "connected", when absolutaly no cables are connected AT ALL!!!
When I turn the cell off, remove the battery and plug it back in, without turning the phone on, the recharging battery icon appears, but blinks with a drained battery icon with a yellow exclamation sign and a thermometer which I sincerely have no idea what that means.
It also takes ages to recognize the power charger or when I really connect the USB cable. And finally, when I take them off, it also takes a while to "perceive" they're off and remove the charging lightning from the battery icons.
PRETTY PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME OUT, as I don't have time to take the phone to service, and didn't really want to do that
Thanks!!!
This has also happened to me and loads of other SGS2 users! Although usually it only happens sporadically and not constantly. It seems that it's a bad soldering job or dust/dirt has gathered in the microUSB port. You might be able to fix it, if you're *really* careful.
Quote from another thread;
JaX3RiR said:
Last night my phone wouldn't even start charging, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. With the smallest screwdriver I could find, I carefully 'lifted' the tiny PCB in the USB jack while blowing in at the same time. Sure enough, some sand particles fell out, and I haven't gotten carmode'd in nearly 13 hours now. Previously it would do it once every 15 minutes. So far so good, it seems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help... but what is PCB? Is it the connector inside the "hole"?
Tried that and it stopped thinking USB was connected the whole time... on the other hand, it doesn't detect when I connect the USB cable
Lets try keeping 1 thread
Therere are other threads about it.
Read here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1132588&page=2
StupidIdea said:
Therere are other threads about it.
Read here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1132588&page=2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't talk on plural when you only point out one thread. And I've read that, but it isn't the same as my phone doesn't go in "car mode".
My phone's problem only resembled a problem JaX3RiR briefly mentioned in the middle of the thread.
I tried googling it before posting anything anywhere, but couldn't find anything useful.
Please don't try to look like a smartass like that and embarrass yourself. If you got nothing to add to the thread, it's best if you sit out of it. It's much more appreciated when helpful people like JaX3RiR post...
Hi,had the same problem,tried reflashing back to original firmware,but still had the same problem,,the only way i could boot the phone was through recovery mode,(reboot)Had to send phone back for possible repair??cut a long story short they sent me a new phone,,They said they couldnt repair the fault,something to do with the usb charging system,,So i would advise anyone with this specific problem,to send phone back,and get a replacement..hope you get it solved
Thanks mate, I sent mine today as well... I hope they act the same with me, as I'm afraid customer service around here always tries to incriminate the user not to use the warranty...
ghnogueira said:
You can't talk on plural when you only point out one thread. And I've read that, but it isn't the same as my phone doesn't go in "car mode".
My phone's problem only resembled a problem JaX3RiR briefly mentioned in the middle of the thread.
I tried googling it before posting anything anywhere, but couldn't find anything useful.
Please don't try to look like a smartass like that and embarrass yourself. If you got nothing to add to the thread, it's best if you sit out of it. It's much more appreciated when helpful people like JaX3RiR post...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no reason to be angry, I'm just trying to help, and just wanted that we all post in one thread, so it would be easier to track later.
I just posted longest thread. Here is another one if it helps to justify:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1151863
I'm pretty sure you have the same problem. Sometimes Vlingo starts, sometimes phone thinks its charging, when trying to boot it shows battery image and won't boot, can boot only recovery and do restart from there.
Get of the high horse when people are trying to help you.
Are you sure you didn't connect USB cable upside down or bended USB port with the cable?
I have no idea what Vlingo is, and obviously I didn't connect the USB cable upside down. I don't think I bended the port with the cable since it still recognizes the cable for charging or booting and going directly into Kies mode, for example.
I am not on any high horse when people try to help me, as you could see my response towards the guys above. Your post wasn't sounding helpful at all, you were just sounding like "hey, you dumass noobie, don't open a new thread for yourself, check the forums first".
By the way, I also took a look at that thread you posted before posting mine, but I have no idea what is "car mode" on my phone...
Sorry if I sounded rough. I thought it is similar issue, so I posted link to longer thread. I had this issue myself.
Peace. Let us know what the service say .
This happened to me one week ago while on holiday....that temp indicator while charging plus the other stuff you mention....
Plus the phone went into flight mode and won't come out....
Got home and did a reset and phone now doesn't recognise sim card...
great phone but I'm a little disappointed
stevee1953 said:
Hi,had the same problem,tried reflashing back to original firmware,but still had the same problem,,the only way i could boot the phone was through recovery mode,(reboot)Had to send phone back for possible repair??cut a long story short they sent me a new phone,,They said they couldnt repair the fault,something to do with the usb charging system,,So i would advise anyone with this specific problem,to send phone back,and get a replacement..hope you get it solved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
Had the same problems aswell, only mine had a bunch of other problems aswell:
When I shut down my mobile it restarts itself and then shows a yellow exclamation mark with an tempgage. Only way to turn on my phone is to connect it with the charger, turn of my phone again, remove the charger and then the phone turned itself on again but without the temp gage.
My phone also thinks its charging when it is not, and when I am actually charging it, its not charging.
Also my PC does not recognize my phone so I am not able to update it.
I have also sent my phone for a repair, I will keep you guys posted.
greets from the netherlands
Yep, mine only got fixed by going into service. It got its mainboard warranty switched.
T- Mobile sent me a replacement phone
They seemed to know the symptoms when I explained what was happening
Same fault for me. Mainboard replaced, works fine now.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
How did you guys get it fixed? Did you have to ship the phone out somewhere? How long did you have to wait to get it back? What was the process?
Thanks.
Mine is going to be repaired in two weeks.
I was the 8th SGS2 since tuesday which came in the repair center.
The repair guy said it is a manifacturing fault.
The phone gets hots, and outside temperature is cold, so it makes moisture in the phone.
This cause the phones power management to get fu up (SGS2 has a small battery inside of it, and that gets fu up). Only fix is replace hardware, but 9 of 10 times Samsung gives the fault to the customer. They say it has water damage and can't be fixed in warrenty...
I'm going to write a huge article about it, and I hope it will get published by a lot of site's soon. Phones he admitted having the problem: SGS1, SGS2 and SGSN.
I charged my GS2 2x by USB and it's discharged faster than by the sector
The USB power isn't enough for charge up the GS2 correctly
Are you guys suffering from rapid battery discharging, i have all of the above symptons but my battery drains within hours...I`ve even bought a brand new battery off ebay that is exacly the same issues... I`d like to send it back to O2 but i`ve rooted and flashed custom firmware...

[i9505] Help needed

Hi XDA,
I've been playing around with my phone, all was fine until I downloaded SGS4Flasher from the play store and flashed something onto my phone. Since then, It's been mayhem to get back right again.
I installed a new PIT file, this seemed to fix the problem I had. I then installed OTA updates, which has changed my device Baseband version to i9505xxuemj7 from i9505xxubmga.
I used to be running android 4.2.2, but from simply installing Cyanogenmod through recovery, my phone could run Android 4.3.
Now my phone is running as normal again - Except every so often it'll crash and then get stuck in the bootloop, so I have to remove my battery and give it a few minutes before re-inserting and powering on my device for it to work properly. This means I cannot play games, tether my internet for too long etc. It's rather frustrating having such a nice phone yet not being able to use it.
Due to being new at this, I've kinda put up with the problem for a little while now - But its getting ridiculous now.
Can someone help me, I'm not good with all the terms of PDA, CSC etc - I'd like to be explain to taught what to do in plain black and white please, I know this can be daunting and frustrating, but so is this problem of mine that I've caused.
If you need any more information than what I have provided please just ask.
I'm from the UK and I'm using a pay monthly sim from Vodafone.
I am using the i9505 device with qualcomm processor - Jfltexx
If anything, I don't care about android 4.2.2 or android 4.3, they both seemed decent enough to me, but ROM wise, I absolutely loved Cyanogenmod. But anything that'll make my phone work without crashing, please help.
Do I need to find a new Kernel? PIT? I'm not sure what to call it? CSC? PDA?
All I'm used to is booting my phone into recovery mode, choosing install, and then choosing Cyanogenmod from my SD_CARD.
I've used ODIN before to do something with files, following tutorials from the internet - I think this was ROOTING Clockword Recovery Mod, or TeamWIN RP or something? I believe these are the files that make the RECOVERY mode on my phone that allows me to install Cyanogenmod through my SD Card.
Please simplify this as much as possible for me, even if it comes across as insulting ... an A B C guide would be appreciated highly.
Thanks,
So you do have this issues with Cyanogenmod and with the stock rom? I've had similair issues when my battery was malfunctioning. Can you check with a different battery?
Lennyz1988 said:
So you do have this issues with Cyanogenmod and with the stock rom? I've had similair issues when my battery was malfunctioning. Can you check with a different battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is virtually brand new - I'll get another battery yes, but It wont be the exact same one that comes with the device - It'll probably be a cheap Chinese make from Ebay for about £5.
The battery has been acting strange, and I'm not sure if its just me or not, but the battery feels sorta swelled as opposed to being completely flat.
I'd have thought It'd be an issue with the software/firmware seeing as that was what I had been messing around with.
I never had the problem with cyanogenmod, but cyanogenmod was before I started playing with things I shouldn't have.
Yes, its a common problem with the S4 that the battery becomes damaged. I think that if you replace your battery your phone will be working again. Because a swollen battery is a damaged one.
You could also claim warranty for your battery. Samsung already stated that some S4 were shipped with faulty baterys and that they will replace them for free.
Lennyz1988 said:
Yes, its a common problem with the S4 that the battery becomes damaged. I think that if you replace your battery your phone will be working again. Because a swollen battery is a damaged one.
You could also claim warranty for your battery. Samsung already stated that some S4 were shipped with faulty baterys and that they will replace them for free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even though I've now voided my knox warranty?
Yes even then. I think you will only have to send the battery in to Samsung
And besides, I see you live in the UK. Under European Law the shop has to replace the battery for you and rooting etc does never void your rights.

[Q] HELP! Note 4 unable to boot up

Hi guys!
So while using my phone halfway, it suddenly powered off and died. At first I thought it was something small and tried to power it on again, but unfortunately it seems to be a much bigger problem. I am unable to do anything with the phone at all. It's become a literal brick.
I have not done any rooting nor have I dropped the phone into the water. I dropped my phone a couple of times, but it was with a proper phone cover.
When I tried to charge my phone, the charging light did not come on. I have tried the battery in an external charging kit and it works fine, therefore I do not believe that it is a battery problem.
The lucky thing is that my phone is still under warranty. However, I was told that the SOP for servicing the phone is to remove all personal data during the recovery process.
Unfortunately, I didn't back up the files in my phone because I didn't see any signs that the phone was gonna die on me, so I was wondering if there was any other way to save my data.
I read online that it may be worth trying to use a USB jig to try to force the phone into download mode. Is this possible? Does anyone know where I may be able to purchase one?
Unfortunately, I do not know which specific model my carrier sells, but it's a Qualcomm 2.7 KHz 4G+ note 4. Can't remember the exact firmware it was running on, but it should be the latest stock firmware.
Would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks!
Is there anyone here who has any advice for me?
royaloyalz said:
Is there anyone here who has any advice for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jig is basically a 300K ohm resistor across pins 4 and 5, so searching for brand names/judging by marketing descriptions won't help. It can only fix soft bricks for you, specifically it lets you enter download mode where you can use odin to flash stuff you want. It wont help you in any other way.
Now that we are clear, the cheapest ones I could find are these:
http://www.amazon.com/SainSonic-Dongle-Samsung-Captivate-Vibrant/dp/B0053H73JQ
http://www.amazon.com/Download-adapter-Samsung-Galaxy-Unbrick/dp/B008THL0V4
Buy whichever you like
And if its a hard brick, off to the service center you go!
PS: i have no idea about any way to backup from download mode, maybe someone else can help you on that part.
If you are able to dirty flash a rom and get it booting then you can backup all you want. Hope that works for you.
Thanks for the advice!
Unfortunately because I wasn't able to power up the device I had to send it into the service center. They replaced the motherboard and the charging point for me and I got back my phone 4 hours later.
Lesson learnt, always backup your data every day.

N910F - strange issues with charging

Hello everybody,
- On monday i ran into a strange problem with my N910F. At first it was just not charging whatsoever.
- after the phone ran out of power, i attempted to charge it which gave me a brick with a black screen, vibrating short every two seconds
- Fine by me i thought, went and got a replacement battery (after checking simple stuff like the physical state of the battery (normal) and killing the batterystats (which i heard both yay and nay about so i decided to give it a try).
- Replacement battery charged overnight on the USB Port of my computer (2.0, for the completionists) went smooth (didn't turn it on, just had this bubble animation of charging).
- Turned it on this morning (booting apparently took 3% off my battery) and all well so far.
- finally in my chair at work i plugged it into my power cable (genuine Samsung FastCharging adapter that came with the phone itself) and nothing happened
- tried another adapter (some cheapo 1A adapter) which started charging around 10secs after connecting but decided to stop charging after a couple of minutes
- some shaking and gentle knocking brought back the charging symbol for some seconds, seemed like some loose contact or a broken cable so i felt fancy and plugged the very same cable (the one originally shipped with the phone) to my laptop. started charging instantly and no shaking or knocking stopped this (so no loose contact or broken cable at all)
This is the story until now, put together as complete and organized as possible. For now i'm stuck to charge my phone on the laptop or computer which seems to work. In this progress above i tested around 7 chargers, 3 laptops, 2 computers, 10 cables and 3 screens with both batteries, although the workaround i have now is only tested with the genuine cable as i was just done with testing for the night.
Now for my questions (apart from a touch with the magical fix-everything tool):
- What i see as possible causes based on my very shallow knowledge are either the microUSB port on the phone or the power distribution unit. Anyone has an idea what to check?
- As i have no idea how deep the OS goes, could it be a software issue by any chance?
Even though the device is only ~9 months old, I don't like the idea of going through Samsung for this one as i tripped KNOX already.
Hope there's still hope for me
Cheers,
Fachtal
sooooooo, does nobody have an idea lying around somewhere?
Fachtal said:
Hello everybody,
- On monday i ran into a strange problem with my N910F. At first it was just not charging whatsoever.
- after the phone ran out of power, i attempted to charge it which gave me a brick with a black screen, vibrating short every two seconds
- Fine by me i thought, went and got a replacement battery (after checking simple stuff like the physical state of the battery (normal) and killing the batterystats (which i heard both yay and nay about so i decided to give it a try).
- Replacement battery charged overnight on the USB Port of my computer (2.0, for the completionists) went smooth (didn't turn it on, just had this bubble animation of charging).
- Turned it on this morning (booting apparently took 3% off my battery) and all well so far.
- finally in my chair at work i plugged it into my power cable (genuine Samsung FastCharging adapter that came with the phone itself) and nothing happened
- tried another adapter (some cheapo 1A adapter) which started charging around 10secs after connecting but decided to stop charging after a couple of minutes
- some shaking and gentle knocking brought back the charging symbol for some seconds, seemed like some loose contact or a broken cable so i felt fancy and plugged the very same cable (the one originally shipped with the phone) to my laptop. started charging instantly and no shaking or knocking stopped this (so no loose contact or broken cable at all)
This is the story until now, put together as complete and organized as possible. For now i'm stuck to charge my phone on the laptop or computer which seems to work. In this progress above i tested around 7 chargers, 3 laptops, 2 computers, 10 cables and 3 screens with both batteries, although the workaround i have now is only tested with the genuine cable as i was just done with testing for the night.
Now for my questions (apart from a touch with the magical fix-everything tool):
- What i see as possible causes based on my very shallow knowledge are either the microUSB port on the phone or the power distribution unit. Anyone has an idea what to check?
- As i have no idea how deep the OS goes, could it be a software issue by any chance?
Even though the device is only ~9 months old, I don't like the idea of going through Samsung for this one as i tripped KNOX already.
Hope there's still hope for me
Cheers,
Fachtal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You seemed to have tried using the cheap charger which allowed you to charge after shaking it a bit, have you tried purchasing a new genuine charger?
Sent from my trltexx using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Tripping Knox does not necessarily mean that you've lost warranty.
Battlehero said:
You seemed to have tried using the cheap charger which allowed you to charge after shaking it a bit, have you tried purchasing a new genuine charger?
Sent from my trltexx using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried around 7 adapters (from cheap ones to genuine galaxy S3, Note2, and Note4), around 10 different cables (again, from cheap ones to genuine samsung cables), 3 Laptops (again with all cables), 2 computers (all cables) abd one of those mobile charging battery things.
The only thing that works is either the genuine cable on my computer or the same cables on my screen at work.
@geevh that's news to me. As far as i heard is tripping know equal to losing warranty.
Fachtal said:
I tried around 7 adapters (from cheap ones to genuine galaxy S3, Note2, and Note4), around 10 different cables (again, from cheap ones to genuine samsung cables), 3 Laptops (again with all cables), 2 computers (all cables) abd one of those mobile charging battery things.
The only thing that works is either the genuine cable on my computer or the same cables on my screen at work.
@geevh that's news to me. As far as i heard is tripping know equal to losing warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried to flash stock firmware, in case it's the kernel?
KNOX warranty shouldn't void your warrant in the EU as I have gotten two knox tripped devices repaired from Samsung before.
Sent from my SM-N910F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Battlehero said:
Have you tried to flash stock firmware, in case it's the kernel?
KNOX warranty shouldn't void your warrant in the EU as I have gotten two knox tripped devices repaired from Samsung before.
Sent from my SM-N910F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just flashed the official ROM using Odin. Had some problems getting the phone connected while in DL mode (didn't work at all while in normal android mode).
This seemed to be a dirty flash (already was on stock Rom, just put CWM on, rooted the phone and replaced the kernel to have SELinux permissive for Viper4Droid) as it didn't go through the setup process and was like before.
Anyway, charging still doesn't work. Is there anything else I can test? I'm nearly at the point where I migrate back to my old SGS3 and have the N910F sent to the carrier (well, in the end it will go to Samsung) to get it fixed.
Thanks about the whole Knox false knowledge.
Cheers, Fachtal
Fachtal said:
I just flashed the official ROM using Odin. Had some problems getting the phone connected while in DL mode (didn't work at all while in normal android mode).
This seemed to be a dirty flash (already was on stock Rom, just put CWM on, rooted the phone and replaced the kernel to have SELinux permissive for Viper4Droid) as it didn't go through the setup process and was like before.
Anyway, charging still doesn't work. Is there anything else I can test? I'm nearly at the point where I migrate back to my old SGS3 and have the N910F sent to the carrier (well, in the end it will go to Samsung) to get it fixed.
Thanks about the whole Knox false knowledge.
Cheers, Fachtal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would just give the device in for repairs but make sure to flash a full stock rom and factory reset before giving the phone, since you have already tried everything else.
Good luck
Battlehero said:
I would just give the device in for repairs but make sure to flash a full stock rom and factory reset before giving the phone, since you have already tried everything else.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, flashing stock ROM seems to be slightly less relaxing than I thought. It feels like I have to connect the phone to the pc, put it on the table in a very specific position/way and then hope that it doesn't disconnect halfway through flashing...
This has become quite an adventure so far and I hope I'll get this done so i can get rid of this very expensive paperweight
Thanks for all the help so far, I guess I'll add the explanation from my carrier/Samsung as soon as I (hopefully) get my device back.
Fachtal
PMIC or Charging IC is probably broken on the mainboard, i hear more N4's have this problem.
Best is to send it for warranty or let the components be replaced by a "good" repair shop.
Most service centers don't check knox status so i would go for that, if all fails take it for repairs if the costs are not too high.
Hi guys, back for a rather unexpected "solution"
When i finally freed up some time to actually get to the carrier shop to get my phone fixed, I was in for a rather embarrasing experience.
The lady in the shop pulled a charging cable and an adapter out of a box, plugged my phone in and it suddenly charged as if nothing ever happened. Now, some time later, it still works perfectly fine, as if there never were problems...
I have absolutely no idea on what happened. Before going to the shop i obviously flashed the stock rom yet again (with the usual wipe user data/cache/dalvik procedure).
Now, on what i had when the problems started: stock BOC5 ROM, touch CWM, rooted and with a custom kernel for SEAndroid permissive (emotion something i believe the kernel was called). Now during my rather extensive troubleshooting I actually flashed the stock ROM at least once and the issue persisted, which is why i just stood there, staring on my charging phone, my jaw somewhere on its way to the ground, unable to form any proper words :silly:
So basically, does someone have a possible explanation to clear this up? If not, I'll consider this thread solved i guess^^
In the meantime, I downgraded to Stock 4.4.4 with CWM, root and xposed (which i really missed on Lolli) and I'd say I'm happy with this :victory:
Fachtal
Fachtal said:
Hi guys, back for a rather unexpected "solution"
When i finally freed up some time to actually get to the carrier shop to get my phone fixed, I was in for a rather embarrasing experience.
The lady in the shop pulled a charging cable and an adapter out of a box, plugged my phone in and it suddenly charged as if nothing ever happened. Now, some time later, it still works perfectly fine, as if there never were problems...
I have absolutely no idea on what happened. Before going to the shop i obviously flashed the stock rom yet again (with the usual wipe user data/cache/dalvik procedure).
Now, on what i had when the problems started: stock BOC5 ROM, touch CWM, rooted and with a custom kernel for SEAndroid permissive (emotion something i believe the kernel was called). Now during my rather extensive troubleshooting I actually flashed the stock ROM at least once and the issue persisted, which is why i just stood there, staring on my charging phone, my jaw somewhere on its way to the ground, unable to form any proper words :silly:
So basically, does someone have a possible explanation to clear this up? If not, I'll consider this thread solved i guess^^
In the meantime, I downgraded to Stock 4.4.4 with CWM, root and xposed (which i really missed on Lolli) and I'd say I'm happy with this :victory:
Fachtal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's sound strange but a couple of years ago i read somewhere,forgotten where and about the specific device. The thing was that phone wasn't charging eather ,and now it comes.....the solution was turnig around the charger in te power socket.
ludoke said:
It's sound strange but a couple of years ago i read somewhere,forgotten where and about the specific device. The thing was that phone wasn't charging eather ,and now it comes.....the solution was turnig around the charger in te power socket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this indeed sounds strange. And honestly, i didn't pay attention on the orientation of the power adapter (although my stock samsung one is always in the same orientation because the cable goes out on the side (which means it worked in the same direction as it didn't before).
The only even remotely considerable approach would be that the custom kernel along with this synapse app somehow screwed with the power intake and i forgot to wipe everything when i first flashed stock over it, meaning that synapse still had its fingers in the system screwing around with that.
But then again, as I seem to be the only one with this problem and this custom kernel had more than just a few users I don't think this is the way it went (I don't even use an unusual collection of root Apps which could cause some sort of malfunctioning combination of effects).
I had a few evenings just thinking about this and draw some simple mindmaps/schematics to make some sort of a sense...

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