Develop Bugs

[Q] Camera slow focus, and other questions

Ok I have noticed my Note 4 can take the LONGEST time to focus. I mean over a minute sometimes. The only settings I have on is HDR and have video set to record in full HD. Is this normal for the Note 4? Just curious as I am coming up on 30 days and if its got a camera issue I can exchange it at ATT.

Normal !
Lots of people having that issue, me included. I just choose to live with it.
One thing to make it focus properly is pointing it up and tap the screen, then it would focus normal (macro or not).
Hopefully it would be fixed in Lolipop.

Attempted to fix
Hello, I recently got the Note 4 myself about a month ago too. Since I purchased it from Best Buy, I thought I had 30 days to exchange it once I noticed and endured the camera issue. I waited too long. However if you go to the Samsung Repair Center and tell them your issue with your camera they will fix it. However, when they attempted to fix it, they ended up frying my motherboard and I had to wait 3-4 days while they received a new motherboard. Afterward though, everything works perfectly and its instantly focusing. The frying motherboard is probably independent of the camera so its a gamble if you want to risk it, make sure you back up all your data and go as soon as early as possible since all the Samsung Repair Centers get busy fast.
Google: "Samsung Repair Center Locations" and pick, I cannot post links as I just made an account to post this.

This is NOT normal. It should focus right away. The Note 4 is one of the first phones to have moving parts in the lens, and Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS). Apparently there is a problem with it sticking due to many factors, I'm guessing most of it is from shipping since there is no padding in the boxes. Once you load your camera app and it doesnt focus, try slapping the side of the phone, if it focuses then, return it. I had 2 replaced due to this issue. If you can return within your return period, do it. Everyone else can just do a warranty replacement.

I am having the same issue, but am able to correct it relatively quickly by rotating to potrait or landscape depending. Not quick enough for those "moments" necessitating instant response time though.

bluetoothless said:
I am having the same issue, but am able to correct it relatively quickly by rotating to potrait or landscape depending. Not quick enough for those "moments" necessitating instant response time though.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. For the moment, this works.

bluetoothless said:
I am having the same issue, but am able to correct it relatively quickly by rotating to potrait or landscape depending. Not quick enough for those "moments" necessitating instant response time though.
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Click to collapse
That does seem to help me also, at least its faster. Thanks for the tip!!

jpinks said:
Ok I have noticed my Note 4 can take the LONGEST time to focus. I mean over a minute sometimes. The only settings I have on is HDR and have video set to record in full HD. Is this normal for the Note 4? Just curious as I am coming up on 30 days and if its got a camera issue I can exchange it at ATT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using two phones - one personal (Note 4) and the new BlackBerry Passport for work. I do notice that Note 4 is pretty slow with focusing. The darker it gets the longer it takes to focus. I think it is pretty normal. Just the software is like that.

Happens when you're in auto night mode. To disable just set your ISO
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A

greekunit690 said:
Happens when you're in auto night mode. To disable just set your ISO
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A
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Click to collapse
Nice thanks for the info. I couldn't understand why my note 2 took night pics so much faster. Now that I set the iso to 100 it works fast. What iso are you setting your to?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using xda premium

borijess said:
Nice thanks for the info. I couldn't understand why my note 2 took night pics so much faster. Now that I set the iso to 100 it works fast. What iso are you setting your to?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the lighting. If it's dark I set it a bit higher (600 to 800)... Bright out I set it to 100 or 200. I also really like camera fv-5. Try it out if you want an amazing picture experience
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A

Thanks for all the tips!! I will be trying them!!

When I first got my Tmobile note 4, camera focused really fast, in a split of a second. Then one day, it suddenly slowed down to several seconds being unable to focus at all every time it started, sometimes up to 10 seconds. I had to tap it, shake it, or rotate it, then it starts to focus.
Today, I tried to reboot into safe mode to see if there's any downloaded app that might be the culprit, and no improvement at all. I started to disable pre-loaded apps, turning off GPS didn't help. But when I disabled/turned off S Health, the camera focused almost immediately just like new. Camera on and off, tested repeatedly, it worked very quick and smoothly. Afterwards, I turned on S Health again, seems the camera keeps working normally. Under low light, I do have to tap the focus ring one or two times to make it focus properly.
My testing results are when S Health is completely disabled, the camera focuses super fast. When S Health is turned on again, it slows slightly by maybe half to one second. I vaguely remember the focusing issue happened sometime after I turned on S Health. I suspect it'll slow down again after S Health has been running for a couple weeks. I'll keep an eye on it.
Maybe S Health keeps holding on some sensors until camera app asks for them, which may take a few seconds. S Health does slow down steadily when more and more data are accumulated. But at this point, I can't say for sure that S Health is the real problem. YMMV.

hz-zh said:
My testing results are when S Health is completely disabled, the camera focuses super fast. When S Health is turned on again, it slows slightly by maybe half to one second. I vaguely remember the focusing issue happened sometime after I turned on S Health. I suspect it'll slow down again after S Health has been running for a couple weeks. I'll keep an eye on it.
Maybe S Health keeps holding on some sensors until camera app asks for them, which may take a few seconds. S Health does slow down steadily when more and more data are accumulated. But at this point, I can't say for sure that S Health is the real problem. YMMV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It helps.
Thanks

I think I should write a follow-up on this issue.
My previous method of turning off/on S Health worked only temporarily, unfortunately. After a few days, auto focus problem came back again. Basically the symptom is like this: leave the phone sitting on desk for a while, say 10+ minutes to half an hour, the camera app has focus issue that needs 10-20 seconds to start auto-focus, like something suddenly wakes up. When camera app is opened/closed several times in a row non-stop, there's no auto-focus problem.
Also tried the method of modifying /system/build.prop file, didn't work.
Eventually what worked for me is this: my phone has wallet cover, so I tried the method someone suggested, slapping the top back part of the phone against my palm. It took me three tries, once a day slapping 10-20 times. I thought it'll never work in the first two days, but still tried the method. The 3rd day, it suddenly worked. Now the phone auto-focuses properly.
However, there's one issue, initially the phone takes picture just like +1ev is set when the setting is actually at zero, and range of view showing on screen is like shrinking by about 5% on both sides. To take normal pictures, had to manually set to -1ev. What I did next is doing the opposite, slapping the top glass/screen part of the phone against my palm. It took several rounds of back & forth slapping, loosing fast auto-focus then getting it back, etc. Now it looks like it's only at +0.5ev, which is acceptable, photos are slightly brighter than normal. Most probably picture size is also back to original.
So my feeling is maybe there is a hardware defect with Note 4's camera module. Right now, I'm ok with it. But the final solution is probably buying a new camera module and replace it. If you're handy enough, that's not a bad idea. There're youtube videos showing how to replace, but I'd prefer not peeling off the screen from main board. Comments on videos showed how-to not taking off screen when replacing camera.

I have same issue with camera. Since getting the phone it's been so slow.
I finally just found that tapping the screen pretty hard right about where the camera is located jolts it enough to focus quickly.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

I've had the same issue with the camera, it was pretty fast when I first got the phone and it slowed down over time.
Recently I accidentally dropped the phone as it slipped from my hand and the issue seemed to have gone away for good (knock on wood).

My brand new Note 4 (back in November, I think?) couldn't focus close up (& keep it), was slow to gain focus at all, and made me despise the camera. Had to use the warranty service to replace it (didn't get it at a corporate store --got it at an authorized retailer-- and the one I got worked a thousand times better. You have a hardware defect. I found people in the T-Mobile forums I think back then having similar problems. Nobody ever found a "fix" outside replacing the camera or the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

keithfrombm said:
My brand new Note 4 (back in November, I think?) couldn't focus close up (& keep it), was slow to gain focus at all, and made me despise the camera. Had to use the warranty service to replace it (didn't get it at a corporate store --got it at an authorized retailer-- and the one I got worked a thousand times better. You have a hardware defect. I found people in the T-Mobile forums I think back then having similar problems. Nobody ever found a "fix" outside replacing the camera or the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had same problem with my note edge, I replace camera module and for last 3 days so fare so good. I think this is hardware problem since I had to shake or tap phone to get my focus to work.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N915A using XDA Premium HD app

keithfrombm said:
Nobody ever found a "fix" outside replacing the camera or the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, the HW is defective. Eventually I bought a new rear camera, and replaced by myself. Easy fix. Worked like a charm, focused in a split second again.

Fingerprint Hardware Not Available; Camera App Not Responding - troubleshooting insid

Hey Guys, the fingerprint sensor on my Nexus 5x (LG H791) stopped working out of the blue the other day. I bought the phone on eBay about 2 months ago, and the seller told me it had an international warranty. However, this warranty is not supported by LG Canada (so much for being international). FUrthermore, the seller says his stuff shipped from the US, but it actually shipped from Malaysia. Needless to say, I was pretty pissed off.
Anyways, the 5X has been great until the other day. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and tried to unlock it with my fingerprint as I always do. It didn't unlock, didn't vibrate, and didn't do anything. I pressed the power button and tried again. At this point I noticed the dreaded red words across hte bottom that said "Fingerprint Hardware Not Available". After a quick google I see that people have resolved this problem by rebooting the phone - which did I did, but the scanner did not come back. I then cleared the cache, and that did not solve the problem.
I then noticed, that night, that my phone was fully charged whne I went to sleep and when I woke up it was at 20%. Normally, I'll lose 3-5% overnight. I checked what was using my battery and "Phone Idle" had kept my phone awake for 14h!
SO - I've tried removing a bunch of apps, booting in safe mode, playing with the security settings, display timeout, and a bunch of crap - nothing has worked. I have NOT formatted/recovered the phone yet (I'm out at a mining camp and this is the only way I keep in touch with my girl. Also I forgot my USB-C to USB-A cable.)
What do you guys think - did the fingerprint scanner just crap out? I would really like to get it working again, cause I love(d) this phone. I upgraded from a Nexus 4 and I was a big fan of the nexus, until this crappity crap happened.
Anyways, thanks for your help in advance with figuring out these two issues.
B
EDIT - the original title for this post was "[ISSUES] Fingerprint Hardware Not Available - and now Nexus Imprint is missing..." I have since changed the title to reflect both the finger print and the camera trouble shooting, results, and further questions.

Bump - can anyone help???

Guess there isn't anyone here that's knowledgeable enough to help me with this issue..
Well, I tried removing a bunch of apps, to see if something was causing it - it was not. Then my camera stopped working.. Sometimes when I'd open it up my camera would work, and sometimes it would just crash. I've since performed a factory reset on the phone and there is still no option for Nexus imprint. Whenever I try to open the camera the screen goes black, shows the camera icon and then the Camera app just crashes.
I've got a replacement fingerprint sensor which I'm going to install this weekend. I'll keep you guys in the loop, because apparently this is something that no one here can help with.

Got the fingerprint sensor replaced on my phone. When pulling out the old one there was no visible damage. The connection was solid. I installed a new sensor (which I purchased for $16 shipped to my door I'm Canada from esourceparts). After turning the phone on, in my security settings, "Nexus Imprint" appeared. Set up the new fingerprints, and it works flawlessly.
Looks like it was hardware not software.
The camera still doesn't work, battery life has increased remarkably.
Happy again.

bodaciousbob said:
Got the fingerprint sensor replaced on my phone. When pulling out the old one there was no visible damage. The connection was solid. I installed a new sensor (which I purchased for $16 shipped to my door I'm Canada from esourceparts). After turning the phone on, in my security settings, "Nexus Imprint" appeared. Set up the new fingerprints, and it works flawlessly.
Looks like it was hardware not software.
The camera still doesn't work, battery life has increased remarkably.
Happy again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As for the camera fix, have you tried installing factory images?

Exact same issue
I upgraded from a Nexus 4 and I was a big fan of the nexus, until this crappity crap happened.
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Click to collapse
Can't agree with you more (I also upgraded from Nexus 4, and a nexus fan).
I have the exact same issue right now.
It happened to me right after the Nougat upgrade, so I thought it had to do with it, so I tried everything, including downgrade back to Marshmallow, but nothing works.
It's exactly like you wrote, suddenly the fingerprint stopped working, showed this red "hardware" message, then it disappeared completely from the settings, and also the phone started to drain battery twice faster. It's probably has to do with the fingerprint sensor, maybe it's trying to detect it all the time or something, draining the battery.
I'm really frustrated, we're going on a long vacation in 2 weeks and I really need the phone to work well... If I'll order the sensor from ebay right now, it won't get here on time
I think this was my last nexus... (had nexus S, nexus 4, and nexus 5X)
update:
just received OTA update (build NRD90R) which seems to fixed the fingerprint sensor, it works again. hope it will stay this way, don't wanna jinx it.

My fingerprint sensor also seems to have bitten the dust. It sporadically ceased functioning whenever I got it slightly wet, either from sweat when running or if exposed to a little rain. It would always come back after a few hours, however this time it seems to have completely quit. I have done a factory reset and it is still missing. I'm fairly certain I have an issue with the hardware. My phone is under LG's warranty since I bought it from Amazon, so getting the sensor repaired will mean weeks without my phone. It sounds like people are having good luck with replacing the fingerprint sensor themselves. Is this difficult to do? I'd much rather take this route if I can.

I got the "fingerprint hardware not available" message last night out of the blue. Tried a few things to no avail.... Flashed factory image and it works good as new again.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using XDA-Developers mobile app

I went ahead and bought the parts to replace my fingerprint scanner hardware myself. Not 2 hours after I place the order, my fingerprint scanner just randomly starts working again...after 3 weeks. Bizarre. Regardless, I'm planning on holding onto the backup hardware just in case.

doggie13_ said:
As for the camera fix, have you tried install factory images?
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Click to collapse
No I have not.
But that's a good idea. I did a factory reset on the phone and that didn't solve it. After a restart I can open both the rear and front facing cameras without a problem. But after about 3 minutes of the phone being on, some bug happens and I cannot open the camera. I get a black screen and either I can kill the app and continue using the phone, or the phone just restarts. When I get the black screen I cannot switch to the front camera either - the phone just craps out.
I'll try loading the factory images and see if that helps.
So I fixed the problem by taking apart the phone and installing a new fingerprint sensor.
Google Play support, Google Support, and LG Support would not extend service to this phone because it was an international version. Unfortunately, Google support couldnèt do anything other than to tell me to try a hard reset (which I did).
I ordered a new fingerprint sensor from epartsource (Canadian supplier) which cost me $16cad shipped to my door. Taking apart the 5x by following the instructions on ifixit was very painless. It was incredibly easy to replace the sensor as well. Before putting the phone back together we booted the phone up, and went to the security settings - low and behold, nexus imprint was an option again.
The old fingerprint sensor did not appear to have any damage, the clip was firmly in place before we removed it, and the unit looked like it was in good condition.
This has also solved my battery life woes; I can get about 4 days on airplane mode now.
Now, all I need to do is fix the camera (I lost use of the camera about 4 days after the fingerprint sensor crapped out.) I have since ordered a replacement camera from Aliexpress - I'll post up a new thread for that when it comes.
I'm not sure why the fingerprint sensor AND the camera would both stop working at or around the same time. I think that something may have impacted the rear of the phone causing damage to both of them. Very poor if the fingerprint sensor is THAT fragile.
I'm happy to have my phone working near 100% again. I am a very loyal nexus customer, however, that is changing quickly with the lack of service provided by both Google and LG. Google, I hope you're listening. You need to do more to keep your customers.

ariel.levin said:
Can't agree with you more (I also upgraded from Nexus 4, and a nexus fan).
I have the exact same issue right now.
It happened to me right after the Nougat upgrade, so I thought it had to do with it, so I tried everything, including downgrade back to Marshmallow, but nothing works.
It's exactly like you wrote, suddenly the fingerprint stopped working, showed this red "hardware" message, then it disappeared completely from the settings, and also the phone started to drain battery twice faster. It's probably has to do with the fingerprint sensor, maybe it's trying to detect it all the time or something, draining the battery.
I'm really frustrated, we're going on a long vacation in 2 weeks and I really need the phone to work well... If I'll order the sensor from ebay right now, it won't get here on time
I think this was my last nexus... (had nexus S, nexus 4, and nexus 5X)
update:
just received OTA update (build NRD90R) which seems to fixed the fingerprint sensor, it works again. hope it will stay this way, don't wanna jinx it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got that update too, before I replaced the sensor; it did not fix it.

ggtsu said:
My fingerprint sensor also seems to have bitten the dust. It sporadically ceased functioning whenever I got it slightly wet, either from sweat when running or if exposed to a little rain. It would always come back after a few hours, however this time it seems to have completely quit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The more I thought about it, the more I think it has to do with water. If your finger is slightly wet, DO NOT use your fingerprint sensor. I'm fairly certain it was this that killed mine. Or a slight impact to the back of the phone.
Regardless, I treat my stuff pretty well and I take good care of it. I was at work, however, and I need to spray down things so my hands are constantly wet. I had been using my fingerprint sensor with damp/wet fingers in the few days before it crapped out.

bodaciousbob said:
The more I thought about it, the more I think it has to do with water. If your finger is slightly wet, DO NOT use your fingerprint sensor. I'm fairly certain it was this that killed mine. Or a slight impact to the back of the phone.
Regardless, I treat my stuff pretty well and I take good care of it. I was at work, however, and I need to spray down things so my hands are constantly wet. I had been using my fingerprint sensor with damp/wet fingers in the few days before it crapped out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like to use my phone with an armband while running and my armband has a "clever" design with an open spot to give you access to the sensor. Unfortunately this means it is in direct contact with my skin and sweat while I run. I got in the habit of sticking a small cloth between the sensor and my skin to keep it dry, but apparently even tiny amounts of moisture on your finger when it's raining seems to be enough to damage it. Anyone know if this is just an issue with the 5X sensor or do other phones also have this problem?

ggtsu said:
I like to use my phone with an armband while running and my armband has a "clever" design with an open spot to give you access to the sensor. Unfortunately this means it is in direct contact with my skin and sweat while I run. I got in the habit of sticking a small cloth between the sensor and my skin to keep it dry, but apparently even tiny amounts of moisture on your finger when it's raining seems to be enough to damage it. Anyone know if this is just an issue with the 5X sensor or do other phones also have this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It makes sense... The sensor is probably some sort of heat detector that can discern slight differences in heat on the surface of the sensor. A ridge of your fingerprint would conduct more heat to the sensor than heat that's radiated to the sensor from a fingerprint valley. It probably makes a quick map of the thermal Imprint and matches this to your saved profiles.
Or I'm out to lunch. Lol.
However, I'm pretty sure water killed mine, and the fingerprint sensors are very fragile. I've stopped using mine all together until I have clean hands. This means no using it at work.

Bought a replacement camera module from Aliexpress and finally got around to installing it. With the cover, and the frame off, new camera module installed, I was able to open the camera, use both the front and the back cameras.
However, when I closed it all up and went to use the camera, I get the same errors. Black screen, cannot connect to camera, and then it crashes/restarts the phone.
Definitely not hardware!

doggie13_ said:
As for the camera fix, have you tried installing factory images?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will be trying this later tonight. Currently running Android Beta 7.1.1. I will install 6.0.1 MHC19Q, and going through the list until I find an OS that's got a stable camera.

bodaciousbob said:
I will be trying this later tonight. Currently running Android Beta 7.1.1. I will install 6.0.1 MHC19Q, and going through the list until I find an OS that's got a stable camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I downgraded from N-Preview 5 (? v.7.1.1) to android 7. Camera would only work for a few moments after immediately rebooting the phone.
Sideloaded 6.0.1 using fastboot and unlocked bootloader - the first time I ran the new install, the camera app crashed instantly. Rebooted, and now it's been working fine.................. Let's see how long it lasts! Will update tomorrow.

So. I followed the instructions on Google's page (https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images) and I sideloaded build MMB29V. And the camera NOW WORKS! I left the phone powered on over night and the camera will start anytime I need it to. I installed all of the available OTA updates, bringing me up to NBD90W, and my camera is STILL launching flawlessly!
In other words - a fresh factory install fixed the camera issues!+
Edit: Just sideloaded in the latest version of 7.0.0 (NBD90W, Oct 2016) and the camera is stable. The stock android camera is version 4.1.006.125161292. I will keep you updated as it progresses. The actual camera module in my phone is the one that I ordered from Aliexpress ( https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ori...era-Module-Replacement-Parts/32657390368.html) The black housing on the camera module was a bit different than the OEM one I pulled out. I didn't check any serial numbers to verify; so I don't know if the one from Ali is actually OEM.

bodaciousbob said:
I installed a new sensor (which I purchased for $16 shipped to my door I'm Canada from esourceparts)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's encouraging! Mine died overnight, after being intermittent yesterday. Went onto eBay and ordered a replacement from Asia for about CAD$9 delivered, should arrive around Christmas.
esourceparts (I'm also in Canada) only had the black sensors -- mine is white, and I like white.

bodaciousbob said:
So. I followed the instructions on Google's page (https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images) and I sideloaded build MMB29V. And the camera NOW WORKS! I left the phone powered on over night and the camera will start anytime I need it to. I installed all of the available OTA updates, bringing me up to NBD90W, and my camera is STILL launching flawlessly!
In other words - a fresh factory install fixed the camera issues!+
Edit: Just sideloaded in the latest version of 7.0.0 (NBD90W, Oct 2016) and the camera is stable. The stock android camera is version 4.1.006.125161292. I will keep you updated as it progresses. The actual camera module in my phone is the one that I ordered from Aliexpress ( https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ori...era-Module-Replacement-Parts/32657390368.html) The black housing on the camera module was a bit different than the OEM one I pulled out. I didn't check any serial numbers to verify; so I don't know if the one from Ali is actually OEM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same camera problem, can you tell what exactly you did to fix it?
Sent from my Nexus 5X using XDA-Developers mobile app

Screen Fake or really damaged? please look at the pictures

I got a Note 4 from AT&T from a friend at work. In the day it was quite fine but colors looked wierd I couldn't figure out why. Until night, I decided to reboot the phone and just wow...
- backlight bleeding? The logo of samsung was surrounded by light? even my LG G3 has better black than that.
- Tried to navigate on some black wallpapers and... this phone can't reproduce the color black?
I mean, Samsung info (the app) says that it is not refurbished and the IMEI is not blocked.
Other info apps says that the screen is Samsung original or OEM.
But just look at the pictures I attached. It is imposible for an AMOLED screen to be that bad, I change picture modes and nothing.
What do you think? It is not a fake phone because it rocks like it should on high demanding games and S-pen works good (I have a Note 3 and both S-pen works)
Rom is 5.1.1 updated via OTA right from AT&T
Do I freak out and tell her about the phone?
1 of the pictures is a screenshot, the other 2 are photos taken with my Note 3 to the "Note 4".

Well, what do you mean you got it from your friend, is it a gift to you, or did you buy it? or are you borrowing it?
It's very difficult to understand what I'm looking at with the pictures you posted. So, I cannot really say what is happening. It may be that they have an app installed that is doing something. The Note 4 cannot be rooted, however, so a factory reset would set you back to stock Android, without fear of any lingering unwanted programs.
Do you have the backlight turned up all the way?
If the phone is yours, I'd say do a factory reset. Also, if you are on 5.1.1, you are WAY behind on updates...Current is 6.x so you have a long way to go. Some apps change the screen settings to reduce blue at night, or other things. There may be something messing with your screen. But then again, I cannot say because I don't know what I'm looking at in your pictures.
For me I like my screen, it gets black, and it does well... But I don't turn up the backlight and I don't know what settings you are using.
If you bought it and you think there's something wrong with the screen - I'd say talk to the seller. Be polite and just express your concern, ask them if they know what's going on.

Fingerprint sensor useless

I have had this phone since September and came from Huawei P30 Pro, before that Honor V10, Huawei P20 which had fast fingerprint sensor and worked 99% of the time first time .
I cannot believe how bad this sensor is in real use, unlock success rate is about 5% no matter how many times I delete and Reregistered all fingers.
I scan my prints and test in the setup and they are acknowledged correctly but once I start using for real to unlock the phone or approve stuff it rarely works.
I have tried all kinds of angles and strengths of press but it's useless.
Running the beta in hope of improvement but it's still useless.
Did I get a bad unit here or is Samsung just totally crap with fingerprint sensors?
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

After you've registered your fingerprints.... re-register them to improve the accuracy of the scanner. Also, if you find it sluggish, reduce the animations in the settings...
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I am reregistering prints to try and improve and after every update hoping something is better.
As said when setting up and checking it is fine but when I have to use for example with 2FA app to approve a log in it just fails "fingerprint not recognised" before eventually going to pin.
Will try the animation setting and see if that helps.
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

for a while, the Note10+ fingerprint reader had a terrible success rate, no matter what "hacks" i used to try to make it better (i.e. multiple fingers, the "test/learning" hack, etc.) — loads of "make sure you cover the entire sensor" and "no match found" etc.
this tip might be crazy, but it does work: MOISTURIZE LIGHTLY.
100% serious.
my right thumb was not able to unlock my Note while i was working at my desk. super frustrating. looked at my hands, thought they were looking dry, so i put a dab of glycerin hand cream on and BANG: every single damn time now, regardless of whether my thumb is vertical or sideways.

I got my Note 10+ today and have spend a long time setting it up. Once I registered my prints I had not issues (unless I didn't press firmly enough on the screen). It's been fine for me thus far.

You shouldn't compare ultrasonic fingerprint sensors that are in their early stages with optical ones that have been out there for years. Ultrasonic is much more secure. And saying that success rate is only 5% means that you either have a defective unit or need to change the way you use it. I have a success rare of no less that 90%... not as accurate and quick as my old note 8 with its optical sensor but I got used to it

I've had no issues with the fingerprint sensor, before or after the update.

AM Radio said:
for a while, the Note10+ fingerprint reader had a terrible success rate, no matter what "hacks" i used to try to make it better (i.e. multiple fingers, the "test/learning" hack, etc.) — loads of "make sure you cover the entire sensor" and "no match found" etc.
this tip might be crazy, but it does work: MOISTURIZE LIGHTLY.
100% serious.
my right thumb was not able to unlock my Note while i was working at my desk. super frustrating. looked at my hands, thought they were looking dry, so i put a dab of glycerin hand cream on and BANG: every single damn time now, regardless of whether my thumb is vertical or sideways.
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heh yeah classic S10+ fingerprint reader from Samsung. I also found the same "you need to lick your finger first. Yeah, it's not a joke. " :laugh:

yep lick your finger first does actually work, if you have dry hands the scanner is mostly trash, use moisturiser/lick/damp your finger and it will work near 100% reliability. basically if you don't have clammy hands it will likely be hit and miss.
actually found myself in bars using the condensation on my drinks to help me unlock the phone, it seems an odd thing but it seems moisture in your skin is a massive deciding factor on it working.

Part of Note 10+ Screen Goes Black

This problem just started today, I've done nothing with settings, have not installed any apps recently, did not drop it, expose it to water, or anything that could possibly cause damage. What's happening is that basically about 1 inch-1 inch 1/8 of the bottom of the screen turns black, and at almost random, sometimes it could go a minute and half or so, sometimes 30 seconds, sometimes within 5 or less seconds. The strangest part? The part that goes black still operates fine to touch, so if an icon or letter of the keyboard, or whatever, is located in that area, it can still be selected/operates. Taking a screenshot to try to show it is worthless since it'll show the screen as just fine, so I attached a picture and a video of the problem from an old phone of mine. The blacked out are will go right back to normal if you turn the screen off, wait a second, and turn it back on. Also, if the blacked out area is there, it'll go away after about a half a second when the screen dims right before the screen inactivity turns the screen off. I've only had this phone for a couple months, I got it back on December 7th 2019.

I learned something else. If I manually lower the brightness to a particularly low level, the black goes away, so it seems to in some strange way be related to the phones brightness level (I use auto brightness), this also might explain why the black comes at differing intervals, as my brightness is adjusting constantly to my surroundings, the time before it comes is either shortened or lengthend based on the brightness.

It doesn't seem that strange that the touch still works in that area as the digitiser and the display are two different things. I would factory reset (because Samsung will make you do this anyway) and if still an issue, take it directly to Samsung, that does not look good.

willhemmens said:
It doesn't seem that strange that the touch still works in that area as the digitiser and the display are two different things. I would factory reset (because Samsung will make you do this anyway) and if still an issue, take it directly to Samsung, that does not look good.
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I was just thinking I might have to do factory reset, if that doesn't work, and it needs repair/replacement, do I go to an authorized Samsung repair place (I know I have one within about a couple miles of my house), it's
obviously well within warranty, or take it to At&t store as I do have that AT&T Protect Advantage coverage for my phone?

willhemmens said:
It doesn't seem that strange that the touch still works in that area as the digitiser and the display are two different things. I would factory reset (because Samsung will make you do this anyway) and if still an issue, take it directly to Samsung, that does not look good.
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Did the factory reset, turned out to be a waste of time. That black bar was showing immediately, right at the setup screen. So I guess it's safe to say that it's a hardware issue, defective whatever. Funny story is that when I bought this phone, my att store only had two of them left, one was immediately defective, it wouldnt get past the main logo screen, and now I got this one and it became defective within just a couple months, got to love it.

willhemmens said:
It doesn't seem that strange that the touch still works in that area as the digitiser and the display are two different things. I would factory reset (because Samsung will make you do this anyway) and if still an issue, take it directly to Samsung, that does not look good.
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Just left AT&T store where I initially purchased the phone. They're shipping out a brand new note 10+ to me today and I'll get it tomorrow ?

Glad to hear! That definitely sounded like faulty hardware. Funny you saw two failures, I guess it will happen with such complex devices.

Note 10 plus screen goes black
Hi i thought i was crazy until i saw your thread. The same thing is happening to me but it does not go continuously so id see two red squares first theyre really small and they appear anywhere on the screen then if try to screenshot them they show upblack in the screenshots instead of red . I just need to know if anyone found a solution yet because my phone came with the warranty booklet but it wasnt filled out.

Tech girl99 said:
Hi i thought i was crazy until i saw your thread. The same thing is happening to me but it does not go continuously so id see two red squares first theyre really small and they appear anywhere on the screen then if try to screenshot them they show upblack in the screenshots instead of red . I just need to know if anyone found a solution yet because my phone came with the warranty booklet but it wasnt filled out.
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You just need the proof of purchase, or, if you got it on contract, the contract itself will suffice