Develop Bugs

[Q] Any way to disable the power button?

Hey guys,
So I've got an S3 running AOKP at the moment and I was wondering if there was any way to disable the power button. It's been malfunctioning, and causing my phone to reboot constantly. Sometimes even when off it continues to think I'm holding down the power button and cancels the boot process...
Any ideas of a workaround? I'm out of warranty and can't want to pay for repairs at the moment.

S3 power button boot loop (sudden death?)
poacherD said:
Hey guys,
So I've got an S3 running AOKP at the moment and I was wondering if there was any way to disable the power button. It's been malfunctioning, and causing my phone to reboot constantly. Sometimes even when off it continues to think I'm holding down the power button and cancels the boot process...
Any ideas of a workaround? I'm out of warranty and can't want to pay for repairs at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I am having the exact same issue. Very strange as it decided to do this while checking my email (finger no where near the power button) and I have never had any issues prior to this.
I'm running CWM, CM10.2 and I CANNOT BOOT into recovery (CWM) or ODIN, best I got was the CM loader screen then it reboots.
Even if I disconnect the battery, wait 30 minutes (fully charged) and replace the battery, it attempts to boot itself again. and again and again...
The best videos I've seen involve smacking the phone on the power button side (not going to do that, at least hard) I think it may be a random power button failure. I will be disassembling the phone tonight and trying to open or close the power button contacts and wipe my phone before it goes back....
Yoiks!

mc045 said:
Hi,
I am having the exact same issue. Very strange as it decided to do this while checking my email (finger no where near the power button) and I have never had any issues prior to this.
I'm running CWM, CM10.2 and I CANNOT BOOT into recovery (CWM) or ODIN, best I got was the CM loader screen then it reboots.
Even if I disconnect the battery, wait 30 minutes (fully charged) and replace the battery, it attempts to boot itself again. and again and again...
The best videos I've seen involve smacking the phone on the power button side (not going to do that, at least hard) I think it may be a random power button failure. I will be disassembling the phone tonight and trying to open or close the power button contacts and wipe my phone before it goes back....
Yoiks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's very random for me too. Sometimes it'll work all day then it'll take like an hour and a half to turn back on.
Quick question, as I've heard this from a couple people. Do you use an otter box?
Regardless I'm 90% sure this is hardware related and has nothign to do with software, because all the cases I've heard of this have had different roms, one of which was stock unrooted.
Pretty frustrating. Not sure I'll buy a Samsung again to be honest.

poacherD said:
It's very random for me too. Sometimes it'll work all day then it'll take like an hour and a half to turn back on.
Quick question, as I've heard this from a couple people. Do you use an otter box?
Regardless I'm 90% sure this is hardware related and has nothign to do with software, because all the cases I've heard of this have had different roms, one of which was stock unrooted.
Pretty frustrating. Not sure I'll buy a Samsung again to be honest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This started gradually happening to me too and I bought both my phone and Otterbox in July 2012 when it came out. I noticed with my family members' S3's that their Otterboxes were different in regards to the power button (it stuck out more) whereas mine hardly stuck out at all. I got a warranty replacement this past July (2013) and the exact issues you described began happening. It started out as random reboots and as of yesterday, I can't get my phone to boot because it thinks I'm holding the power button down (therefore not letting the boot process finish). I took my phone apart, expecting the power button to be an easy swap like it was in the GS2, but no, it's a part of the friggin motherboard. I also am looking for a way to disable the power button. I'd recommend that if you are able to get it to boot even once, that you make sure to backup all your stuff. Fortunately all my pics are backed up since I can't boot my phone anymore, but other files are currently inaccessible. I wonder if anyone knows if some sort of electrical tape or something could prevent the power button signal from transferring so that we would be able to boot our phones?

I had the same power button issue with my Captivate as well... and thought that issue had been looked into. After 14 months of use on my S3, I noticed this issue appeared.
Solution (well not quite): change key layout to disable power button. Re-map volume down as "power, wake". Yes, by doing this, I am losing volume down button. Also, when the phone is off, I still need to press the power button to power it up. My fix of changing the key layout file won't take charge until after the phone boots up.

[Q] Endless reboot loop even when trying to enter recovery

One beautiful day the phone just restarted from itself. (wasnt really shocked though) After that it entered again into a boot loop, Im saying again because it happened once before and i noticed it was the SD Card and I just had to format it. So far so good, but now it doesnt matter if I pull out the SD Card or SIM, even battery... once ive put the battery the phone starts booting from it self and restarts everytime on a different place, like samsung logo, CM logo, CWM recovery, download mode.. it just cant stay on one place so i can choose an option. Only once ive managed to do a cache and dalvik wipe, also didnt help. Keeps rebooting and rebooting. Ive tried different ways of booting, with USB cable, with the recharger adaptor and without them. Left it for a whole night without battery, didnt help. I cant even manage to flash the stock ROM again, still reboots. I thought the power button was stuck or something, tried moving it arround but also didnt help. If you ask how many time Ive flashed the device... well perhaps countless, about 40 times counting the stock firmware. (maybe this number for some other maniacs is little, but now i see it like too much, because im kinda attached to this phone, the previous HD2 suffered a lot more xD) So guys my question is, do you have any suggestions? Ive searched the internet to check if the symptoms are close to hard brick but... didnt really saw any identity.

So.....
Normal boot.....it reboots, shuts off reboots.......?
Recovery mode.....reboots, shuts off, reboots.......?
Download mode.....reboots, shuts off, reboots......?
Battery insertion.....reboots, shuts off, reboots.......?
Same sequence every time?
Irrespective of which of the above scenarios is taking place?
If you just sat and watched it without pressing any buttons, will it endlessly reboot, shut off, reboot?.....
During this cycle, does it get to the same point in the boot process before restarting?.....
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

keithross39 said:
So.....
Normal boot.....it reboots, shuts off reboots.......?
Recovery mode.....reboots, shuts off, reboots.......?
Download mode.....reboots, shuts off, reboots......?
Battery insertion.....reboots, shuts off, reboots.......?
Same sequence every time?
Irrespective of which of the above scenarios is taking place?
If you just sat and watched it without pressing any buttons, will it endlessly reboot, shut off, reboot?.....
During this cycle, does it get to the same point in the boot process before restarting?.....
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I thought nobody will answer. It reboots right after passing 3 to 5 seconds, sometimes on the CM Samsung splash, sometimes on the spinning CM circle(boot loading image), when i succeed entering CWM or download mode reboots again. I cant boot it normally and reach the home screen. I read something that it could be from the kernel boot code, im using CM 10 (if im not guessing wrong).

I've answered a number of threads in the XDA W forum where members were experiencing similar issues to yourself. I doubt it's software related as during access to download mode and recovery mode , the phone isn't even using the "main" system software and kernel....these modes use their own independent kernel and system (it would be HIGHLY unlikely that two separate systems and two separate kernels are suffering from the same fault).
If all of the symptoms I wrote about in my original reply apply to your phone, then it all points towards a faulty power button.
As I understand it, Samsung uses a type of button commonly referred to as "temporary push to make" which means that when you push the button, two contacts are bridged to make an electrical connection but when you release the button the contact is broken. Under normal circumstances, this "make, break" sequence will start a normal boot sequence. Under normal conditions, long pressing this button again will begin the shutdown process. Now assume for a moment that the button has become damaged....where this contact that is meant to be momentary, has in fact become permanent......the result would be a phone that will attempt to start up and shut down in an endless cycle....basically, YOUR phone........
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Yeah, I also thought that as a reason but discarded it quickly because the button doesnt have any problems when pushing it. I mean it freely comes back when pushed and i can also freely push it without problems. Also discarded that problem because i thought the button cant stop the booting cycle while booting, but it seems like it can. Thanks for all the answering I will try fixing it and will report as soon as possible.

The plastic button is separate to the electrical part I described....so it is entirely possible for the part you normally touch to *seem* to be working as it should.....only for it to work against the faulty electrical part........
And yes, that type of fault IS caused by the permanent contact of a faulty electrical button. Anybody who has a normally booting W (as I do) can re create this fault simply by pressing and holding the power button......the phone WILL enter a boot/shut down/reboot cycle for as long as the button is held........
The same condition can be re created on my S2 in exactly the same way as well.....
Sent from my Infected KitKat bar.....

Well.. bad news.. i've managed to disassemble it, tried to see whats wrong with the button (not the plastic one), tried moving it arround, nothing seems to be damaged, still stable at one place, also tried booting the phone 3 times without any covers and the result was the same...
Perhaps i should drive it to service.

Check your date of purchase.....Samsung phones have a two year warranty.......
Sent from my Infected KitKat bar.....

Well bad luck here also, i got it almost brand new from England and I'm not from England. I bought it over online shop sold as a second hand long time ago, it was just a matter of time to damage him. Thanks anyway for all the help, I'll see what i can do with the service.

Bad luck mate.....word of caution though.....as you've found out, the button is soldered directly to the motherboard, Samsung's "modus operandi" seems to be rather than attempt to repair the button, simply replace the entire MB........for a phone that is outside warranty, this will have (erm) "cost implications" lol......basically they like to charge as much as they can in situations like these.....eg/ board replacement when button repair would be enough.....
Sent from my Infected KitKat bar.....

keithross39 said:
Bad luck mate.....word of caution though.....as you've found out, the button is soldered directly to the motherboard, Samsung's "modus operandi" seems to be rather than attempt to repair the button, simply replace the entire MB........for a phone that is outside warranty, this will have (erm) "cost implications" lol......basically they like to charge as much as they can in situations like these.....eg/ board replacement when button repair would be enough.....
Sent from my Infected KitKat bar.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, my phone suffered the Power Off Loop as you may know from my previous thread. I decided to send my phone to a couple of repair shops and they said that the phone "cnt be repaired". i thought they knew about the change of MB but no. So rite now, my Galaxy W is in the grave ...
Sent from my GT-S6500 using xda app-developers app

i had encountered this issue with my galaxy wonder today and would like to seek for solutions over the internet. regardless that i also checked the button by disassembling the covers and separated the plastic button with the one on the board and tried to boot it but it still the same.
as most of you guys experienced this issue, what would you guys suggest me to do with my phone? i wish to save this phone for sentimental reason. would change the button DIY-ly is worth it? is it available for me to get the parts?
or did you guys manage to get a better solution?
thanks!

[Q] Help!!! Only on For seconds?

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.
Click to expand...
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

Galaxy S3 With CM and CWM- Will Not Boot to OS or Recovery

Entering Recovery Mode begins and fails. Clockwork Mod/Cyanogen Mod
So, I'm not entirely sure of what version of CM I'm running, nor do I know exactly what Clockwork Recovery version I have. I woke up one day, and this phone wasn't working. Given my situation at school, I was forced to take my update on AT&T and go to the HTC One M8. Well, that phone sucks, charging port is busted and it lags like no other. I'd like to go back to the GS3 until I can upgrade again.
To be clear on what's happening:
I try Volume Up + Power + Home, and most of the time, it'll either show SAMSUNG, the blue CM screen, or will actually enter Clockwork Recovery. IF it gets to Recovery, it shuts down once I try to use the volume rocker to try to get to another option.
I've read that it could be a battery issue, a power button issue, or a slew of other things.
Anybody have some more troubleshooting advice? I've searched the forums, but I feel like my problem is somewhat specific.
Is there something I can do with the Windows partition of my Mac? ODIN or something?

Sounds to me like the power button is partly responsible for the issue.
As a test, I suggest opening the phone, removing the plastic piece that presses against the power button, and then try to enter recovery.

audit13 said:
Sounds to me like the power button is partly responsible for the issue.
As a test, I suggest opening the phone, removing the plastic piece that presses against the power button, and then try to enter recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, audit13!
I could have sworn I posted a reply or edited my post last night, but I may have done it only in my dream
For anybody else that sees this with the same problem: I had to VIGOROUSLY press my power button. I probably did so hundreds of times and was pressing it as hard as my thumb would allow. Only after this did it boot up.
Once I got it booted, I couldn't remember the pattern I had on the lockscreen but got lucky with a guess after about a half hour of trying.

Stuck on lock screen

Wondering if someone can help. My boys nexus 7, screen is unresponsive and is stuck on the lockscreen.... It seems the problem happened after a system update downloaded(shown in the image)
Anybody any idea how to fix this

Photo

Try resetting the device by holding the power button.
You could also try to safe mode, by holding the volume down button while booting (safe mode text should appear upon bootup in the bottom left corner).

memphisuklf said:
Wondering if someone can help. My boys nexus 7, screen is unresponsive and is stuck on the lockscreen.... It seems the problem happened after a system update downloaded(shown in the image)
Anybody any idea how to fix this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are at least 3 possibilities.
1. On some, the touch responsiveness decreases with the battery being drained. In other words, the lower the battery percentage, the more unresponsive the touch becomes. Reaching a certain low level of battery would kill touch completely. But this usually occurs with a tab that has had responsiveness issue all along. If it's something new that takes place only at the downloading of the update, then it might not be. Just to make sure, turn it off completely, charge it fully, then turn it on again.
2. The touch problem just occurs out of the blue. You want to make sure the hardware is not at fault. The only way to do this is to remove the back cover and reseat the two-pronged amber cable from the digitizer, and the white/silver cable connecting the daughter card to the main board. If there's a problem of this kind, no amount of software workaround will cure it.
3. The update is the culprit. If this is the case, the only thing to do would be to flash another rom (preferably a custom one that has more or less been sanitized by a known dev.
If you have a lot of data you're not willing to part with, then you can try an OTG USB mouse to navigate and allow the update to install to see if the tab would return to normal after. I wouldn't advise this route since I've heard and read a lot about people bricking the tab from taking automatic updates. Stay away from anything official if you can help it.