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Hi all
My Google Nexus phone got briefly wet. After drying it out as best I could, everything at first seemed OK. Then I noticed it would not get any bars from the cell carrier, just a ghostly empty triangle.When scanning for available networks, it immediately says "Error while searching for networks". I've tried multiple Sims/carriers that are known to work, same results.
Also the phone now gets hot up by the camera, and now kills the batteries in less than two hours.
So is the radio fried, or something else, and what can be done? Can a component be replaced or it it the whole motherboard? Any fixes or tests to try?
Any guidance is appreciated.
Thanks Much!
Update: well I went out and got an emergency replacement phone, I needed it too much! So now I have an experimental and/or parts phone, if you want to suggest something interesting or radical to get it up and running. Thanks
Got to play with backup and restore, which is a bright side. Interesting to see what actually works, and how cross OS backups and restores work
Hi everyone,
I'm the new owner of an unlocked T-Mo D851, and will be using it on AT&T. I bought the T-Mo version instead of the ATT version due to the unlocked bootloader and better Dev support. Love those Devs!
I figured I'd post a thread with the things I learn along the way, to help others that might benefit, particularly since I'm joining the G3 community long after the novelty has worn off. Folks like me that join have a lot of past experience to review here, and so much is out of date it can be intimidating, particularly when our new device acts a lot different from our old one. I hope this thread helps someone, but at minimum it will serve as documentation for me to refer back to, should I need that. I'll include links where appropriate.
I'm an intermediate level flasher, having worked with maybe 6-8 other phones/tablets. So, I know enough to be dangerous, but not enough to have an ego to bruise. My most recent phone was a T-Mo Galaxy S4. But I dropped it, and cracked the screen, just a few weeks after getting it all settled in with a nice 5.1.1 GPE ROM. Sigh.
I got the phone a few days ago but have just gotten around to working on it.
On day 1 I charged it up, skipped setup (touch corners, upper left, upper right, lower right above the softkeys, lower left above the softkeys... took 10 tries or so!), and connected the wifi (no sim card inserted yet). It immediately found update 20E (it shipped with kitkat). I let that update, but was surprised it didn't find the current 20G update. I want to make sure I start with the latest firmware/modems etc. installed.
In this thread, helpful user @mitbit2k3 pointed me to the online LG site that lets you download the LG Mobile Support Tool. It also gives instructions for installing the PROPER PC connection driver for the phone which works, versus the default Win7 driver that doesn't work for the purposes of the update. With proper driver installed, and with USB connection in the right mode (follow instructions to set the phone USB settings), I got up to 20G stock.
I exercised the phone a bit (still without SIM card) and made sure everything worked... cameras, GPS, wifi, etc.
Then I figured it would be time to install TWRP and take it from there. Much to my surprise, you need to root this thing FIRST. Even with an unlocked bootloader, you can't just fire up ODIN and flash TWRP.
I did my research on the forum and through Google... with all the versions of software since release there were numerous descriptions of how to root the thing, some of which were outdated. For me, on 20G software (5.01 Android), this worked fine:
https://www.reddit.com/r/LGG3/comments/3n0nk1/new_super_easy_oneclick_way_to_root_g3/
it references back to XDA of course:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g3/general/guide-root-method-lg-devices-t3129197
From this I learned to review the top level LG G3 subforums, not just the T-Mobile XDA subforums!!
OK, that rooted me just fine and installed SuperSU. I was able to use the "first way" which is super simple.
With that done, I was able to install TWRP. I went straight to the source for it:
https://twrp.me/devices/lgg3tmo.html
I used the "dd" method which involves running ADB on the PC. I use a version that is a "Minimal ADB and Fastboot" that works fine... I used it to mess around with my Shield tablet previously, so I was familiar with it. Basically you run the minimal ADB through a desktop icon, and it loads a command line interface. You type ADB Shell after plugging in the phone to the USB cable (it has to be on, developer options enabled, debugging enabled). Then you type the commands listed on the TWRP site. Pretty soon TWRP is installed.
Next I had to figure out how to get into download mode. Yeah, yeah... power plus volume down... been there done that, but on the LG you have to boot with power/down, then when the LG icon comes up you release for a second, then press the two keys again, then at the next screen tell it you want to wipe the phone, and confirm this again on the next screen. THEN it finally boots into TWRP. Kinda scary. And getting the keys right takes some practice.
Once in TWRP, I backed everything up (including EFS partition) to an external SD card, just in case I messed something up. I had previously erased the SD card from within the phone's SEttings/Storage mode, to make sure it would be able to be accessed. No problem.
So now I've got a rooted phone, with TWRP installed, and the next step is to figure out what I want to do ROM wise. I wish there were a 5.1.1 GPE stock + LG Camera ROM. But I haven't found one. I like plain ROMs. The default stock ROM, even if it were debloated, its a bit annoying to me (and just 5.0.1) so I'll probably move to BlissPop or Slim something, but I will research around.
It's time to stick my SIM in and see how the phone does on AT&T. I'd like to get a baseline before I go ROM-hopping.
I will say that on stock ROM, with no SIM but WIFI on, the standby power drain on this thing is incredible. It went overnight (7 hours) and was still reading 100%. A whole 24 hours in, it was only a few percent lower. Of course, I hadn't attached any Google accounts, so the phone was truly idle, but it's very impressive nonetheless.
Stay tuned. I'll be updating this as I go along.
OK, I'm a few hours in.
No problem with my ATT SIM card in the phone; the phone was purchased unlocked and everything hooked up fine as soon as I entered in the APN information for ATT (which you can get from here).
The phone gave me a warning about WIFI Calling invalid SIM; I went into the settings and turned off WIFI calling, since I'm on ATT and only T-Mo offers it.
One other problem I haven't sorted out yet is that I get a text each time I reboot the phone, apparently my phone is sending a text to a very long address 060504071000004163.... and the text I get back is an error message that this isn't a valid number. Not sure how to turn this off. Annoying, but once per boot won't kill me until I figure it out. Google will likely be my friend. EDIT: I think this relates to T-mo visual voicemail. I went into the T-Mo Visual Voicemail app and I immediately got another one of these texts. Time to remove this app...
Meanwhile I notice the WIFI reception of this phone is much stronger than the S4. On the other hand, it seems less likely to drop a weak WIFI in favor of a stronger one... I have several access points around my house, and I've found I've needed to switch them manually now and then. Haven't had to do this on the S4.
I'm also struggling to get restores to work from my Backup Your Mobile app. I moved the backup onto an SD card in the G3, but the app isn't recognizing it. Uh oh. That's got my MMS/SMS/Call log backups. So, I've still got things to work on.
I gradually entered my various Google accounts, and let Play Store download the updates needed for all the apps. I've got about 75% of the apps I use re-downloaded.
I've got one "serious" problem in that the Play Store says the ATT Visual Voicemail app, which is a cornerstone of how I use the phone (because it transcribes voicemails into readable text), isn't compatible with my phone. That's crap. It worked fine on my T-Mo S4 (running a generic GPE edition). I'll probably have to sideload the app, but it's annoying that it's locked out.
Making progress.
I still couldn't download the ATT Visual Voicemail app from the Play Store, and went stir crazy trying to find it on my S4 (which is rooted, so I should be able to find it, but...). I went haring off in lots of directions, including making a full apps backup with Helium, but then the G3 won't restore without using the PC app due to changes in 5.0... which is weird because my S4 (which is running a 5.1.1 GPE ROM) restores fine. I don't have the PC app installed so I tried using Backup My Mobile... but then eventually figured out that on the S4, with ES File Explorer, I not only had Root Explorer OFF (didn't know I had to turn it on), but it's easy to find apps with the APP Library. Once I found the app there, I uploaded it to my Google Drive, then downloaded it from there onto the G3. It installed fine.
I used System App Remover (which requires root) to get rid of all the T-Mobile specific apps and that annoying Lookout security program. Bah! This cured that spurious text message I get with each boot. It was definitely due to the T-mo visual voice mail. Problem solved!
In using the phone, I'm a bit bummed because it didn't occur to me that a big part of my bigger screen as compared to the GS4 would be taken up by the softkeys on screen. The S4 has a physical home button and capacitive keys to either side. So, my screen isn't effectively much bigger, when I account for dedicating some of it to the buttons. You can make the buttons autohide, apparently. One issue is I use my phone in landscape much of the time, and the buttons don't rotate to the new "bottom" of the screen when I rotate. Gotta figure that out.
This morning I installed the PC Helium App so I could enable backup/restore access on the G3. That worked fine, but Helium on the G3 still doesn't detect my external SD card, in order to restore from it. I could manually copy files over to the internal Carbon folder, and restores from there worked fine. Still, I'm not sure why I'm having so much SD Card angst. I know things change each version of Android wrt SD cards... maybe something is fixed in 5.1.1 (as I had on my S4) that is broken in 5.01 on the G3.
So, I've got some tweaking to do from here. The phone is basically set up and working fine except for some straggler apps that I won't bother with until I need them, with one major exception: I need to go in and set up Light Flow. That app is a big part of how I manage notifications on any phone...
If you rooted your phone, then download and run the SDFix app from the Play Store. Apps will then have the ability to write to the external SD card...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.sdfix&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dsd+card+fix+kitkat&pcampaignid=APPU_1_bJMtVsTJBoKajwP4noeABw
... and yes, it also works w/ Lollipop.
redduc900 said:
If you rooted your phone, then download and run the SDFix app from the Play Store. Apps will then have the ability to write to the external SD card...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.sdfix&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dsd+card+fix+kitkat&pcampaignid=APPU_1_bJMtVsTJBoKajwP4noeABw
... and yes, it also works w/ Lollipop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll give this a whirl!
EDIT: WORKED LIKE A CHARM. Thanks again! And thanks for the link, because there were several SDFix apps. The link made sure I got the one you intended.:good:
OK, I'm in a pretty good place after making some changes. Still plenty to tweak though.
First, I decided to abandon the stock Home launcher. It was a bit annoying with little UI tweaks LG made that make it just not how I expect it to look, but the kicker was that in landscape mode, the titles of the icons were not readable... they were mostly cut off. I use Rotate (Ultimate Rotation) so pretty much every screen including home is rotatable. But LG Home maintains in landscape mode the little dots representing the various home screen pages... these take up just enough room so that things get squished a bit and the titles cut off. Couldn't figure out how to disable that, so just bailed and installed Google Now Launcher which fixed me right up. That fixed the look and feel of the home screen, the apps drawer, and even reverted settings to the normal views I'm used to.
The only problem is that it kills double tap to sleep... or at least reduces the footprint of the double-tappable area to the notification strip at the top. Sigh. In another thread someone mentioned using Greenify to fix it. I'll try that when I get a chance.
Another weird thing I've got going on is that when I connect via Bluetooth to my car, it starts playing music. See this thread. That's pretty annoying... for now I deleted the default music that was playing, and with an empty directory nothing plays.
I put on a screen protector last night. I got the 0.2mm iCarez one. I performed the application in a steamy bathroom after running the hot shower for a bit, per some tips over in the Accessories thread. I left the backing on, positioned the glass on the screen, taped one side for the "hinge method" after getting it perfectly aligned and accounting for the eventual loss of thickness of the plastic underbacking, cleaned everything one last time with the alcohol wipe, peeled the backing, and plopped it on starting in the center. Got it perfectly positioned and no major bubbles. There were a couple of "spec sized" non-uniformities but they were gone by morning.
I'm gradually setting in... Still lots to play with.
I've noticed the WIFI, while it gets good reception, is a bit sluggish to drop a weak connection in favor of a strong one. Anybody got a tweak for that?
Frankenscript said:
I've noticed the WIFI, while it gets good reception, is a bit sluggish to drop a weak connection in favor of a strong one. Anybody got a tweak for that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this app for WIFI management. I have tried several and this is the best I have found. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.kman.WifiManager I agree completely that the wifi in the phone is very slow to drop a weak signal and grab a stronger one. But with wifi manager you can play with the sensitivity. Good luck.
Will do. Thanks for confirming it's not just me. Also on another note I just found the LG keyboard has lots of settings for customization. Not bad. May keep it!
Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk
SOLVED! - see post #7
This SM-N910V is rooted and had 3g but apparently I lost that when mucking around with things trying to get 4g. I've got other phones like a Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 5 both Verizon models that get 4g or 3g fine in this same location.
First odd thing I noticed on the Note 4 was a setting that popped up seemingly by itself while in 'More Networks' and 'Mobile Networks' that showed VZWInternet with a circle by that which was not yet checked so I tapped that and it turned green in the circle. I have never been able to see that option again. I don't think this caused the problem though. I've looked at apns-conf.xml in the /system/etc folder and can't see a problem there. I also tried replacing that with another one that is supposed to fix LTE mode. No luck so I put back the original. I wiped cache and reflashed a backup with TWRP which had been working on 3G but that didn't help - no 3g even. I did not wipe Dalvik/ART cache. I had been messing around in the 'Service Mode' menu with a bunch of different settings in an attempt to get 4g working but I'm fairly certain I got everything set back the way it was before I started. I noticed that one setting I had left different in the Service menu did not change back after flashing a restore with TWRP (full restore - all boxes checked). The one setting I left changed was the under the 'AS' protocol menu where I changed the Release version control to "LTE 3GPP REL 9" from LTE 3GPP REL 10". I know enough to be dangerous
Open to any suggestions - am wondering at the moment if I should have wiped the Dalvik/ART cache before the whole TWRP restore? At this point I'd be happy just to get 3g working again.
I also tried Dr. Ketan's LTE Enable. That didn't fix anything. Although I see MNC and MCC numbers in the apns-conf.xml file when I look at the SIM with a SIM info App I just see blanks in those spots on the SIM. Not sure if that's relevant - just giving as much info as I can here.
Did another restore with TWRP after wiping Dalvik/ART cache but that didn't fix it either. Strong cell signal but no 3G or 4G.
More info - I put the SIM card in another phone and it sees 3G at least.
It seems the "lost 3g or 4g" problem is very common and it seems I've looked through dozens of message threads here but I'm not finding any solutions. I'm looking at flashing the 'ltefix.zip' from this thread but it seemed to be for a custom ROM and I've just got the stock - more or less - 5.1.1.
Hmmm.... Been at this all day reading here, searching, trying everything but still no Mobile Data. Is this as elusive as rooting a Verizon Note 5? LOL - it was working at least on 3G. I'll take hints or even wild guesses at this point.
Okay - it finally flashed on me to do a restore of my EFS. Oddly I had done a full restore with TWRP which include EFS but that didn't fix the problem. That TWRP backup was done the same day I did an EFS backup using Dr. Ketan's IMEI tool for the Note 4. When I used the IMEI tool to restore the EFS backup I then had the 3G come back on. This is a 4G SIM so I still don't know why I'm not getting 4G but at least I got 3G back. I did have a hiccup using this IMEI tool which initially caused the phone to repeatedly shutdown after a minute or so and could not be restarted without pulling the battery. I believe it had to do with the 'Restore' button needing to be held down a certain amount of time instead of just a tap. I probably held, released too soon then held longer which I suspect caused a partial or damaged EFS restore. Be careful in how you use this tool or you may end up in that situation. I had to work very fast after a bootup to get it properly restored. After that it was stable again and had 3G.
Now if only I could figure out what it takes to get 4G.
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I wasn't getting 4G for the longest time, checked the PRL in settings on my GFs phone and noticed my PRL ver was like 50 thousand something while hers was 15518. Got a new Sim card and all my issues went away, PSA do not use *228 programming...EVER.
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acslam said:
Update/more info - I've continued to try and figure this out to no avail, although I got fed up with stock unrooted 5.1 and am now running modestrom v9 with a CQI2 base. And all of that install went fine, except for 4g of course.
I think this is worth mentioning as it might have something to do with the situation:
Way back in the beginning, I had gone through the entire unlock/root process, and everything actually worked fine the first time. This was right about the time the unlock became available, I bought the phone based specifically on that being possible, and got a brand new one at that time. Well, it was awesome for about 2 weeks, fully functional 4g and everything.
I had a very particular goal - I wanted this phone totally unlocked, but I was also very interested in the advanced/wifi calling that was supposedly coming out at that time - I was planning to move to a place with no vzw service and would be reliant on wifi for calls at home. Verizon wasn't clear about the fact that the wifi calling feature wasn't coming until MM, and this was before MM was released, so I was running a completely functional, 5.1.1 rom. I believe it was jasmine. So, under the impression that "advanced calling" would have given me wifi calling, I tried to enable it.
I cant recall if it was immediately, or a few hours after, but this is when the phone lost 4g for the first time. I immediately tried to deactivate the advanced calling feature on my line, but it didn't help. And nothing I could do would bring back 4g. I tried everything possible, and ultimately gave up and threw the phone in a drawer and went back to my note 3.
Fast forward several months, and my note 3 began to have issues with call audio, forcing me to use the 3g-only note 4 in order to actually handle day to day business. Again, I went through the processes of trying to fix 4g, with no success. Now by this time, MM had been released, I believe PD1 was the current firmware. I figured at this point it was time to just odin back to 5.1.1 and start everything over.
So I odin flashed the phone, and it booted into 5.1.1......with no 4g. Again I went through all the things I found here, no improvement. Finally, one day when the phone was bugging me about an OTA, I figured "what can it hurt at this point, its nearly useless without 4g anyhow."
And low and behold, the OTA update from verizon booted up and immediately jumped to 4g.
Now I felt I had a chance, a method that I'd finally proven could fix the problem. I left the phone in that state for a couple weeks, just to prove that it was holding. No problems during this time.
But I got sick of no root, and so I figured it was time to try and go through the steps again. And again, I lost the 4g connection. No big deal, just odin back to 5.1.1 and let it OTA like last time......
Except this time it didn't work. So I odin flashed back to 5.1 again, and let it try to OTA, again. I let the phone continually try to OTA all the way up to current, and flashed back to 5.1 at least 3 times to repeat the process in hopes it might fix something. No change at all. At this point I actually began to try and see if possibly Kies could help me here - maybe there was something related to the phones EFS? Which I don't understand very well btw - it was only through reading this thread that I began to research EFS and its significance. I also attempted to use some of the checkboxes in odin - the ones to erase all NAND and to clear EFS and rebuild it. Neither option made any difference. So I figured next logical step was to start playing around in service mode, which would require unlocking/rooting again......
And thats how I landed here. About an hour ago I got sick of the stock 5.1.1 and went through the whole root/unlock process and I'm currently running modestrom on CQI2 or whatever was just most recently posted. Every other part of the phone seems normal, but still no 4g. I can actually see the radio making an attempt to connect in the service mode - but I don't understand service mode menus well enough to interpret where the actual problem is. Upon boot the phone tries about 3 or 4 times to get an lte signal, during this time there is simply bars of signal, NO data indicator of any kind. Eventually, it gets frustrated and gives up, connecting to 3g and staying there. I realize now that when 3g drops, which is roughly every 10 minutes or so, its actually the phone attempting to establish LTE again. But still, I cannot make any sense of this.
Apologies for the giant post - I'm trying to put anything that could possibly be relevant info into one place here.
So........ anyone got any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PM sent. Just to share a little of that here I think the first thing I would do is tell VZ you suspect your SIM card is bad and have them put in another one. Tell them it fell out when changing a battery, the dog ate it and by the time it came out you suspect it wasn't quite right anymore - LOL. I do think SIM's flake out sometimes and I know a bad one can prevent 4G from working. If you ever had an EFS backup from anything try restoring ONLY the EFS (if you use TWRP). No guarantees that will fix it but my best guesses at this point. Good luck.
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I supect Verizon's doing this ...
acslam said:
I got a used stock note 4 to try and compare and see what I could be missing here....
Tried new sim card at least twice, unfortunately no dice, and the same card pops right into the spare note 4 and it wakes up on 4g just fine.......
EFS is something I probably should have been quick enough to dig in deeper on before this, as I don't have any backup of it....... however, I'm not seeing any other symptoms, I can see my imei fine, and every other function works. Is it possible that corrupted EFS can cause the loss of just one type of connection like that?
For giggles I tried a friends att sim, and no lte on that either.
Playing with the app LTE discovery, I can tell that the phone sees 4 different LTE towers just fine, showing db numbers exactly in line with the stock note 4 sitting right next to it, theres just something there under the surface thats stopping them from hooking up...... it stops trying after a couple minutes, rejects them all and connects to 3g.
I'm convinced its some kind of software thing, but I can't tell exactly where the failure is happening.....
I also odin flashed it back to stock bpa1, and still no dice. Is there a means to make an EFS backup without root? I want to see what happens if I try unlocking the other note 4 as well, but this time I want to have the backups......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been running on Emotion 7.1.1 for months with NO issues (well, some minor stuff, you know....)
Suddenly, two weeks ago I got a notice from Google that I had to sign in on my phone. Verrrryyy odd. At first I suspected some hack attempt, but my Account checked out fine. Having changed my password recently, I had to wait until I got home to login.
After I logged in, all ~appeared~ to be OK. Then I opened my Calendar. B L A N K. All ten years of appointments gone. I freaked out. I have two calendars, one for personal stuff, birthdays and the like, and another with my business appointments, INCLUDING FINANCIAL STATUS of the account. Gone.
Went online on my PC, signed into Gmail and switched to my calendar. Empty. Looked in Trash. Nothing. Vanished. Nada. Niet. There's a long story here about recovery efforts, troubleshooting, Googling, etc, suffice to say that TWO separate, redundant, backups had quietly failed, without the notifications they were supposed to send. I did manage to get from the first week in April back 10 years, but lost the whole summer. Thank YOU-KNOW-WHO that I'm good friends with all my clients.
Fast forward to last week. Suddenly I get 3G only from my Verizon account. Like you, I spent days on the boards, downloading ROMS, wiping, re-wiping, trying everything short of smoke signals to get it back. No joy. I did NOT go back to stock, I must thank you greatly, as that was my next road. Now i see it's a dead end. I will NOT give up my Nougat root just to get 4G.
Perhaps this is a bit conspiracy theory sounding, but I've become convinced that Verizon is playing some game, perhaps to force us to upgrade to a new phone. I learned long ago that corporations have no soul, and will do anything they like to increase profits. They exist for two reasons; to make money for their officers and to make money for their stockholders. Any other semblance of a "Product" or "Service" exist ONLY and SOLELY for that reason. Anyone who is a Yahoo or AOL member knows the level of intrusive ads and attempts to trick people into putting spyware in their machines under the guise of "protection" or "cleanup" programs has jumped to a new level of absurdity since Verizon sucked them up. "Oath" indeed. It's what is coming out of existing customer's mouths! M O N E Y H U N G R Y.
When I chatted at length with a Verizon Tech, she made it clear that she knew the answer was to upgrade to the latest stock (I never admitted to rooting, but she knew, we spoke "between the lines" a lot). She sent me a SIM card, but it., of course, didn't fix the problem, in fact it would not even initialize properly! I had to go back to the original SIM.
Now that we've found a way (after YEARS of trying) around their stupid block on rooting, they change the game. What person who is so into their phone as to root it, will put up with 3G? This is something Verizon is playing at, Sprint too from what I gather.
My only consolation is that I've got so many WiFi's nearly everywhere I go, and when I'm not near one, my Wife's Note 4 (not rooted, on latest update) works fine. I'm glad I decided not to root hers too.
Frankly, this really ticks me off. I have better things to do than spend days copying files, flashing and reloading data. Verizon knows that, and let me tell you, it won't be THEM who sees my money when I finally do upgrade.
Thanks again for saving me from the Stock route, you saved me hours of grief.
Peace out!
PuterPro
I have run into 4g issues with this as well and almost came to conclusion is a modem issue. I want to say but can not confirm that modems that are flashed are relative to bootloader on the device. Just something I've been pondering on as I had a unlocked bootloader device and flashed for wife to use with no root and recently unlocked again.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
I apologize in advance for the long read.
I recently activated Verizon service on a Note 4 that has been sitting unused since the Note 8 came out. The Note 4 is in perfect physical condition, with no scratches on the screen or body, and has been in a protective case since new. I did replace the battery in it prior to activation, as I expect for the life to have been deteriorated.
I did a factory reset and inserted my Verizon SIM card, and it worked perfectly. I installed my everyday apps and a few games on the phone, and I used it without any issue for about a week. During that time, it did install a couple of OTA updates, but I expected that since it had been "off service" for a few years.
After that first week, I put the SIM card back in my NOTE 8 for a couple of days, after which I went back to the Note 4. Initially, 4G data and cell service worked, but within the same day I started having service drops. If I was on the phone and a call dropped, it would show an error message saying "No SIM / SIM Error".
Her is what I have attempted so far:
First, I replaced the SIM with a new one. There was difference in the frequency of the random service drop.
When that did nothing, I assumed that one of the OTA updates from the prior week had done something to modem / radio. The phone was on 6.0.1 at that time. I unlocked the bootloader and installed TWRP, and first tried downgrading to stock 5.1.1, then to a "modified 5.1.1, then to CM 13, and now Lineage 15 (frequently factory reset / cache wipe. There has not been an improvement (or reduction) to the random service drop.
Yesterday, I happened to be on My Verizon online, and I had a message showing that Verizon no long had the information on my phone (IMEI), and requesting that I open a Chat Window to update my info. At this point, the Note 4 is still running the Lineage 15.1. The Verizon team member asked me for the IMEI, and when I looked under the settings, it said "None" under IMEI. In a quick search, I found a forum on Lineage 15.1 that said turning of the screen lock and rebooting the phone will reload the SIM and IMEI info. That worked, and I was able to view the IMEI and verify connection. I explained my issue with the Verizon support, and she said everything appeared to be good on her end. Over the course of 15 minutes, we tested my connection and it worked. About 30 minutes after that, it dropped service again.
Finally, here is where it is at now:
I start with no service. If I do nothing but restart the phone, it will show LTE service for 2 or 3 seconds, then nothing. If I remove and reinstall the SIM, I will get the same 2 or 3 seconds, then nothing. If I turn Airplane Mode on and off, that does not reconnect the service. If I change the lock screen security to "None" and restart the phone, there is no service, but if I set Screen Lock to "Swipe" and restart the phone, I will have LTE service for at least 30 - 45 minutes before it drops, sometimes a few hours. When it does drop, it does not come back on it's own. The only way I have found to get it back it to "Screen Lock - None, reboot, Screen Lock - swipe, reboot".
Will replacing the modem fix the problem? Is there a specific modem that I need to match up to the ROM? Thanks!
bife2003 said:
I apologize in advance for the long read.
I recently activated Verizon service on a Note 4 that has been sitting unused since the Note 8 came out. The Note 4 is in perfect physical condition, with no scratches on the screen or body, and has been in a protective case since new. I did replace the battery in it prior to activation, as I expect for the life to have been deteriorated.
I did a factory reset and inserted my Verizon SIM card, and it worked perfectly. I installed my everyday apps and a few games on the phone, and I used it without any issue for about a week. During that time, it did install a couple of OTA updates, but I expected that since it had been "off service" for a few years.
After that first week, I put the SIM card back in my NOTE 8 for a couple of days, after which I went back to the Note 4. Initially, 4G data and cell service worked, but within the same day I started having service drops. If I was on the phone and a call dropped, it would show an error message saying "No SIM / SIM Error".
Her is what I have attempted so far:
First, I replaced the SIM with a new one. There was difference in the frequency of the random service drop.
When that did nothing, I assumed that one of the OTA updates from the prior week had done something to modem / radio. The phone was on 6.0.1 at that time. I unlocked the bootloader and installed TWRP, and first tried downgrading to stock 5.1.1, then to a "modified 5.1.1, then to CM 13, and now Lineage 15 (frequently factory reset / cache wipe. There has not been an improvement (or reduction) to the random service drop.
Yesterday, I happened to be on My Verizon online, and I had a message showing that Verizon no long had the information on my phone (IMEI), and requesting that I open a Chat Window to update my info. At this point, the Note 4 is still running the Lineage 15.1. The Verizon team member asked me for the IMEI, and when I looked under the settings, it said "None" under IMEI. In a quick search, I found a forum on Lineage 15.1 that said turning of the screen lock and rebooting the phone will reload the SIM and IMEI info. That worked, and I was able to view the IMEI and verify connection. I explained my issue with the Verizon support, and she said everything appeared to be good on her end. Over the course of 15 minutes, we tested my connection and it worked. About 30 minutes after that, it dropped service again.
Finally, here is where it is at now:
I start with no service. If I do nothing but restart the phone, it will show LTE service for 2 or 3 seconds, then nothing. If I remove and reinstall the SIM, I will get the same 2 or 3 seconds, then nothing. If I turn Airplane Mode on and off, that does not reconnect the service. If I change the lock screen security to "None" and restart the phone, there is no service, but if I set Screen Lock to "Swipe" and restart the phone, I will have LTE service for at least 30 - 45 minutes before it drops, sometimes a few hours. When it does drop, it does not come back on it's own. The only way I have found to get it back it to "Screen Lock - None, reboot, Screen Lock - swipe, reboot".
Will replacing the modem fix the problem? Is there a specific modem that I need to match up to the ROM? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you might be dealing with 2 separate issues. I'm kind of guessing about the first issue but the second is a common problem.
I think the original problem is that your sim card is not making a good contact in the sim slot. You could try putting a think piece of cardboard or something that will press the sim card to the sim slot contacts (maybe check to make sure that there isn't any dirt on the contacts but from the sound of it I'm guessing your phone is pretty clean).
The second problem is that all of the aosp roms have varying degrees of signal loss that occurs. Some people have a lot and some not as much, but everyone is affected in some way with what people have been referring to as "sim death".
My suggestion would be to run a stock or modified stock rom until you get your sim problem straightened out and then if you still want to switch to an aosp rom then at least you'll know that any further problems are just the normal sim death that occurs from time to time with those types of roms.
If you've already updated your bootloader to a 6.0.1 version you can flash the modified stock rom that I put together. I haven't had any signal/sim issues at all with that and no reports of it. Like I mentioned before though, the only caveat is that it needs to be on a bootloader that is at least CPD1 or newer. If it's not then your wifi won't work.
Rom link If you're interested.
kevintm78 said:
I think you might be dealing with 2 separate issues. I'm kind of guessing about the first issue but the second is a common problem.
I think the original problem is that your sim card is not making a good contact in the sim slot. You could try putting a think piece of cardboard or something that will press the sim card to the sim slot contacts (maybe check to make sure that there isn't any dirt on the contacts but from the sound of it I'm guessing your phone is pretty clean).
The second problem is that all of the aosp roms have varying degrees of signal loss that occurs. Some people have a lot and some not as much, but everyone is affected in some way with what people have been referring to as "sim death".
My suggestion would be to run a stock or modified stock rom until you get your sim problem straightened out and then if you still want to switch to an aosp rom then at least you'll know that any further problems are just the normal sim death that occurs from time to time with those types of roms.
If you've already updated your bootloader to a 6.0.1 version you can flash the modified stock rom that I put together. I haven't had any signal/sim issues at all with that and no reports of it. Like I mentioned before though, the only caveat is that it needs to be on a bootloader that is at least CPD1 or newer. If it's not then your wifi won't work.
Rom link If you're interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply. I think that you may be onto something with both issues. After posting this question today, I did examine the SIM slot, and although all of the pins looked good, and no dust or debris was visible, the metal guide over the SIM did feel slightly loose from the card. I did put in a thin shim, and the significantly improved the time that the phone stays connected. If that was a true issue, along with the possibility of the ROM causing a separate cause, I am absolutely interested on going back to a stock (or modified stock) ROM. The only reason that I did what I did was an attempt to fix the connectivity issue.
Thanks for your help. I will give your ROM a try and let you know how it works.
TL;DR
Moto Z2 Play - XT1710-07
The phone recognizes the SIM card but there is no signal (no service). Tried several things, including flashing a custom ROM. I'm considering buying a new motherboard and changing it myself, but first want to know if anyone knows more about this issue or has an idea/suggestion.
Edit: As an added bonus, something that only now I realized. Now when I charge it, it gets EXTREMELY hot. Like I-can't-even-use-it hot. I used to use the phone while charging all the time, but now I can't even hold it. Seems like the problem is when it tries go past 80% charge. It gets super slow, keeps trying and gets hot. Now I don't know if it's a software problem caused by the various flashings or if it's something that would remain even after swapping the motherboard.
Edit 2: I did a full discharge of the phone and recharged it while turned off. It seems to have normalized the battery problem
Edit 3: RIP. I tried to remove the screen before deciding about buying a new board. In the process, I ended up tearing the digitizer flat cable apart. Now I don't think it's worth it buying both a new screen and a motherboard.
The full story and things I've tried
My phone was working all nice and dandy until it stopped having signal/service. Wifi works normally, but anything related to the SIM card doesn't, like phone calls or mobile data.
A list of things I've tried somewhat in order (both of time and of complexity):
* My SIM in another phone: it works normally, so the problem is not the SIM itself
* Another SIM in my phone: it doesn't work, so the problem is definitely the phone
* Using the second SIM slot
* Changing "Preferred Network Type" between the available ones (4G, 3G, 2G, including Enhanced 4G LTE Mode on and off): this one and the next two items don't really make sense to me, since these options seem to be only related to mobile data (4G/3G internet) connection, not to phone calls which is also not working, but I tried them anyway
* Manually selecting the network: Errors with "Selected network unavailable" and, after trying to register for a while, toasts another error saying "Can't connect to the network, try again later"
* Manually selecting the APN: Tried both selecting between the two options available and manually adding an APN by googling the correct info for my carrier
* Simply booting into fastboot and restarting bootloader: a video on YouTube claimed that it was a temporary solution and that I'd need to do it every time it lost signal. But it didn't even work the first time
* Disabling CQATest and then restarting bootloader (and also clearing its data/cache and removing its permissions): a lot of videos on YouTube claimed this was a solution, including for other Motorola phones. Apparently CQATest prevents the phone from working properly in some scenarios. But I think only when you de-google your phone? Not sure. All I know is that it didn't work either
* Using the phone connected to the wall charger: I think this was another YouTube suggestion, and it actually worked for a few minutes. But I guess it was just a coincidence, as it never worked again
Now for some more... "forceful" attempts:
* Factory Reset: Not sure where I saw this suggestion, but it was pretty much the next logical step. Gathered courage, backed up all my data, etc, aaand... nothing again
* Flashing another ROM: Guess it was here at XDA that I read that it was a problem with Motorola's stock ROM. That, paired with my belief that it could still be related to CQATest being installed, I again gathered more courage to flash a custom ROM. I chose LineageOS and found out that it was no longer supported, but decided to install the last official release. I also read that the problem was the Pie modem firmware, so it all seemed to be going fine since the last official release is Oreo 8.1. I flashed it and BAM it worked! ... for a few minutes and never again. I messed around with LineageOS, tried some of the previous things again, but nothing.
Then, I tried to restore my TWRP backup but it didn't work. So I searched a bit more and downloaded the Stock Pie ROM, flashed it, and closed the bootloader. And then I realized the restore probably didn't work since my backup was made using Pie and my phone was on Oreo. Maybe some files/partitions were missing? Also, when I was creating my TWRP backups, I tried creating a full system image backup but it kept erroring. Only later I realized the problem was that the USB Drive was FAT32 and the full system image was bigger than 4GB. Oh, well, now I know.
So now that I'm with my phone pretty much back on square one, I take it to an authorized repair shop. The clerk said that it was a common problem, and that sometimes it could be solved "by software" and that they'd try that. The other option was to change the whole motherboard, which they didn't do because it was "not worth it" and "almost the full price of a new phone". After two days, my suspicions were confirmed: they didn't fix it with their "by software" attempt. At least I didn't have to pay anything.
When I got the phone back, I put the SIM in again and it showed the icon as if there was signal. But when I tried to call someone, the signal disappeared again. I tried searching a bit more, went through all pages of Q&A here at XDA forums and there were like 3 posts regarding loss of signal. All without any response. On YouTube, I found some videos offering a suspicious .bat file. Upon inspection, it merely erased the modemst1 and modemst2 partitions and then wiped user data and cache. I tried it, nothing to lose. Also didn't work.
Now I'm contemplating a few options:
By watching some disassembly videos, I saw that, when opened, the phone has some parts that act like antennas. I thought that maybe those were not properly connected to the board? Maybe they got dislodged during a fall? Seems unlikely tho, since they are screwed in. I searched for a new motherboard to buy and it's a reasonable price. But I'm afraid it'll have the same problem (or develop it in a short time) since I can't find anywhere what the true cause of the problem is.
Another option is to just give up, buy a new phone and use this one as if it was a "small tablet" lol
So, do you guys have any other suggestions or ideas as to what might be the problem? Maybe a tip like "solder a wire to this spot to create a make-do antenna"? I don't really know where else to search.
If not, thanks anyway for those who read it all