Develop Bugs

[Q] Power Button messed up

The power button on my S3 (SGH-i747) is pretty messed up. When i'm not touching it, it decides to register a press and completely messes up everything im doing on the phone. It has such frequent reboots that i can barely boot into recovery. The only way i can actually boot is by holding the phone horizontally with the power button facing down. Is there any fix to this? I'm on CM10.1.0 so would flashing back to stock decrease the sensitivity of this button? Or is it necessary to fix at the shop?
Also i have a cracked screen, so im not sure it would be accepted under the warranty even if it's unrooted.

r8revealed said:
The power button on my S3 (SGH-i747) is pretty messed up. When i'm not touching it, it decides to register a press and completely messes up everything im doing on the phone. It has such frequent reboots that i can barely boot into recovery. The only way i can actually boot is by holding the phone horizontally with the power button facing down. Is there any fix to this? I'm on CM10.1.0 so would flashing back to stock decrease the sensitivity of this button? Or is it necessary to fix at the shop?
Also i have a cracked screen, so im not sure it would be accepted under the warranty even if it's unrooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware failure, repair it or get a new phone
nothing you can do, the flex cable that connect's the button to the board is either busted or shorted

Danvdh said:
Hardware failure, repair it or get a new phone
nothing you can do, the flex cable that connect's the button to the board is either busted or shorted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same issue.
There's absolutely nothing I can do? I thought maybe if I'd open up the device and tinker with it... maybe I can get it working.

s1mpd1ddy said:
I'm having the same issue.
There's absolutely nothing I can do? I thought maybe if I'd open up the device and tinker with it... maybe I can get it working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this is quite an annoying problem. If you're having the same problem, are you able to boot into download mode? I can't for some reason.

r8revealed said:
Yes this is quite an annoying problem. If you're having the same problem, are you able to boot into download mode? I can't for some reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something like this you don't want to boot into download mode. What if it resets while you're pushing a file? then your whole phone will be messed up.
I got mine to boot. My method is a bit unorthodox though.... i kept pressing the power button throughout the boot process up until the lock screen. Once it finally loads... i flicked the power button a few times really hard.... it seems to stay in the position but remains extremely sensitive.. as in, i dont even have to press it to turn off the screen.
sucks man... i think this is happening to a lot of power users. I'm literally one week past my warranty.

s1mpd1ddy said:
Something like this you don't want to boot into download mode. What if it resets while you're pushing a file? then your whole phone will be messed up.
I got mine to boot. My method is a bit unorthodox though.... i kept pressing the power button throughout the boot process up until the lock screen. Once it finally loads... i flicked the power button a few times really hard.... it seems to stay in the position but remains extremely sensitive.. as in, i dont even have to press it to turn off the screen.
sucks man... i think this is happening to a lot of power users. I'm literally one week past my warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i didnt want anything to happen while anything is installing etc. I somehow got into recovery, but it shut down within a second. (thankfully the first option in cwm is reboot, so that saved me). I can't return for warranty because I'm rooted on CM10.1.0, which was why i wanted to attempt unrooting (but that seems impossible at the moment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1753574
That thread seems to be the solution to our problem, but i feel that if i open it up, something worse will happen. Right now, the phone boots up fine when held horizontally (but shuts down ~2min later) and i can easily backup my data.
One strange thing that i've noticed with this problem that maybe isn't right. Normally , do you have to hold down the power button to shut it off? I always used to think that a power menu would show, THEN you could select shut down, but here, it just shuts down. The power menu flashes sometimes, but shuts down anyway. This may also have me believe that something other than the power button is the problem.

r8revealed said:
Yeah i didnt want anything to happen while anything is installing etc. I somehow got into recovery, but it shut down within a second. (thankfully the first option in cwm is reboot, so that saved me). I can't return for warranty because I'm rooted on CM10.1.0, which was why i wanted to attempt unrooting (but that seems impossible at the moment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1753574
That thread seems to be the solution to our problem, but i feel that if i open it up, something worse will happen. Right now, the phone boots up fine when held horizontally (but shuts down ~2min later) and i can easily backup my data.
One strange thing that i've noticed with this problem that maybe isn't right. Normally , do you have to hold down the power button to shut it off? I always used to think that a power menu would show, THEN you could select shut down, but here, it just shuts down. The power menu flashes sometimes, but shuts down anyway. This may also have me believe that something other than the power button is the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you hold the power button for 5 seconds or more , it will skip that power menu and reboot. So this still sounds like power button to me.
thanks for the link, been searching everywhere... so fckin hard to search all the S3 threads on XDA. They need to consolidate

r8revealed said:
Yeah i didnt want anything to happen while anything is installing etc. I somehow got into recovery, but it shut down within a second. (thankfully the first option in cwm is reboot, so that saved me). I can't return for warranty because I'm rooted on CM10.1.0, which was why i wanted to attempt unrooting (but that seems impossible at the moment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1753574
That thread seems to be the solution to our problem, but i feel that if i open it up, something worse will happen. Right now, the phone boots up fine when held horizontally (but shuts down ~2min later) and i can easily backup my data.
One strange thing that i've noticed with this problem that maybe isn't right. Normally , do you have to hold down the power button to shut it off? I always used to think that a power menu would show, THEN you could select shut down, but here, it just shuts down. The power menu flashes sometimes, but shuts down anyway. This may also have me believe that something other than the power button is the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you able to fix your problem with the fix in that link? I seem to be having the same problem as you.

No, I ended up buying a new phone (I was going to upgrade anyway). I took out the power button, but that wasn't the problem. In a way, it was the button under the button that was sensitive. I would have to take out the motherboard to see the exact problem.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGH-i337) via Tapatalk 4

[Ghetto Fix] for broken power button issue (t989)

Symptoms:
Extreme Case: Once phone is plugged in or battery inserted, phone vibrates constantly and never progresses further through the boot cycle.
Moderate Case: Phone is able to make it to Samsung logo, or sometimes even further, but never fails to reboot and remain stuck in this cycle.
Preliminary Case: Phone randomly reboots for no reason, or when power button is gently touched (not hard pressed)
Problem:
1) Either phone button is sticky for some reason (ewww) and gets stuck, causing phone to reboot.
2) Or, (more severe cases) the internal switch is beginning to malfunction (common) and needs to be replaced in order to really fix the problem.
Fixes:
1) If the button is sticky, simply clean it you sicko and quit being dirty. Plenty of guides on how to open the phone on Youtube. (This is not really a big issue though)
2) Faulty hardware is going to require some major work to be completely fixed.
Ghetto Fix:
Intro: My phone is showing preliminary issues of the common switch malfunction issue. I read around and it seems that Samsung just failed with that portion of the hardware. My brother's phone, on the other hand, was an extreme case and was basically a brick in my room for a few months until I decided to fix it. It's not a profound fix, so I'm sorry for those who really want this issue solved. If you do, I recommend either replacing the part yourself or taking it to a shop to repair it for you. This fix is for those of you who might have an fully functioning galaxy s2 laying around, with the exception of that stupid button.
1) You will need to know how to open up your phone. There are many guides on Youtube. Be very careful doing so.
2) Ghetto Button Fix (Two Options) *From here on I will have to make a distinction between the two senses of "power button" I am talking about: There is the power button on the logic board (LB Power Button [my term]) and the one on the outside of the phone---the (P Power Button [my term]) is the one you see and press when your phone is put together and working fine--the (LB Power Button) is the switch attached to the logic board
a. The first ghetto fix will work if your case is not too severe, and it will look less ghetto. When you open your phone and separate all the parts, you are left with a good view of the (P Power Button)--you will notice that a small rubbery rectangular portion of the power button--file that off completely to prevent the (P Power Button) from touching the logic board power button (LB Power Button).
*Note: This will not be a fix for more extreme cases because the (P Power Button) can still reach the (LB Power Button). This will only make it less likely for the two to make contact when you do not want it to. Also note that the issue is not with the two making contact, it is a faulty switch. Anything from a quick jolt or vibration, or even gravity can be enough to set it into a looped cycle.
b. If the first one doesn't work, then simply remove the power button (P Power Button) entirely. With my brother's phone, I simply removed the button and reversed it. This way, there is no way for the two to make contact, even when pressed. We gorilla taped it into position.
*Note: The issue with this fix was that the phone could not be turned off (unless you take off the tape and access the switch to turn it back on). I gave him my extended battery to ensure he would not run out, and Installed a custom Rom which allowed him to use the volume keys to wake his phone from sleep (this might come stock in previous versions of andoid--dunno though), and change the power key/lock screen key to long pressing the home button. That way there is no need for the power button as long as the phone is on. (We used Beanstalk Rom 4.3) for this and it has been working flawlessly. **Since installing custom roms and rooting only requires reboot, it is still possible with a phone with a power button issue.
3) How to stop the boot cycle: It might be quite obvious, but just to state it--in order to stop the reboot cycle and "unstuck" the power switch, simply press the power button down a few times patiently until it remains stable. **Pressing it harder does not increase your chances! Remember to be gentle because you are working with a switch that is already faulty!
*Note:When the power button is removed, you can use some non-metal pointy object to press down the power switch inside the phone. You want to do this carefully, as you will notice that even the slightest touch of the switch, even if you don't press the button down, will send it into loop. Once you get the phone on and stable. Seal up the hole and the phone should be fine as long as it doesn't shut off.
Forgive me, I don't know how to make tutorials. Tried to catch everything I ran into along the way, but I noticed it's quite wordy. Hope this helps someone!

itsfredo said:
Symptoms:
Extreme Case: Once phone is plugged in or battery inserted, phone vibrates constantly and never progresses further through the boot cycle.
Moderate Case: Phone is able to make it to Samsung logo, or sometimes even further, but never fails to reboot and remain stuck in this cycle.
Preliminary Case: Phone randomly reboots for no reason, or when power button is gently touched (not hard pressed)
Problem:
1) Either phone button is sticky for some reason (ewww) and gets stuck, causing phone to reboot.
2) Or, (more severe cases) the internal switch is beginning to malfunction (common) and needs to be replaced in order to really fix the problem.
Fixes:
1) If the button is sticky, simply clean it you sicko and quit being dirty. Plenty of guides on how to open the phone on Youtube. (This is not really a big issue though)
2) Faulty hardware is going to require some major work to be completely fixed.
Ghetto Fix:
Intro: My phone is showing preliminary issues of the common switch malfunction issue. I read around and it seems that Samsung just failed with that portion of the hardware. My brother's phone, on the other hand, was an extreme case and was basically a brick in my room for a few months until I decided to fix it. It's not a profound fix, so I'm sorry for those who really want this issue solved. If you do, I recommend either replacing the part yourself or taking it to a shop to repair it for you. This fix is for those of you who might have an fully functioning galaxy s2 laying around, with the exception of that stupid button.
1) You will need to know how to open up your phone. There are many guides on Youtube. Be very careful doing so.
2) Ghetto Button Fix (Two Options) *From here on I will have to make a distinction between the two senses of "power button" I am talking about: There is the power button on the logic board (LB Power Button [my term]) and the one on the outside of the phone---the (P Power Button [my term]) is the one you see and press when your phone is put together and working fine--the (LB Power Button) is the switch attached to the logic board
a. The first ghetto fix will work if your case is not too severe, and it will look less ghetto. When you open your phone and separate all the parts, you are left with a good view of the (P Power Button)--you will notice that a small rubbery rectangular portion of the power button--file that off completely to prevent the (P Power Button) from touching the logic board power button (LB Power Button).
*Note: This will not be a fix for more extreme cases because the (P Power Button) can still reach the (LB Power Button). This will only make it less likely for the two to make contact when you do not want it to. Also note that the issue is not with the two making contact, it is a faulty switch. Anything from a quick jolt or vibration, or even gravity can be enough to set it into a looped cycle.
b. If the first one doesn't work, then simply remove the power button (P Power Button) entirely. With my brother's phone, I simply removed the button and reversed it. This way, there is no way for the two to make contact, even when pressed. We gorilla taped it into position.
*Note: The issue with this fix was that the phone could not be turned off (unless you take off the tape and access the switch to turn it back on). I gave him my extended battery to ensure he would not run out, and Installed a custom Rom which allowed him to use the volume keys to wake his phone from sleep (this might come stock in previous versions of andoid--dunno though), and change the power key/lock screen key to long pressing the home button. That way there is no need for the power button as long as the phone is on. (We used Beanstalk Rom 4.3) for this and it has been working flawlessly. **Since installing custom roms and rooting only requires reboot, it is still possible with a phone with a power button issue.
3) How to stop the boot cycle: It might be quite obvious, but just to state it--in order to stop the reboot cycle and "unstuck" the power switch, simply press the power button down a few times patiently until it remains stable. **Pressing it harder does not increase your chances! Remember to be gentle because you are working with a switch that is already faulty!
*Note:When the power button is removed, you can use some non-metal pointy object to press down the power switch inside the phone. You want to do this carefully, as you will notice that even the slightest touch of the switch, even if you don't press the button down, will send it into loop. Once you get the phone on and stable. Seal up the hole and the phone should be fine as long as it doesn't shut off.
Forgive me, I don't know how to make tutorials. Tried to catch everything I ran into along the way, but I noticed it's quite wordy. Hope this helps someone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you can remove the power button from the board completely and the outer assembly from the case. Essentially a hole use a paper clip to short the pins to power on/off
Or you can remove one of the volume button and replace it with the lower button

mecha2012 said:
Or you can remove the power button from the board completely and the outer assembly from the case. Essentially a hole use a paper clip to short the pins to power on/off
Or you can remove one of the volume button and replace it with the lower button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this. This would be a better and more permanent fix in the sense that it would almost guarantee the switch will not act up.
The only thing is, I've seen tutorials on how to take off the button from the logic board and it requires some pretty crazy equipment. More specifically, in the tutorial I saw, the guy used a hot air gun to melt the solder and some other fancy equipment.
Also, would using a paper clip be a danger to the entire logic board?

[Q] Power Issues... Even in recovery/download mode

Phone randomly turns off/reboots (mostly reboots). Sometimes the phone won't go past the "SAMSUNG" screen on boot. I booted the phone into recovery and download mode multiple times but it'll reboot after a minute or two.
I've tried another battery and still had the same issue. I've removed the battery and held the power button down to discharge power. I've opened up the phone, blew the dust out, and made sure that the power button was not getting stuck. I'm fairly certain it's not a rogue app causing the issue, but I've factory reset the phone to stock.
Please advise!

dwrdbg said:
Phone randomly turns off/reboots (mostly reboots). Sometimes the phone won't go past the "SAMSUNG" screen on boot. I booted the phone into recovery and download mode multiple times but it'll reboot after a minute or two.
I've tried another battery and still had the same issue. I've removed the battery and held the power button down to discharge power. I've opened up the phone, blew the dust out, and made sure that the power button was not getting stuck. I'm fairly certain it's not a rogue app causing the issue, but I've factory reset the phone to stock.
Please advise!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you have a sd card, sometimes a funky sd card will cause this as well. remove yours for a while to check if its causing your issue

Sounds like the same problem I was having. Take your finger and lightly move it up and down over the power button.. if it acts up or reboots it could be the button issue..
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

I was having the EXACT same issue. I thought it might be the recent upgrade to the cm11 nightlies since before it was once a week but now it's just non-stop. Is the issue the actual power button switch or the plastic buttons?
Orion78 said:
Sounds like the same problem I was having. Take your finger and lightly move it up and down over the power button.. if it acts up or reboots it could be the button issue..
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

beantek said:
I was having the EXACT same issue. I thought it might be the recent upgrade to the cm11 nightlies since before it was once a week but now it's just non-stop. Is the issue the actual power button switch or the plastic buttons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me it was the power button itself.. Read my post on how to fix the issue yourself if you dont want to take your phone into Sprint
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2679936

Fixed (kind of )
I've taken my phone apart before to replace the speaker/audio jack module after my headphone jack stopped working in one ear (also a common s3 problem). I did as suggested and added a piece of paper wedged in between the button and the button switch. Surprisingly the switch was perfectly clicky so any problem will have to be internally such as corrosion or just worn out. The problem seemed to have been fixed (kind of, not really) as the phone turned on and wouldn't freak out when I rubbed the power/hold button. I got all my data off the phone successfully. The buttons themselves are pretty cheap online but I don't want to have to solder considering I have an upgrade. I'll just get an S5 whenever they are available. Thanks for the help.
Orion78 said:
For me it was the power button itself.. Read my post on how to fix the issue yourself if you dont want to take your phone into Sprint
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2679936
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions. I determined that it was in fact a power button issue.
My "FIX" (for anyone with similar issues):
Temporary:
I removed the logic board from the phone and flicked the button up and down and that helped a little with the button's hypersensitivity. Because a slight tap would make the button "stick" and power off, I took apart the phone and physically removed the plastic power button. I could hit the button if necessary with a small screwdriver or my watch strap thingy, but I did my best to keep the battery from dying out. As for dealing with a lack of "lock" button, I installed an xposed module that let me remap my volume up button as a lock button.
Permanent:
My mother recently upgraded her phone and gave me her S3. Unfortunately it had a cracked screen. I removed her logic board and swapped it out with what was in phone and reactivated her phone as mine.
Thanks for everyone's help, and hopefully this can help someone else too!

[Q] Please help! Random power off won't boot!

Okay I will try to sum this up. My S3 was working fine and everything randomly I noticed issues with battery calibration It would be 100% then I would calibrate it and then unplug and then I'd instantly drop to 85%. Thought It was a battery issue and made a point to get a new one later. Then it kept working for another month or so then It started really screwing up the shutdown menu would randomly pop up and I'd back out of it.
Then randomly 3 seconds later the phone reboots. And it would keep doing that randomly I thought it might be a power button issue. Then as time goes on it got really bad to where it would simply reboot and not make it past the bootloader, It would not "reboot" more like a complete shutdown then I'd have to power it again and have it do the same thing. Seeing how I could not even make it past the bootloader I got a new battery, waited a week for it and then I put it in and the same issue happened. It would not get past the bootloader.
So I kept trying and trying and trying and it finally booted past that. And it stayed on for a whole night. I did everything on it I normally would and it was working great. Then the battery was getting low so I plug it in and was going to calibrate it after it was charged, I go back to it and it's dead again won't get past the bootloader once again. I'm completely out of ideas on how to fix this I pop'd off the button and blew in there and the button seems fine and everything still no change. I also can not get into recovery. It trys and loads but then shuts off. Anyway if anyone has any ideas on what this is or how to fix please help! I need my phone back! Thank you.
I'm running MOAR Lite version.
UPDATE: Took the phone apart and took a close look at the button it looks 100% fine...I saw a video on youtube that requires you to complete tear the button off and it works. But I don't know if the button is my main cause of this issue or if it will actually work. Some says it works, some says it does nothing...Please let me know thanks...
UPDATE 2: It will show that battery with spinning circle in it for like 1 second then turn off again. (When it is plugged in)

That's odd. But when it comes to the power button, dismantling and what not 90% of the time will show 0 issues. It will look perfectly fine when it's not. You playing with the power button I assume were pressing hard and normally to try testing it. It's a common issues on this version of the S3 to have faulty power button and you would need to get it repaired. Odly even slightly atmospheric changes can cause it to act different at different points. Some days it works fine, other days a very slight brushing over can cause it to screw up and trigger a manual shut down (holding for like 10 or 15 seconds).
Assuming that it is the power button, or to try, just do a variation of things to the power button itself. Use your finger nail to jiggle it around with different pressures. During boot if it shuts off, it could be the power button internally stuck, just jiggle it around.
This is all I can think of unless you bring it in to get repaired.

I was encountering the exact same problem. I would try to get into download mode and it would sit at the "Downloading" screen for about 5-7 seconds then the display would go blank. It won't make it into recovery either. Based on the above recommendation I took the whole phone apart and sprayed a lot of compressed air directly on the power button mechanism and the plastic case pressing the button in. I didn't see anything broken with the button when I did that.
It seems to be working now, I can boot into my Rom. Don't know how long this fix will last.

Oneplus 5T volume down button stuck, can't boot.

Hi,
This morning I rebooted my phone. But instead of booting into the rom(Lineage 15.1), it booted into the recovery(TWRP).
Soon I realized that it's because the volume button is stuck.
If I hold down the volume up button while booting, I can boot into safe mode.
Is there a way to fix this without taking the phone apart, or at least bypass safe mode so that I can use the phone, until I can get it repaired?
Thanks

I had a similar issue with the power button on the Samsung GS3 i9300.
What worked for me, temporarily, was banging the phone corner which is closest to the button hard onto your hand or something similar which cannot cause any physical damage. The jerk was enough to release the button and get the phone working again.
Maybe give that a shot. Hope it helps!

ShotTard said:
Is there a way to fix this without taking the phone apart, or at least bypass safe mode so that I can use the phone, until I can get it repaired?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Light percussive maintenance as previously suggested. If the button or internals aren't bent/broken you could also try getting a clean toothbrush's bristles in there.
My volume buttons become quite stiff every now and then but they usually end up just fixing themselves through normal use anyway.