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About three weeks ago my launch Epic 4G Touch got its power button stuck on. In the weeks prior I had had occasional glitches where pressing the power button would turn on the flashlight (an AOKP feature where if you hold the power button from off, it turns on the light), or when pressing it to put it in sleep I'd get the power-off menu. And occasionally it would get worse, where pressing the power button would lead to the entire phone shutting off and restarting after a few seconds, as though I had held the power button down the whole time. Anyway, as I said, it finally reached the point where the button was apparently stuck sending the On signal the entire time. And it was clearly hardware-level, as if I'd pull the battery and put it back in it would INSTANTLY power itself back on.
I took it to the Sprint store, they reviewed it, couldn't fix it, and ordered me a replacement which arrived a few days later. I've had that replacement for about two weeks now without any hardware problems. I did switch to AOKP again, but I've had no issues whatsoever.
Until today, when it progressed through all the above-mentioned symptoms and all the way to stuck ON permanently, in the span of a few hours.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is there any logical reason to suspect this could be a fault of the sofware I've installed? I've never heard this symptom before, which makes me think it's extremely unlikely or others would have caused it, plus the power-on from battery implies to me this can't possibly be a software issue. But I want to be sure before I get it replaced yet AGAIN and cause it again, or have the store try to blame my custom ROM (they never said a word last time).
Help?
EDIT: Pretty confident I just confirmed it's a hardware problem. I booted into CWM to try to make a backup so I could flash to stock and confirm it wasn't software. The power button of course didn't work in CWM either. What I hadn't thought of is that I couldn't get back OUT of CWM without the power button. Even a battery pull would put me right back into it. I finally get desperate and yanked the battery and banged the phone on the desk against its power button a few times, then put the battery back in and the phone didn't power itself back on. I then hit the power button, booted to CWM, and managed to use the power button to reboot to system. So that confirms it's hardware to me. So I guess the question shifts to: two phones in a row with this problem, and I've never seen it mentioned before. Am I just incredibly unlucky, or have others experienced this? Second: anyone successfully manage to use a scenario like this to talk them into a different phone? I'm not loving this chain of events, and I'm not loving to hack my phone to get a good stock experience. I'd really love to switch to a Galaxy Nexus. Any tips?
I have the same problem just got it today....Really need to fix this
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Seen a couple different threads about power button. Someone took it in to be repaired/replaced only to have it go bad again later. I guess I have gotten lucky, there was a good while that my power button liked to stick and not function properly. It went away one time after I accidentally left my phone in a hot car. I suppose my issue could have been from something sticky being spilled on the phone though.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
So I recently installed CM 10.1.2 on my S3, and everything worked perfectly for a few days. Yesterday though, my phone started acting strangely (lag when turning screen off, registering phantom input, etc) and began rebooting every few minutes. At some point, it ran out of battery - and now I can no longer boot past the CM loading wheel screen.
I can't boot to recovery, and I don't think my phone is taking charge (from my computer or a wall outlet), and the farthest I can get is the loading wheel - sometimes it only gets as far as displaying the Samsung logo, or the Galaxy S3 screen with the android dude at the bottom.
I'm still covered under warranty, and would love to take it to the store for a replacement (I've had battery issues prior to this), but the fact that it can get to the CM loading wheel means that they might figure out that I've rooted and whatnot. But I can't get to recovery to flash a stock image, so...what can I do?
vortexface said:
So I recently installed CM 10.1.2 on my S3, and everything worked perfectly for a few days. Yesterday though, my phone started acting strangely (lag when turning screen off, registering phantom input, etc) and began rebooting every few minutes. At some point, it ran out of battery - and now I can no longer boot past the CM loading wheel screen.
I can't boot to recovery, and I don't think my phone is taking charge (from my computer or a wall outlet), and the farthest I can get is the loading wheel - sometimes it only gets as far as displaying the Samsung logo, or the Galaxy S3 screen with the android dude at the bottom.
I'm still covered under warranty, and would love to take it to the store for a replacement (I've had battery issues prior to this), but the fact that it can get to the CM loading wheel means that they might figure out that I've rooted and whatnot. But I can't get to recovery to flash a stock image, so...what can I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best shot is to either borrow someone's S3 battery or buy a battery pack. Use that to restore your phone back to stock (unroot) and then you can go to the store for replacement.
alltechinside said:
Your best shot is to either borrow someone's S3 battery or buy a battery pack. Use that to restore your phone back to stock (unroot) and then you can go to the store for replacement.
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Click to collapse
So turns out battery isn't the issue, I used a wall charger to get it to full charge. I can get it to the download mode confirmation screen, and can press volume up to confirm - but my phone reboots soon after that.
Recovery isn't really possible either, I can see the blue text in the upper right but my phone reboots after that as well.
My phone will often show an empty battery icon with a little refresh icon in the middle; does this indicate that it doesn't see the battery as charged (even though it is)?
vortexface said:
So turns out battery isn't the issue, I used a wall charger to get it to full charge. I can get it to the download mode confirmation screen, and can press volume up to confirm - but my phone reboots soon after that.
Recovery isn't really possible either, I can see the blue text in the upper right but my phone reboots after that as well.
My phone will often show an empty battery icon with a little refresh icon in the middle; does this indicate that it doesn't see the battery as charged (even though it is)?
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Click to collapse
My phone started having the same problem yesterday and I tried my friends battery but it still doesn't work.
mtmodi said:
My phone started having the same problem yesterday and I tried my friends battery but it still doesn't work.
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Yeah I've been doing some research into the issue...
I've noticed that my phone automatically boots when I put the battery in, and that it'll do a quick vibrate when plugged in to a power source (outlet or computer) but won't turn on.
Apparently the phone isn't supposed to boot automatically when the battery is put in, and this could be the source of the random reboots - I think if I can get the rebooting under control, I'll be able to get into download mode and fix it all. But I'm not sure how to do that. Maybe the power button has gone bad, as it also doesn't usually respond when I try to use it to turn on.
If there is a problem with the power button, does anyone have any ideas on how to fix it?
vortexface said:
Yeah I've been doing some research into the issue...
I've noticed that my phone automatically boots when I put the battery in, and that it'll do a quick vibrate when plugged in to a power source (outlet or computer) but won't turn on.
Apparently the phone isn't supposed to boot automatically when the battery is put in, and this could be the source of the random reboots - I think if I can get the rebooting under control, I'll be able to get into download mode and fix it all. But I'm not sure how to do that. Maybe the power button has gone bad, as it also doesn't usually respond when I try to use it to turn on.
If there is a problem with the power button, does anyone have any ideas on how to fix it?
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Click to collapse
Mine does the exact same thing where I have to pull the battery and when I put it back in it automatically starts up and when I go to download or recovery it turns off before I can do anything
Sounds like power button issue.
I was having the same issues (random reboots, boot loop, powering on when battery put in, reboots in download mode and recovery)
This is not an easy fix. I ended up pulling the power button out and just setting my screen to time out after 15 seconds. Sucks but it works now.
If I ever need to turn off or hard reboot, I stick a pin in the power button hole and push down on the button.
Really turning me off on purchasing future Samsung phones
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
The power button is a common issue for these phones.
[Q] Please help! Stuck in Bootloop, power button "stuck", no download mode!!
I believe this has to do with the phone thinking the power button is constantly being pressed...
I'm looking for any advice. My s3 suddenly went into a boot loop this morning. It powers on for a few seconds and turns itself back off. I took my case off and noticed the power button is loose. Doing a little research, came across similar issues online caused by the main board going faulty and the phone thinking the power button is constantly being held down.
I know this because I can remove my battery, put it back in, and without even touching any buttons, the phone will attempt to power up.
I'm currently rooted and can't get into download mode for more than 3-5 seconds before it turns itself off. I was only once able to apply the perfect pressure by squeezing the side of the phone which allowed it to boot normally, but about 30 seconds later, the power menu appeared by itself and it turned off a few seconds later.
Has this happened to anyone else?? Anybody know how to go about fixing it??
My phone is still under warranty, but I can't flash back to stock.
Things I've tried:
Download mode
Recovery mode
Different battery
I haven't tried taking the phone apart yet. I want to get a replacement if possible. But just in case, has anybody repaired this themselves??
I'm really at a loss here. Any help is much appreciated!
Darkendes said:
I believe this has to do with the phone thinking the power button is constantly being pressed...
I'm looking for any advice. My s3 suddenly went into a boot loop this morning. It powers on for a few seconds and turns itself back off. I took my case off and noticed the power button is loose. Doing a little research, came across similar issues online caused by the main board going faulty and the phone thinking the power button is constantly being held down.
I know this because I can remove my battery, put it back in, and without even touching any buttons, the phone will attempt to power up.
I'm currently rooted and can't get into download mode for more than 3-5 seconds before it turns itself off. I was only once able to apply the perfect pressure by squeezing the side of the phone which allowed it to boot normally, but about 30 seconds later, the power menu appeared by itself and it turned off a few seconds later.
Has this happened to anyone else?? Anybody know how to go about fixing it??
My phone is still under warranty, but I can't flash back to stock.
Things I've tried:
Download mode
Recovery mode
Different battery
I haven't tried taking the phone apart yet. I want to get a replacement if possible. But just in case, has anybody repaired this themselves??
I'm really at a loss here. Any help is much appreciated!
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Click to collapse
Wow, crazy. I'm experiencing the same issue starting yesterday! I haven't tried swapping my battery yet, but the stuck power button makes so much more sense. I'm having all the same issues with not being able to stay in recovery mode or download mode for very long.
[EDIT]
My phone also seems to be reacting to static electricity. Say I let sit on my desk... It does nothing (not cycling reboots), if I pick it up it'll just start rebooting again. This leads me to believe that maybe it's not my power button but a battery or internal component issue.
MooreHeat said:
Wow, crazy. I'm experiencing the same issue starting yesterday! I haven't tried swapping my battery yet, but the stuck power button makes so much more sense. I'm having all the same issues with not being able to stay in recovery mode or download mode for very long.
[EDIT]
My phone also seems to be reacting to static electricity. Say I let sit on my desk... It does nothing (not cycling reboots), if I pick it up it'll just start rebooting again. This leads me to believe that maybe it's not my power button but a battery or internal component issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird. I haven't noticed mine reacting to touch, but I did watch it try to start itself multiple times while sitting all by itself on my desk.
I'm going to take it to my carrier's in-store warranty center. They said with it rooted it can't be replaced, but they can try to repair the button if it's stuck.
We'll see what happens.
Has anybody had to replace their power button themselves before?
Darkendes said:
Weird. I haven't noticed mine reacting to touch, but I did watch it try to start itself multiple times while sitting all by itself on my desk.
I'm going to take it to my carrier's in-store warranty center. They said with it rooted it can't be replaced, but they can try to repair the button if it's stuck.
We'll see what happens.
Has anybody had to replace their power button themselves before?
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Click to collapse
Well I just disassembled my S3. The power button mechanism seems to be just fine. It clicks down with pressure and releases just as I would expect it to. I'm thinking my issue is something electrical or battery.
Were you doing anything when your phone went in to boot loop? I was just texting someone and then.. poof!
What ROM are you using?
So today my phone started to power it's self off. When I power on it shows the kernel screen for a few secs then powers off. I can boot into Recovery (CWM) and when I select reboot it does the same. If if I boot in to Download Mode, it only stays on a few secs.
Is it the power button? Any ideas?
I'm running the BMS Kernel and C-Rom 6.6. I have had this same rom and kernel for weeks with no issues.
djdoubt03 said:
So today my phone started to power it's self off. When I power on it shows the kernel screen for a few secs then powers off. I can boot into Recovery (CWM) and when I select reboot it does the same. If if I boot in to Download Mode, it only stays on a few secs.
Is it the power button? Any ideas?
I'm running the BMS Kernel and C-Rom 6.6. I have had this same rom and kernel for weeks with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like your battery is dying. Might wanna look into getting a new one.
BWolf56 said:
Sounds like your battery is dying. Might wanna look into getting a new one.
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Click to collapse
Interesting, I have not had any issue with the battery. I'll look into it. Any way to test without using another battery?
Anything else it could be?
Using CWM built in key test it seems it is the power button, when I touch the power key it reads as if it is being touched multiple times or heklod down. Any Fix without replacing the button?
Not that I know of I have only seen replacing it fixes it
Ive seen several people report that opening it up and jiggling the button can help, but when it does it is only temporary.
djdoubt03 said:
Using CWM built in key test it seems it is the power button, when I touch the power key it reads as if it is being touched multiple times or heklod down. Any Fix without replacing the button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's fairly easy to replace. You can buy a button off ebay for fairly cheap and look on YouTube to replace it.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using XDA Free mobile app
I agree it sounds like a stuck power button. My experience with this problem first showed in a captivate of my moms. It was very bizarre tho. On stock ROM it would constantly do the vibrate, cycle, vibrate etc. On a custom ROM however, it has had zero problems with the power button. Maybe try that? Not a sure fire fix, just telling what happened with the Cappy. ☺
If this is power button problem you can try (what i did and worked, but it is your choice and you can damage your phone) drop little of oil in power button and press couple time with out battery in phone.
norbarb said:
If this is power button problem you can try (what i did and worked, but it is your choice and you can damage your phone) drop little of oil in power button and press couple time with out battery in phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's actually fairly dangerous for your device. I would suggest an air duster if you think it's dirty.
I'm actually having the same problem. It just started his morning.
The phone won't boot normally. I get the kernel boot screen, sometimes a Samsung screen, and then it turns off. 2-3 seconds max.
I can get it into download mode, but after 3-4 seconds, it spontaneously shuts off.
Recovery mode (CWM) is completely stable. I can get in, make back ups, perform a key test, etc. When I run a key test, it shows that the power button is a little sensitive, but not crazy. If I jiggle it some (mostly back a little) it registers a key press, even if I'm not fully pressing it. If I do press it fully, sometimes it doesn't register.
If this is really a button issue, why is recovery stable? Even if I put the phone on a flat surface with nothing that could touch the button, the phone still doesn't stay in download mode (it just shuts off.) When I put the phone in recovery, place it on a flat surface, and perform the key test, the phone isn't registering a key touch.
I've tried 3 different batteries, kept the phone plugged in, popped the battery and held the power button to discharge everything, wiped the cache, wiped dalvik cache, and used CWM touch to reboot (and avoid the power button all together.)
The only think I can think of that's maybe different is that gapps was FC'ing more than normal this morning (before the phone crapped out.)
I'm running StockMOD ROM 4.4.2 R2 with the Ktoonsez Kernel for TouchWiz 4.4.2.
EDIT: Also, when it's plugged in, the LED doesn't light up. I'm not sure that it's actually charging. I do have a wall charger, so I can verify that the batteries I'm using are charged.
Try flashing a different rom from recovery to see if it still happens. Also try a factory reset. If you get as close to stock as possible and it still happens it raises the probability thst its hardware.
If you put the battery in and wait a few moments does it turn on by itself?
Band-aid
@DocHoliday77 I messed with the phone a little later tonight and recovery became unstable. I'm convinced it's a power button problem now. I think the internal mechanism gets stuck and that's the issue.
When I put the battery in, the phone does try to boot by itself.
I used the advice in this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=53915864 and I was able to get up and running again. I opened the phone up, blew some compressed air on the button, tapped the flat side of the button lightly a few times with the end of my screwdriver, and put everything back together. I was able to get back into recovery, and then reboot normally.
I ordered a new power button and I plan on replacing it next week when it gets here, just to be on the safe side.
You guys at xda are life savers!
The booting up on its own after inserting the battery is a classic symptom of the power button going bad. Glad to hear you got it working for now, and that you are ordering a replacement. Everyone ive heard about getting it to work using any number of methods have always found it to only be a temporary solution.
Just a thought, in case it starts up again, maybe remove the plastic piece until you replace the switch. Hopefully that would help prevent it from getting accidentally pressed in your pocket or by bumping it into something. (You could probably still access it with a toothpick or something like that if needed)
I agree it's the power button. I just posted about my little experience on Google+
I tried seriously whacking it on the floor and everything. I wouldn't recommend that but I had no warranty and no funds for repair. Others had said that beating the crap out of it worked so I thought why not lol...
https://plus.google.com/116004961340303353216/posts/ig2ogLeUWJ8
Long story short, my beating it up didn't work but it did wake it up. It falling on the floor however, jarred whatever was stuck and it now works like a charm...good luck
Two days ago, my T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 dropped out of my coat pocket as i was running for the bus. I picked it up and saw the screen was cracked along the top left and bottom left hand side. Everything was working for the past two days and i figured i'll just wait till Christmas to get a new phone. This morning i took my phone off the charger and turned it on. The Samsung logo flashed, and then the boot animation for Slimrom (the custom rom i'm currently running on) flashed for about a second but then the screen went black. I did a battery pull but the weird thing is whenever i put my battery back in, even without touching the power button, it boots up by itself but then the screen goes black again. I can access TWRP and download mode but they both go black after a few seconds as well. I was able to successfully turn on my phone and have it fully function for about 15 minutes after putting it back on the charger, but it quickly blacked out again. It also keeps randomly booting up by itself which is weird. Im guessing this is a problem with the screen itself, but could it be a software issue because the device keeps booting up by itself? If it is the screen, will i have to buy a new one or is it not worth it? I've also tried using a different battery and i have the same issue so it can't be that. Any help is appreciated!
Sounds like an issue with the power button, it probably got stuck somehow either when you dropped it, or after you dropped it. Do a simple search for power button and you will find ways to fix it!
Holy crap i didn't even think of that! It makes total sense since every time i even tap my power button, even for just a second, it turns on. I've read around that clearing the cache or a factory reset could work. Is this true?
Unlikely, unless it's a software issue but it's always a possibility. Slam the phone against something to try to get the power button back into place, or open it up and try to see if you can fix it yourself, or replace it
The problem seems to be gone. I haven't had any issues for two days now. All i did was press the power button really hard multiple times. Thanks for you help man!