Database Users

Really trying my best to like this tablet

I'm writing here out of frustration that I've been having with the Acer Iconia.
So I got the tablet about like early last week when it went on sale at Target. The tablet of course came with 3.0.1 and I waited a few days for it to receive the 3.1 update but it always gave me the "your device is up to date" thing. Ok fine so I'll just install the update myself so I updated to the latest version (4.010.11) using the update.zip method. Yay so now I have 3.1!
But of course the problems aren't over.
Before and after the update I had problems with WiFi (unable to connect because of looping) and I'd usually be able to "fix" this problem by resetting my router and modem. But what about when I go to college or any outside public place? I won't be able to go to them and ask them to reset their damn router -___-.
And the other annoying problem: the mic. Yes I've searched about the mic problem and looked at every thread that was created about it. It has to do with the noise canceling, etc. But I can't really video chat when the mic has crappy quality. Ok so I decided to go back to Target and exchange it for a new Acer Iconia (which I did yesterday).
When I got it and opened it, it seemed to be packaged a bit differently than the older tablet and seemed a bit newer (in comparison to the old packaging). And as soon as I connected it to my WiFi, an update appears!!! Cool so as I'm setting up the tablet, 3.1 is downloading in the background. Once it's done and the Tablet resets, everything seems cool. I try out the front cam using the stock Camera app and there was a moment where the camera only showed some odd green screen (as if it was unable to connect to the camera) and in a few seconds everything was cool. I even tried the mic and it was much better. I took it out with my to my friend's place and was able to connect to his internet with no issues. And then I went home and connected to my WiFi and once again it did the looping issue . I tried ignoring it and just reset my router (I tried assuming that it was my router's problem since my computer also has issues sometimes when it comes to reconnecting to WiFi after it turns on from sleep mode).
So then I go to sleep and wake up this morning. I decide to check for an update on my tablet for lulz and to my surprise there was another update (4.010.13)! Go through the update process with the power plugged in, android gear thingy keeps going, and the bar looked like it stopped moving 95% of the way and the tablet reset. So then it turns on and it says that all apk have been loaded but I don't see the "update successful" msg. But then I check "about tablet" and it appeared that it had updated successfully. *whew*
But of course another problem appears. Remember how the front camera had a slight moment? Well I tried using the front camera and it gave me that same green flickering screen and wouldn't show. Once again it appeared to have a problem connecting to the actual hardware camera. I tried force closing the camera app and opening it again but it didn't fix anything. Tried closing and opening the tablet but it didn't fix the problem. Tried pressing the reset button but that didn't fix it. And of course I decided to reset the whole thing but that didn't fix it! And I tried using the front cam with the Google Talk app and it still didn't work (still gave me the green flickering screen).
BLAH! Should I exchange the tablet for another Acer Iconia or just give up on it and get a different one? I honestly like the build of the tablet and all the features it offers (like the ports) but those issues are just stopping me from fully enjoying the tablet and being able to use it for the purposes I got it (video chatting, WiFi, etc.)
EDIT: Here's a video of the problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuAhgWQgCq0&feature=channel_video_title (Ignore the "4.010.13" in the title. I didn't mean to say that all 4.010.13 tablets will have this problem; only meant that my tablet was on 4.010.13)

I'm on my second iconia and absolutely love it. The first was almost perfect, but battery wouldn't charge beyond 88%.
I've tested out every possible thing about it, and everything is completely solid.
To exchange it for another iconia or something else is entirely up to you. I'm just telling you that what you describe I don't experience at all. My wifi connects instantly to whatever signal I tell it to connect to. My cameras also work perfectly. Mic also perfectly and makes me go through to the other side just fine. In fact, I've been using the iconia to have conferences with people I know to discuss about our plan to take over the world.
The point is there will always be a black sheep in the flock. Even the ipad 2, apple's star product and the most sort after tablet right now, is getting reports of problems left and right. The most common seems to be light bleeds and face time freezing.
Go for another tablet if you feel like it. Your choice. I'm just telling you there's such a thing as a perfect iconia, and I have it.

goodintentions said:
I'm on my second iconia and absolutely love it. The first was almost perfect, but battery wouldn't charge beyond 88%.
I've tested out every possible thing about it, and everything is completely solid.
To exchange it for another iconia or something else is entirely up to you. I'm just telling you that what you describe I don't experience at all. My wifi connects instantly to whatever signal I tell it to connect to. My cameras also work perfectly. Mic also perfectly and makes me go through to the other side just fine. In fact, I've been using the iconia to have conferences with people I know to discuss about our plan to take over the world.
The point is there will always be a black sheep in the flock. Even the ipad 2, apple's star product and the most sort after tablet right now, is getting reports of problems left and right. The most common seems to be light bleeds and face time freezing.
Go for another tablet if you feel like it. Your choice. I'm just telling you there's such a thing as a perfect iconia, and I have it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand and respect your good intentions. I'll think about it through out the day and I might exchange it for another Iconia. If another problem arises then I'll just check out another tablet.
Also I added a video of the problem at the bottom of the original post up there ^^^

The wifi issue was an atrocity that affect(s) a lot of people. Mine did it one time right after the 3.1 update, I did a fix on the tablet and it never has done it again, and since the latest update hopefully won't.
It does appear to me that something is wrong with your camera however. Mine has never done that and it does not appear to be a software issue. I think there's something physically wrong with the front facing camera - loose connection or something.

eh maybe the stockboys took their liberties with stock the shelf with iconia. Maybe just have the manager open one up with you and check those eature out before you leave the store. Mine has been great.
All the honeycomb tablets have their issues and run the same hardware so your not missing out leaving this tablet or keeping it. only thing is atleast the xoom gets updates fast(if your subcribing to verizon but the wifi version is not that far behind anywhos)

I keep hearing people complain about the mic, luckily that isn't an issue for me though as I don't use my tablet for video or audio chat anyways And surprisingly I haven't had the WIFI issue either, it has worked like a peach all the way from the start. The only issue I've had with my tablet has been the fact that it took Acer forever to release EMEA_GEN3 firmware update, nothing else so far.
Maybe I've just been lucky?

After watching your video, i can say is a hardware fault. Exchange again the tablet and check on the store that everything works. Mine works wonderful and I love this tablet.

I have two Iconia tablets and confirmed that both cameras in each tablet work in 4.010.11 and 4.010.13.
I've also not had an issue with wifi. If this is an ongoing issue, it might be an incompatibility with your router.

For the camera, most likely hardware defect, mine doesnt have that problem. For the wifi, however the update supposedly fixed it, but if you have the same problem as I do, root your device (its easy!) And download an app like es file explorer and go into the settings and enable both root settings. Turn off wifi, and in es file explorer delete both files in /data/miscellaneous/dhcp. Sounds like a pain but it really only takes thirty seconds and fixes it for a few days. As for replace versus a different unit, I recommend getting another iconia. I compaired all of the tablets hheavily, and all of them have their issues. The iconias issues, however, are by far the easiest to deal with
If this post was helpful, give thanks

I to have had not one issue with my tab. Well other then a few things I screws up.that camera issue looks like bad hardware or the cable from the can to system board is loose.I did drop my tab and found the connectors inside were not secure for video.I took mine apart. Take yours back since you just got it.tell them to get you one from a different box or take it back to a diffrent target store.
I once bought a awesome TV from Walmart I returned 4 of them was going to get a fifteenth brand but decided one more try.I went across bridge into Jeff Indiana walmart exchanged it. And never one sec trouble was a bad batch at the walmart 3 miles from my home.
Sorry for such a long story in blonde giggles

Just like every other product in life, sometimes we get lemons - not just lemons, rotten lemons.
Your A500 may be an example of a rotten lemon. No way to even turn it into lemonade.
You said you've done a factory reset and you're on the newest build of software, there's basically nowhere else to turn and nothing else to do. As a customer, you've done your part. I would say, do an exchange and as I think I glimpsed someone else mentioning, open it up and use it at the store. Check for hardware faults. Mind you, slow GPS locking and Wifi issues may not necessarily indicate a fault, but that camera issue definitely does.
That is of course, IF you want another A500 anyway. At this point, no one here could blame you if you wanted to try on something else. In your place, I probably would. Once bitten, twice shy. I give every brand 2 chances when it comes to a product. If I end up getting 2 duds (and I've only had this happen ONCE) that's where I draw the line and I gladly move on to something else.
Good Luck and whatever you decide to do, hope to hear from you again with your results...either loving on a new tablet, or loving on a working A500.

WOW Sorry to hear you have had so many issues. I bought my wife one for reading and web surfing for her birthday and she and my daughter got me one for my birthday. My kid has a Galaxy and she had some of the issues you have had with the acer. Granted she works at best buy and they had some issues with that lot she had bought hers from. I have khad the wifi issue at first and went to the acer web site and installed the fix from them before i had rooted mine. At first i had to do the reset thingy with a small paper clip. But have not had any other issues than that. I would do the return thing at a diffrent store maybe you got into a bad lot. I hope it changes for you.

Do a double reset (paperclip in the reset hole with power on) and power cycle. Then restore the factory settings under the security menu, which will also wipe all your settings and data. This solved all the probs my son was having in his A500.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

Fix for Nexus 7 2013 (flo) Touchscreen Glitches

For a long time now my Nexus 7 2013 (flo) 32gb has had this annoying touchscreen glitch where it will get false readings causing it to push buttons I didn't want to press, zoom when I wanted to scroll, and generally make it unusable unless I rebooted (which on some occasions didn't fix the problem). After doing some research, I found that it seems to be a common enough problem, but there was only one thread that claims to have fixed it. Now, to be honest I didn't try his method, as frankly it looked long, complicated, and I never found the time. Yesterday the thought occurred to me that the screen may actually be picking up real interference, and that it may just simply be to sensitive, so I set about to decrease the sensitivity on the device. To decrease the sensitivity ( THIS REQUIRES ROOT) I used root explorer (you may use any file explorer that can access root files) and went to the folder "/system/usr/idc" and opened the file "touch_dev.idc" in a text editor. In this file I found the line "touch.pressure.scale = 0.0125" and changed the value from 0.0125 to 2.5. I then saved the file and rebooted. Since doing this I have not had the touchscreen glitch, and I have been using the device for a little over 24 hours now. I used to get the glitch about 3 times a day. I will continue to test this config, to see if it actually does fix the problem, but due to the nature of the problem, the only way to know if this fix works, is to use it over a long period of time. I will remove this post if the issue ever returns and I am not able to fix it using a similar method.
Notes:
* the directory is "/system/usr/idc/touch_dev.idc"
* increase the value of "touch.pressure.scale" to decrease the screen sensitivity
* make sure you have write privileges (in root explorer, don't forget to hit the R/W button before opening the .idc file in a text editor)
* don't forget to save the file
* after saving the file, reopen it to make sure the change took place, if it didn't make sure you have write privileges and actually saved it
* don't forget to reboot for the changes to apply (I'm not sure if its necessary, but am willing to bet that it is)
* this should work with other versions of the nexus 7 flo, not just the 32gb
* I am not liable for any damages caused to your device (you should know this by now)
*I have only tested this on one device, as it is the only one I have access to with this problem
* If this fix works for you, please let me know below, feedback is appreciated
* I didn't return the device, simply because I lost the receipt, and don't know if the warranty is still in place
Edit:
This does not work, after more testing issues returned. But I will continue to try different values to see if this can fix the problem.

Don't bother adjusting any further, it's a very well known problem and has nothing to do with this, put it back to it's default and then use the fix mentioned in this forum, (the software touchscreen driver fix). It's simple, takes about 5 mins, doesn't require root and actually works. TS10 solved 99% of my problems, which were pretty severe before.

Solaris81 said:
Don't bother adjusting any further, it's a very well known problem and has nothing to do with this, put it back to it's default and then use the fix mentioned in this forum, (the software touchscreen driver fix). It's simple, takes about 5 mins, doesn't require root and actually works. TS10 solved 99% of my problems, which were pretty severe before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, yeah I'll have to do that. I posted this a bit early, as I was seeing positive results at first and got excited. Thanks.

yes, there are 3 different fixes posted, ts10, ts20 and ts30.....and there are a couple of others in that thread too. I found the experiment ts18 worked best for me. ts10 was an improvement, ts20 better, and and ts30 too sensitive. after sticking with ts20 I decided to try the additional ones and so far 18 is best for me.
try the 3 main ones....and use the one that works best......if you still see little bugs in it, then try the experimental ones closest the 10 or 20 or 30 that worked best for you. I feel like I have a brand new device since running this fix on mine. You don't have to be rooted, but you do have to be unlocked.
I have a wifi 32 gb model manufactured Sept 2013

Question, I originally bought a n7 lte (deb) in November 2013. Don't know manufacture date. Had to return for hardware failure in the touchscreen and the replacement was manufactured in November 2013. So far I have not seen the same touchscreen issues I had with my original (ghost touches, touches not registering etc). Should I try to use the fix in that thread or leave well enough alone? Tia

pre4speed said:
Question, I originally bought a n7 lte (deb) in November 2013. Don't know manufacture date. Had to return for hardware failure in the touchscreen and the replacement was manufactured in November 2013. So far I have not seen the same touchscreen issues I had with my original (ghost touches, touches not registering etc). Should I try to use the fix in that thread or leave well enough alone? Tia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's really up to you. If it works fine then you don't need a fix.... But if there are glitches.... Well you know where to get a fix.

Solaris81 said:
Don't bother adjusting any further, it's a very well known problem and has nothing to do with this, put it back to it's default and then use the fix mentioned in this forum, (the software touchscreen driver fix). It's simple, takes about 5 mins, doesn't require root and actually works. TS10 solved 99% of my problems, which were pretty severe before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, but you do know there are SEVERAL different issues with the touchscreen & that thread only will fix (partially fix as everyone I know that has tried it, still has occasional issues) one of three or more issues. There is also a grounding issue, that your reference WILL NOT FIX. There are also issues with the ribbon cable placement, which was my issue & several others, which requires opening the case & either reattaching the cable or reinforcing the connection at the terminal, which fixed mine & a few others. Just saying, I wouldn't blindly state that "this fix" will solve all your issues.

can anyone provide a flashable patch to try? Thanks

This problem is starting to annoy me really badly D:

I have seen different types of issues on my N7 2013 - 32gb. I tested using YAMTT app.
1. touch will not be registered at certain areas or ghost touches - this is worse with stock rom the tablet came with. the best solution for stock rom is to either try ts10, ts09 etc. or try different roms. I finally settled with AOSB rom with Glitch kernel, working fine.
2. touch will work fine if you hold the tablet in your hand or have it connected to usb or headphones. but wont register or see ghost touches if you keep it in a flat place and use it - (grounding issue) - there are various fixes i have seen. (a) remove the tablet and do fix (b) try different magnetic cases if you use one (c) some report that ts file fixes fix these too.
Mine still have this issue. I use it by holding it. Have to try the fixes above sometime.
3. Touch is too sensitive - I believe that is what OP suggests a fix. Sometime when i was scrolling through emails, suddenly a click registers and it goes inside an email. I will try this and report.
Even if one of the above fixes work, after some time if you see problems again, do a reboot and it will be back working normal again. I am still not convinced if it is just a software issue or a hardware issue or both.

This seems to have helped with the 'jumpy' touch issues I've been having. It could also be because I just rebooted for the first time in over a month.
I set mine to 3.0, for me its a lot better than 2.5

Can you (or someone) please post a direct link to the main thread (or others) - I am having a little trouble locating. Thanks. By that I mean main thread mentioned in 2nd post regarding T10 etc
This seems to be it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2428133

Nexus 7 unresponsive screen or reaction without touching
Started having trouble with my Nexus 7 2013 not responding to touches or sometimes just entering characters not touched when doing keyboard entry. Thought it might be sensitivity issue, but checked one of the posts on line here and found that mine was actually set more sensitive than the suggested amount. Thought it might be a software issue as it really started getting bad after update to Version 5.0.2. I found that it seemed to be worse after notices that some of the apps had updated. My solution albeit imperfect was to start deleting apps until I found the problem. Not sure which it is, but it appears to be some of the in built apps that come from Google. I forced stop on several of these like play movies and books and did the uninstall procedure. Like magic, my Nexus started responding like if was just out of the box. Unfortunately, Google has these set so that they evidently run automatically when the tablet is turned on and update by themselves (which seems to have the effect of turning them back on as well). In any case, when I start getting sensitivity issues like it not responding to areas of the screen or not swiping, I go to apps and go through the list forcing a stop on all I don't use (especially You Tube) then uninstalling (only option seems to be going back to factory versions). Nexus then works OK until the next "automatic" update, I actually use (i.e. enable) one of the apps or turn the Nexux completely off and reboot. At least it is less frustrating doing this every week or so than having a non-responsive tablet. If anyone knows how to "permanently" kill these Google apps or at least turn off the auto-start and auto-update functions, I would be pleased to hear it. By the way, the best I can tell, stopping these does not seem prevent You Tube videos playing or any of the other tablet functions from working, but maybe utilizing them from a browser or whatever is what triggers them coming to life again. I'm a novice so I don't know.

[Q] Sensors dead?

I've been running on 5.0 for about a week (stock, rooted). I rather suddenly had the tablet fail to auto-rotate, but rebooting sorted it out at the time. Now it completely refuses to rotate. Not only that, but every app I've tried that reports sensor data doesn't even acknowledge the existence of any input other than the touchscreen and the microphone. I've tried reflashing 5.0 to no avail, and I'm in the process of going back to 4.4 to see if that does anything but I'm not feeling hopeful about it.
Does anyone have any ideas of what else I could try? I'm pretty sure it's well out of warranty (rooting aside), so I'm not sure how feasible it would be to get support on it from Asus. I'm considering popping it apart and seeing if anything obvious is wrong but I'm not sure what I'd be looking for.

Klades said:
I've been running on 5.0 for about a week (stock, rooted). I rather suddenly had the tablet fail to auto-rotate, but rebooting sorted it out at the time. Now it completely refuses to rotate. Not only that, but every app I've tried that reports sensor data doesn't even acknowledge the existence of any input other than the touchscreen and the microphone. I've tried reflashing 5.0 to no avail, and I'm in the process of going back to 4.4 to see if that does anything but I'm not feeling hopeful about it.
Does anyone have any ideas of what else I could try? I'm pretty sure it's well out of warranty (rooting aside), so I'm not sure how feasible it would be to get support on it from Asus. I'm considering popping it apart and seeing if anything obvious is wrong but I'm not sure what I'd be looking for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had same problem with my N7 2013. First: I opened the back and secured a lousy cable, closed, worked almost 1 full day till everything stops. I also used my book case with magnets. Then: I reopened, secured the other side too of the lousy cable and closed. No case till this, 5 days are passed and no error. So, due to my flaw in the modus operandi, now I don't know if it was for the cables of for the case with magets. I hope the second, I won't use that case either anymore :laugh:
Hope this can help (even if I have the 2013 version)

I have exactly the same issue. My Nexus 7 2013 is on 5.0.1 and rooted. I nnoticed the issue yesterday. First alerted by screen rotation not working, I used CPU Z to see if the compass was detected and I found the sensors page completely blank.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Incoming Verizon Update

I'm on T-Mobile but I just got home and phoned up my co-worker who has the Verizon version. Says he noticed a slight improvement in overall touchscreen responsiveness. Biggest problem that he said was fixed was ghost touches (touching one portion of the screen caused a menu to pop up somewhere else for example) being completely gone. Idk, it's really starting to feel like a lot of these bugs should have gotten squashed in the product testing phase. Wonder if this is the same update as the mandatory one T-Mobile got way back. I wouldn't think so since the T-Mobile update did not fix touch screen issues for anyone.

Anybody notice the auto brightness isn't as dim anymore which is a good thing IMO.

slick_shoes said:
Anybody notice the auto brightness isn't as dim anymore which is a good thing IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well that sucks because the lowest wasn't low enough for me.

Lock-N-Load said:
2. I do NOT see a difference in QC 2.0. I was about 8.94-9.0 volts draw on QC 2.0 before, and now I am at same. I call it as no change in QC 2.0 speed - so still not "true" QC 2.0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgive me if I've misunderstood QC 2.0. But my understanding is it can charge at 9V or 12V. So just because it's still at 9V doesn't definitely mean that the phone isn't receiving more power, the amps could have also increased.
To provide 15W, for instance, you'd need 3A at 5V, 1.67A at 9V, and 1.33A at 12V.
It's possible to still get 9V from the charger, but draw more amps, for faster charging. Using something like Battery Monitor Widget, to monitor the current provided to the battery, would be a useful tool.

bobloadmire said:
well that sucks because the lowest wasn't low enough for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the paid version of Lux ... Can get the screen REAL dim!
G4'ed it!

After reading all of these posts, I'm really hoping for a similar update on T-Mobile coming soon. I'm glad this isn't just a placebo and an actual solution to a software problem that doesn't require getting my phone serviced.

SIdeloading apps problem???
UPDATE: Nevermind - issue not related to Verizon update... Had Twilight app kick on after sunset and that overlay app (reducing blue light) is what caused the touch issue. (Credit: brainwash1)
Enabled installing from "Unknown Sources" and installed an app yesterday no problem
I just did the Verizon system update and reboot, now on sideloading install I get the permissions list with CANCEL & INSTALL buttons at the bottom. Looks normal, but the INSTALL button doesn't respond to any tapping. Tried landscape mode also, just to move where the button was located on the screen, but no dice. CANCEL button works fine.
[Also, if there are many permissions, so I need to scroll, the INSTALL button starts as a NEXT button, then changes to INSTALL when done scrolling to bottom. Doesn't matter, neither NEXT not INSTALL buttons function]
Not sure what else would cause this. It seems like the Verizon system update broke something. Anyone else having new problem sideloading after the update???

Whats your carrier? I think the other guy is verizon. So am i, and i put no thanks

z500zag said:
Enabled installing from "Unknown Sources" and installed an app yesterday no problem
I just did the Verizon system update and reboot, now on sideloading install I get the permissions list with CANCEL & INSTALL buttons at the bottom. Looks normal, but the INSTALL button doesn't respond to any tapping. Tried landscape mode also, just to move where the button was located on the screen, but no dice. CANCEL button works fine.
[Also, if there are many permissions, so I need to scroll, the INSTALL button starts as a NEXT button, then changes to INSTALL when done scrolling to bottom. Doesn't matter, neither NEXT not INSTALL buttons function]
Not sure what else would cause this. It seems like the Verizon system update broke something. Anyone else having new problem sideloading after the update???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have an app running that overlays something on the screen? I've had this in the past with a couple of different apps. Try turning off anything that's running.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Ding ding ding!
brainwash1 said:
Do you have an app running that overlays something on the screen? I've had this in the past with a couple of different apps. Try turning off anything that's running.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Twilight app kicked on after sunset, which is why I started having the problem. Paused it, and no more issue. Thanks!

Misterxtc said:
If you or anyone else don't want to be bothered by the OTA in fear of patching a exploit for root block LGDMSClient.apk with the debloater tool by @gatesjunior. If anyone downloaded it and do not want to install it just clear the cache from recovery mode. That should remove it from the phone.
EDIT: To enter recovery mode power down the phone and then hold the volume down and power buttons when powering back on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wiping the cache did nothing. It keeps popping up saying it is already downloaded and ready to install.

psycho_asylum said:
Wiping the cache did nothing. It keeps popping up saying it is already downloaded and ready to install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, then the update isn't stored in the cache partition as other phones. It's a bit drastic but a factory data reset will do it. I ended up taking the update and then froze the updater. It did improve the touch response so I have no need for further updates. It updates the kernel because that is where the necessary changes are.

Misterxtc said:
OK, then the update isn't stored in the cache partition as other phones. It's a bit drastic but a factory data reset will do it. I ended up taking the update and then froze the updater. It did improve the touch response so I have no need for further updates. It updates the kernel because that is where the necessary changes are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my touch response "seems" improved but I still get ghost touches..
I love pretty much every aspect of the phone, but the issues I have with the touchscreen are maddening at times, if I didn't see widespread reports of issues I would have Verizon replace the phone, but I am not sure it's worth the hassle..

lazarus2297 said:
my touch response "seems" improved but I still get ghost touches..
I love pretty much every aspect of the phone, but the issues I have with the touchscreen are maddening at times, if I didn't see widespread reports of issues I would have Verizon replace the phone, but I am not sure it's worth the hassle..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might be worth replacing. I first had a black one that had the problem pretty bad. I returned the phone and went back to my S6 for a while but ended up picking up a blue one from Best Buy and this one works great. The touch wasn't that sensitive before the update but now it works really good. My battery is really good on the blue model too. Keep in mind I paid full retail for mine so when I returned the first one there was no restocking fee. I go to BestBuy just for that reason.

I was having some touch issues just as many are experiencing. Just today I installed the Google keyboard from the play store. I enabled the new keyboard and stopped using the LG keyboard. I have been using it this way for about an hour and I am much happier. I am hopeful this will take care of my issue. This is on a Verizon G4.

I took the update yesterday and threw my Verizon G4 on a Qi Wireless Charger last night and the bug where it has crashed in the AM is still there. Not sure about that.
Basically every time I wake up on a night of Qi Charging, the phone is crashed and freaks out.

Update:
My phone is now getting hot and doing the screen brightness bounce like it did out of the box. Going from 100 to 90 to 80 to 90 to 80 to 100 to 90.

bnick007 said:
I was having some touch issues just as many are experiencing. Just today I installed the Google keyboard from the play store. I enabled the new keyboard and stopped using the LG keyboard. I have been using it this way for about an hour and I am much happier. I am hopeful this will take care of my issue. This is on a Verizon G4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I switched from the LG keyboard to the google keyboard day one so that was never a source of my issues.. Just today.. twice post update I have had ghost touches launch the app switcher icon while texting and caused me to switch apps on accident.. Doh.. It's frustrating to say the least.

Never had a problem with wireless charging besides it's slow.
No screen brightness fluctuations.
No ghosting on screen.
Sounds like there's an awful big batch of bad phones.

06stang said:
Never had a problem with wireless charging besides it's slow.
No screen brightness fluctuations.
No ghosting on screen.
Sounds like there's an awful big batch of bad phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are definitely bad ones. I returned mine again a few hours ago because my outdoor pictures would come out either dark or overexposed real bad. I tried manual mode and auto and no matter what I did they were awful. So I'm back to my S6 again, it was fun while it lasted.

Essential ph1 twice random reboot

Just got this today and it's great besides being a bit smaller than my g6 and because of front camera design only being technically 5.5in screen for most apps especially games.
However since I have had it, it has randomly rebooted itself twice for no real apparent reason. Is this a known issue or something anyone else has experienced? I want to try to get a bit more information on it before contacting the eBay seller. It is a refurbished.

I have never experienced a random reboot. You might want to try factory resetting your phone and then setting it up with the fresh start option instead of restoring from a Google cloud backup. Was your phone on Nougat or Oreo when you received it? Were there any major software updates?

It was fully updated to 8.1.0 when I received it. April 5th security patch. It was factory reset and I started fresh. No backup other than logging into my Google account for contacts, passwords and logins and such. I never do backups and restores always start fresh other than Google account.

Nickvanexel said:
It was fully updated to 8.1.0 when I received it. April 5th security patch. It was factory reset and I started fresh. No backup other than logging into my Google account for contacts, passwords and logins and such. I never do backups and restores always start fresh other than Google account.
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Must be rogue app, had mine 3 months and never had a glitch or reboot.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

If you are still having the random reboots you might want to boot your phone into safe mode to verify that a third party app isn't causing the problem. Since your phone was refurbished it's also possible that it was damaged by the previous owner or returned for the same issue you are experiencing. I did read that some early PH-1 buyers had to return their phones because of hardware issues like overheating.

Just did it again while using chrome. Just froze up for a few seconds and restarted. Doesn't seem to be overheating and the first time it happened before I installed anything I think. Guess I'll try a reset and go from there.

Factory reset twice now. No 3rd party apps installed. Updated all apps on Google play. The default phone apps.
Now the phone is freezing and rebooting itself constantly. Out of control. I am in safe mode right now and hasn't frozen yet. I don't know what the hell is going on.
Would love to be able to fix this issue myself without having to do return shipping. I have contacted the seller already though.

If it doesn't freeze or reboot at all in safe mode that usually means an app that you downloaded is causing the problem. The normal thing to try would be to factory reset the phone, download one app and see if there are problems. If the phone seems to be fine download a second app and use the phone long enough to see if the phone is stable. If it seems fine download a third app and do the same.
That's obviously very time consuming and if you were running a phone with heavily modded code like OnePlus with Oxygen it would probably be worth the investment of time. But this phone runs stock Android. Unless you are installing something unusual that might cause stability issues what you are describing sounds like a hardware problem. You might have bad memory for example and not enough is going on when the phone is in safe mode to trigger the unstable behavior.
I think returning or exchanging the phone you bought is definitely your best course of action. I really like this phone but it sounds like yours is defective or damaged.
The only other thing that comes to mind is that sometimes if you own more than one phone the Play Store will show apps that aren't compatible with the phone you are actually using. Dialers, messaging apps, camera apps and music players made for a specific phone brand aren't usually compatible with other brands because they need modded framework to function properly. Some apps that definitely are not compatible with this phone do show up in my Play Store Library available for download. Is it possible you are downloading an incompatible app?

I factory reset and haven't installed a single app. Just updated everything that was stock with the phone after reset. I was thinking faulty ram too, seems like it is.

Yeah I guess it's toast. Last night while watching YouTube it froze. Screen scrambled with artifacts and the phone made a loud continuous howling sound like an emergency alert. I honestly thought it was an emergency alert until I saw the artifacting.
Unless someone here can possibly give me an idea of any other reason it could be displaying this behavior I guess I have no choice but to return it?

Nickvanexel said:
Yeah I guess it's toast. Last night while watching YouTube it froze. Screen scrambled with artifacts and the phone made a loud continuous howling sound like an emergency alert. I honestly thought it was an emergency alert until I saw the artifacting.
Unless someone here can possibly give me an idea of any other reason it could be displaying this behavior I guess I have no choice but to return it?
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Grab a BTS zip from the back to stock thread... And flash that...
I'll bet however it was updated had some yuck in it...

Nickvanexel said:
Yeah I guess it's toast. Last night while watching YouTube it froze. Screen scrambled with artifacts and the phone made a loud continuous howling sound like an emergency alert. I honestly thought it was an emergency alert until I saw the artifacting.
Unless someone here can possibly give me an idea of any other reason it could be displaying this behavior I guess I have no choice but to return it?
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Someone in the Essential stock ROM dump thread just described the exact same behavior that you are experiencing. He hopes reflashing stock will fix it but since it's identical to what's happening with your phone I think he's going to end up disappointed. You might want to check out his post and see if he has any luck. It was the latest post in the thread so it should be easy to find.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/essential-phone/development/stock-7-1-1-nmj20d-t3701681/page41

Yeah that was me. Trying to get information on the procedure to manually reflash this phone with stock firmware. I shouldn't need to unlock bootloader to do it? Just trying to flash stock over stock to hopefully correct any os corruption. Also mine is apparently a unlocked Sprint variant even though it was advertised as being a normal unlocked variant. Not sure if the firmware from that thread will work for me.

Nickvanexel said:
Yeah that was me. Trying to get information on the procedure to manually reflash this phone with stock firmware. I shouldn't need to unlock bootloader to do it? Just trying to flash stock over stock to hopefully correct any os corruption. Also mine is apparently a unlocked Sprint variant even though it was advertised as being a normal unlocked variant. Not sure if the firmware from that thread will work for me.
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Sorry I didn't notice that. I haven't done any flashing on this phone but I know I read that people with the Sprint phones were flashing the regular stock image to get rid of the Sprint apps and get updates from Essential rather than Sprint. But if you don't want to unlock your bootloader you can download official factory images from the Essential website and sideload using a computer. Flashing instructions are on the download site.
https://www.essential.com/developer/current-builds

Alright I reflashed the latest firmware from essential page via adb sideload. I highly dout it worked but I'll see.
What would I need to do from here to do a complete fresh reflash completely overrighting any trace of the old os? I still want to keep it stock but doesn't matter if I need to unlock the bootloader. Just want a complete wipe of the old os and fresh reflash to be sure any traces of corruption are removed to be sure if it's a hardware issue.

That's easy on single partition phones but much more difficult on phones with an A & B partition like the PH-1. You definitely need to unlock the bootloader. On my Pixel XL you needed to flash the factory image separately to partitions A & B to ensure there was nothing left from before but the procedure might be different on this phone. I went through the flashing instructions when I got this phone and think if you flash the full restore stock image it supposedly returns both partitions to stock automatically but that definitely didn't happen on the Pixel. Considering that this phone is supposed to be easy to hard brick (which was virtually impossible on the Pixel) I wouldn't chance it unless you can't return or exchange the phone from the seller.

Well side loading the ota from essential website didn't work. I'd say it's already hard bricked. Still crashing after a while of using it. Last night I loaded as many apps at one time as I could. Got maybe 10 opened at once before it crashed. Seems like faulty ram to me.

Wife just had it happen on her new White one twice today while playing Pokemon GO.
She says she also had her podcast app and hangouts open but minimized and not being actively used in the background.
She's on a fresh install of Oreo 8.1 with the Gcam mod by MGC_5.1.018_Urikill_vXXII.apk using the settings suggested by aer0zer0
Anyhow I hope its just a completely random fluke and not a serious issue as I have a new black one from Amazon in the mail and would really hate to have to return these otherwise wonderful devices.

Mine ain't no fluke. After it crashes if I immediately reboot it instantly crashes again. I have to let it sit a while turned off and reboot again to any significant time before crashing. Longest time it's ran before crashing since having it it's maybe an hour. Didn't notice it much at first because I didn't use it more than a few minutes at a time. So it was in sleep mode constantly crashing and rebooting. Now that I have been watching it more it just constantly keeps rebooting even while sitting idle. I'll glance over at my phone and low and behold it's rebooting again.

Nickvanexel said:
Mine ain't no fluke. After it crashes if I immediately reboot it instantly crashes again. I have to let it sit a while turned off and reboot again to any significant time before crashing. Longest time it's ran before crashing since having it it's maybe an hour. Didn't notice it much at first because I didn't use it more than a few minutes at a time. So it was in sleep mode constantly crashing and rebooting. Now that I have been watching it more it just constantly keeps rebooting even while sitting idle. I'll glance over at my phone and low and behold it's rebooting again.
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Ouch okay that most certainly sounds like a bad hardware issue as you suspected earlier.
Thankfully in her case the reboots were well apart from one another and the phone was fine after the reboot. Even let her play PKGO.
I mostly came in to comment to hopefully help by voicing that it had happened and the circumstances in which it did for her with the idea it might pinpoint some flaw in the overall system if there was one.