Erratic ghost touches. Help!! - Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I recently got a refurbished Nexus 4 from Google beginning of April. I been having minor issues ever since getting it but i never bother to call them or get them to send me a new one since my warranty was expiring around end of April. So since last week, my phone started having these crazy erratic ghost touches lasting either a few seconds where i'd turn off my screen and it goes back to normal or it would last a good 10-15 minute non stop. I rooted it recently and i tried to do a google support. They suggested factory reset, did that. Re-image the device to original state, also did that. The problem continues and its getting a bit annoying. I noticed the problem starts a lot more frequently when the phone is hot or when the battery is below 50%. Is there anything i can do to make this go away or less frequent? Thanks
Also google suggest i call LG to get them to repair it and have my wallet raided. I prefer not to. Since i feel like they cheated me by giving me a crappy refurbished phone that has hardware issue just like the one i bought from them.

ghost touches unfortunately are not uncommon. I experienced them as well, then the lower bottom margin of the touch screen went completely dead. If you take a look at this thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/help/q-t2810588 you'll notice there's more people on the same boat. There's not much that can be done, it's a hardware fault and probably the screen will need to be replaced.

174
crashDebug said:
ghost touches unfortunately are not uncommon. I experienced them as well, then the lower bottom margin of the touch screen went completely dead. If you take a look at this thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/help/q-t2810588 you'll notice there's more people on the same boat. There's not much that can be done, it's a hardware fault and probably the screen will need to be replaced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did some search on google forum and there was a huge thread on it as well. This problem started to happen more frequently started the 4.4 update for a lot of users. Freaking google offers no help at all :/

Related

So i sent my nexus in for repair

it arrived yesterday at htc repair and ive been watching the repair tracking site. i had some pixel problems, like a quarter of my screen was darkened grey.
Keep in mind my phones bootloader unlocked, rooted, haha and i sent it in as is running the latest miui. Why? idno.
Anyways. I just checked the repair site and it says:
Ticket Information
Status: We are repairing your phone.
Service Type: Repair
Issue Description: top screen is darker that the rest of the device
I havent approved to pay for any repairs for an out of warranty phone. So i guess im off the hook right? I think im about to prove that htc repair people dont give a F***!
THought id share..
Uhhh, we have known this for a year now. It has been proven time and time again that HTC will warranty repair hardware defects, despite an unlocked bootloader.
This is nothing new or surprising.
Did someone has problems with the multi-touch screen: lags, do not respond or random reactions ...even when having a call ?
the solution for now is to push "shutdown button" and it seems to reinitialize the sensors for the screen ... isn't it weird ? It occurs 40% of the time ...
The menu for reinitialize sensors/calibration do not exist (for HTC Legend/Hero you can re-calibrate the sensors).
Do you have same problems ?
I will send it for repair soon...
im having the same problem, ive had it for a long time now, ive gone threw 20 Roms. so i know its not software related, or is it something the devs are over looking??
weird thing ....do Googlers have same problem when demonstrating navigation/goggles/phone calls/voice recognitions .....or do we fall on bad series ???
definitely hardware problem or something no-one has been aware of ....?
masterdevx said:
Did someone has problems with the multi-touch screen: lags, do not respond or random reactions ...even when having a call ?
the solution for now is to push "shutdown button" and it seems to reinitialize the sensors for the screen ... isn't it weird ? It occurs 40% of the time ...
The menu for reinitialize sensors/calibration do not exist (for HTC Legend/Hero you can re-calibrate the sensors).
Do you have same problems ?
I will send it for repair soon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes it's worse than others, I think if the phone is running something pretty intense it happens more often. Otherwise, no, there's no calibration. Calibration doesn't make sense on a capacitive screen.
The touch screen issues have been known since the beginning, and the solution of quickly turning the screen off and on has been known for just as long.
It's part of the hardware, and most if not all Nexus owners experience it once in a while.
Getting a warranty replacement for that will not fix anything, it is a flaw in the hardware design.
Good thing to know that...but really weird for such a device...they probably think about it when starting/choosing next nexus.... ;-)
http://quintessart.blogspot.com
I'm curious whether they'll return it with a relocked bootloader and stock ROM
i've noticed that the only time i have touchscreen response issues is when i use my N1 without a case on it and it seems to be because some of my fingers touch or get near the edges of the screen glass. i have a silicone slip on case and when its on the phone it prevents me from touching the glass accidentally at the edges and i never experience any response problems when its on the phone. just my 2c.
Frito11 said:
i've noticed that the only time i have touchscreen response issues is when i use my N1 without a case on it and it seems to be because some of my fingers touch or get near the edges of the screen glass. i have a silicone slip on case and when its on the phone it prevents me from touching the glass accidentally at the edges and i never experience any response problems when its on the phone. just my 2c.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It occurs for me 40% of the time ...with or without case, on hand or laid on a desk ...whatever i want to do ...call/messaging/browsing/just home button/alarm clock/unlocking with security path/scrolling between desktops ... really disturbing hardware problem ...
masterdevx said:
It occurs for me 40% of the time ...with or without case, on hand or laid on a desk ...whatever i want to do ...call/messaging/browsing/just home button/alarm clock/unlocking with security path/scrolling between desktops ... really disturbing hardware problem ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah that would annoy the crap outta me as well, glad mine does not exhibit this problem.
i'd love to guesstimate how old mine is but i'm the second owner, it might be possible that they fixed this hardware issue in later build revisions or it could just be a random problem with the touchscreen/module, some do it and some don't idk.
cmstlist said:
I'm curious whether they'll return it with a relocked bootloader and stock ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recieve my phone back tomarrow. Ill let you know how my phone comes back. Does anyone know how you can tell if i have a new amoled screen or not?
Im pretty sure i will be able to tell if i get an slcd right off the bat.
btw i sent it in monday im geting it friday. great service..
I revieved my phone back completely stock bootloader locked unrooted running frg83. as soon as it connected to internet it got update for 83d. oh to be stock again.
edit: oh yeah they also replaced my power button and i sent it in for a screen repair.
wow. seems like excellent service. supposedly i have a battery on the way but haven't received yet.
jm1999 said:
I revieved my phone back completely stock bootloader locked unrooted running frg83. as soon as it connected to internet it got update for 83d. oh to be stock again.
edit: oh yeah they also replaced my power button and i sent it in for a screen repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
was it amoled or slcd though lol
i have to make the call when i get up. today my usb port was gone from the phone when i went to plug it in tonight. i never used to have the screen issue, it slowly started happening and now it happens all the time, i lay it flat in my hand and i hit a button on screen and my menu pops up etc.
nice to see a recent time frame though, i'm dreading going without my phone and having a dumbphone replacement. would love to know if it was amoled or slcd you got back though, thats my one worry

Time Length before HD2 Touchscreen Issues?

To start, yes, I have searched about the touchscreen issues but do not want to revive a dead thread. So, how long does it take for the HD2 touchscreen issues to arise from power button usage? 2 months, 6 months?
Not really possible to say........ Ive had mine for near enough 18 months, used the hell out of the thing. Never had a single issue.
Then again you'll get people coming on here calling HTC all the names under the sun because their "pos" phone broke after a month.
Its like anything, look after it well and it will last. Im sure some of these people who suffer things like touchscreen failure after a short amount of time just do not take precautions to protect their device from damage.
I have had my HD2 for over a year now without issues.
So at least a year.
I bought my HD2 on launch day and I have taken exceptionally good care of my phone and here it is almost exactly 16 months later I'm having the touchscreen problems. I knew nothing of this issue until now, sucks, can't upgrade for another 4 months.
US version on US launch date
I've got my precious form march 2010, and for a few days I got some troubles with the physical buttons/touchscreen.
If I touch the arrow button, the touchscreen doesn't work anymore. I have to touche very slowly the buttons in many directions until it works again, for a few hours...
I send it yesterday to repair.
I'm waiting for the quote........
thats an odd question...sort of like asking the doctor the rough date of your death. without examining you, the doctor probably won't answer because he knows:
1. each individual has a life "expectancy" of about 70 years but each individual is different
2. most people are average with little or no predisposition to health issues
3. some people are average but might have a genetic history that could cause a health issue in the future
4. some people would belong to categories 2 and 3, but they are in a category of their own because of their lifestyle, which causes stress on their otherwise healthy bodies (smokers, eating fatty stuff, etc)
5. and very few are "defective at birth"
all i am saying is that these devices are comprised of many different and complex components. each component is manufactured in batches within certain degrees of tolerances. put together, the system's longevity becomes only as long as the longevity of the weakest link. also, your style of use of the device could stress a bunch of otherwise "good" components, causing them to fail earlier.
all in all, i've used my device carefully since may 2010. so far, i had to open it up once because the led flash cover had depressed into the body causing the vibrator to jam. for me, i haven't faced touch screen problems but i did face THAT particular hardware issue with the led flash cover.
i stopped using the screen protector a few months ago (only one faintly visible scratch so far). i also stopped using a silicone body case, so now the body has a few minor scratches as well. i treat the screen with a light touch and buttons with gentle presses.
all is well. but the question demands some sort of a "crystal ball". generally, electronics are built to last several YEARS...and so i will generally say that the HD2's screen will fail in 3-4 years, but don't hold me to it and i'm only saying it because the question asks for a time frame...so there you go!
Sorry, I just had to thank you for that post, it made me chuckle
I've not had any problems with mine, and mine is secondhand. These touch screens are markedly better than the likes of the Touch Pro 2 and the Tytn 2 (only other 2 touch screens I've owned) My TP2 screen died a death but the Tytn got bricked in an update. Oh well HD2 for the win
If you have a warranty on your phone use it. If you don't you can call T-Mobile and ask to do what's called an out of warranty exchange. Worked for me so maybe worth asking about.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

[Q] Nexus 4 touchscreen and Battery Issues

Hellllo everyone!
I bought a Brand New Nexus 4 a 5 months back from an unofficial distributor. In the Beginning I loved the phone, but now this phone is really giving me a lot of headaches lately.
My first issue is the Ghost touch and dead zone issue that has been affecting quite a few G4's lately. (Since I enabled "Show Touches" in developers options,I am able to see any touch inputs on my phone. )
The ghost touches occur right in the middle of the screen (Right where the dead zone is) and the ghost touch issue disappears when I lock and unlock the screen.
The ghost touches may show up again after a minute, 10 minutes or maybe even the next day.
To my dismay, I think that a new dead zone has appeared (however, much smaller than the dead zone in the middle) a centimeter above my Navigation bar.
My other issue is that when my battery reaches a certain level, say around 25-38%, the whole screen erupts in a fury of touches all over the screen. My phone is rendered unusable, until I charge up the phone.
And another issue is that when I restart my phone, the touch screen sometimes does not respond at first. It then starts working after a while. It could start working in 1 minute or it could start working in an hour. This particular issue only happens when I restart the phone
Honestly, I have taken care of my phone, and never dropped it or abused it in anyway.
I read reviews about the whole "Amazing Quality" of the Nexus 4, and was bought on looks and design of the phone, but right now I'm really starting to regret my choice, and wish I went with an Xperia Instead.
Sadly, since there is no official LG or Google Service centers where I live, and since I bought this phone from an non-official shop, I'm unable to send it in for warranty claims.
I'm quite adept in opening up electronics, so I have no issues opening up my Nexus.
Does anyone know of a way to fix this phone, without a Digitizer replacement?
And is there anyone out there facing the same problems?
You still have lg warranty regardless of where you bought it from. Its more likely that you got a refurb though. In terms of fixing it I think you are in for a new screen.
Hey, thanks for your reply
There is no official warranty where I live, so I cant RMA it to google or LG.
Honestly through the issues keeps on increasing day by day.
Now it looks like my battery dies around the 60% mark. I guess my battery is uncalibrated?
Anyways, now because of these battery issues, I cant make it past 4 hours of use before the touch screens acts up and the phone shuts down.
I am very unhappy about this phone.
Any way to solve the battery issues?
My other issue is that when my battery reaches a certain level, say around 25-38%, the whole screen erupts in a fury of touches all over the screen. My phone is rendered unusable, until I charge up the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found out that this issue is most likely due to the battery. It somehow became slightly inflated, thus severely reducing the battery life and throwing off Android's Battery meter.
I tried over 6 different touchscreens and they all had this problem.
Great, I now have to buy a new battery as well.
And another issue is that when I restart my phone, the touch screen sometimes does not respond at first. It then starts working after a while. It could start working in 1 minute or it could start working in an hour. This particular issue only happens when I restart the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A full factory reset of the phone, helped to solve this particular issue.
The ghost touches occur right in the middle of the screen (Right where the dead zone is) and the ghost touch issue disappears when I lock and unlock the screen.
The ghost touches may show up again after a minute, 10 minutes or maybe even the next day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And there is no fix for this other than a full Touch+Display Panel replacement.
Right now I'm going to have to buy a cheap 10 dollar phone as my main phone, while I raise up the money and find the time needed to search for and buy these parts for my Nexus.
Honestly, Google and LG have made a very bad impression on me, and I will think twice before buying another LG Nexus phone in the future.
Update:
I Bought a new Display and a new LG Battery, and so far all my issues have been solved.
Now I guess I have to sell this off.
meh.
Akash434 said:
Update:
I Bought a new Display and a new LG Battery, and so far all my issues have been solved.
Now I guess I have to sell this off.
meh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same issue so, do i have to buy a new display, a new battery or both?
diegz0r said:
I'm having the same issue so, do i have to buy a new display, a new battery or both?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the very late reply, but yes, It does seem that you will have to replace both.

The ultimate Nexus 4 digitizer failure thread

I've been using this phone for around 14 months now. I've always thought about how LG managed to build a phone like this and sell it for 300 bucks. Well two days ago I got the answer. The lower part of my screen just stopped functioning, thus disabling my buttons. I searched for this problem and found a MASSIVE thread on google support forums about this. Basically the lower part of the digitizer just goes full retard. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And when it doesn't work it makes the entire phone lag (on a custom rom)(it doesn't work 95% of the time).
To fix this i tried to make the navbar slightly bigger, but that resulted in a growth of the defected part. And using PIE or button saviour is just a pain for me.
I made this thread to let people know that this problem exists. If the next Nexus phone is made by LG, I'm buying something else.
This is an open discussion, so anyone with a similar problem/fix can post.
I really dont know, what you guys actually do with your phones. I am using my nexus 4 for about 1 and a half year now, has been dropped twice with two scratches on the edges - no screen broken, no bootloop ever, no nothing. I can say of myself that I am not the friend of bumpers or screen protectors or any of those ugly things. I also flash a lot, try out a lot of apps - my nexus 4 has seen it all.
But not only the nexus 4, also my previous phones are fine and they still work (a nokia 5130 xpress music and a sony ericsson u10i). Thats why I thing a phone is just as good/stable/great as the user do. Of course there are a lot of issues out there but I think they dont appear from nowhere.
4 nexus 4's in the family most almost 2 years old......never a problem. This kind of crap reminds me of the " my back glass just exploded on its own" thread. Let's not make blanket statements.....digitizers on phones malfunction all the time....on all brands, probably due to your mistreatment.
I do not understand the point of blaming it on the user though. Yeah, many phones from different brand have digitizer issues. Yeah, digitizers fail. But if a lot (and I mean a lot) of users are complaining on the same exact issue there is a manufacturing problem for sure. And it's pretty clear that you did not bother checking the related thread at google's support forum, otherwise you would notice how many "mistreating", as you say, users are all having the same digitizer issues in exactly the same part of the screen. Now, does that mean that every nexus 4 sold will have the digitizer fail at some point or another? absolutely not. Maybe its' only one every 100, or even 1.000 or 10.000. Maybe it was a defect of a relatively small batch of screens (seems legit since the issue always occurs after a certain amount of months), that were sold in a period where you didn't buy the your four statistically (ir)relevant devices.
when will you guys understand that just because your phone does not have the issue, doesn't mean that NO phone has that issue??
(and even if it's not one but 5, 10 phones, how much relevance do you think it has compared to the hundreds of thousands of shipped devices?)
for what matters to the actual thread, anyway, I read LG replaces the defective devices under warranty without fuss. If the device is out of warranty, a diy repair is pretty easy to people savvy with tools.
Anyway, there is a couple threads here that talk about the issue:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/help/q-t2810588
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/help/screen-touch-test-results-t2822075
This isn't the users' fault. Take a look at this: https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/nexus/7SNIT8xPYzc
The repair costs in Sweden are so high, I might aswell get a new phone. I didn't even get this phone for 350$, LG sells it for 500$ in non-google play countries. And btw, half of my screen is not working now.
Or maybe you spent the last year keeping your phone in your pocket instead of a belt case and damaged it, or dropped it, or got water on it, or any of the other 10 million things that could damage an LCD/ digi. While I understand you have a problem and are looking for someone to blame....99% of these issues are due to physically caused damage and not defects. I have 2 teenagers.....I know how they treat their phones and I spend a lot of time repairing them after " I didn't do anything"
Same here
I'm having the exact same digitizer problem with my Nexus 4. First, a band of 8mm at the bottom of my screen became unresponsive, then a week later, the band grew to about 14mm.
I've had my N4 for 15 months. Bar two hairline cracks on the back panel (around the rear camera and speaker) my phone is mint. Barely a scratch on the digitizer front panel, and yet, it's failing. The weirdest part is, the otherwise lifeless zone at bottom of my screen occasionally springs into action with erratic ghost touches on my nav bar. I'm working around the problem at the moment, however, if the dead zone gets any higher, my phone will become unusable.
Reddit, YouTube and Google support are full of similar occurrences, and still not a peep from Google or LG.
My wife and I both have been using nexus 4 phones since it launched nearly two years ago. Hers started doing this 3 months ago and is practically unusable now. Mine started doing it last month and is getting worse too. I always thought of it as a great device and thought highly of LG's build quality but its hard to have those feelings now. Seems related to age + heat. Will be trying a different manufacturer next time since her phone has always been in a case and is flawless. Mine is banged up bad without a case but lasted longer.
Also my 16 monts old N4 two weeks ago after a run in hot humid weater followed by a very long phone call started to show problems at the bottom of the screen (no swipe up to activate Google Now) and in a couple of days all the lower portion of the touch became unresposive as clearly showed activating the pointer position under the developer options menu. Does anybody know exactly where is the problem? Digitizer connector, synaptics chip, cable? At present I'm trying to convince Google UK to issue an RMA in Italy where I'm now and would appreciate hints how to achieve that as it seems they offer RMA only to a country where the Nexus 4 was originally available on the local Play Store.
maulich said:
4 nexus 4's in the family most almost 2 years old......never a problem. This kind of crap reminds me of the " my back glass just exploded on its own" thread. Let's not make blanket statements.....digitizers on phones malfunction all the time....on all brands, probably due to your mistreatment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
back glass does crack on some phones when there is sudden change in temperature ,it happened on xperia z as well dont be so naive , the probability of mistreatment has nothing to do with factory defects
My digitizer works fine until the batter gets to about 80% .... then the screen freaks out and the phone turns off.... fun stuff!
fahadsul3man said:
back glass does crack on some phones when there is sudden change in temperature ,it happened on xperia z as well dont be so naive , the probability of mistreatment has nothing to do with factory defects
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya right....ignorance......
This is actual real problem. My Nexus 4 works fine. But replaced the digitizer on my brother's after the bottom half died. Just go on eBay and buy the panel for around 50 bucks. About an hour of work
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
repaired my screen
i replaced the screen after just 1yr 7 days. I live in India so phones available are quite cheap and the screen replacement cost was cost of an average smartphone but still i replaced it . I just want to know whether the replacement screen will have a digitizer problem after 1yr. I also had to replace the battery.
4 Screens replaced, the last 2 had bad digitizers?
I've replaced cracked screens 4 times now... the 3rd developed issues with the touchscreen going unresponsive every once in a while (I would tear down the phone again and again and finally the touchscreen would inexplicably begin working again.) I Finally cracked that one and now the new one has the same issue. I installed the new screen/digitizer, again with some difficulty , After a few reboots for whatever reason, suddenly unresponsive. Reboot 4 more times and it's back. Initially I'd thought I just bought a bad replacement screen but two in a row is pointing me towards .. well, something else...
Looking closely at the new component I'm a bit concerned as the text on the ribbon cable from the digitizer is labeled "Snaptics" rather than "Synaptics" though the chip itself is labeled correctly...
Sigh...
In any event, I was hoping someone could possibly shed some light onto this. 4 screens later I'm a bit sentimental and would hate to have to retire my N4.
I almost replaced my screen assembly because I had the dreaded dead band in the middle of my screen. It was present in TWRP so I figured the digitizer was bad. Then I started to get screen jitters and ghost touches. I tried wiping everything, new ROM's, etc. I final flashed the last PA KitKat beta and the 4.4 Gapps. Problem solved. I re-flashed the PA 5.0.2 Alpha 2 and there are no problems anymore. I was convinced it was a hardware problem because the problem mirrored every N4 digitizer problem thread that I saw.

Weird screen flickering

Hello,
This is my first post in this part of XDA.
My wife has an s7 Edge and the screen started flickering. I got out of this state messing with the power buttons etc. Mainly getting the touch screen to unlock the phone and it somehow cleared right up.
Is this a software issue? The screen when it came back is working as usual when I restarted the phone it became crap again.
Im think it maybe the lock screen causing this, I never heard of parts being corrupted.
I've attached a little clip of the screen.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
https://youtu.be/gFSTlcDWGQY
I have never seen this happen before. If I were you I'd flash a new ROM on it in Odin and if it still happens take it to the Verizon store.
k1ska said:
I have never seen this happen before. If I were you I'd flash a new ROM on it in Odin and if it still happens take it to the Verizon store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgot to mention, it's not rooted completely stock.
So screen is messed up?
I had this issue. My phone fell from less than a foot off the ground and landed on the corner. Barely any force, but after that the screen would flicker intermittently. For a day or two it would come and go, and then it became permanent. It looked exactly like yours. If your bootloader/recovery/download mode flickers then it is a hardware problem, since the ROM isn't even loaded yet. With Verizon, your phone is fully covered from manufacturing defects for one year, so you should be able to get it replaced. Sorry bro. Wish I had better news.
v1ral said:
Forgot to mention, it's not rooted completely stock.
So screen is messed up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly with a screen issue like that, I really recommend taking it to the Verizon store and asking them about it. It seems like a hardware issue to me but that's just my opinion.
My screen has done some weird things as well fresh out of the box. I would have random areas of the screen pixelize until I smack the back of the phone. Even after root It will randomly do it every other month. My father in law had the same exact issue you're having. He brought it into T-mobile where the screen literally failed and went black in the employees hand. Neither his or my phone has ever been dropped. This is definitely a hardware issue. It's almost like a bad connection between the LCD and main board. Make verizon get you a new one before the screen goes black!
Okay...
Is it okay to say I can get a new screen and do that repair myself?
I wanna make sure that the issue I am having is just "buy a new screen and be good to go".
Thanks for your time!

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