Develop Bugs

[Q] Faulty back button?

Initially when pressing the back button on my desire, a large majority of the time, it would register it correctly (i.e. do the operation associated with the back button), irrespective of my finger placement as long as I apply a low amount of pressure.
Now, I find that a lot more key presses on the back button are lost. I have to press much more harder / deeper to improve the chance the keypress registers. This is the second time I've encountered this and the third hardware fault I've had:
Fault #1: headphone jack not working, music continues to play through speaker (repaired)
Fault #2: back button doesn't always register key presses (repaired)
Fault #3: back button doesn't always register key presses (going to have to be repaired again, sigh).
I've searched the forums but haven't found anyone else mentioning this problem. Has anyone else experienced this issue at all? Or have I got crummy luck and gotten an HTC Lemon?

I have the exact same thing. Only started recently though. It takes a hard press sometimes, and other times if I press hard it's like a double button push.
You aren't alone. Lol

Cheers rolfd. Least I know I don't have the "touch of death".
It's definitely fixable cos I've handed it in for repair and it's come back working. My concern is more if it continues to re-occur. Guess I'll have to wait and see...

You are not alone about this problem:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=778793
Both mine Menu and Back is not working properly. Got send it in for service and still havent get it back yet.

*Update* My phone got repaired.
Back button now works as expected. Fingers crossed it stays that way...

[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 button hyper-sensitive

Hi all,
I've had some problems with my S3 power button. It's behaving like it's being pressed when it isn't. Just slightly brushing it, without depressing the button, is registering a press. Pressing the button is behaving like the button is being held.
I've read a number of possible fixes. I tried software options, just to be sure (cleared cache, factory reset). But this is almost certainly a hardware problem.
I stripped the phone down and the physical button itself looks absolutely fine. It is interacting as it should with the internal button on the motherboard. The issue seems to be that the internal button attached to the motherboard (the little white button) is registering clicks even when it's not being fully depressed.
The phone did have some water damage about 6 months ago. I wonder if this could be causing the the phone to mess up now?
I even tried a fix that many people seem to think works: smacking the crap out of the power button itself. It had no affect on my phone - I think that "fix" that is for a power button that is stuck depressed and not a power button registering phantom clicks/being hyper-sensitive.
So I suppose I have the following questions:
1) Has anyone else experienced similar problems and, if so, did they get it fixed?
2) My plan is to try replacing the motherboard/logic board and see if that helps. Does that sound like the best fix or is it overkill?
3) If I'm replacing the motherboard, does it need to be an I747 motherboard or will any S3 model work fine?
4) What's the best source for a motherboard? I don't mind if they're used or refub so long as they work.
Any advice you can offer is welcome.
Cheers.

BenScopato said:
Hi all,
I've had some problems with my S3 power button. It's behaving like it's being pressed when it isn't. Just slightly brushing it, without depressing the button, is registering a press. Pressing the button is behaving like the button is being held.
I've read a number of possible fixes. I tried software options, just to be sure (cleared cache, factory reset). But this is almost certainly a hardware problem.
I stripped the phone down and the physical button itself looks absolutely fine. It is interacting as it should with the internal button on the motherboard. The issue seems to be that the internal button attached to the motherboard (the little white button) is registering clicks even when it's not being fully depressed.
The phone did have some water damage about 6 months ago. I wonder if this could be causing the the phone to mess up now?
I even tried a fix that many people seem to think works: smacking the crap out of the power button itself. It had no affect on my phone - I think that "fix" that is for a power button that is stuck depressed and not a power button registering phantom clicks/being hyper-sensitive.
So I suppose I have the following questions:
1) Has anyone else experienced similar problems and, if so, did they get it fixed?
2) My plan is to try replacing the motherboard/logic board and see if that helps. Does that sound like the best fix or is it overkill?
3) If I'm replacing the motherboard, does it need to be an I747 motherboard or will any S3 model work fine?
4) What's the best source for a motherboard? I don't mind if they're used or refub so long as they work.
Any advice you can offer is welcome.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the exact same problem with mine, and unfortunately there's not much you can do about it as it's a hardware defect. I haven't tried replacing motherboards or anything, so that might help you. What I did to help with the problem was rerouting my power button to my volume up key so that I can use the power button as little as possible. The only time I use the power button now is when I need to power it on - which causes reboot loops sometimes.

Drisc0 said:
I had the exact same problem with mine, and unfortunately there's not much you can do about it as it's a hardware defect. I haven't tried replacing motherboards or anything, so that might help you. What I did to help with the problem was rerouting my power button to my volume up key so that I can use the power button as little as possible. The only time I use the power button now is when I need to power it on - which causes reboot loops sometimes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sucks.
I like the sound of your work around, though. Was it pretty simple rerouting the power button?

BenScopato said:
Sucks.
I like the sound of your work around, though. Was it pretty simple rerouting the power button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto, my power button is borked too. Ended up doing the same thing but I don't use my power button at all. I just use rom toolbox to reboot system/into recovery
Rerouting was simple for me as it's baked into the settings in the rom I'm on (ground zero) as it is with most custom ROM'S I've been on. If you're just running stock I'm sure there's an app in the market that'll work however I'm drawing a blank ATM
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

brianray14 said:
Ditto, my power button is borked too. Ended up doing the same thing but I don't use my power button at all. I just use rom toolbox to reboot system/into recovery
Rerouting was simple for me as it's baked into the settings in the rom I'm on (ground zero) as it is with most custom ROM'S I've been on. If you're just running stock I'm sure there's an app in the market that'll work however I'm drawing a blank ATM
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running CM.
I've had a look through the routing options. What I can't locate is a way to disable the power button completely. My main problem right now is the phantom clicks. I'd rather that button be dead.
Anyone know of a way I can make that happen in CM?

Nevermind. I just physically removed the power button. That did the trick.
For anyone interested, you can replace a faulty power button on the motherboard pretty easily and the parts are cheap. If I wasn't due an upgrade in 4 months I'd probably do that. No need to replace the whole motherboard.

Does anyone know the app to reroute the button? I too have the same problem.

[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!

Problem with power and volume down buttons

Hi everybody,
I have sometimes a strange problem :
- the volume down button doesn't work anymore.
- I can't use the power button to turn on / off my phone, but it works as I can press it 3 times to open camera. On the contrary, I can't use it to ask for reboot, but it works for soft reset! Aaaaaarrgh! Brain pain!
When I try to soft reset, my phone enters in safety mode, as if I pressed the volume down button during restart.
In bootloader, I can't use power and volume down button. Quite annoying.
Sometimes, volume is turning down without pressing any button.
But what is weird is that my phone shifts from normal state (all buttons working) to defect state and back to normal state again without doing anything. It's unpredictable. It can work well for decades, then stops working fine for hours or days then back to normal.
Sometimes, when it works well, when I'm using it, it goes wrong without doing anything. I'm reading my favorite site and volume is suddenly going down. Without warning, without even touching a button.
I have to say one more thing. I picked up that phone from a coworker, and the volume button is a bit bent near volume up (picture needed?) but it worked fine for months before starting to mess.
I hope you'll be able to help me.
Sorry for my English, it's not my native tongue.

Seems to me like a hardware problem.
What I'd do honestly is to hit it repeatedly on a hard surface, but please, do not do that
If you can I suggest taking it apart and making sure all the ribbons are firmly set in place and undamaged. It can be an one way ticket for damaging the phone for good though, so wait for other suggestions too.

Thanks for your answer.
What is making me angry is that it also does this when left alone on the table : I let it there working perfectly and when I pick it up again, it fails.
And when it fails, once again I let it alone and suddenly the volume goes down, without even touching it. Raging.

its a hardware problem, u have to change the volumes and power flex, had the same problem with the powern button, i turn the phone off, and a few secons later it power on by himself till i change the flex

Did you take the phone apart recently? I had my battery replaced and that's when my Volume up started phantom pressing. I hit the phone repeatedly on a flat service and made sure to kind of slap it so it would impact kinda evenly as to not dent the case, it worked for about a week at a time, then I just took the phone apart and tried to align everything and made sure all the insulation tape was flat and and not bunched up and now it's fine. We'll except my USB port has got some giggle to it. Order a new USB of amazon for like $9, I'm trying to hold out for a LG V30