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Galaxy S screen cracked by itself!!!!

Hi everyone looking for some advice.
Yesterday I noticed my Galaxy S screen wouldn't come on after taking it out of my work trouser pocket. Did the usual took the battery off and re-installed it. The screen is now black and not showing anything apart from the very top of the screen which shows some colour and fuzziness. I noticed this morning a half inch crack to the screen middle left of the phone which is internal. The crack is underneath the screen. Now I am 100% this has not been caused by me. The phone has been in a flip case since new and I have never dropped the phone or extreme pressure applied to the screen. The phone is in mint condition with no scratches what so ever. Took the phone to T-Mobile this morning as it is covered under warranty for 24 months and the phone is a year old. The first person I spoke to looked at the phone and saw the crack. They said to me that there would be no point sending it off for repair as it would be deemed as accidental damage. I did point out that there was know way I caused the crack. The person stated even having it in your pocket can cause the screen to crack if pressure is applied to it by other items e.g keys or if I pressed against it. The phone was the only thing that was in my pocket and it was a side pocket of my trousers where no pressure is ever applied. I have kept it in the same pocket of my work trousers for a year and never had any problems. The person then referred me to another collegue who was more helpful. She looked at the phone and confirmed that it was in mint condition with no scratches to the phone. She advised that she would send it off for repair but did explain that they could refuse to repair it or replace if it was deemed accidental damage.
I just have this bad feeling that it is going to come back with them saying it was my fault even though I know it wasn't. Does anyone have any views or opinions on what to do if this happens. I have searched the net and found other people around the world who have had the same problem with their Galaxy S. Looking at prices I will be looking at a few hundred pounds to repair it which I don't think is worth it.

I know you say adamantly that you did not cause the crack, But in some way or other you must have..
I know you are extra extra careful with your phone, Im the same as mine, But there is no way the screen could just crack on its own.
It doesnt have a mind of its own, It didnt crack due to stress, it wasnt poorly. You must of accidently cracked it without realising.
The best you can do is hope it gets fixed under warranty, Otherwise scout around for a phone shop that could replace it for you.

azzledazzle said:
It doesnt have a mind of its own, It didnt crack due to stress, it wasnt poorly. You must of accidently cracked it without realising.
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Yeah .. sure!
Let me give you an example of ... my car.
The story:
Windshield broken due to a small rock on the highway (the usual stuff). Went to repair shop, new windshield installed. Everything was perfect until this summer (2 years later). The windshield was still in great condition, no cracks, no pinches, no nothing ... as new. One day, during the lunch break from work I've started the engine, and in one minute after the air conditioner started, the windshield cracked. It was a very sunny day and my car was parked in the full sun.
Who's fault it is? Mine for miss usage? Manufacturer of the windshield? God? poor assembly at the repair shop? pick one.
I would say that the amoled will be replaced because its obvious no mechanical stress was applied ... it was just a faulty unit, nothing more. I have a friend who replaced the amoled screen, under warranty, due to 3 dead pixels ... twice.

ro_explorer said:
one minute after the air conditioner started, the windshield cracked. It was a very sunny day and my car was parked in the full sun.
I have a friend who replaced the amoled screen, under warranty, due to 3 dead pixels ... twice.
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wouldnt the heat from the sun, Then the sudden cold cause such thing to crack ? glass DOES break due to rapid temperature changes, Try this at your house. Put the hair dryer to the window on a really cold day and leave it till it breaks .
And your friend got his screen replaced because of dead pixels.... That is a fault, that was not his fault.
Its a strange case, but its hard to think the screen just broke of its own accord.

I was trying to underline the obvious .. sometimes things break doe to some other reasons than "you". It is obvious that a glass will be under great stress if you put it uncer big temperatures changes but still ... that glass was supposed to resist to such stress.
Same thing with the screen in question: the amoled is a thin film placed on top of some strong substrate. The whole structure is supposed to resist to certain stress and there is no way you can break it by miss usage unless you will break the outer glass also (gorilla glass + capacitive digitizer). So, no matter we are talking about dead pixels on a 2 months old screen or of a cracked amoled structure under the intact gorilla glass, the "cause" is the same : faulty unit (maybe is the amoled itself which has a flaw, maybe is the way it was mounted in the phone ... doesn't really matter).

Maybe your right, But the whole thing is still very strange.
Anyway lets just hope the outcome is better, and it gets fixed under warranty.
But you know what these service centre folk are like, They will try anything to avoid repairs.

Thanks guys for your replies. As I said the crack is internal underneath the outer screen so surely if I had damaged it the outer screen would be damaged. I'm not very hopeful that T-Mobile will repair it but I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
I will let you know the outcome.
Thanks

sandeept said:
Thanks guys for your replies. As I said the crack is internal underneath the outer screen so surely if I had damaged it the outer screen would be damaged. I'm not very hopeful that T-Mobile will repair it but I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
I will let you know the outcome.
Thanks
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Does your contract have an insurance policy ? if so that should cover accidental damage (i know its not accidental, But they may say it is)
And if not, are T mobile fixing it, Or are they going to send it to samsung ?

Gotta admit its a cracking screen eh? [Nt]
:d :d :d :d :d :d :d

Unfortunately I didn't take out insurance. The phone has been sent away by t-mobile for their repairers to assess but they did advise that it probably will come back not repaired due to the crack being my fault even though I said that I believe I didn't cause it.

sandeept said:
Unfortunately I didn't take out insurance. The phone has been sent away by t-mobile for their repairers to assess but they did advise that it probably will come back not repaired due to the crack being my fault even though I said that I believe I didn't cause it.
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Well if tmobile send it back UN fixed, Send it back to samsung, Is it still under the 12 month warranty ?

I believe the warranty expires this week or next so probably wont be able to, thanks for the suggestion.

If you get it back from T-Mobile unfixed, sent it directly to Samsung.
Maybe they'll still fix it. If they dont they'll probably will call you to tell you how much fixing it will cost. Start telling your whole story again and again, make them tired of hearing
If they dont listen, tell them you want to put in a complaint. Ask for an email adres or something were you can send your complaint email to. Dont let them send the phone back.
Send a large mail explaining everything, maybe put in some laws that apply to your case, like that it has to be faulthy when manufactured etc.
Also that you havent had any scratches on it and that the crack is UNDER the glass.
If they reply again with "we dont fix it" again send a mail with telling them that the phone is in mint condition and that the crack UNDER the screen came out of nowhere and that by law they have to fix it. Make them believe you'll sue them in court if they dont fix it.
Even call them if necessary.
Do everything to be a pain in the ass and meanwhile make sure they dont send the phone back during all this.
Maybe it will work, maybe it wont. But its better then giving up. Gives you a bigger chance of success.
manufacturers like dont like problems that take a long time. And if you proof yourself to be an annoying customer, one that shows he wont give up and do everything that they can to give the manufacturer a bad name, they'll probably think its better to win that particular customer over then to fight him. They dont like bad press.
Maybe they'll fix it, maybe they dont, maybe even they'll give you a discount at fixing it. At least you didnt make it easy for them.

Thanks for the reply. I am definetly not going to just be pushed aside and give up. If the phone comes back un-repaired I am going to complain to T-mobile and keep complaining to them. I will also take your advice and send it to Samsung and complain to them. I know lots of other people who have iphones without cases who do not look after them, scratched, dropped and are still working fine. Then the opposite end there is my phone which has been in a leather flip case from new protecting the screen. I have never dropped it and it doesn't have a scratch on it. Really annoying!

Really there is only one reason a screen/windowzsheet of glass whatever will crack and that is due to force. Force of some sorts was applied to the screen and honestly, as much as you don't want to hear it, it was almost certainly because you leaned on in it. In the pocket and your next a desk, or a chair, and you wouldn't even know its happened 9/10 until you take the phone out to use it. Often the phone will still be "functional " except for the dark screen so you can still feel it vibrate with may's so it could be some hours later before you realise. Another possibility is it was a previous drop or bump that wasn't enough to do it there and then and has simply hit breaking point on this unfortunate day. :'( other causes are to much pressure when a replacement is fitted, as happens with car screens more often than you would think, all it takes is the smallest little bit of awkward pressure and sure enough. Extremely rare for this to happen on a phone as the screens are mounted and held in place in a fundamentally different way.
I've worked in phone shops and car dealerships to qualify my above statements and honestly for all the hassle you are going to face, from people like me mostly, that it simply doesn't break on its own and you being aware of the force is a mute point. The fact is the force was applied and the screen broke. You knowing it happened or even being responsible is not the point, the point is was it a manufacturing error that caused it. They gonna say no and its going to really piss you off and when all is said and done you'll wish you just got a new screen off eBay and fitted it yourself or found someone local who does it.
Just saying is all...
Hope you find a solution mate and I'm sorry if it seems cold but dem de facts....
Sent from my GT-P1000

Hello guys i am new so i have a quick question.I see there and there someone complaing for broken screen on samsung galaxy from itself is this some general case like some HTC or just 1 in 1 000 000?I buying samsung galaxy s or google nexus s (s lcd) depending on your answear?
Sory mate for posting in your thread but this is prety much connected with your problem.

Any news on your issue ?

@OP, Any update??

Update
T-Mobile repair centre emailed me last week stating that the repair was out of warranty as it is physical damage and they quoted £138 to fix. I refused the quote and asked for the phone to be returned to the shop. In the meantime I wrote a letter of complaint to T-Mobile. I picked up my phone a couple of days ago from the shop. Yesterday morning received a phone call from a really nice lady at T-Mobile complaints investigation team. I explained to her the whole situation and she immediately said without disputing it that they would replace the phone free of charge for a new one. Hopefully it is arriving tomorrow - RESULT!

sandeept said:
Update
T-Mobile repair centre emailed me last week stating that the repair was out of warranty as it is physical damage and they quoted £138 to fix. I refused the quote and asked for the phone to be returned to the shop. In the meantime I wrote a letter of complaint to T-Mobile. I picked up my phone a couple of days ago from the shop. Yesterday morning received a phone call from a really nice lady at T-Mobile complaints investigation team. I explained to her the whole situation and she immediately said without disputing it that they would replace the phone free of charge for a new one. Hopefully it is arriving tomorrow - RESULT!
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WOW !!! that truly is a result ... Great news man ! I Highly highly doubted you would get any help considering the extremity of the circumstances.... its like a 1/10000 chance of that happening lol.
Buts its great that you are getting a new phone and havent been left with a HUGE bill.
a little moaning and complaining can go a very loooooooong way

[Q] Cost for LG Replacement of Front Screen

Well, dropped the phone from the car dock and it hit the dash and the front screen cracked and spidered on the bottom half of the phone and it doesn't work. I tried to contact LG about an estimate on how much it would cost to replace the LCD and digitizer on the phone, but the best they will tell me is that I have to ship it to them on my dime and then wait for them to then tell me how much it will cost to repair the phone. I really don't want to waste my money shipping it if it's going to be something like $200+.
Does anybody have first hand knowledge on how much they charge for a new lcd / digitizer replacement on the Nexus 4 with LG doing it?
Bonus Question: What's the cheapest way to ship it to them, considering I have the original case and taking into account different packaging and shipping carriers?

It's been a while since you posted this, so you probably already took care of it. I just sent mine to LG for a screen replacement and they charged $140. Shipped via Fedex. I sent the phone in the box it came in, but I didn't get the box back.

How is the work they do? I have been thinking of using my warranty and having them replace the screen rather than play the play store lottery. Screen was really yellow when I got it which I didn't care about as it clears. Unfortunately after 2 weeks it cleared but has a slightly visible yellow glue ring on the lower half that gets very visible and manilla color when the phone heats up. I sat the phone down and noticed at can angle that light bends around the ring area... The screen is slightly indented like a car ding.
I absolutely don't want to waste stock and deal with Google sending me a worse phone. I love this one... Everything perfect but the glue ring. Can you guys share your experience having lg repair? I did the same thing with my n10 for screen issues with Samsung and it came back with a worse screen and scratched up on the back. Had to send it right back. Would not like to repeat that experience with LG.
Did they nick up the edges of the soft touch plastic or scuff up your keys or the back glass? How long was the turnaround? Any help is appreciated.
Sent from my 5th and final Nexus 4

Which replacement screen/digitizer/housing??

So last week, I accidentally dropped my naked note 3 about 1.5 feet to a concrete sidewalk. Very little visible damage on the outside, but sadly, over the span of about 24hrs, the screen slowly faded to black (starting from the bottom left, where the most ammount of damage is visible, across the screen in a circular pattern), and now the screen appears to be completely dead. During the time in which the screen went black, the digitizer still worked, as I could still get the phone to register spen clicks on even the black areas of the screen (i.e. i could still get air command to pop up). There is also zero damage to the glass itself. No scratches, skuffs, or marks of any type. Looks brand new.
So I'm currently in the market for a replacement screen/digitizer/housing assembly, should the repair centre quote me more than $275 + taxes to fix.
I'm going with a complete housing, because while I'm sure its simply the LCD screen portion that's no longer working, those in themselves cost upwards of $250. And it would require me to seperate the glass from the housing/digitizer, and then reseal them with the new one. I figured it would be much more cost effective to simply buy the whole package pre-assembled for $25 more.
Problem is, you can get different housing part numbers depending on which version of the phone you have (verizon, at&t). So my question is this:
Will it matter if I purchase the cheapest version? As an example, the AT&T black housing is 275, but the Verizon Black housing is 289. The last thing i want to do is fork over the money and find I ordered the wrong part.
I'm from Canada, and sadly our carriers are never recognized in these bloody situations. I'm with Bell, and I'm 'fairly' certain its identical to AT&T, but I wanted peoples opinions from here, as you are by far the most knowledgable about parts/hardware etc.
I'm SO choked at myself for being careless. My phone seemed to be flawless, and didn't exhibit any of the faults other people complained about (screen discoloration, all the functions like multi-window, one-handed operation, etc. not working). And now I've gone and forced open heart surgery on the thing.
I was looking here for the part:
http://www.etradesupply.com/samsung.html
As you can see, they have multiple models listed, and I just need to know if I'm selecting the right one.
(I also think that AT&T is my best choice, because after opening up the phone down to the motherboard and other parts, AT&T is printed all over the place. But I could be reading more into that than I should).

Just get a free replacement with your warranty...

Payette1996 said:
Just get a free replacement with your warranty...
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Because there is physical damage to the device? This voids most types of warranties, outside of some carrier warranties (it would actually void bell's, after reading over the fine print).
I basically have to fund the repairs myself, unless I sent it to the repair center, and they miraculously came back saying the damage didn't cause the problem, and it was just a defective screen. But the chance of THAT happening are pretty much nil.

[Q] Screen 'leaking' internally. Crack is branching and growing everyday. Help Needed

An internal 'crack' seems to have appeared on my device. Since the last two days it has grown and is now more than half the length of the device. Device is still under warranty so will take it to the service center over the weekend. Anybody seen anything similar?
http://i.imgur.com/13LG6lS.jpg

aceutosh said:
An internal 'crack' seems to have appeared on my device. Since the last two days it has grown and is now more than half the length of the device. Device is still under warranty so will take it to the service center over the weekend. Anybody seen anything similar?
http://i.imgur.com/13LG6lS.jpg
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If you are facing this from the first day of buying there's a probability that you got a defected piece.
According to me hardware doesn't come under warranty. You need to buy another display for your phone.

aceutosh said:
An internal 'crack' seems to have appeared on my device. Since the last two days it has grown and is now more than half the length of the device. Device is still under warranty so will take it to the service center over the weekend. Anybody seen anything similar?
http://i.imgur.com/13LG6lS.jpg
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Click to collapse
Looks like a screen lifting. As i see it the glue in-between the glass layer is not holding up. I have a similar case but i did not posed a picture here in Xda. It happened on my device last year (Note 8.0) at the bottom screen near the home button, though i have no proof to show mine because the day it happened i immediately took it to the shop where i bought my unit and they fixed the screen after 3 weeks wait. I got a note from the tech explaining that the glue in-between the lcd etc.. was not holding up, hence the lifting occurred. Hopefully the service center will fix it for you or rather replace the screen.

I concur with the above. It looks more like an adhesive failure vs. a glass failure.
I've repaired a number of older generation devices - namely iPhone 4s, SGS3s, and SGS4s. The latter two are expensive LCD/Glass replacements, as such I did the ole heat and separate to replace busted glass trick. I was able to do so w/o destroying the digitizer/lcd. The first one I was scared $#|tl3ss and took my time, which paved the way for being comfortable doing the others I did...
If I was personally faced with your situation, and having the experience I do, if the device is under warranty with the source, I'd go that route. If it isn't under some sort of warranty, I'd try to heat things up with a heat gun (to ~60-65 degrees centigrade - assuring that I didn't get things too hot by using a handheld contact-less thermometer) and while it cools, push down on the glass (not crushing the device like a neanderthal... ) to see if I could reactivate the adhesive and get the lcd/digitizer to stick to the back of the glass. Absent success with those two options, the last three options you may have, as I see it, are:
Service Center Repair - likely expensive and slow...
DIY - Glass/LCD/Digitizer/Subframe replacement as a single unit - likely just a bit lesser expensive, but much quicker as one wouldn't be w/o the device.
Getting one's hands dirty with a home-brew repair (many videos on youtube) where you remove the glass from a functional LCD/Digitizer and replace the OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive) and reassemble the unit.
This is likely the most cost effective but also the riskiest as one could damage things beyond repair, if one is not mechanically skilled, properly equipped, invests the time to learn, and is patient.
EDIT: It is also prudent to note that going this route requires a very finite attention to detail and proper application of processes, if one doesn't want to end up with a device that has a bunch of air bubbles between the glass, adhesive, and digitizer/LCD - been dhere, duhn dhat...
EDIT 2: Beware that there are a S#|t tonne of parts out there that won't work but look like they will. One needs to do their home-work and verify that one can return whatever units were ordered from a given retailer.​
Hope this helps. Good luck.
-t

Water damage - covered by warranty?

Hello,
My girlfriend has owned a Moto X Style for 3 months, which she was unfortunate to drop into the ground outside. It had the original bumper that came with the phone and a tempered glass screen protector on, so there were no visible damage to the phone. As it was slight rainy, the phone got a little wet and when she picked it up, there was already a little water behind the screen, and she turned it off and dried it off and let it sit in rice for about 19 hours to get the moist out. After 19 hours she tried to use it and it looked fine as all the water was gone, but about 1-1,5cm of the screen now does not register touch.
The phone was only on the ground about 20 seconds, so is it covered by the warranty?
The phone does have that nano-coating that is supposed to protect it from water spray.. I believe dropping your phone into the ground once is considered normal wear and tear, or am I wrong?

Hard telling what will happen, I have had zero luck with Moto warranty work. My wife was told 5 weeks for her phone to be replaced on a warranty claim and my moto 360 was denied warranty work for blue spots on the led. So, my guess is if none of the moisture detectors/stickers if it has them are smeared then you might do okay just telling them it stopped working. Don't tell them about the water or the drop. You can see what happens, but moto warranty center in U.S. is now being looked at for a class action lawsuit due to terrible warranty work. I am never buying moto again because of this.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Dropping, especially in water is not normal wear.

jabobo said:
Hello,
My girlfriend has owned a Moto X Style for 3 months, which she was unfortunate to drop into the ground outside. It had the original bumper that came with the phone and a tempered glass screen protector on, so there were no visible damage to the phone. As it was slight rainy, the phone got a little wet and when she picked it up, there was already a little water behind the screen, and she turned it off and dried it off and let it sit in rice for about 19 hours to get the moist out. After 19 hours she tried to use it and it looked fine as all the water was gone, but about 1-1,5cm of the screen now does not register touch.
The phone was only on the ground about 20 seconds, so is it covered by the warranty?
The phone does have that nano-coating that is supposed to protect it from water spray.. I believe dropping your phone into the ground once is considered normal wear and tear, or am I wrong?
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Click to collapse
You can try. I've owned 2 moto x phones (1st gen and style) and both have been through far worse situations with no damage to screen. It looks like that fall must've damaged her screen somehow. I don't think this is covered under warranty.

No damage, as a result from water or drops, is covered under the standard warranty. If you have insurance, then you can file a claim. If you wish to try and do a warranty claim, be prepared for it to be denied should any evidence show water damage internally. State it quit working and leave it at that.
Sent from my XT1575 using XDA-Developers mobile app

From my MXPE's info booklet

Thank you all for answers. I have been in contact with Motorola customer service and the warranty does not cover it. They sent me details for a repair shop in my country.
My only chance now is my insurance, which takes for ever to process..
I am considering to buy a new screen + digitizer and change it myself as it does not cost too much and it is relatively easy. My only concern is that the phone stops working in the long haul because it is impossible to know how much was damaged by the water.. The phone is usable and is in use now, and the only problem is the touch still.. Is it worth a try?
If I send it in for repairs they may probably say it's unrepairable because I believe there are sensors in the phone that detect water damage, and I will have to pay for them to ship it back unrepaired...

If you have insurance on your phone you should read through it to see what is covered. Most cover water damage and cracked screens (lost/stolen usually not). If water damage is covered, most insurance companies will either give you a reconditioned model or in select few cases give money to replace it. If you are really lucky you will get a new one.
This is assuming you took out insurance specifically on your phone. If you are referring to homeowners or renters insurance, you will have to check your policy. Many cover the phone as a result of "acts of nature" or theft/robbery but may not cover accidents of your own doing.
Sent from my awesome phone!!!

Did it work?
I have similar issue and wondering if you replaced the front screen did it work?
jabobo said:
Thank you all for answers. I have been in contact with Motorola customer service and the warranty does not cover it. They sent me details for a repair shop in my country.
My only chance now is my insurance, which takes for ever to process..
I am considering to buy a new screen + digitizer and change it myself as it does not cost too much and it is relatively easy. My only concern is that the phone stops working in the long haul because it is impossible to know how much was damaged by the water.. The phone is usable and is in use now, and the only problem is the touch still.. Is it worth a try?
If I send it in for repairs they may probably say it's unrepairable because I believe there are sensors in the phone that detect water damage, and I will have to pay for them to ship it back unrepaired...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I ended up buying a new screen with the frame and I changed it. It was pretty straightforward as I followed some youtube guides. Phone works perfectly now. I recommend that you buy the new screeen with the frame and everything because it's a real pain to change without the frame.