Database Users

Possible solution to GPS problem on Nexus S

Hi,
i've tried just about anything to improve GPS singal on my Nexus S, i was so desperate i even thinked about selling it. But by accident i've found something interesting.
When you remove battery cover signal from GPS is really good, usable even indoors 1-2 meters from window. When you put cover back - it suddenly drops. Here's the best part - when i use different cover directly on the back of the phone, WITHOUT original battery cover (i have thick back case which you put on battery cover, anti scratch thing) signal was just as fine as without any cover!
Then i tried covering back of the phone with a case from another phone (Galaxy S) and signal was fine.
So the culprit is NFC spiral which is sticked to the battery cover. I'd like to take it off, but im not sure if it is possible to stcik it back in case of RMA or something.
I'd like you to try this simple experiment and tell me if your phones suffer from the same thing.
Thanks

hmm interesting

Lol wow with cover on I get 2-3 .. without cover 3-4.5 ... lol
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

YourMainDude said:
Lol wow with cover on I get 2-3 .. without cover 3-4.5 ... lol
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about turning NFC off?

Today i took off NFC antenna and it didn't work, which is strange. Now the culprit is whole battery cover. As i said i tried different cases and GPS was working fine with them.

Hello,
in our german community we discuss this problem, too. The Problem isn't the NFC antenna, it's the backcover! Some user tried with another cover from ebay: http://www.ebay.de/itm/250846706756?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 and this seems to work better!
Here is a link to the original thread (in german!) http://www.android-hilfe.de/nexus-s-forum/98979-probleme-mit-gps-fix-ab-2-3-4-a-19.html#post2080524
Best regards
Handymeister

Handymeister said:
Hello,
in our german community we discuss this problem, too. The Problem isn't the NFC antenna, it's the backcover! Some user tried with another cover from ebay: http://www.ebay.de/itm/250846706756?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 and this seems to work better!
Here is a link to the original thread (in german!) http://www.android-hilfe.de/nexus-s-forum/98979-probleme-mit-gps-fix-ab-2-3-4-a-19.html#post2080524
Best regards
Handymeister
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, that exactly what i considered. It's really funny, because original battery cover is making GPS works like s**t.
If that cover form ebay is really working i might consider buying it, i'll try to read original thread, thanks.
Have you tried that cover? My German isn't that great and neither is google translate. But from what i read this is really working, but i don't know how well.

im guessing NFC wont work without the stock battery cover

when did this GPS problem started?
it must be new...
uberberben said:
Hi,
i've tried just about anything to improve GPS singal on my Nexus S, i was so desperate i even thinked about selling it. But by accident i've found something interesting.
When you remove battery cover signal from GPS is really good, usable even indoors 1-2 meters from window. When you put cover back - it suddenly drops. Here's the best part - when i use different cover directly on the back of the phone, WITHOUT original battery cover (i have thick back case which you put on battery cover, anti scratch thing) signal was just as fine as without any cover!
Then i tried covering back of the phone with a case from another phone (Galaxy S) and signal was fine.
So the culprit is NFC spiral which is sticked to the battery cover. I'd like to take it off, but im not sure if it is possible to stcik it back in case of RMA or something.
I'd like you to try this simple experiment and tell me if your phones suffer from the same thing.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

praveenmarkandu said:
im guessing NFC wont work without the stock battery cover
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it will not work without the original back cover
that is the antennae

uberberben said:
Today i took off NFC antenna and it didn't work, which is strange. Now the culprit is whole battery cover. As i said i tried different cases and GPS was working fine with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe. Put your NFC antenna back on. Google wallet is awesome.

Hey guys
I have my Nexus S (Blandroid + Trinity T144) tested just now, and now I only realize the GPS unit is on the right side of the phone.
Take off your cover, you should see a black, duct-tape like module pasted on almost 3/4 of the right side of Nexus S (the side where power button is located). That should be the GPS unit.
Tested with cover on, landscape with right side of the phone pointed upwards, I gained a score of 40~41 in one or two of the satellite in my view (GPS Test by Chartcross Ltd). When I test it with cover off, I gained a score of 45~47 in a few of the satellite.
Conclusion is, if you need a better GPS signal, you will need to hold it landscape with camera pointing to the left. Portrait mode will not works too well I guess. I wonder how Apple products can gain locks near instantly.

that's what i always do when i want to use GPS for navigation, pull off the battery cover.
it's almost impossible to get a fix with the battery cover on.

Humm I really wanted to delete this post but there isn't an option

Wow, i tried to get gps fix in my home without cover and it work!

Well, my Nexus 4 lasted a month.

Went out yesterday afternoon with some friends, had about 80% charge on the battery. Probably an hour into my night, I went to check my phone (i always keep it in my front pocket), and to my confusion, it wouldn't power on. Okay...maybe somehow an app left running killed the battery (although I think they designed the phones not to do this). Fast forward about 4 hours, when we get back home. I plug the phone into the wall charger and instantly see an unfamiliar blinking red led light just above the charge port. The phone wouldn't power up, decided to check back later. 30 Minutes later, still nothing. 8 Hours later on charge, still nothing.
I've tried hard resetting, I've tried holding the power button for 30 seconds, I've tried holding all three simultaneously. I guess it's just a dead phone.
I didn't root the phone, I didn't custom-rom the phone, no 3rd-party kernel...nothing...she was completely stock.
I called google, their support agent wasn't familiar with the phone. Said he'd get an RMA started, would email me the details he needed from me...never got back to me. I'm pretty pissed.
Waiting 5 weeks for a phone that dies in a month....not a happy camper.
UPDATE! FIXED IT
Following the guide here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+4+Teardown/11781/1
I took it apart, disconnected the battery lead, and reconnected the lead...poof it boots!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UPDATE #2
The phone "died" again. Took it apart again, pulled the battery, again. Factory Reset, the phones been on a charger since then and it is still on, we'll see how it lasts the day.
I'm not sure if there is any proof of this, but I read somewhere that benchmarking apps can cause this(?) I had Quadrant installed on my device shortly before this happened. Anyway, I'll let you guys know if I have any more problems.
UPDATE #3
I've lost it again. I don't know what to do at this point...

Before I proceed,
1) Are you comfortable working on electronics
if yes, continue to 2. if not, stop here.
2) Do you have the appropriate tools?

rr5678 said:
Before I proceed,
1) Are you comfortable working on electronics
if yes, continue to 2. if not, stop here.
2) Do you have the appropriate tools?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and Yes, but I don't want to void my warranty on such an unknown problem. I'd rather see it replaced and they can research the problem on my phone and try to prevent it in the future so others don't have to go through this. Thanks

Don't you just hate the fact that some random employee at Google will easily have access to all of your personal data left on the phone?
Oh well, at least you get taken care of.

ethugp3pp3r said:
Yes and Yes, but I don't want to void my warranty on such an unknown problem. I'd rather see it replaced and they can research the problem on my phone and try to prevent it in the future so others don't have to go through this. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not aware of any warranty/void stickers on this phone.

have you seen this?

If
If the phone battery has been discharged too far then it becomes dangerous to try and recharge it as it can explode, this is why these sorts of safety mechanisms kick in sometimes.
Your only option is to send it back, if the battery safety device has been activated, it will be permanent and can only be fixed by a new battery
Regards
Phil

rr5678 said:
I'm not aware of any warranty/void stickers on this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure? Can anybody else verify this? What were you going to suggest doing? I'm having lots of complications with the RMA process because i'm currently visiting in England until the end of the month and then I'll go back to Germany where I'll be living for the next ~7 months. I got this phone last month when I was visiting home in the US. It's a total disaster and if disconnecting and reconnecting my battery is all I need to do (and I won't void the warranty), I'd prefer to give that a go.

oh and another thing...when I connect the phone to my laptop, the USB connect/disconnect sound plays every 5-6 seconds. So it seems like the phone is turning on, and then off again...over and over again.

ethugp3pp3r said:
oh and another thing...when I connect the phone to my laptop, the USB connect/disconnect sound plays every 5-6 seconds. So it seems like the phone is turning on, and then off again...over and over again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured that all this red light stuff could be solved by a simple battery pull, but LG was too STUPID to realize that people need an accessible battery and now to even try it, you have to open the phone and unscrew the battery connector.

rr5678 said:
I figured that all this red light stuff could be solved by a simple battery pull, but LG was too STUPID to realize that people need an accessible battery and now to even try it, you have to open the phone and unscrew the battery connector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it really that easy? Will the warranty be voided?

Following the guide here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+4+Teardown/11781/1
I took it apart, disconnected the battery lead, and reconnected the lead...poof it boots!!

ethugp3pp3r said:
Following the guide here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+4+Teardown/11781/1
I took it apart, disconnected the battery lead, and reconnected the lead...poof it boots!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There you go. You've confirmed the fix.

HI EVERYBODY.
I'm back. The phone has done it again. I've not got the patience to peel the back off, but it's gone into the blinking red light on charge/not booting up at all mode.
GOOGLE/LG, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, Send us all a new battery as well as the tools to replace it, and update the software, too. I'd also like $50 for the trouble, and please, fire every single "support technician" that thinks the sim card is behind the battery on a nexus (I've had that 2 times now from support)
The phone is great when it works, but it's "infrastructure" is absolutely god awful.
Will report back. Recommendations are welcome!

ethugp3pp3r said:
HI EVERYBODY.
I'm back. The phone has done it again. I've not got the patience to peel the back off, but it's gone into the blinking red light on charge/not booting up at all mode.
GOOGLE/LG, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, Send us all a new battery as well as the tools to replace it, and update the software, too. I'd also like $50 for the trouble, and please, fire every single "support technician" that thinks the sim card is behind the battery on a nexus (I've had that 2 times now from support)
The phone is great when it works, but it's "infrastructure" is absolutely god awful.
Will report back. Recommendations are welcome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you let your battery drain all the way or something?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

BigDig said:
Did you let your battery drain all the way or something?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I haven't done that. I just took it apart and reconnected the battery for the 3rd time. I really don't know what the f**k to do at this point. Does anybody have any idea what could be causing this? Google will not allow me to RMA the phone because I bought it in the US and I live in Germany (they won't ship it to Germany for some **** reason).
ahhhhhh!!

ethugp3pp3r said:
Nope, I haven't done that. I just took it apart and reconnected the battery for the 3rd time. I really don't know what the f**k to do at this point. Does anybody have any idea what could be causing this? Google will not allow me to RMA the phone because I bought it in the US and I live in Germany (they won't ship it to Germany for some **** reason).
ahhhhhh!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bad battery is causing it...
Find a replacement.
You can also call LG instead of google. They may RMA for you.

tweaked said:
bad battery is causing it...
Find a replacement.
You can also call LG instead of google. They may RMA for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's lasted through the night off the charger on Franco's Kernel and CM 10.1
not sure what that tells us, but I'm happy!

I'm 90% sure all of these weird battery problems + red light are because of stock charger!
Search around and see..

calanizzle said:
I'm 90% sure all of these weird battery problems + red light are because of stock charger!
Search around and see..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good thing I hardly use that one
But instead of telling us to search, could you provide us with sources? Because this is interesting.
Somebody should compare the LG charger with another good quality charger, a Samsung or Nokia for example, using a scope.

[Q] Problem with Samsung Flip Cover

Hello people, one question.
Recently I went to an Argentinian operator shop to buy a Samsung flip cover, for my galaxy s5 g900H variant. I replaced the back case for it, but, for my surprise, it didn't work. Sad, i went to another shop with the hope that it would work, but it didn't.
The s-view options doesn't appear on the accesories menu neither. And a man that was at the shop, said that I had to "scan" for the cover... is that true? or i had the bad luck that they gave me a disfunctional phone?
Also I saw that... when the phone is in stand by, the battery remains with the same percentage for hours, but when i start to use it, it drops 3-4% every 20 minutes.. is a hardware problem?
Thanks, Hernan.
PD: Sorry for my bad english, I am Argentinian.

amicoqui said:
Hello people, one question.
Recently I went to an Argentinian operator shop to buy a Samsung flip cover, for my galaxy s5 g900H variant. I replaced the back case for it, but, for my surprise, it didn't work. Sad, i went to another shop with the hope that it would work, but it didn't.
The s-view options doesn't appear on the accesories menu neither. And a man that was at the shop, said that I had to "scan" for the cover... is that true? or i had the bad luck that they gave me a disfunctional phone?
Also I saw that... when the phone is in stand by, the battery remains with the same percentage for hours, but when i start to use it, it drops 3-4% every 20 minutes.. is a hardware problem?
Thanks, Hernan.
PD: Sorry for my bad english, I am Argentinian.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either there is a problem with the phone or flipcover or maybe its not a genuine S5, i have a flipcover too and it shows all the options it is supposed too.
Install CPU-Z or Phone Info from Play to identify the phone and post a screenshot(s) here.

Everything seems normal with cpu-z. The manufacturer, the model... Everything
Also here in argentina, the flip cover has no contacts, is that normal?

amicoqui said:
Everything seems normal with cpu-z. The manufacturer, the model... Everything
Also here in argentina, the flip cover has no contacts, is that normal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it an S-view cover? It should have a small microchip with 2 copper contacts in the top-right corner inside the rubber waterproofing.

Here is a pic https://www.dropbox.com/s/pmt0mlp7j1tkrdh/2014-08-18 16.02.03.jpg.

Well... The one that is sold here has not contacts. Maybe is that the problem? I saw a s4 with no contacts on its flip cover and worked fine... Also. About the battery problem, what could be the cause?

amicoqui said:
Well... The one that is sold here has not contacts. Maybe is that the problem? I saw a s4 with no contacts on its flip cover and worked fine... Also. About the battery problem, what could be the cause?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably a or several apps beeing busy in the background. Install BetterBatteryStatts to see what the biggest power consumers are.

amicoqui said:
Well... The one that is sold here has not contacts. Maybe is that the problem? I saw a s4 with no contacts on its flip cover and worked fine... Also. About the battery problem, what could be the cause?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the S4 one is magnetised. The S5 version isn't, which means the cover doesn't always close fully. At least I experience that.
Instead, the S5 requires 2 pins to be shorted underneath.
As for the battery: it could be a software issue, or it could be that your phone isn't suffering from any wakelocks or partial wakelocks and your phone is deep sleeping. Also the Exynos is Quadcore; each core is slower than a single Qualcomm version - but if your phone is only using 1 core, the Exynos will have better battery life in that situation.

Battery Damage Advice

I have ordered a replacement battery but I am wondering if there is something else that should be considered.
The LCD screen was replaced about a month ago and it was a battle to get the battery out. The battery was damaged trying to slice through the glue when the outer covering of the battery got accidentally sliced open.
After reassembly everything worked fine except for the battery would get to about 40%, then shut down after a notification that the battery was at 0%.
That percentage when it shuts down is getting progressively higher. In fact it can happen any time now.
I've done a clean install of the latest Pure Nexus, but there was no difference.
While it is on the charger, it never happens.
So do the XDA gurus think a new battery only is required, or might there be something else?
Thank you in advance.

It might have to do with a certain chip thats gone missing, I don't think it has to do with a battery, i will look into it later. Anyway don't change the battery yet.

tpsnjs said:
I have ordered a replacement battery but I am wondering if there is something else that should be considered.
The LCD screen was replaced about a month ago and it was a battle to get the battery out. The battery was damaged trying to slice through the glue when the outer covering of the battery got accidentally sliced openGiXTC&A0YuEOg!IUH3BKISRezYsf&OOO
So do the XDA gurus think a new battery only is required, or might there be something else?
Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fact you know you sliced into the battery makes it pretty obvious. Damaged battery=battery issues. Replace the battery. Also if the battery structure has been compromised at all you risk being one of those people missing half a thigh because your Li-Ion battery turned into a jet pack in your pocket.

Gizmoe said:
The fact you know you sliced into the battery makes it pretty obvious. Damaged battery=battery issues. Replace the battery. Also if the battery structure has been compromised at all you risk being one of those people missing half a thigh because your Li-Ion battery turned into a jet pack in your pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read your advice, powered off the 6P, swapped the sim into the trusty HTC S One, and will wait for the new battery to arrive.
Thank you

PIVOTAL CROSSROADS... Any help is better then no help.

I am a Nexus advocate and the same will most likely be true no matter which name or branding Google chooses to use... that is as long as they don't steer away from the customizability and the virtually impossibility of a software brick.
Anywho I am a owner of a 6p. I bought it in Feb. around Valentine's day. The reason this is revenant is because @ that time is when the gold nexus came out and was on sale. The only problem being was I didn't want the gold.. I wanted the aluminum one. I was able to remedy that easily enough. I ordered a new Rear housing via ali express which came with the glass and bottom plastic piece that covered the screws. I have repaired my Nexus 5 lcd probably 5 times. So I have some experience with mobile repair. When the back finally came in (like a month). I watched a quick tutorial of a tear down. When I was applying heat I used a little too much and ruined my camera. I was able to access the camera but it was very blurry to the point of not being able to make out what ever it was. So I ordered another camera via ali express again, waited a month, then attempted another repair. This time I had no issues with the heat gun or removing the rear housing. To replace the camera was not as easy as it would have been for the Nexus 5... there are several steps involved... one of which being too take out the battery... I cannot figure out for the life of me why Huawei would feel it necessary to apply a **** ton of adhesive on a battery that has little to no wiggle room but they did. While I was attempting the removal I ripped the poly bag and could instantly smell the lithium. Soooo I ended up ordering a new battery from China again. While I was waiting for it to come in the phone fell off of my bench and cracked the screen. I had no idea if the screen would work or not until the battery arrived so I could test. Well the battery came in finally I installed it with no issues. The phone is once again in one piece but unfortunately the screen does not work, but, I am not sure that it is only the screen not working. Is there anyway that I would be able to troubleshoot or verify that it is only the screen that isn't working? This is why I named the post pivotal moment... if it is only the screen and I can somehow verify it then ill purchase a screen... but if I order the screen, replace it, only to find out that it is not the screen where the problems reside and/or it is only one of many problems then I'll probably give up and lick my wounds.. So, in a nutshell, is there anyway to run a diagnostic or anything like it... At this point ANY help or suggestions are welcome.
Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk

Well to me it sounds like you should be able to turn the phone on at least? Once it's on, give it maybe 5 solid minutes to boot just in case and try to operate it. If you see no response then try to call the phone. That would engage the screen, sound, and motor for the vibrate, if set... Go from there?

teh roxxorz said:
Well to me it sounds like you should be able to turn the phone on at least? Once it's on, give it maybe 5 solid minutes to boot just in case and try to operate it. If you see no response then try to call the phone. That would engage the screen, sound, and motor for the vibrate, if set... Go from there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think my only option left is to take her out back and put her down.... she's going to the big farm in the sky...

i2andog said:
I think my only option left is to take her out back and put her down.... she's going to the big farm in the sky...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try holding down volume down + power for a couple seconds and plug it into a PC and see if it tries to load fastboot drivers.

one of my problems is that i cannot tell if the battery is charging or not... is there anyway to bypass charging port and put a direct charge to the battery so that I at least know that the battery will charge and/or hold the charge... That will also let me know if my charging port is working or not.

i2andog said:
one of my problems is that i cannot tell if the battery is charging or not... is there anyway to bypass charging port and put a direct charge to the battery so that I at least know that the battery will charge and/or hold the charge... That will also let me know if my charging port is working or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long have you had the phone plugged in to a charger?

After installation probably 4-6 hours.. That's the beauty about Liith-poly... The rules of NiCd and NiMh are obsolete and do not apply... unless you are using one of course. Anyways a couple hours here an there..

i2andog said:
After installation probably 4-6 hours.. That's the beauty about Liith-poly... The rules of NiCd and NiMh are obsolete and do not apply... unless you are using one of course. Anyways a couple hours here an there..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you could still try, you'd feel it vibrate when it turned on.

teh roxxorz said:
Well you could still try, you'd feel it vibrate when it turned on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My apologies about the tardiness of my response.. I put it on the charger yesterday for a good 8 hours..
no matter how long i push the power button I receive no response from the phone..
I've tried this while having the phone connected via USB to the pc..
I've used a multimeter and it reads 3.7v which is right on par but I have no way to test under a load to confirm that it remains at that level.
I'm curious to know if there is a way to test without battery...

i2andog said:
My apologies about the tardiness of my response.. I put it on the charger yesterday for a good 8 hours..
no matter how long i push the power button I receive no response from the phone..
I've tried this while having the phone connected via USB to the pc..
I've used a multimeter and it reads 3.7v which is right on par but I have no way to test under a load to confirm that it remains at that level.
I'm curious to know if there is a way to test without battery...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries, we all have lives.
And well, the only thing you could really do would be to remove the battery and then jump the terminals from an external supply.
It'd be the same as using a laptop with the battery removed and having it plugged into the wall still.